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sleepless-in-starbucks · 5 years ago

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10 Months or So Since I Realized

Ao3 link

Summary: Logan does not have a crush. That would just be absurd. Besides, heroes don't fall for their villains. It's simply not proper. Warnings: Fighting (no serious injuries though), swearing, mostly just oblivious gays being oblivious, this is a superhero AU, this is like 12000 words long which is 10000 too many Pairings: Romantic analogical + creativisleep, platonic losleep + prinxiety

It was a nice day. No clouds in the sky, only blue stretching as far as the eye could see. The weather was warm, and the occasional breeze was cool, and the streets were filled with people enjoying the sights.

And Logan was getting a little sick of it.

He knew- just knew- there was going to be a hit today. All the information he had collected from his and Tempest's last dozen fights suggested he preferred to attack on nice days, when the spots he targeted would be as empty as possible, people rushed out into the sunshine. The irony of the sentiment wasn't lost on him.

But so far, that's all the day had been. Sunshine. No clouds, no storms, no rain. Not even a flash of fire somewhere. The day seemed entirely normal.

Logan sighed and slumped against the nearest building, giving his feet a break. They were tired of what had now been two hours worth of walking, unable to simply glide around as he preferred to do when he was in 'uniform.' He was starting to regret going the civilian look-out route, but it was the best way to keep an eye out without letting Tempest know he was watching.

"Aw, pouty because your boyfriend hasn't shown up yet?"

Remy did not have this foresight.

He was in costume, somehow managing to completely stand out without hiding his identity even close to decently- a crop top made of Kevlar that Logan knew was black despite the fact it was currently shining like a rainbow, matching short-shorts, knee-high boots and a long sequined cape that was never not fluttering behind him; all topped off with a pair of sunglasses that he pretended counted as a mask.

It was the worst super outfit Logan had ever seen, and he was constantly and personally offended by its existence. Remy's response to his complaints was to smirk and ask him how he was supposed pick up cuties if his suit wasn't inherently gay and excessively useless.

Logan just raised an unamused eyebrow at Remy as he approached. "I am not pouting. And I am not waiting for my boyfriend."

"Sure you aren't." Remy said in an infuriatingly knowing voice. "That's why you're wasting a pretty lil' Saturday wandering back alleyways and waiting for him to show his cute, masked face. Not waiting on him at alllllllll."

"Do you have a point?"

Remy collapsed against the wall across from Logan, grinning. "Nah, babes. Just trying to make conversation."

"Then stop."

"Cold, Lo, cold."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Do you have anything useful to tell me?"

Remy pressed a finger to his lips, as if in thought, before he pointed it at Logan. "Highlighter would do wonders for your cheekbones."

"That is not useful."

"It is if you're ever going to actually catch yourself a villain."

Logan's cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. "I do not see how using make-up would make me would like to capture any enemy of mine."

"Don't play dumb with me, hun, you're too smart to make it believable." Remy responded. "Except when it comes to this, I guess, since your every choice so far has just been plain stupid."

"Rich words coming from someone just inviting to be stabbed in the stomach." Logan shot back.

"This debate is not about outfit choices and you know it." Remy paused and looked thoughtful. "Though, really, yours could do with some sprucing up, a few embellishments at least-"

"My suit is fully functional and needs no improvements." Logan said, looking distrustfully at Remy's.

"Fully functional, yes; pretty, says 'date me;' no."

Logan sighed. "I think you're forgetting what we're doing here."

"Waiting for your boyfriend?"

Logan jerked his hand in Remy's direction, the puddle of old rainwater a few feet away from him jumping out of place to splatter the glittery hero. Remy put up his arms on instinct, looking at them in annoyance before glancing back at Logan.

"Seriously?"

Logan just shrugged. "You deserved it."

"That doesn't mean you had to do it!"

"No, it doesn't." Logan smirked. "But I wanted to."

Remy shook off his arms while shaking his head. "I’m ashamed, Lo- you're supposed to be the responsible half of this duo."

"Short of flooding an apartment complex without my suit on, nothing I do will ever make you the responsible one of the two of us."

Remy pouted. "I hate that you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Oh, you think you're so smart." Remy whined. "Well, guess what! I know something you don't!"

"Like?" Logan asked, only partly paying attention to his dramatic counterpart.

"I saw Burning Prince near Downtown bank." Remy said in self-satisfaction. "So I know where Tempest is going to strike next!"

Logan's attention rejoined the conversation in a flash. "You what?!" Logan yelled in disbelief, already taking off his glasses. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"There's more drama when we arrive halfway through the robbery." Remy answered.

Logan shook his head. "This is why I was meant to work alone." He muttered, pulling his glasses case out of his pocket and ignoring as Remy went on to defend himself. He swapped his normal glasses for his superhero ones- dark blue frames, much thicker than his usual pair.

He slipped them on, giving them a second to turn on as he glanced skywards. The blue sky was still there, but off to the side, in the direction of Downtown bank, Logan could see the beginning of a storm cloud cluster forming. The heist had begun.

"Am I good to go?" He asked Remy, eyes still on the clouds.

Remy tsked lightly at being interrupted mid-sentence (not that Logan noticed that), watching in bored interest as the glasses's holographic illusions set into place, turning Logan's civilian clothes into a sea green outfit, the shimmering effect of the hologram just looking like waves across all his skin, since even in a costume he could make look like whatever he wanted Logan chose to be a bore.

"No, you're awful, and need serious fashion advice." Remy answered honestly. Logan just nodded, knowing what it really meant.

Ignoring the sight ache as he did so, Logan broke out in a run towards the bank, only paying enough attention to the blissfully unaware families around him to ensure he wouldn't run into them. Remy was beside him, still talking, but Logan wasn't focused on him, too busy looking for- there.

Any illusion Remy might have been using to keep them hidden from civilians evaporated at the same time the fire hydrant burst, people glancing over in shock at the sudden stream of water only to watch it immediately begin to twist towards the two revealed supers, slipping under their feet until they were no longer running.

The stream of water continued to climb upwards until they were high enough that Logan could fully see the bank, the storm clouds looming over it looking just as ominous as their source. Logan continued them forwards as Remy crouched down, running his fingers through the water and twisting its clear, faintly blue colour into rainbows. He smiled up at Logan.

"Step one to getting that Boi- helpfully and constantly remind him you are very gay."

Logan just rolled his eyes and focused on getting them to the crime scene.

At first glance, the place looked like a mini disaster had occurred- vendor carts near the bank were upturned, small fires burned in the corners where the rain didn't reach, and everything else was drenched.

Logan, however, knew that the fires were harmless, the damages minimum, and the rain only helpful for him. Neither Burning Prince nor Tempest were that type of villain.

They were just dramatic.

Logan brought him and Remy down at the base of the bank's steps, letting the water that had carried them over rushing away, knowing it would soon be mixed in with the continuously pouring down artificial rain. With barely a thought, the water fell around him, sliding off the air above him as if he was sporting an umbrella, helpfully landing right on top of Remy's head.

Remy spluttered in annoyance, and Logan ignored him as he quickly mounted the steps. Even with the roar of the storm in his ears, Logan could easily hear the sounds of bickering from within the bank, alongside the crackle of a fire being started and a quick splash of it being put right back out.

With those indicators, Logan wasn't surprised by the scene he found when he stepped inside the bank.

Unlike the exterior, the inside of the building was almost perfectly maintained despite the villains' presence, a small scorched spot in the middle of the floor covered in a small puddle the only real blemish. There was a group of civilians and bank tellers huddled in one corner of the room, but only a few of them looked worried. Throughout their roughly a year and a half of terrorizing the city, neither Tempest nor Burning Prince had ever been the cause behind a civilian injury or death. They were thieves; annoying thieves, but just thieves.

