1 The World is Falling Down (and Nothing Ever Changes)

He barely dodged another bullet whizzing past as the Watchtower was infiltrated for the third time that month. Villains were getting restless trying to figure out what the heroes and the government were planning in order to completely overtake the country and eradicate their kind. And Tommy knew very well that they were right for being scared. The heroes always knew what they were doing, they were always one step ahead. On top of scheduled patrols and training new recruits, they were practically detectives, assigned cases to track down and arrest villains as soon as they could handle themselves on the field. And Tommy, a tiny guppy fish in a tank of sharks, was not quite there yet.

They recruited heroes young, some volunteers, some drafted from lower districts, handpicked from their public schools based on the power assets they seemed to show at a young age, around twelve to fourteen.

Tommy had been wildly exempt from almost all of these factors, living in the tower since he was eight, showing no signs of an overpowered ability, and living with the number one hero team. He didn't need to become a hero, because he was just a publicity stunt in the form of a human being. He was nobody.

Until he wasn't.

Seeing as the security of the tower was dogshit, it was quite easy for Tommy to come and go as he pleased without getting caught. He had a pass letting him into every floor but the highest of highest, where the boards and committees sat untouched by the ruins of the society they created. So every morning he took the elevator down to the lobby and took the bus to the private school his adoptive father put him in. He'd deal with school, most days, but then he'd pull out the vigilante costume he'd made for himself and "fight the fight," or whatever. His very few friends (he had one friend, his name was Ranboo) from school joined him, as the backup from the safety of their own home. He became known as Aura in the public eye, and radiated clean and crisp red energy everywhere he went. His teammate gave him gear and lookout and ways to escape precarious situations, but he could handle himself. He'd finally gained an ability, one that was truly and completely his, and it wasn't something the heroes could take from him or use him for.

Until it was.

Techno, better known as The Blade, cornered and confronted him about his higher ups' ultimatum: he would face being inevitably arrested (and knowing them, he would eventually get caught, in fact they were getting close), or he could become a hero-in-training for the benefit of the tower. It was the first time in literal years that any member of his family had looked him in the eye. Even from behind a mask, Tommy felt a sense of urgency to have that again.

He knew that they used to care about him and love him. He had no idea what changed, but in retrospect they were probably forced to detach from the boy, forced to dive back into their work, leaving him behind. He was well taken care of, as a kid of a hero could never live an uncomfortable life, but he was never given their time, and he thought he was okay with that.

But as it turns out, he wasn't.

He became a hero-in-training for the tower on two conditions. That he was allowed to come and go as he pleased, turning into the tower with a shiny new pass to give mission reports and other important information, and he's never forced to reveal his identity. Reluctantly, they agreed, probably hoping to ensnare him further in their claws once he was in. But he wouldn't budge on his conditions, and they couldn't let him go in fear of him turning to the villains. And if they ever attempted to kill him, well, one hero team would wake up without a Tommy in his bed and the media begging to find out what had happened. And the murderers would've been them.

He was put in the personal care and training of the number one hero team, who appeared to be much more than a team, but a family. They loved each other, that much was evident. They could tell Aura was young, and took pity on him, beginning to treat him as one of their own teammates as well. Tommy ate it up, unable to believe his eyes. The family he'd always wanted had been right in front of him the whole time, but he couldn't have it as orphan Tommy.

His friend Ranboo, rich motherfucker, had a considerably large shed in his backyard and let him use it as a base, for when he had to pretend to run off from the tower as Aura and have a 'home,' to get back to, when in reality after an hour or so he'd leave the shed to sneak back into the Watchtower, through a window, as inconspicuously as possible.

It was always a long, tiring day after the next, but he needed to press on, for the sake of Manburg, and himself.

But when two teenagers with bright blond hair, like his, fell onto him unexpectedly and jarringly so, he had no idea what to do.