#engineer mark is my blorbo | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

overlordbravery · 1 month ago

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Summary: Jeremiah get’s himself in trouble as per usual and gets saved by his childhood best friend. They have an argument about a lot of things.

Word Count: 5,074

Note: Because I’m thinking of my new blorbo I wrote a thing for him. I will undoubtedly draw Amy and Veteran soon. In the mean time here’s what Jeremiah looks like [ X ]

Jeremiah wondered if he should spend his free time practicing escaping a trunk.

Which would be a bizarre thing to a normal person, but Jeremiah found himself shoved in one more than he would like to admit. It felt almost normal at this point, and really that was such a frustrating thing to realize as he tugged at his bindings with a frustrated groan.

Maybe he would enlist the help of his friend Amy, he was sure sometimes she would love to tie him up shove him in some dark dank trunk, and then go fuck off while he worked diligently on escaping. But because he hadn’t done that, he found he was really struggling, trying to figure out how he was bound so he could at least feel around for the trunk release. But he was blindfolded, and his arms were tied very tightly to his torso. Veteran didn’t take chances with him, not that he could blame the man… don’t get him wrong he definitely was blaming Veteran, but he understood at the same time.

He didn’t want him to get away.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for Jeremiah, he got away often. A lot of the time thanks to Amy, she was always looking out for him. Well, she was too busy recently, working with a League of Superheroes trying to make the world a better place. She always was that way, even when they were kids, the second her powers came she was constantly working on helping people. Jeremiah was the only one who really knew she just wanted to take all her rage out on some thugs.

That she hoped one day to just get killed and not have to deal with it all anymore.

Jeremiah always helped her, eager to put his own powers to the test. If you could even call them “powers”, sure, he had a marker on his driver’s license that marked him as a mutant. As unconstitutional as that sounded, it started “in a good place” but that was what most Fascists say when they change a system to specifically call out someone they considered “other”. They really did think it was a good idea, marking criminals that were blessed or cursed with superpowers, tagging them in a way so cops knew and that they could get the “special” treatment. That was how it started, and then people started to get flagged in the system. Orphans usually so parents could know what they were getting into when they adopted a kid.

Then it started to be flagged in schools.

And before you knew it, most mutants were tagged as preteens. It never seemed right to him, even if it took forever for people to discover his powers. Super Genius was the supposed term, but it was just like any other neurodivergence in the world and harder to pin down. Had the usual problems most smart kids had. Struggled paying attention in class due to boredom and lack of challenge, troublemaker because of it. Only had good grades on tests because he didn’t bother to apply himself on anything else. It was the IQ test that had him on some radars.

And then there was the whole engineering and inventing thing at a young age, things he shouldn’t know and was never taught in school. But the engineering books he stole from the library were more interesting than anything the school was teaching. A few more tests later and he was marked as a super genius, which everyone in his adult life wanted his brain because of it. Not physically of course, that would render him useless, but he was forced into many situations where he built and disabled some intense killing machines for people.

Amy kept telling him he should join the League. That he would have the protection he needed there, that he would be less likely to be kidnapped and forced into things if he was constantly surrounded by other heroes. But Jeremiah prided himself on being a lone wolf type… at least that’s what he would tell Amy. He didn’t like the idea of working with a team, he didn’t like the idea of working under someone with a superiority complex.

But they both knew the truth. He wondered when Amy would call him out on it, that it wasn’t that he didn’t want to work with a team. But rather he didn’t want other people's morals forced upon him, he didn’t want to lose the thrill and adrenaline rush of his underground works which would be put to a stop. He would always say it wasn’t anything bad, even if his inventions could be responsible for some thug or hooligan killing people. He didn’t design it for the purpose necessarily, he only made them because he could.

He took in a deep breath when he realized the car had stopped moving, and before he could question what was happening the trunk door opened and he was very roughly pulled out of the trunk and thrown to the floor. He complained about the treatment through his gag, groaning when he was forced to sit on his knees and eventually the blindfold was removed, leaving him face to face with Veteran. The man was pretty, an absolute asshole, but pretty at the least. His eyes were always drawn to the scar over his brow as he stared down at him with such a bored and indifferent expression.

“Jerry.” He hated that nickname, of all the ways to shorten his name, Jerry and Jeremy were his least favorite. Amy was kind enough to call him Jer or Miah… which he found he rather liked the latter. “You never showed up.” He tugged against his bindings from the statement, giving an annoyed groan hoping the man would remove the gag. And eventually he did, though he seemed like he was debating if he wanted to let him talk or not.