The men themselves were idling next to the telling stations, caught in the middle of bickering with each other over some matter or another. Their hands were empty, indicating they hadn't moved onto actually raiding the vaults yet.

Good. Maybe Remy's incessant need for drama wouldn't completely screw thi-

"I do hate being ignored." Remy declared, walking up next to Logan and planting his elbow on Logan's shoulder, smiling in the direction of the now alerted villains. "Hiya sweeties. Miss me? Oh, don't answer that- I know you did."

Whelp. There the element of surprise went.

Burning Prince was the first to respond, grinning as he said, "My dearest Spectra, those who do not miss you are simply not worth knowing."

"Princey dear, for a villain you are awfully honest."

"I could not lie to such beauty."

Logan rolled his eyes, gaze darting to Tempest, who met his look with one of equal done-ness. The shared look only lasted a moment, however, Logan's vision immediately refocusing on their two idiots of partners when he realized what he was doing.

Villains and heroes do not exchange 'looks.' It was poor form.

"If you two are done conversing, I do believe we have a crime to settle?" Logan said in exasperation, unaffected by the annoyed glares he got from both Burning Prince and Remy, whom he swatted off his shoulder as well.

"Unless it's the crime of being too damn hot, babes, I don't really care." Remy said, blowing a kiss at Burning Prince with a wink. Logan hit his arm.

"If it is, then I think your partner's playing on the wrong side of the law, Naughty." Burning Prince added. Logan glared at the awful nickname.

"Pump the brakes, princey, or we're going to walk away from this without so much as a dime." Tempest finally spoke, voice loud and booming. Logan recognized the exaggerated tone- Tempest was wearing a voice modifier.

Logan wasn't quite sure if he hated or loved it, and he decided that the answer to that question was entirely his own business and not important to the current situation.

"You're no fun, Temp." Burning complained, but he still took a step back, once more falling in line beside his criminal partner

"We're not here for fun." Tempest reminded him pointedly. "We're here for cash."

"I don't see why we can't have both."

"Because your idea of fun wants us to not have the cash- remember?"

"Ah, come now doll, I can be reasonable." Remy spoke up. "We can all walk away from this right now- me and the eternal flame over there arm in arm, and if you two could agree to get over yourselves and accept you're oh-so-very g-"

There was a sudden bubble of water in front of Remy's mouth, causing him to splutter halfway through his sentence. Logan rubbed his temple.

"I apologize for my partner." He said, still looking down. "I have no defense for him aside from the fact that he's an absolute dumbass."

"The pain's mutual." Tempest said by way of accepting his apology, and Logan didn't need to look up to know that he was eyeing Burning with similar disappointment.

He probably should have looked up, however.

Only a moment had passed in-between Tempest responding and Logan looking up, but that had apparently been all the time the villain needed. Burning was still in his spot, but he was currently focused on making a flaming heart at Remy, who was helpfully doing nothing but watching him.

Logan frowned when he realized Tempest was missing, looking over at his (useless) partner. "Spectra." He said, warningly. "Where's Tempest?"

Remy waved a dismissive hand. "Vaults, probably."

Logan groaned before he started to run after Tempest, throwing over his shoulder, "I'm going to fire you as my partner!"

"Prince Charring's got you covered!"

Logan glanced back just long enough to pull in a rush of rain front outside, splashing through both Burning Prince and Remy, effectively putting out Burning's fires.

He only took a little bit of guilty satisfaction in their cries of indignation.

He reached the vault quickly, finding the heavy metal door bent inwards, looking as if it had been slammed with a strong gust of wind. Logan didn't think too hard on the exacts of it as he quickly climbed past it, slipping in the gap that had been created by the destruction.

Tempest had his back to Logan, scooping money into a bag he must have produced from one of the many pockets hidden within his large, ragged cloak; itself was currently being spun about by the winds that were whipping around in the vault, money flowing into it from the already broken open drawers.

This time lacking the incapable-of-being-silent Remy, Logan silently approached Tempest from behind, a trail of water streaming in next to him as he went. He was careful to avoid the scrap on the floor and the money still flying past him, the water darting alongside him to avoid wetting the paper and alerting Tempest he was there.

He had made it almost the entire way without a misstep, within arm's reach of Tempest, when he slipped up. Eyes focused on his target, Logan missed the front of a fallen drawer on the ground, stepping on it without even realizing until it was too late.

Logan's foot slipped out from underneath him faster than he could react, his other quickly following. Focused on the, sadly, not new discovery that he couldn't fly, his water crashed to the ground, splashing across scattered money.

Logan only acknowledged that fact to register with it that he would not only be falling over right in front of his archenemy (and not boyfriend, crush, or any iteration otherwise), but he would also be getting his clothes wet, which was really just annoying.

However, Logan was pleasantly surprised to find that neither of those things were going to be an issue for him.

Given the reason for this, though, was that Tempest had caught him mid-fall, it seemed Logan had a whole new problem to deal with.

Logan wasn't one hundred percent sure what the unspoken etiquette around villains catching their heroes was, but he was fairly certain Tempest wasn't following it. Villains and heroes fought and took every chance they could to beat the other. This was one of those chances, even if it was in Tempest's favor.

So why he was just... holding Logan, one arm around his waist and the other looped behind his shoulders, not moving aside from staring at the nearly fallen hero with eyes that were wide in shock, whether from the fact that he had caught his hero or from the fact that he had caught Logan unclear, seemed... not right.

Of course, maybe Logan didn't have the grounds to speak here, given he wasn't exactly making any moves to change their current situation. Not that it would have been that hard- his feet were still mostly on the ground, Tempest's grip wasn't that tight- but for some reason Logan found he just... couldn't move.

The moment continued to last, much longer than it had any right to, before Logan finally pulled together enough of his senses to get out of Tempest's hold, almost easier than he would have liked to simply plant his feet firmly on the ground and push away. He only stumbled back a step or two, managing to not fall over as he finally regained proper footing.

Tempest didn't respond for a second, simply watching Logan before he finally coughed, the sound his modifier produced as he cleared his throat scratchy and grating.

"Rude."

"...Rude?" Logan repeated, uncertainly.

"Yeah. Rude." Tempest replied, looking awkward. "I mean... I just, y'know, caught you, no need to pull away like I'm fire- that's my partner's thing."

Logan blinked at him. "I uh-" He figured he should point out that Tempest was a villain. Why would he not push away? "I'm sorry." He said instead.

Tempest nodded. "No harm no foul."

"Uh. Yeah." This was... weird. Should they get back to fighting? Seemed out of place now.

They continued to idle across from each other in almost dead silence, the only sound now coming from the barely audible exchanges from their partners back in the other room. It took another minute to pass before it was Logan's turn to awkwardly clear his throat.

"Should we, uh... are you still going to steal the money?"

Tempest looked down at the loose cash still on the ground. "I guess I should." He said, sounding as if he was getting around to an annoying household chore and nothing more.

"You really shouldn't." Logan responded.

"I guess you would say that, huh." Tempest agreed, looking back up at Logan and tilting his head, more curiously than viciously adding, "Hero."

"I would." Logan replied, trying to sound offended and only sounding half-convincing. "Villain."

Tempest's response was to let the silence stretch once more, scratching at the back of his neck for a moment before he crouched down and started to pick up more money. Logan fidgeted for a minute before turning around and heading back outside the vault.

It just felt wrong to attack Tempest like that. He wasn't even using his powers at the moment. Logan figured the vault was secure enough that Tempest would have to leave it through the door to make his escape, so until then he would just... wait.

