Chapter Text
TommyInnit had just gotten thrown into a contract because he just so happened to be in the room.
Not his proudest moment.
He was gaining a reputation in this place — The Underground that is. A lawless society built right under the noses of the rich. The underbelly of a safe haven with caverns and tunnels that traded illegal items below.
He had been leaning against a set of draws as his boss at the time discussed partnership negotiations with a new client. Tommy wasn’t really interested in that stuff, the politics were more Wilbur’s thing so he slipped his hand in the cabinet behind him and got his ‘paws’ as his brother called them on a golden chain attached to a compass.
He had been shifting it into his coat when he was broken out of his thoughts by his boss casually adding Tommy to the agreement.
Excuse me???
He was "to be under ownership of his new business partner” as the two shook hands and rose. Look Tommy understood shows of goodwill but not him.
Next thing he knew the guards by the door were at his shoulders pinning his arms as he fought. What the hell?!?!
He spat and growled, shouting profanities as his new owner stepped forward and assessed his face. Baring his teeth Tommy gave him the ugliest glare he could muster. He wasn’t some pretty little kid who could be claimed and thrown around. He was legally an adult in the underground.
The man nodded in silent approval then turned to the exit, Tommy forcibly marched out as he cursed the man who 'traded him'. He was The TommyInnit! He was not to be sold.
Well… again.
Tommy ground his teeth then changed tactics. Loudly proclaiming his non existent rights he chatted up a storm in the hopes of ticking off the man before him. If there was one thing Tommy knew it was to convince people he was too much trouble to be around.
He’d get out of this… One way or another. With a stab to the back or an escape that would make the gods shed a tear in awe.
Getting to the man’s penthouse in the nicer parts of the server, Tommy got forced into a seat and tied up. Not a good sign… He writhed and fought as his seat was tipped back and he was dragged to a well placed position smack bang in front of a portal.
Oh no… his shoulders dropped. Far too many red flags were sticking up in his face. He was on a time limit now. Glaring at the guards and his new boss he noticed they had taken to waiting.
Tommy was not going to stick around for whatever came through that portal.
He picked up his incessant talking again, laying it thick on how much of a nuisance he was.
They didn’t even know what they’d gotten themselves into. Once the boss turned his anger onto Tommy he could take the beatings outside the room and make an escape. Macho men always did that to create a grovelling workforce of guards. Apparently hearing the suffering of others behind closed doors was scary.
Tommy could only find amusement in it after Wilbur explained the psychology to him.
He hid a grin as the boss sighed heatedly and got off the spot he was leaning against. Approaching Tommy the boy tilted his chin up challengingly. He had the man right where he wanted him-
Crack.
Tommy’s head flew back at the backhand. His chair following the momentum of his head as he hit the ground, the crunch of wood beneath him sent shockwaves of pain up his back.
“Quiet.” The man warned.
Yeah alright.
Tommy rolled his aching jaw and relented to silence. The guards lifted his chair off the ground, arms still bound and feet tightly secure.
That wasn’t part of the plan.
He realised the man was more volatile than he had anticipated. Less about the mind games like Wilbur.
Of all the things Tommy had learnt from the underground he knew when to keep his tongue.
He knew when violence went from a slap to a gun, so he kept his eyes down and tensed his ankles against their restraints.
The portal began waking to life. Swirling and wavering, the sounds picked up bringing everyone to attention. The boss placed a hand on the seat behind Tommy’s head as if he’d only been pleasantly talking to him.
It was a warning though. Tommy wasn’t dumb enough to forget that.
Another businessman stepped out. Tommy couldn’t help internally groaning at the sight of yet another pretentious suit.
He’d seen enough of those in one day for a lifetime and the stupid moustache curled in a far too chipper way atop the newcomer’s lip was ridiculous.
The hand behind his head curled against his neck threateningly. Not. a. word.
Tommy read loud and clear.
“Hello!”
Tommy’s brain had to reboot at the accent.
“I was told these are the coordinates for Mr goutshaw?”
Oh.
Why was this man being polite? Like weirdly genuinely polite? The unspoken rules for manners in the Underground was to tolerate each other.
Tommy scrunched his nose at the man’s body language. He was open. Welcoming. It stood out harshly against the stiff postures and puffed chests of the scrounges within the room.
“Ah yes. Mumbo is it?” The business man behind Tommy replied.
Hold up. Mumbo? As in The Mumbo Jumbo?
How on earth did this guy get a meeting with a Hermit? They were notoriously impossible to contact and famously rich beyond compare. Tommy had dreamed of the gold he could take for himself. Of the Elytras and Enchanted Gapples he could sell by the dozen for ten times the wages he made for himself.
