#tye longshadow

I should have posted this sooner.

Summary : Like the other meta-teens abducted by the Reach, you were a runaway. But unlike them, you ran away because you were pregnant. Being a teenage mom is hard enough—but being experimented on by aliens and left with powers you neither wanted nor understood? That made it even harder. Still, you’re not alone. Because the Runaways might run from everything... except each other.

~~~

Chapter 6: Long Shadow

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“Just wake me when it’s time to go,” Tye mumbled, curling up on the hard plastic bench, settling in for a much-needed rest.

You smiled as you sat beside him, gently brushing a few loose strands of his long raven-black hair from his forehead. With his usual scowl gone, he looked peaceful—almost boyish in sleep. What you didn’t know was that your friends were all quietly pouting with jealousy as they watched you dote on him.

But then Asami shifted.

Her heterochromatic eyes—one its original brown, the other a vibrant green from Reach experimentation—narrowed with suspicion. Wordlessly, she stood and moved to the windowed door, peering outside into the supposedly empty street.

“Asami?” you called, uncertain.

She didn’t answer—just stared harder.

Then her eyes widened. Alarm flashed across her face, and she spun to the group, barking a string of panicked phrases in rapid Japanese. None of you understood a word, so you all just stared at her, helpless.

With a frustrated groan, Asami grabbed Eduardo by the shirt and you by the wrist, yanking you both toward the door and pointing sharply.

You looked outside. Your breath caught.

Wilcox was there—with a full squad of STAR Labs guards. They were surrounding the building. Eduardo quickly ducked both your heads, pulling you into a crouch.

“Compañero, Wilcox is here,” he whispered urgently to Virgil.

Virgil’s head snapped up, eyes sharp with panic. “Aw, great,” he growled. Their entire escape plan was unraveling.

He hurried to Tye’s bench and tried to shake him awake. “Tye! Tye, man, wake up! We’re in trouble!”

But Tye didn’t stir. Not even a groan.

And then you saw it.

You gasped as a golden silhouette began to rise from Tye’s resting body—first faint, then steadily growing brighter and larger. A shimmering orange aura wrapped around him like a cocoon.

This was his power: astral projection. Whenever he was calm, focused, or—apparently—asleep, he could create a massive translucent figure that mimicked his form. Normally, he struggled to control it, his temper disrupting the connection.

But now? In this deep, dreamlike state? His projection was perfect.

Silent awe swept through the group as the figure expanded upward, vast and radiant. Tye floated peacefully inside it, curled like a heartbeat in the center of the chest.

Then, with no effort at all, the giant form raised its arms—gripping the depot ceiling—and tore it off like a shoebox lid.

“Oh my god…” you whispered, covering your mouth.

Outside, the STAR guards scattered like ants, diving for cover. Tye, still blissfully unaware, hurled the ceiling into the street, sending concrete and steel crashing toward the advancing team.

You spotted Wilcox below, screaming orders—likely begging them not to shoot. But the guards no longer listened. Fear had taken over.

And then a blur of blue armor landed beside them. Blue Beetle. You recognized him instantly—one of the heroes who had rescued you from the Reach. What was he doing here?

But Tye didn’t recognize friend from foe. His projection moved like a giant puppet, and Tye’s dreaming hand swatted at Blue Beetle.

The fist came down fast—boom—crushing the armored hero beneath it.

“Tye, no!” you shouted, but he couldn’t hear you.

Then the projection turned.

With a strange, gentle grace, it reached for you all. Giant fingers curled around you—lifting you into its palm like a handful of toys. It didn’t hurt. But the sensation was strange—like the tingling feeling of a limb falling asleep. Yet even in the oddness, there was care. Precision. Tye was protecting you… even in his dreams.

“U-Uh, Tye!” Eduardo squeaked, more startled than scared.

“I don’t think he can hear you,” Virgil said, eyes wide.

Tye’s projection clutched you all securely and turned to run—bolting away from the bus depot in giant strides, fleeing down the street at impossible speed.

You caught a glimpse of Wilcox sprinting after you, shouting in vain, “Wait! Tye! Stop!”

But he was too late. You couldn’t help but smirk, feeling just a little bit petty.

And so, carried high in the palm of a sleeping titan, you and your friends fled into the shadows of the nearby woods—free for now.

~~~

Previous: [x]

NOTE: I picked the most popular Indigenous superhero from each respective studio. I used Grok AI to help find the answer. I also used the Young Justice incarnation of Apache Chief.

Oh this is a very sweet theory 💛 very interesting to think that he was playing up his resentment to impress someone like Tye, because I can see that dynamic during their time as actual Runaways and I love how u have Virgil as the voice of reason, because that is also who he rlly was within the group !

Personally I felt like his return to his dad is suggested from the series to happen as a direct result of everything that happens in the last episode. Where it felt like to them that there was a very real risk that they could all die from the Earth disintegrating. It would make everyone re-evaluate themselves and their own situations and I can easily see Ed realising that if he’s so concerned about his fathers safety and well being, and also regrets not being with him during such times, that it would convince him to stay with his dad in the end. But family aside, with everything Ed went through, I can also see him wanting some stability and peace in his life, which I think is also what he wants from staying with his dad.

Another very interesting direction u considered was how Bart could play into this, because with his own background, they could have a very nice heart to heart about this at that stage in the series. but overall, I do agree with what u said, that the biggest motivation is that he missed his dad. I think it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t love him dearly, considering the show depicted multiple instances of him caring so much, and that he literally ran away to stay with his dad in the first place.

Justice League Heroes - Apache Chief

Tye Longshadow First Appearance: The All-New Super Friends Hour (1977)

Bring him back! Doing my research for this character, I don't think he has ever actually had a true main canon comics debut, which is crazy because I'd argue he's DC's most well known Native American hero. Black Vulcan and Samurai (his peers from The Super Friends diverse roster) have seem to be a least somewhat embraced elsewhere, but Apache Chief has only had 2 loose cartoon appearances, Young Justice being the first media that gave him a name. I'm sure there's sensitivity hesitation when adapting a character so intrinsically tied to a culture, but it also seems like The Super Friends did a decent job being respectful to Native American culture in his creation, at least for the time. I think its about time Apache Chief makes his full comeback.