Logan wasn't sure how long had passed with him just standing around in the hallway just outside the vault, kicking at nothing and refusing to glance back into vault while Tempest worked, before Remy and Burning came walking down the hall. They were chatting, rather friendly like if Logan said so himself, but... well... it wasn't like he was doing much better in that field.

They stopped, however, when they saw him.

Remy raised an eyebrow high enough to clear the top of his shades. "Uh. Naut. My dude. Shouldn't you be fighting Tempest?"

Logan shrugged helplessly. "Theoretically, yes."

Burning frowned. "And the thing stopping your theoretical dreams from being reality is...?"

"Uh... nothing."

"Then you aren't fighting him because...?"

Logan crossed his arms defensively. "Why aren't you two fighting, then? You are also enemies, are you not?"

"Oh, trust me, babes, we've been fighting." Remy assured him, not even bothering to cover his smirk. "Lots of fighting. Been fighting for at least ten minutes. What else could we have possibly been doing?"

"Yeah. Because that sure is a mark of battle." Logan deadpanned, focused on the smudge of light pink on one of Burning's cheeks and the side of his mouth that looked oddly similar to the shade Remy was wearing.

"Battles can go in many different directions." Burning said vaguely.

"Just go help Tempest do his thing."

"You mean his steal-y thing?" Remy asked. "Aren't you supposed to be against them doing that?"

"You're supposed to be against it too, and yet here we are."

"Touché." Remy conceded before patting Burning on the back. "Well. You heard the man, darlin'. Go help your partner commit crimes while me and my good guy partner just... let you do that, I guess."

Burning shrugged. "Free money works for me." He said, happily slipping past Logan and into the vault. Remy watched him go with a smile before he turned his attention back to Logan.

"What the literal fuck is going on?"

"Language." Logan replied passively.

Remy crossed his arms. "Hun. Come on. I thought you were into this whole 'don’t let the bad guys steal the money' thing."

"I'm not letting them steal any money!" Logan defended. "Just... letting them think they have a chance to steal some money."

"And why are we letting them do that?"

Logan looked down and kicked at more air. "No reason?"

"You don't even sound a little convincing." Remy said disappointedly. "Try again."

Logan looked back up, glaring at Remy. "You will ridicule me for it."

"I ridicule you for everything." Remy countered. "So get over yourself and just tell me already."

Logan sighed. "While I was trying to sneak up on Tempest, I may have slipped."

"Real coordinated of you."

Logan half-heartedly shot water in Remy's face. Remy easily ducked it. "This is what I meant."

"You knew this was coming. Stop stalling."

"...After I slipped, I may not have hit the ground."

"So, what, you caught yourself?" Remy asked, frowning in confusion. "What does this have to do with you letting tall, dark, and cunning in there get away with-"

"I didn't catch myself, no." Logan said. Remy continued to look confused, waiting for Logan to go on. When he didn't, however, the confusion quickly morphed- first into thoughtfulness, than realization, than worst of all-

"Tempest caught you!" Remy exclaimed, loud enough Logan worried the man himself heard him. "You fell over and Tempest caught you like the gay villain hero of your dreams-"

More in a panic than anything, Logan threw more water at Remy, this time stopping him mid-sentence. He glanced hurriedly back at the vault, happy to find no one emerging before he turned back to Remy.

"He's going to hear you if you maintain that volume!" Logan said in an angry whisper. Remy just grinned at him.

"And if he does?" He asked, teasingly, raising his voice as he continued, "What are you EVER going to do if TEMPEST hears me talking about how much you LO-"

Logan only slightly regretted that the next splash of water knocked Remy over.

"You are behaving like a child." Logan scolded. Remy just looked up at him, tilting his sunglasses down on his nose to fully expose Logan to his Stare.

"Oh, I'm the one behaving like a child?" Remy asked. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm not the one awkwardly hiding out on my crush because I don't know how to ask him out."

Logan sighed, leaning against a pillar and sliding down on it so that he was sitting dejectedly in front of Remy. "He's my enemy, Remy, and a villain."

"...So?"

"So, I can't just 'ask him out.' That would go against common sense, logical reasoning, the law,"

"Ah, who cares about the law!"

"Us, Rem, we care about the law."

Remy waved a dismissive hand. "Don't focus on that. We stop the occasional crime- doesn't mean we always have to uphold it or anything."

"As civilians we do."

"We'll just pretend we're not civilians, then."

"You can't just-" Logan pinched the bridge of his nose. "The law aside, it still is a poor and unwise decision. I am not known for making those types of decisions."

"Then get some personality." Remy said, ignoring the look of outrage that Logan gave him. "Be unique. Live a little. Kiss a cutie."

"Oh, yes, because kissing really wins battles." Logan responded sarcastically.

"You never know."

Logan rolled his eyes. "How many battles have you won by making out, then?"

Remy's response was to just smile faux innocently at Logan.

"...Answer the question, Remy."

"Honey, I have the feeling that you don't want me too."

"You are, quite literally, impossible."

"It's part of my charm." Remy replied nonchalantly. "And you know what your charm is?"

"Don't-"

"Being direct, honest, and gay-forward." Remy said, ignoring Logan. "It's what makes you cute and what saves you despite the fashion disaster that is your suit. But if you're busy being oblivious and not asking out sweeties when it's pretty clear they like you too, you're not going to have anything going for you."

Logan looked up sharply from where he had become focused on his shoe. "How would you know anything about whether or not Tempest likes me?"

"I have eyes, babes, that's all I need to know." Remy answered. "Plus, me and Burning do... fight... a lot."

"Do you normally have lengthy conversations about your partners’ possible crushes when fighting?"

"It helps when our partners are so clearly fucking gay for each other." Remy said. He raised a hand at his side, twitching his fingers as two rainbow figures came to light, looking eerily similar to Tempest and Logan. The figures set about moving in a circle, watching each other as they went.

"Oh, Remy, I just hate that Tempest! That's why I'm always staking out his most robbed businesses, waiting to get another chance to fight him!" Remy mimicked Logan's voice as the figures got closer together. "Oh, Burning Prince, I just can't stand that Nauticus! Watch as he becomes the only hero I'll stick around and fight instead of just storming away!" This time the fake voice was deeper, meant to sound like Tempest. The figures got even closer.

"I think your point has been made." Logan said.

Remy continued anyways. "Oh, look how we hate each other! So much! Now watch as I catch the falling hero and don't kill him, or even knock him out so I can get away! Watch as I allow the villain to fill his pockets with cash before I try and capture him!" The figures of light were together now, light arms wrapped around each other as Remy grinned.

"So much hatred! Clearly only hatred! So this will mean nothing but anger-" The heads leaned together, and-

Logan reached forward and waved his hand through the light illusion, refusing to stop until Remy's grin dropped and he let the figures dissipate.

"Five year old." Logan said as he pointed accusingly at Remy.

"Coward." Remy returned in the same tone.

"I am not a coward." Logan returned, trying not to sound too childish.

"Then go ask Tempting Tempest back there out already."

"No."

"Listen, Lo, you ether have to ask him out or accept your title of 'coward' and live with it." Remy said, crossing his arms. "One or the other."

"And if I do neither?" Logan asked.

Remy smirked. "Then I'll tattle on you."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh hun you absolutely know I would."

Logan huffed. "Why do I even associate myself with you?"

"Because you have no choice; we've been over this." Remy said. "Now, are you gonna go tell Tempy you like-like him or am I going to?"

Logan looked away from Remy, still frustrated. "I will... attempt to tell him... that... when we fight next."

"Not gonna lie, sweetheart, but that was pathetic." Remy said, reaching out to sympathetically pat Logan's knee. "But that's alright. You're trying! And that's what matters."

"I hate you."

"Shhhh. Don't ruin this moment with hatred."