He’d thought the new boss behind him was a loser. A nobody. Tommy’s mind changed.
Ooh~ Tommy practically purred at the opportunity presented in front of him. He sat back and waited to see the end result to this.
Mumbo eyes were fast to pick up on Tommy’s position and even faster to lose the confidence he had walked in with as he saw how outnumbered he was weapon wise.
“You remember our deal?” The business man asked tensing his fingers against Tommy’s throat warningly. “I’ve reconsidered.”
Backstabbing. How original, Tommy rolled his eyes.
What was Mumbo thinking walking into a place like this with the wealth to his name? Surely he had a team behind the portal waiting to come in guns blazing.
Except…
Mumbo’s voice wavered as he said, “Ah…”
That wasn’t a comforting thing to hear on Tommy’s end.
Mumbo’s hands drew to his chest. His expression turned worried as he made his frame smaller. Honestly, the man had height. Why wasn’t he using it?
“What are the changes?” He asked meekly.
Like he couldn’t just stand tall and say a hard no. Was this guy serious? Tommy would never get pushed around like that and he didn’t even have the suit to show for it!
“My goods…” The business man pronounced slowly. “For this boys life.”
Ok. Tommy immediately had a problem with that.
“What the hell???” He piped up. The hand against his neck squeezed harder.
No way. He wasn’t going to get sold then used as ransom.
“You take me out of this right now! I know my rights! I’ll clobber all of ya!”
“Quiet!” The business man hissed. The shing of metal was heard before Tommy’s hair was harshly grabbed to expose his neck, the cold knife hovering against his skin. “Give me the goods Mumbo or this boy’s blood is on your hands!” The man yelled almost manic.
Tommy withheld swallowing. This situation had just become very delicate.
Mumbo immediately tried to calm the trigger happy knife wielder down. Tommy internally groaned at his saviour’s clear incompetence.
Distract, approach and then take the weapon! Did this guy know nothing?
“Give the kid to me and I’ll pass the Elytra to you free of charge. Just please don’t hurt him.”
Yup, it was proven. This guy had no back bone.
Also, since when do you reveal what goods your trading? Tommy turned his peripherals to the closest guard. A tighter hold of the gun…
Oh. So the guards had not been told about the highly valuable Elytra being traded on their duty. The very valuable piece of equipment worth triple their wages.
Tommy hid a grin. He’d found his ticket out of here.
“Show me the Elytra.” The businessman growled dragging the knife closer to Tommy’s throat.
“Here!” Mumbo squeaked, pulling it out of his inventory and hovering it in his hand immediately.
Tommy could feel the businessman smile. Predictable bastard. All the greedy scum were the same around here.
The knife moved from Tommy’s throat. His hands were slit free, and as Tommy touched the shallow wound against his neck, he stood up and slid into his confident persona.
“Ugh! Finally!” He exclaimed without caution to the consequences.
“The Elytra.” The businessman warned no doubt motioning for his guards to train their weapons on Tommy’s back. Tommy walked forward unconcerned.
“H-Here!” Mumbo drew his hand forward.
Yoink!
Tommy grinned at the Elytra in his hand. He could feel the tension, shock and anger skyrocket in the room.
“Oh hey! 10 million credits right here. Wasn’t expecting it to be so light!” He made a show of inspecting the small shimmering icon closely.
“Hand that over kid.” The businessman growled.
“Listen to him.” Mumbo’s voice wavered in fear.
Tommy kept his back to his enemies. People had this weird belief that he was ignorant up until he turned around. It allowed him to draw the room out in his own 'business meetings'.
“Say, this is triple the wages of a royal guards.” He said casually, acting entranced.
Hand signal, the sounds of guns aiming. So predictable…
He let it drop to the dirt.
“Run.” He locked eyes with Mumbo as he pushed him into the portal and jumped through after him.
“Stop them!” The business man yelled. Tommy turned with a laugh watching as the guards leaped for the Elytra.
“See ya losers!” He gave a two finger salute as he disappeared in a flurry of particles.
Vision blurring he let the cold aether wash over him then stepped free from its grasp. Stolen Netherite pickaxe appearing in his hand he swung it at the portal frame and broke its connection to the other side.
“Wooh!” He yelled pumping his fist. “Still alive!” He shouted turning to his comrade for the day with a hand raised for a high five.
Mumbo was disheveled. Hands on his knees and form shuddering he gasped for breath. Tommy winced lowering his hand only for the man to still make the effort to not leave him hanging. Priorities huh? Tommy rarely got a returned high five. It wasn’t like his feelings would be hurt if the clearly out of it man couldn’t accommodate his theatrics.
“Are, you… ok?” Mumbo gasped trying to look up at Tommy through the nausea no doubt brought upon by the portal and high stress.