Bastard…

“Look, Veteran… what kind of name is that anyway. I’ve always wanted to ask, like did you name yourself that or did the press do it? Were you a vet? You don’t look like a–hey!” He turned his head to avoid the gag being put back on, only causing himself to fall. “They’re valid questions!” He pouted from his spot on the floor, staring up at the man who just grabbed him by one of the ropes and pulled him up.

“Don’t explain why ya never showed up.” His little southern accent was kind of cute. If Jeremiah looked past the whole kidnapping thing.

“Well, I told Amanda we would meet on the twelfth-”

“It’s the twenty-first.” Veteran didn’t miss a beat and honestly that had Jeremiah confused as he furrowed his brows.

“It’s the tenth.” He countered, getting an actual laugh from the man who crouched in front of him. Elbows resting on his knee pads as he got comfy in his little squat.

“Jer.” Oh good he used the nickname he liked. “It’s the twenty-first. How the hell did ya go and lose eleven days?” Actual curiosity, Jeremiah made a long “uhhh” noise trying to think back on his past eleven days that honestly only felt like two. A blur of work, passing out at his desk—

“Shit.” Coke, and one of his favorite pastimes, her name was Sunny, or rather the name he knew her by was Sunny. Showed up on the ninth with some good Coke and whiskey. “Uh… degeneracy apparently.” He laughed awkwardly, getting a heavy sigh from Veteran.

“Amanda isn’t happy. Which means she’s been a pain in my ass an’ I ain’t happy.” He watched as he stood up and walked over towards some other guys in the room. “I need to teach you a lesson. Know you need fingers to work.” He watched him pull up some bush trimmers and casually clamp them shut and open again. “Ain’t need your toes though.” A shrug of the shoulders.

“Whoa! Whoa! I do need those actually! They can pick up the tools I drop—” he grunted when some of the guys standing by grabbed him and started to drag him over to Veteran. “Veteran please, I promise it was an accident—” the sound of the door being launched off its hinges had them all turning. A masked and gunned up thug lay on the ground with the door groaning in pain as gunshots happened on the other side of the room. “Oh, thank god.” Jeremiah wasn’t religious for many reasons, but just this once he would praise the lord.

Amy, Archangel, his best friend, walked through the door, blood dripping down her arm from a wound long since healed. She walked through dragging an unconscious man behind her, but she let him go as she looked at the rest of them. Her hair pulled back into a long single braid; her expression could only be described as tired as she gave them her full attention. Wearing a pair of combat boots that went halfway up her calf. Pants tucked into them, and a white tank top tucked into those. She always looked so casual even when she spent her time fighting crime.

“Amy.” Veteran greeted with a nod of the head. The other men looked between the two powerhouses in the room. Because as far as Jeremiah was concerned Amy and Veteran were the only scary ones here.

“Veteran.” She grunted the reply with as much care as an apathetic teenager. She was already getting into a fighting stance, palms open and ready to redirect. Veteran sighed while dropping the trimmers, well more like tossing them which landed right in front of him. Jeremiah carefully moved to try and grab them so he could cut himself free as Veteran began heading over to Amy. And honestly their fights were always insane, he started to inchworm away from the chaos when Amy took her first swing.

Amy was strong, Jeremiah had seen her pick up a car with her index finger at fourteen.

Veteran on the other hand? He had Density Control.

Her hitting him made him slide back as he had his arms crossed in front of him, he could tell from Amy’s expression and from the way her hand was she broke it on his arms. He was quick to grab her before she could turn, and he threw her over his shoulder and slammed her into the floor. Only instead of it making an impact she floated through the ground, and he went through with her leaving no trace of either of them.

Part of his density control also allowed him and whatever he touched intangibility. Which was annoying as fuck if Jeremiah could be frank.

“Where are you goin, brainiac?” He managed to cut the rope as he was grabbed and pulled back to place by a goon that was waiting for orders.

“As far as I’m concerned this is over, isn’t it? Like Amy’s here now, they’re gonna fight till Veteran is too tired to withstand Amy’s strength and then she’s gonna kick your asses and take me home. Figure we can skip over the latter and you guys could just let me go.”

“Veteran could win.” Another thug pipped up getting a laugh from Jeremiah.

“Unstoppable force meets immovable object. Yes, it's very impressive. However, Amy can heal faster than he can take her down. I’ve seen her get shot in the head once, you know?” They were fifteen, it was very traumatic for him but he didn’t like to talk about it.