Logan shook his head and turned to look back at the vault door, happy to find the dented gap in it still open and lacking in any exiting villains. "How long do you think we will have to wait?"

Remy shrugged. "However long it takes them to scoop up all the money, I guess. It's not like they have much else to do in there."

"I suppose." Logan agreed, turning back towards Remy to rest his head on his knees, ready to deal with at least another five minutes of Remy's teasing while the villain duo collected their stolen goods.

This, however, was not what the villain duo was doing.

Instead, Tempest and Burning Prince were sitting and standing, respectively, Burning watching his partner with a mockingly sad look in his eyes. Tempest was ignoring him, toeing a puddle of water on the ground.

"I expect more from you, Virge." Roman berated lightly, getting Virgil to glance at him briefly before going back to the puddle. "You're supposed to be the big, strong, deep-voiced, handsome villain! Made to woo the hero and show him the beauty of the dark side! And look at you now." Roman gestured at Virgil, as if there was someone else in the room he was being presented to. "You're just sad."

Virgil finger-gunned at Roman. "You know it."

"That's not something to be proud of." Roman responded. "And take off your mask. That voice sounds nice against enemies but right now it just sound stupid."

Virgil pulled down his mask, revealing a frown to match his glare. "You're the one who suggested I use it at all."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Yeah, to sound cooler and more attractive." Roman said. "AKA to be used against Naughty, who is currently not here. And would you like to remind me, again, why he's chilling in the hallway instead of trying to lock us up?"

Virgil sighed in exasperation. "Because I caught him-"

Roman nodded and spoke with him, "Because you caught him and then you both collectively told your brain cells to take a flying leap. And now the two of you are avoiding each other by any means necessary, apparently including by not doing your jobs."

"I'm doing my job!"

Roman looked meaningfully around Virgil, at the piles of uncollected money on the floor. "Oh, yeah, I can really see that."

Virgil crossed his arms. "It's not like you're doing your job either, princey."

"That's because I already dealt with my gay disaster side, Death Wish for Cutie." Roman answered him. "You, on the other hand-"

"-Am dealing with it fine, given my crush is on a hero who wants to throw me in jail." Virgil cut him off snappily.

Roman looked at Virgil disbelievingly. "Please tell me you don't really think that."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, boy you are more of a lost cause than I thought." Roman said, tone a mix of awe and bewilderment. "Especially considering the boy you think wants you tossed in jail is currently doing absolutely nothing to make those wishes come true, despite how easy it would be to lock up your sadly-pining ass right now."

"..I'm sure he's busy with something... hero-y." Virgil explained away, waving his hand pointlessly. "How would I know? I just steal crap."

"Naughty right now is about as busy as I was fifteen minutes ago while you too were gaily swooning."

Virgil raised an eyebrow. "You were distracting Spectra, weren't you? Hence making you busy?"

Roman smirked. "Distracting Spectra? Yes. Busy? Only in the barest of terms."

"But weren't you two-" Virgil stopped as Roman craned his neck, pretending to look casual as he gave Virgil a good view of the pink smudges on his cheek. Virgil sighed. "I can't believe you."

Roman's smirk just grew. "You had to have seen it coming. I'm hot, he's hot, we're not complete fools- unlike our partners apparently- you actually thought I liked causing mayhem in the park because it meant a lot of people were around and not because it's a real nice place to walk hand in hand," Roman trailed off with a knowing look at Virgil. "This was almost as obvious as you and Nicely Naughty pining over each other for the last few months."

"You're an awful criminal."

Roman scoffed. "I am the illegal owner of the prettiest boy in the world's heart, thank you very much."

Virgil looked Roman dead in the eye. "Illegal?"

Roman frowned for a moment in annoyance. "Alright, alright! I am very much so the rightful owner of that heart." He didn't react for a moment before breaking out in a grin, falling down into a sitting position so he could be more at Virgil's level as he added, "And I am not ashamed of that! I am in love! And you could be too!"

Virgil held Roman's gaze for a moment before he sighed and looked down. "It doesn't work like that, Ro, you know that."

"It can if you want it to." Roman responded, scooting closer to Virgil. "How do you think me and Spectra got together?"

"Gay telepathy." Virgil deadpanned.

"Close." Roman replied. "Considering gay telepathy- and, you know, basic observational skills- are what told me Spectra would, in fact, like us to suddenly stop fighting and kiss instead. But you know what helped?"

"Magic."

"Communication." Roman corrected, poking Virgil's chest with each syllable. "We flirted and we made it fairly obvious we were very gay and very gay for each other. Now, you and Nauticus on the other hand-"

"Aw, you used his full name."

Roman looked at Virgil, unamused, before continuing, "You two seem to be under the impression that communicating in any form will immediately lead to your deaths."

"Stranger things have happened." Virgil pointed out.

"Yeah. Like you two not already being a thing." Roman responded, leaning back from Virgil to cross his arms. "It's just embarrassing at this point."

"If it's so embarrassing, then, why don't you take care of it?" Virgil asked, tone mocking.

Roman raised an eyebrow. "Listen, if you're inviting me to try out polyamory, I'm not going to lie and tell you I'm not tempted."

"Great. Take the problem off my hands for me."

Roman paused for a second, as if seriously considering it, before shaking his head. "Nah. Too easy for you. Cruel, too, to steal the man who's clearly destined to be your soulmate. Even if he is criminally cute for a hero."

"I'm getting mixed signals from you here." Virgil said. "You don't want to steal him, and yet you think he's just so cute-"

"One only needs eyes for that realization, Gloomy-two shoes." Roman said, cutting Virgil off. "Just like they only need half a brain cell to realize you two were meant to be together. Me and Spectra are gay enough to make do with the two of us, don't you worry."

Virgil rolled his eyes. "Then what do you suggest me and Nauticus do, huh?"

"Like I said- communication!" Roman said, quickly spelling out the word in flame in the air. "Flirt with him! Tell him he has cute hair! Wax poetic about his eyes! Yell 'I like you let's have lunch sometime' at him! Do literally anything because the tension will kill me otherwise!"

"All good ideas, but consider: that's a whole lot of effort and socializing." Virgil pointed out. "So is it really worth it?"

"Some people are worth socializing for." Roman responded, voice more genuine than it should have been for such a cheesy line.

Virgil let it sink in for a moment, looking at Roman with a thoughtful expression, before he broke out into a smug grin. "You totally stole that from Frozen and you know it."

"I am a thief after all." Roman responded cockily. "And it's an amazing point I'm not letting you discredit just because the wording came from a movie with a talking snowman."

"But what if I don't want to acknowledge the point?"

"If you don't acknowledge it, I'll just tell him myself."

Virgil sat up at that, looking at Roman in angered shock. "You can't."

"Can and will." Roman returned. "I mean, if I handle the communication bit, all your problems are solved, aren't they?"

"They are most certain not!" Virgil responded. "You'll be," Virgil waved his hands at Roman, searching for a word before he settled on, "you. And that's not the impression I'm looking to give him!"

"Looks like you have two choices, then." Roman said, tone sugary sweet. "Either talk to him yourself, and finally get on with the beautiful romance you two clearly have been wanting to cultivate, or have me talk to him, and see that romance bloom instead in embarrassment. Your call, stormcloud."

Virgil glared at him. "You know I hate that nickname."

"Then start fighting with tornados." Roman suggested. "And no avoiding this. Pick a side or I'll go off and pick for you."

"Alright, alright! I'll tell him myself if you'll chill out!"

"Impossible."

"Put yourself out."

Roman grumpily frowned as the fire that had briefly overtaken his entire form vanished once more. "You're no fun."

"I get like this when I'm forced into awkward situations via embarrassment blackmail."

"Don't worry about 'awkward-' simply let yourself go to the true love of the moment, and you'll find your every word a breeze!"