“Yah.” Tommy quipped sliding his hands into his pockets.
The golden compass was still there.
Score! Tommy grinned swinging his weight back and forth on his feet as he waited for Mumbo to recover.
He could pawn that off for big bucks! Not as much as an Elytra but… Mumbo was theorised to be one of the richest Hermits-
Tommy’s eyes no doubt shone with greed.
Oh nononono. He wasn’t going to fall into that trap.
He wasn’t another predictable stick in the mud. He could make his own hard earned cash thank you very much.
Mumbo eventually straightened with a worrying waver. His attention pinpointed on Tommy and the boy immediately hated the fussing.
“I’m fine!” He insisted as Mumbo got all caught up on his cheek turning blue from the forming bruise.
“We need to get that iced!” Mumbo fretted, voice pitching higher with stress as he pulled his communicator out.
Tommy’s eyes caught on the small contraption. Those weren’t cheap and Mumbo was using it like it wasn’t even a flaunt.
“Mumbo.” Tommy said placing a hand over the comm to catch his attention. “My man. You can’t go pulling something like that out and expecting it to remain in your possession.” Tommy laughed disbelievingly at his own words. He tapped the side of the screen to emphasise its sturdy value but left it in a rare act of kindness. “Hide your loot.” He advised.
Mumbo’s shoulders eased as he looked over Tommy’s face. “I trust you.” He replied sincerely.
Ah great. Tommy felt his spirits fall as he looked at the hermit sceptically.
Mumbo was going to be so upset when Tommy eventually disappointed him.
Tommy’s bad luck was high. Like so high Tommy ditched the first signs of a good person so as not to face their crushed expressions when he eventually turned on them. Nearly everyone Tommy got close to was shot and it was always with the choice between him or them.
Tommy had blood on his hands. He was man enough to admit it — he was not a good person.
Patting Mumbo’s comm again Tommy turned away from him and looked over the expanse of the Nether roof.
Not ideal. He’d have to leave before he got Mumbo in trouble. The kind man was not suited for Tommy’s side of life.
Mumbo’s comm pinged. “I’ve got transport.” Mumbo confirmed.
A moment later and a portal appeared as another man came through. His large wings of red and gold ruffled out as he shook off the portals effects and greeted Mumbo with a grin.
“How’d the meeting go?” The newcomer asked.
“Terribly.” Mumbo sighed in relief as he gravitated towards someone who was no doubt a familiar face. A beacon of safety...
“Got a friend though.” Mumbo indicated to Tommy.
Tommy startled from his intense glare at the man’s shirt. It was only a few shades off his own signature red and he’d been deciding whether to be offended or not.
“This is… ugh, sorry what was your name again?” Mumbo asked awkwardly.
“Tommy.” Tommy crossed his arms making a show of judging the newcomer then raising his chin.
“Grian.” Grian laughed then bowed his head oddly in greeting.
Prime these two were awfully similar in bright demeanours weren't they?
“Ok. So… thanks for the save.” Tommy looked to Mumbo out of the mutual respect for having survived the same situation then turned to leave.
Look he didn’t want to stick around long enough for him to be the odd one out.
Mumbo seemed absolutely flabbergasted at the idea of him leaving though.
“What?!” Mumbo asked. “But we need to get your injuries looked at! You’re bleeding all over the place, not to mention the bruise!”
Tommy paused only long enough to give a raised brow over his shoulder. “I’m not sensitive to a few scrap ups big man. This is where we part ways and I wonder down for a bandaid to slap on. I’m not dying.”
“We still want to check up on you.” Grian stepped forward with his wings opening slightly. “It’s the least we can do for you protecting Mumbo.”
Tommy paused at that. How did Grian know- never mind, Mumbo did look like he got in a lot of situations far above his head.
Eyeing Grian’s wings Tommy wondered if he could outrun the man. The Nether roof didn’t have any cover. Would the hermit give chase?
They were rumoured to be peaceful and diplomatic people…
Tommy tried to convince himself those were the only thoughts running through his head. What if Mumbo thought there was a debt to repay? What if Mumbo followed him back to the Underground and got killed? Looking at the portal he considered his options. Run or stay?
He’d already betrayed himself and gotten attached to the man. He couldn’t leave his home but…
“I will be coming back here once I’m done.” He gave Grian a meaningful glare as he straightened.
“Of course.” Grian replied easily with a smile.
He could already tell he’d screwed up. What if they got attached to him? He had to go back to the Underground eventually…
Well, he’d just make this quick then. A check up to satisfy Mumbo’s falsely perceived debt then he could rush out and avoid his bad luck rubbing off on them.
No one had to get stuck with anyone.
As Tommy walked past them to the portal he took a deep breath and stepped in.