“Comrade Senka.” Oh, a fanboy, how great. That woman was terrifying he was glad she decided to fuck off to some other country for a while. Hopefully she will never come back, but Jeremiah was always worried. It was hard not to be, he swore if he stared at a crowd too long, he would see her, staring and smiling, homed in on him like the predator she was. “She did more than just shoot her in the head.”

Yes.

Jeremiah could remember vividly Amy falling from the gunshot to the head as Fox tried to intervene. To get him away from her, only for Amy to join in back from the dead, he could remember the way they fought in unison against her while he was dragged around under her arm… could remember the way Amy screamed when Senka clawed her across the face with the massive weapon that was more or less long knives her fingers could turn into. He could remember vividly as she ripped out Amy’s eye and cut off half of her face.

He could remember the weeks it took to heal and for her eye to grow back from her regenerative powers being exhausted from reviving her.

“You always get your ass in trouble, don’t you, Jerry?” A knowing comment, there was unfortunately some photojournalist in the area that had immaculate shots of the fight.

Of their trauma.

Posted to the news like it wasn’t a traumatic experience for teenagers to go through and be reminded of.

“Y-yeah. Guess so.” He forced a smile and laugh as he managed to loosen the ropes. And then he got up and started to run, sliding to a stop as Veteran came back up from the ground like a demon and let go of Amy as she got halfway through the floor.

“Fuck!” She yelled and coughed, blood spattering on the floor under her as she worked on trying to get herself out of the floor.

“Where you goin’?” Veteran was not unharmed. He had telltale signs of bruising and a shattered cheekbone from the look of it. Guess he was getting tired, Jeremiah stumbled back tripping over his own feet as he stared up at him.

“Home actually.”

“Can you blame him; this is a bit obsessive.” Amy grunted before punching her fist through the floor.

“It is, isn't it! Like damn, sorry I missed our date.” Amy looked at him from that as she punched the floor again, cracking it more around her.

“Stop.” Veteran gave her a warning, Amy stared up at him with that unimpressed look and then slammed both her fists on the floor. It crumbled under them, all of them, freeing Amy from her prison and dropping them a floor below into the basement of Amanda’s little warehouse. And it hurt, going from sitting on the ground to falling with rubble an entire story below. He landed smack dab on his back feeling the way it winded him. He coughed as he rolled over on his side.

“Miah! You okay?” He watched as a large piece of floor was lifted off him. He slowly sat up and nodded his head glancing up. He quickly pointed out not being able to get the words out. But Amy was quick to whip around and smack the rubble right into Veteran taking him to the floor. There was a long pause to make sure he wasn’t getting back up before she offered a hand to help him up. “Let's get home.”

“Yeah… Thank you.” He knew it would turn into a lecture. It usually did, but he was thankful she would still look out for him. He picked his pace in following her when he saw Veteran shift with a groan. Not wanting to get taken anywhere again he made sure to stay right by Amy. “You’re really the best, Ames.” He grinned hoping if he complimented her—

“I can’t keep doing this.” Her voice was stern, he rubbed the back of his neck unable to look at her as she unlocked her car and opened the door for him. He grumbled a “thank you” while climbing in. Glad to be in the front of a car rather than a trunk of one. It was a nice break as he glanced up at her mind already spinning with lies he could throw at her so she wouldn’t remain pissed at him.

“Look, it’s not that bad—” She slammed the door in his face as she walked around to get into the driver’s seat. The silence and action felt like it was taking forever, he could feel his heart in his throat with an overwhelming flow of emotions. He wanted to apologize for being a burden to her. It wasn’t like he meant to constantly be in trouble and like he constantly needed her to save him. It wasn’t a good feeling, even if he did pay her back by making her some gadgets here and there or things that would be good for her silly league.

“Join the league.” She had such a way with words as she assaulted him with them the second she got into the vehicle. Those feelings of guild began to dwindle, replaced by a sudden surge of annoyance because they had been over this time and time again.

“You know why I don’t want to do that, Amy.” Pleading almost as he looked at her. Because he still didn’t want to fight, he didn’t want this to end on a sour note like it had been last time she had to save him from some goons who wanted to use him to make them some destructive machine. Which he almost foolishly made due to them telling him he probably couldn’t. She finally looked at him as she started the car, her brow furrowed, and she had a frown on her face as she grabbed the wheel and took off like a bat out of hell. Letting silence once more fall between them. It was painful, they used to be able to talk for hours about nothing.

Now they had nothing to talk about.

“I don’t want to arrest you, Miah.” His nostrils flared from that; it was a threat. She’s bailed him out a couple times. The last time she let him rot for a day before she showed. She had been there once when he got arrested and just pulled her hood up and walked away. “But I will.”