Virgil just blinked at Roman. "You really need to calm down." He raised a hand in a stop gesture. "Start singing and I will start using tornados right here and right now."

Roman huffed. "Killjoy." He muttered before grabbing Virgil's arm, pulling the other villain up with him as he stood. Virgil stumbled as he got up, looking in confused annoyance at Roman as he reclaimed his balance. "I've decided we're doing this now." Roman said in answer to the silent question.

Virgil's eyes widened. "Now?!"

Roman nodded. "Yep. Now. Both because you're boring and because I miss looking at Spectra. Fill your pockets with as much cash as you want because you're about to go good!" Roman paused. "Unless Naughty's gonna go bad..."

"I don't think that's what's important right now." Virgil pointed out, half-heartedly shoving a few more bucks in his cloak.

"It's important to me, though." Roman protested as he moved towards the vault door. "I may soon be out of a job! Though, I suppose, I could always just become whatever you and Naughty don't become- I'm certain I could get Spectra to join me."

"As if you two would get anything accomplished, for good or bad." Virgil scoffed.

"Oh, definitely not." Roman agreed with a grin. "But we would be working together... spending time together... probably moving in together..."

Virgil side-eyed Roman. "Are you doing this for me and Nauticus or for you and Spectra?"

"Why can't it be both?"

Virgil laughed. "You're so gay."

"If you are just figuring this out now, we need to have a long discussion about how I failed to constantly project gay vibes at all times."

Virgil just chuckled as he paused in front of the twisted vault door, stopping for a second just to peak out. Through the gap, he could see the sitting back of Nauticus watching Spectra as the rainbow super paced in front of him, clearly ranting about something or another. He sighed as Roman came to stand slightly behind him.

"This is going to go horribly, isn't it?"

"You and Naughty, actually talking?" Roman whistled. "Yeah. Somehow going to be even more of a flaming mess than I am. But it'll all add up."

"It better." Virgil responded, the hint of a possible threat falling flat against the fact that he, deep down, in a place where Roman could never find it actually existed, truly hoped it went well.

And if it didn't, well, he was sure it wouldn't be that hard to start living inside of a tornado.

With that cheery thought in mind, Virgil pulled his mask back on and stepped out of the vault.

"If the cute guy asks to kiss you! You! Say! Yes!"

Logan sighed. "Remy, I think I know that much at least."

Remy paused for a moment in his pacing to look disbelievingly at Logan. "Do ya, babes, do ya really?"

"I'm bad at initiation, not at saying yes."

"Other important thing to remember then- if the cute guy is cute! Ask him! To kiss you!"

"I refuse."

"Don't make me ask for you."

"Remy!"

Remy opened his mouth to respond before his attention was caught by something behind Logan, expression quickly shifting into a smirk. "Finally decided to make a reappearance, darling?"

Logan scrambled to his feet, turning too quickly and nearly falling over as he moved to watch Tempest and Burning come to approach him and Remy, Tempest looking awkwardly everywhere that wasn't at Logan, Burning looking directly at Remy.

"There's only so long I can resist the call of your eternally enticing beauty, my dearest Spectra." Burning replied, grinning right back.

"We also do have to eventually leave this place." Tempest pointed out, voice sullen.

"Unimportant." Burning dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Unlike the colourful light of my life-"

"Tempest, for the love of all science, either hand over the money or start a fight or something to shut your partner up." Logan spoke up, receiving two annoyed glances along with one faintly amused one from the only person in the room who really mattered.

"Why would I hand over the money?" Tempest asked, voice booming. "It's not like you can make me."

Logan rolled his eyes as he stretched his fingers, all the nearby water rising as he did so. Flirting, crushes- they were out of his comfort zone. But this? This he could do.

"Your line's clichéd." Logan pointed out before smirking. "So, to return cliché for cliché- watch me."

The water metaphorically (and literally) at Logan's fingertips rushed at Tempest, swirling around the other man's legs and pulling him up, flipping him upside down. Money rained out of his cloak as it hung around him. Tempest crossed his arms and stared in amused annoyance at Logan.

"Really?" He asked. "This is the best you can do?"

"What's the point of doing my 'best' and exerting so much more effort when I could just do this instead?" Logan replied, smirk only growing as he shook the water and, by extension, Tempest a bit. "Besides, I will admit this is... funner than my best."

Tempest rolled his eyes, an odd look when he was wrong-side up, before twirling one of his fingers. Logan barely had a chance to register the action before he felt his feet being lifted up from beneath him, his clothes whipping around him and his technical illusion flickering. Logan glanced down to confirm his suspicions before looking back at Tempest, the villain now the one smirking.

"Tornado?" Loan asked, crossing his arms as well. "Inside? Doesn't that seem a little extreme to you?"

"Blame the Burning Man over there- not me." Tempest defended, nodding his head in Burning Prince's direction. "Burning Man who is... doing a great job at fighting his supposed worst enemy."

Logan glanced over as well, sighing in disappointed-but-not-surprised as he realized Remy and Burning were doing little more than standing a few feet apart from each other, poorly stifling laughs at their supers' predicament.

"Shouldn't you two be fighting each other right now?" Logan asked. "You know, as opposing sides and all."

"But fighting take so much effort!" Burning complained. "Standing and watching you two, though... that's easy."

"Pretend for at least five minutes you're a good villain, please." Tempest said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just to humor me."

"Oxymoron." Logan pointed out. The tornado ruffled his hair in response.

Burning leaned his head back and sighed, long, loud, and dramatically before he finally said, "Fiiiiiiiine. I suppose I can put in effort."

Burning turned to Remy, lamely flicking his hand in Remy's direction, sending a small wave of fire at the hero. The streak of flame didn't even get within a foot of Remy, though he did stumble backwards a few steps and feign injury by clutching his chest.

"I've been burned!" Remy exclaimed, almost sounding realistically pained before he smirked, winking at Burning before continuing, "Burned by the heat of your good looks."

Burning grinned. "And how do you retaliate, my dearest, most daring hero?"

"I plan to blind you, my wickedly stunning villain." Remy responded, blowing a kiss at Burning that came with a light show of rainbow hearts. The light was too weak to truly burn his eyes, however, instead just passing through his head harmlessly.

So Burning, of course, reacted as if he'd been viciously murdered.

He pressed his hands over his eyes, feigning true blindness, stumbling forward and back as if his balance had been completely thrown off, groaning dramatically as he went. Finally, he stumbled far enough forward as to bump into Remy, grabbing randomly at him and managing to grab the hero's wrist.

"If I'm going down," Burning started loudly, one hand still over his eyes even as he held onto Remy, "I'm taking you with me!"

With that declaration, Burning let his legs buckle, falling over and easily tugging Remy over. It helped that Remy didn't seem to be offering any resistance to the weight pulling him downwards. Remy collapsed next to Burning, weightlessly falling on top of his chest as well.

"...Is that it?" Tempest asked after a moment, Burning and Remy not moving from their spot slumped on the ground.

"It is." Burning confirmed. "Because we are dead now."

"Didn't you hear him say he's taking me down with him, babes?" Remy asked, leaning more onto Burning's chest as if to prove his point. "What did you think that meant?"

"It looks like it means you two sitting out the battle to cuddle each other and watch instead of help contribute." Logan answered.

"Impossible." Remy responded as he pressed his head into the crook of Burning's neck.

"I'm wounded you'd think that lowly of me." Burning added as he looped an arm over Remy's shoulders.

Logan hung his head as well as he could. "I need a new partner." He muttered.

Tempest nodded, hair bouncing funnily beneath him with the action. "Maybe we should just do away with the whole concept of having one. We clearly work better alone."

"You should be each other's partner!"

Twin glares met Remy's remark, the hero rolling his eyes in response. "I'm just stating the obvious, geez. So much hate."

"...As simple and arguably logical as it would be for two newly sidekick-less supers to simply team up, there is the small matter of us being on opposite sides of this battle." Logan said after a moment, ignoring when Remy glared at him as he skillfully avoided his true point. "It doesn't make any sense for a hero and a villain to team up."

"It does if you look past your teams and instead recognize you two are clearly in lo-"

"And that's enough of that!" Tempest suddenly declared, cutting Burning off. He rolled his shoulders, a burst of wind exploding around him and throwing Logan's water aside before twisting and lowering him down to the ground, once more on his feet. He looked up at Logan, tilting his head with a smirk.

"Gonna come down and fight me like a real hero?" He taunted. "Or are you ready to give up and accept you can't defeat me anyways?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Please." He said, sounding already tired with Tempest's antics. "You wish I'd accept this defeat now. It's your only chance of winning, after all."

As he spoke, Logan kicked his legs, the water Tempest had thrown off rushing up to surround him as he did, giving him the momentum he needed to flip out of the tornado. He landed with a satisfying click of the heels of his shoes hitting the ground cleanly, his water rushing to splay about him.

What could he say? There was only so long you could know Remy without picking up a bit of his flare.

"You rely too much on theatrics." Tempest scolded, flicking his wrist uninterestedly, the tornado dissipating in response. "These battles are built on skill, Nauticus, not showmanship."

Logan raised an eyebrow. "That voice modifier isn't just for show, then?"

"Of course not." Tempest responded, tone sly as he began to walk, not approaching Logan yet, just circling. "It does distract you, does it not?"

"Only with how annoying it is." Logan said as he began walking as well, eyes remaining on his opponent. He heard low 'ooh's and 'ahhh's in the background alongside what sounded suspiciously like popcorn being popped, but he opted to ignore what he knew was simply their 'dead' sidekicks settling in for the show.

"Oh, I'm sure that's the only reason." Tempest replied, voice almost what Logan would describe as a purr. If Logan was being honest, it was a purr... but for the sake of him having a chance to win this fight, he didn't feel like being entirely honest.

"I couldn't fathom another." Logan said, feigning naivety. "Unless there's a reaction you're going after?"

Tempest's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance at that, though the look in his eyes was certainly not annoyed. Before Logan had a decent chance to try and decipher what it was, however, it was gone, once more replaced with easy confidence.

"Enough stalling." He said, tone more inviting than the words suggested they ought to be. "Are we going to fight or not?”

Logan's response came in a sudden rush of water, the streams that had been flowing steadily and almost lazily about him surging at Tempest as soon as the words were out of his mouth. They slammed into the villain hard enough to throw him across the room, Tempest's feet skidding across the ground at the last second to save him from being rammed into the wall.

"I think we are." Logan answered belatedly with a smirk.

Tempest rolled his eyes. "I bet you think you're clever too, huh?" He asked, throwing out a bolt of lightning in Logan's direction as he did.

Logan dodged it with ease. "Oh, extremely."

"His ego's also bigger than the Great Pyramids!" Remy helpfully chipped in from the sidelines.

"I don't doubt that." Tempest offhandedly responded as he sent more bolts at Logan, a thundercloud forming above his head and getting progressively angrier as he went.

"It's not my fault that I know I am incredibly cool." Logan defended, water rushing back up under him to shoot him above a larger bolt of lightning, the stream of water bending over and behind Tempest to briefly get him out of range of follow-up attacks. "Or that I take pride in that fact."

"That's a little cocky, don't you think?" Tempest teased as he spun on his heel, forcing Logan to swerve hard to the left to avoid another strike.

Using the momentum from his dodge, Logan swung around the space between him and Tempest, the water supporting him even as he ended up functionally sideways right next to Tempest, grinning despite the horrible danger this move was putting him in so close to his opponent.

"I can afford to be a little cocky." Logan answered, Tempest turning to face him with an amused look in his eye as he raised an eyebrow. Then he shrugged the shoulder nearest Logan and a gust of wind slammed into him, spending him spiraling backwards.

"You could afford to be a little more cautious, too." Tempest told him as Logan bounced off one of the bank's support beams, the hit not nearly as hard as it should have been. The only true explanation for that, of course, was that Tempest hadn't given all he got into that breeze, but that was ridiculous.

Right?

Logan shook off the thought as he hit the ground, pushing himself back onto his feet almost immediately. Deal with the fight first, worry about how hard each side was fighting second.

"Caution doesn't win battles." Logan said as he made a slashing motion with his arm, a solid wave of water following along it until it knocked Tempest's feet out from under him. As the villain hit the ground, the storm above his head scattered, his concentration on it lost.

"You won't survive them without any." Tempest matched from his spot on the floor, not bothering to stand up as he slammed his palms against the ground. A crack of thunder rang out, quickly followed by a swirl of dark clouds forming above the space between the two of them, flashes of lightning sparking within them.

Logan sighed. "What's the point of the mini one if you can just make a bigger one at will?"

"Dramatics, mostly." Tempest answered as he pushed himself to his feet, brushing off his pants as the storm continued to grow. "Gives my enemies a false sense of security, too."

Logan looked up at the cloud, tilting his head to the side as he contemplated it. "What do you plan to do, then? The battle's not very sporting if you just shock me here and now."

"We're not trying to be sporting, are we?" Tempest asked.

Logan looked back at Tempest, head still tilted in thought, another smirk creeping onto his face. "I suppose not." He agreed before raising an arm. It was slower than his other attacks, more calculated, even as the stream of water came up with it just as quickly, rounding itself off into a rope-like shape, shooting at Tempest and splashing against one of Tempest's arms.

It didn't settle afterwards, however, the water looping around his wrist and securing itself like an actual rope.

Tempest looked down at it in mild interest. He tugged the secured hand away, surprise joining the interest when he found the water rope refused to release him, not even allowing him to move his arm back an inch.

"And what's this?" Tempest asked, gaze moving back up to focus on Logan. "Scared I'm going to run away? Enjoy my company that much?"

"I know you'd miss mine too much to voluntarily run." Logan answered smoothly as the other end of the water rope rose up to him, wrapping around one of his own wrists to match Tempest. "I'm just ensuring my safety."

"Your safety?" Tempest repeated, glancing up at the thunderstorm, a look of understanding flashing over his face before he looked back down, chuckling. "I hate to break it to ya, Aquaman, but my own lightning can't hurt me. I would have figured you already knew that, what with your extreme cleverness and all."

"That's because you'd stop it first, right?" Logan asked, not waiting for confirmation as he continued, "The lightning would hit me, and then you'd stop it before it completed traveling down to you?"

"If that's what you want to think, sure." Tempest answered non-committedly.

Logan's smirk only grew as he yanked his wrist towards him, the force of the water increasing as it spooled backwards, Tempest's eyes widening as he stumbled forwards, unable to stop himself until he crashed right into Logan. Logan's free arm snaked around Tempest's waist in a heartbeat.

"There." He breathed, the water rope collapsing to the ground as it became useless. "You hit me, you'll hit us both. Even you can't stop that in time."

Tempest didn't respond immediately, his voice distorter making an odd, strangled sound instead. Logan raised an eyebrow, confused, looking closer at his enemy, trying to figure out what was wrong.

Tempest's eyes were still wide, and the tops of his cheeks were beginning to turn a bright red. For a moment, Logan was still confused, trying to piece together the evidence as he saw it, trying to figure out why Tempest was acting strangely. They were still just fighting, after all, the only thing that had changed was-

Oh.

Realization hitting him like a freight train, Logan felt his confidence melt away in an instant, being replaced by panic. If he was going to be specific, gay panic.