“You’re not going to have to arrest-”

“I’ve done it before!” And she has, he’s been grappled to the floor by her. He’s been forced into handcuff when they got in a fight after she found out something he did what was wrong. He couldn’t even remember it was, he broke in somewhere and stole some stuff maybe? “Jesus, Miah, you’re working with Veteran!” Veteran, he needed to look more into him, he hardly knew anything about him, and since he didn’t wear a mask he was sure the man’s real identity was just out there. Which meant he must not have any ties, his eyes glanced over to Amy, who also didn’t bother with a mask as she also didn’t have any ties.

Only him… but if people were going to know about the Tinkerer or the Toyman they already did.

“In my defense I was just supposed to meet Amanda like ten days ago.” She growled at that. “Veteran was going to cut off my toes for not meeting Amanda.” He corrected, causing the woman to motion wildly around them.

“And these are the people you would rather work with!” Not really, but they gave fun projects to work on. They gave him something to do where he didn’t feel like a useless burden but instead a hot commodity. He felt appreciated, even if he did… end up thrown in trunks and hit a lot. “Do you hear yourself when you talk?” She rubbed her forehead with a heavy sigh before leaning her head back. That guilt was starting to creep in again, he hated to worry her. “I’m done.” He arched a brow that had a fresh cut, might turn into a scar later he never was sure, he just watched her waiting to process what she had just said to him.

“Excuse me?” To make sure he heard her correctly.

“I’m not saving you anymore.” He looked at her with a surprised expression. Scoffing a little in shock while shaking his head. Trying to find humor in this like she was joking with him.

“You don’t mean that.” She’s said it before, when he got in trouble with some gang that wanted him to unlock specialty weapons made by some big arsenal company, Caym Corp.

“I do!” She was shaking as she said that, and he could hear the emotion in her voice. “I can’t keep doing this! I’m not going to enable you anymore.” The hurt.

“Enable? Like I’m a fucking addict?” Anger fueled him now, that guilt and feeling of burden shattering in an offended defensive rage.

“I keep hoping you’ll realize it’s dangerous and come with me!” Like it was so damn easy to just sign his life away to a League that would hinder him and his creativity. Like he hadn’t already been through that many times before, like she didn’t know everything he sacrificed for her.

“I’m not built for—”

“You would be so fucking great as a Hero!” No one would know about him. But that wasn’t supposed to bother him, was it? He never wanted the spotlight, did he? He could remember the way his parents looked at him when he was in the paper, he could remember the way they found out what he was and what he could do and how his dad tried to force him into things he didn’t want. How his mother used him like everyone else in his life to make her life easier… it was better when no one knew him.

“You’re talking out your ass! I would not be a great hero!” He only ever fucked everything up. That’s what he was good at.

“You did so much for me and the town we grew up in when we had to deal with Senka.” There’s that damn name again, he would never escape her, he would never get rid of the memories of her. “What changed!?” She looked to him before looking back at the road, the drive already felt long as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window.

What changed? What a loaded question. He still had nightmares about her, he still worried she would show up again. Nothing helped to get rid of the memories of being taken by her other than the drugs and the drinking and the distractions… working with people who could hopefully replace the memories. Or maybe it was the familiarity he was searching for. Because when he was in her grasp, when he was doing what she told him to do, he unlocked so much knowledge and potential in a field he didn’t even know he would enjoy so much.

And he was constantly, constantly chasing that damn high.

“I don’t know.” It was a lame answer that had Amy silently fuming. “I’m not doing the hero thing. I’m not risking my life for a world that’s only ever othered me.”

“So, you’d rather help destroy it?”

“They’re already doing that to themselves! I’m just sitting in my home, minding my damn business.”

“You’re making death machines for gangsters!”

“Someone was way before me!”

“But yours are incredible!” Devastating. Machines made to decimate the competition… that’s why she arrested him he remembered now. But it looked so cool, when Lockjaw shot that gun off and it and it tore through all those people… all those people… how did he get out of that one again? Had to make some more for the secret agency that deals with mutants in some deal. He still had to do whatever they wanted if they happened to barge in. One of the reasons he didn’t bother to move because he didn’t want to have to deal with all the people he had to inform on his decision.

“Horrible, you mean?” He asked with a mock laugh, cause Amy didn’t approve.

“You’re so fucking Talented, and brilliant. And you waste it.”