Here he was, holding his sworn enemy, a villain who just happened to be his crush, right against him and refusing to let him go while the other turned redder than a fire truck. Logan couldn't figure out if he was in Heaven, Hell, or both.

Both sounded about right.

The knowledge of what was going on, however, didn't give Logan the collected wits to use it anyway, leaving the two of them in panicked, flustered silence. Sadly not for the first time, Logan wished he had a more concealing 'mask-' if his cheeks starting to burn were any indication, he was pretty sure he was looking just as red as Tempest by now.

The silence was eventually broken by Tempest, the villain awkwardly clearing his throat before saying, "Uh. Outstanding move, Nauticus."

Logan rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. "It was simply logical." He replied, tone sounding stiff, even for him.

"Yeah, well... ah... you know I wasn't actually going to just.... strike you down like that, right?" Tempest asked, cringing at his own words, the deep, distorted voice sounding wrong with the hesitation.

"I... may have suspected as much." Logan admitted before hastily clearing his throat, adding on, "But still. Better safe than sorry?"

"I thought you were against being cautious."

"You may have had a point when you said a bit of caution never hurt anyone." Logan conceded slowly. "Though, I suppose if you have no plans to strike me down, this is unnecessary caution..."

Before he had a chance to try and pull away, however, one of Tempest's hands shot out and grabbed onto Logan's upper arm, stopping the super from moving. "Y-you never know." He offered, shakily, weakly, though his grip on Logan was anything but. "I could... I could change my mind."

"...I see." Logan said. "So... there is... a significant chance of me coming to harm if I leave this... embrace?"

"I guess it depends on how badly you want to escape this... embrace." Tempest answered, glancing at Logan hesitantly. "I suppose if you really... if you really hated it you'd... you'd be too fast to hit, getting out of it."

"Well, that seems like a... risky risk." Logan responded, not currently in possession of enough brain cells to be upset at the awful wording. "Staying put, on the other hand, seems... safer. Smarter."

Tempest nodded. "Yep. That's, uh, that's real logical."

"Thank you. I do pride myself on my logic." Logan replied, still sounding awkward.

They lapsed into silence once more, the stormcloud above head no longer crackling with energy, a reminder of the lack of weight to Tempest's threats.

But Logan was sure that it could become lightning filled once more quicker than he could avoid it. That was definitely why he still wasn't letting go of Tempest. It was just the smart thing to do.

"Y'know... we do have to end this battle eventually." Logan said after the silence had stretched for a good three minutes, neither of them seeming particularly inclined to continue doing anything other than standing quietly much too close together for sworn enemies who weren't actively fighting at the moment.

"Who's going to make us?" Tempest asked quickly, looking at Logan before quickly looking down as he did. "We could do this all day. No one can get close to us."

"Unless we want them too." Logan added, also immediately looking away from his enemy as he did. "No one can get close to us unless we want them too."

"So what does that..." Tempest paused, tone uncertain, eyes still angled away from Logan, "What does that say about us?"

"About the fact that we are within a proximity that would be considered to be close by the majority of people?" Logan clarified, Tempest nodding his head a bit in confirmation before he continued, "I suppose that says... we want to be close to each other right now."

"Right now? Just... just right now?" Tempest asked, finally looking at Logan again, the expression in his eyes torn between hope and fear.

"I... don't know." Logan responded. "Is this just right now?"

"That's not an answer."

"May I assume, then, that you don't have one either?"

"I-" Tempest stopped to take a breath and let out a long sigh. "We're enemies."

"Yes."

"Villain and hero."

"Accurate."

"We shouldn't want to be close unless one of us is taking the other out."

"That hasn't seemed to stop our partners." Logan pointed out, glancing over at Remy and Burning to reinforce the point, only to find the sidekicks no longer where they had been. Logan didn't have a chance to think much on it, however, attention drawn back to Tempest by the villain chuckling.

"Our partners are idiots."

"And we're not?"

"Don't say that!" Tempest said, voice suddenly vehement. It shrunk almost immediately after the outburst, Tempest sighing before he went on, "I've been fighting you too long for that bullshit, Naut'. You've got strategy and reasoning and good moves and somehow you're witty even in the middle of the battle. If you're an idiot I'm a fucking unicorn."

"I don't know, Tempest; unique and enchanting? You might just be a unicorn."

Tempest looked at Logan in outrage. "This is what I mean! Witty! We're not even fighting right now you cheater-"

"I thought we were still fighting?"

"I think it's pretty clear we're not." Tempest deadpanned.

"Physically? No." Logan acknowledged, the arm he had around Tempest tightening a bit, not to add more weight to his point so much as he just wanted to. "But there are other ways to fight."

"And how are we fighting now?"

"Words." Logan answered. "I think we're fighting with words that need to be said."

"I'm not that good with words." Tempest said, almost sounding petulant. "Actual fighting is easier."

"Actual fighting isn't getting us anywhere."

Tempest huffed. "Then what is going to get us somewhere?"

"I think you know."

"I-" Tempest stopped, looking upwards, as if he were questioning everything that had gotten him up to that point, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Logan raised an eyebrow in confusion as Tempest looked back down, staring him dead in the eye as he said, "Virgil."

"Virgil?"

"My name's Virgil."

"Why are you-"

"Because it's a lot easier to tell bigger secrets when you start with small stupid ones." Virgil said dismissively, plunging onwards, as if stopping for too long might steal his nerve, "So, my name's Virgil, when I got annoyed in school I'd blow people's papers out of their hands, I made it rain every year on the day of my school's track meet so I didn't have to participate, and... and I think you're more stunning than starlight."

Logan sucked in a breath at the confession, recovering quickly if only because Virgil was still watching him, worry quickly seeping onto his face as he waited for Logan to properly react.

"I..." Logan stopped, took a breath, continued, "My name's Logan, I once minorly flooded my college to get finals pushed back a few more days, I've committed tax fraud just to prove I could without being caught, and I've never met a man more impressive than you."

Now it was Virgil's turn to pause, eyes widening a bit, almost as in surprise, processing what Logan had said before he randomly blurted out, "Ten months."

"...Ten months?"

"That's how long- we're just telling secrets and stuff so I figured- that's how long I've, uh..." Virgil smiled, sheepishly, "How long I've liked you."

"Oh." Logan responded. "Ten months... that was... that was the Westside mall robbery, right?"

Virgil nodded. "We were fighting in the center, around the huge fountain they had. Burning and Spectra were 'fighting' too, and a blast of fire came in our direction on accident. You had seen it coming, but I was distracted, in the way, and you- you grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the way."

Virgil stopped and Logan closed his eyes, the image still vivid in his mind. He had reacted on instinct, pulling Tempest almost to his chest as the fire nearly set the villain's cloak aflame.

"You pushed me away right after , telling me I should be more careful, practice basic observational skills... I don't know." Virgil laughed nervously, "I don't know why you suddenly seemed so damn cute, with your askew glasses and ruffled-from-fighting hair and the concern you were trying to hide behind scolding, but you did." Virgil gave Logan a small smile. "Still do."

"Even villains don't deserve to be burned." Logan said, explaining away his actions that day, trying to ignore Virgil's last remark, as if that would extinguish the fires in his own cheeks. "And you really weren't paying enough attention to your surroundings."

"I was distracted by the thing of beauty in front of me." Virgil replied, much too smoothly in Logan's opinion. "But enough about that. Your turn. When did you fall for me?"

"Nine and a half months." Logan answered without hesitation. Before Virgil could say anything, he added, "Our next fight. Cherry bank."

"...Well that's interesting." Virgil said vaguely.

"I blame you entirely for it." Logan said in his defense. "You were acting different. Pulling punches and replacing them with more quips. Less long-distance attacks, waiting til I got closer to make a move. And you kept- you kept looking at me, in a way I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't understand at the time, but it was... nice." Logan chuckled. "I guess... to be a bit romantic, I guess you were so in love with me I fell right after you."

"That's.... that's so sappy." Virgil lightly hit his head against Logan's shoulder. "You can't just say stuff like that, you dork."

"You had that new mask, too." Logan continued despite Virgil's turmoil. "It showed more of your face. And you were just... you were gorgeous. Always have been."

"I-" Virgil made a strangled noise that he tried to pass off as a cough. "Burning told me I should wear that instead, said the voice would sound 'cooler' and 'more darkly charming.' You weren't supposed to- you weren't supposed to care about my face."

"An impossible thing to expect from me." Logan told him.

"Well I see that now!" Virgil exclaimed in exasperation, huffing in a manner that might have been convincingly annoyed if he didn't sound so fond as he continued, "Please tell me the voice change wasn't entirely stupid?"

"Your modified voice was... nice, I'll admit." Logan said, smiling gently, "But your real one sounds so much prettier."

"How would you know? You haven't heard my voice in months."

"You don't forget the sound of angels that easily." Logan replied easily, Virgil somehow turning redder as he went on, "Though I suppose it would be nice to hear it again. I do miss it..."

Virgil stared at him in bewilderment before he scoffed, reaching his free hand up to pull off the mask, its simple black design hiding bits of metal and wire behind it. Virgil dropped the mask as soon as it was off, letting it hit and ground and skid away from them without a glance at it.

"Happy?" He asked, the difference in his voice immediately evident- without the distorter, Virgil's voice was quieter, still rough but not nearly as deep. "You cute sweet stupidly pretty dork?"

"Beautiful." Logan responded, ignoring that it didn't answer Virgil's question, raising his free hand to cup Virgil's chin, thumb gently running across Virgil's cheek.

"You're so sappy." Virgil said in a huff, his own hand coming up to catch Logan's when his thumb drifted dangerously close to running over the villain's now exposed mouth. "And I'm starting to suspect you didn't just want to hear my voice. I think you had an ulterior motive for getting me to take my lips-covering mask off."

"Maybe I did." Logan responded, smiling slyly.

"Don't lie to me."

"Alright- I did." Logan admitted. "Would you care for me to tell you what it is? Or would you prefer I show you?"

Virgil's grip on Logan's arm loosened only so that his hand could slide further up, snaking around the back of his neck, fingers already threading into his hair and pulling Logan closer to him. "Show me."

Logan gladly did.

"Do you think they've kissed yet?"

Remy shrugged non-committedly. "It's been about five minutes now. By my count, that either means they've kissed and are finally admitting they're both lovesick disaster gays... or they killed each other to avoid having to deal with the issue. Both options are equally likely."

Roman sighed as he flopped back down next to Remy, tired of pacing. "I hope it's kissing. I think the tension between them could survive the grave, and I don't want to have to deal with oblivious pining ghosts."

"It'd be a waste of our skills if they died, too." Remy pointed out. "Honestly. I've almost put more effort into getting their relationship to exist than I have in my own."

"Same." Roman said, tone melodramatic as he pressed the back of his hand to his head, letting his head sag backwards. "I've been so busy convincing Virgil he and Naughty are meant to be, I've criminally ignored my own most stunning, sparkling, brilliant love!"

Remy smirked and kissed Roman's temple. "Don't worry, darling, you're pretty enough to get a pass."

Roman sighed anyways, draping his arms over Remy's shoulders and letting his chin fall upon Remy's shoulder. "I don't deserve a pass! Especially when there are so many wonders I can speak of- my love's breathtaking beauty, my love's unmatchable wit, my love's truly perfect personality-"

"Save it for later, my dashing Prince." Remy said gently. "We're still technically on lookout."

Roman glanced over the edge of the roof, looking down at the front of the bank, where there was still no sign of their partners leaving the bank. "No one there." He informed Remy. "Now let me woo you as you deserve!"

"I already have all that I deserve and more with the most charming man the universe has ever seen beside me, sweetheart." Remy responded, a blush rising in Roman's cheeks. "And if we miss our partners coming out, we miss prime teasing time."

"Just because you're right doesn't mean I have to like it." Roman huffed.

"Yeah, but think about how sweet it'll be to finally rub it in their face that we were right and their stupid pining was just as pointless as we said it was."

"It will be sweet." Roman admitted before groaning. "I mean, come on! It's been going on for months! I didn't think they could be that oblivious! Even we weren't like that, and we're, like, a hundred times gayer than they are!"

"That's the problem!" Remy responded. "Instead of just letting go of their braincells and giving into the gay, they kept them and got all thoughtful and anxious about it."

Roman shook his head. "It's shameful. Though they somehow missed the fact that we've been dating for over a year, so maybe they really are just that oblivious."

"It's a mix, babes." Remy told him. "They're so damn lucky to have such great wingmen. They never would have gotten anywhere without us."

"They really wouldn't have." Roman agreed. He let the silence stretch for a moment before asking, "What do you think they'll do now? Assuming they're not dead, I doubt one of them won't manage to convert the other. I don't know about Lo, but Virgil's already too much of a softie to be a real villain. He'll probably flip."

"Logan likes being good." Remy answered. "He doesn't mind rule-breaking, but he likes to pretend he's fully on the side of the law."

Roman nodded before smirking. "Guess that means I'm going good too. Though good is so boring..."

Remy smirked at Roman. "What are you saying, my burning heart? Do you not want to follow your partner into a life of rule-abiding-ness?"

"I've always been more inclined to the dark side, myself." Roman answered, a little ball of fire briefly dancing between his fingers. "I shine better in it."

"Love, you shine beautifully everywhere."

"Still." Roman said. "I think I will remain a villain. It's more fun, anyways. Which brings up a very important question..." Roman moved from beside Remy, sliding down to kneel in front of him. He pulled a wide, thin box from his pocket, offering it to Remy and popping open the lid to reveal two matching necklaces, the designs rainbows made of flames, the colours on them changing and almost flickering as they shifted in the light.

"Remy, will you be my partner in crime?" He asked, grinning before Remy even answered.

"Oh, when you make crime look so good, how could I ever say no?" Remy responded easily, allowing Roman to slip the necklace over his head before he put on his own. He gently ran a finger over the slightly raised surface of the necklace.

"Who do you think's more doomed with these new teams- us or them?" Roman asked jokingly as he once more moved beside Remy, wrapping his arms around Remy ]and resting against him.

"Oh, us, definitely." Remy said immediately. "But we're going to look absolutely fabulous while we're at it, so we're still the overall winners."

Roman grinned. "I've been a winner ever since I met you, rainbow light of my life."

"And I a victor as long as I have loved you, the fire within my soul."

Roman lifted his head a bit and leaned closer towards Remy. "And you know what winners deserve?"

"Hmm?"

"Kisses." Roman said, smile only growing. "I think we deserve lots and lots of kisses."

Remy smiled back. "I'm inclined to agree." He responded, leaning forward as well to meet Roman's lips with his own.

Not too far beneath them, all storm clouds dissipated and all water sloshed uselessly on the ground, the two supers remained happily held against each other, still sharing their first kiss.

They did have ten months worth of pining to make up for, after all- and, at the moment, all the time in the world to do so.

#this was supposed to be short y'all #THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHORT #anygays I'm banned from any non-SecSan writing now so if you catch me breaking my own rule yell at me #the cryptid speaks #fanfic #fanfiction #ts sides #sander sides #ts logan #ts remy #ts sleep #ts virgil #ts roman #platonic losleep #platonic prinxiety #creativisleep #analogical

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