“I don’t waste it though, I mean, look at everything I’ve been able to do! You should see this new thing I built it’s great--” He trailed off because he could feel it, he knew exactly what she was thinking, they had been friends long enough.

“You can ask for help, you know.” She tried, tried to bring the conversation down, to turn down the heat of it as she must have remembered everything they went through. He couldn’t imagine the trauma she faced, Senka had killed her twice and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. “I’m here for you,” And she couldn’t do anything to stop her from taking him. “I'm always here.”

“You just said you weren’t going to save me anymore.” He grinned like it was a joke and she just glanced at him sadly as she continued the drive. He wondered if it felt just as long for her as it did for him.

“Please, just… try it out. If you don’t like it, you can leave. There’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it.” She was right about that; he ran a hand through his hair before giving a sigh. And he could feel that impulsive urge to talk about what he refused to talk about. To talk about everything, he brushed off and buried deep, deep, down in his mind. Or tried to but no matter what it always floated to the surface.

“Do you ever think about her?” He blurted it out, getting a surprised noise from Amy.

“… Her who?” He guessed not, he ran his hands over a hidden scar on his side as he looked out the window she seemed to have noticed and her expression changed to one of guilt. “Senka?” She finally asked after a while getting a small grunt in response. “She’s in a maximum-security prison… she tried to come back. I told Ophanim about her and we took her down before she could be a problem again.” He glanced over to her in shock.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Ophanim sounded like a great person to help me with it. Jeremiah, I know you don’t like the guy, but he is efficient in his job.” Didn’t like him was an understatement… the news liked to paint them as the dynamic duo, Archangel (Even though Amy hated the title and would prefer her name) and Ophanim, the angels of Specter City. Ophanim was charismatic and great with… well everyone. Many people loved and adored Ophanim, he was a figure head for the league. And maybe Jeremiah missed when he and Amy were a duo, when they didn’t have all the press and attention as she did now.

“Oh, I see how it is, you get your new superhero buddies, and you don’t need me anymore.” There it was, that deep dark thought he never vocalized. Because it was stupid to think about, wasn’t it? Why would she need him, he made death machines, and she was a hero.

“Jeremiah.” Her voice was strained. “Do not do that, we are best friends.”

“Are we? Cause I don’t know! I’m pretty sure I would have told you if Senka showed up, or maybe you didn’t want me to know because you were worried, I would want to join her or something.”

“Stop it!” She looked hurt by that. “I was trying to protect you! She did horrible things to you, I-”

“Stop trying to protect me! I’m a grown ass man!”

“You sure don’t act like it!” It was getting heated again, he took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“Okay! Fine!” He threw his hands up, closing his eyes to blurt out his next question. “Do you ever worry she’s gonna get out?” They pulled to a stop in front of his house, and she parked as she turned to face him. He flinched from the hand on his arm, a touch offered for comfort, she did it often, but he always pulled away. He never let her except when they reunited when Amy finally managed to take Senka down. They hugged and cried for what felt like hours, but he never let it happen again. She slowly pulled her hand back, staring at the empty space between them that felt like it was growing. Because they didn’t have anything in common anymore, did they?

“Of course I do, Jer… she… she is a horrible person.”

“She is a broken person.” He said it so quickly he couldn’t stop himself. She stared at him for a moment, and he ran his hands through her hair. “Sorry.”

“I know you learned so much about her, but she wasn’t a good person. Broken, sure, but there’s other ways to go about life than trying to take over the world and commit mass genocide.”

“Was she in the wrong though? I go back and forth on it.” There was a concerned expression on her face from that.

“Jer.”

“I’m just saying I understand her is all.”

“And she can get her court mandated therapy in prison and if she gets out, which I doubt she will, she can hopefully be a better person.” He sighed from that, he doubted anyone could help- “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to save you.” He could feel the heat in his eyes from a sudden rush of tears, a feeling of anger swelled in his chest and his head as he moved his hand to the car door. A voice in the back of his mind ridiculing him for feeling like crying in the first place.

“Don’t.” He cut her off, getting a saddened look for her. “It’s fine, sorry I said anything. See you later.” He opened the door and turned to look back at her. “If you don’t want to like… save me anymore.” Would they still see one another. “Will I still see you later?”

“I would prefer us to hang out as friends and not just have me as your personal savior yeah.” He gave her a thumbs up and headed back to his town house. Looking at the new for sale signs both neighbors had up. Probably spooked from Veteran and his goons showing up to kidnap him. That was fair he supposed, he casually pushed his broken door open and closed it behind him, heading downstairs to build a new door that hopefully would be harder to break.

#my wrtitng #my oc

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