#it took me a moment to get accustomed to seeing him without his glasses/goggles and headset tho.

[sharky857]

Have you ever seen a guy so cute it makes you want to either crawl into the monitor or drag 'em out, so you can be physically together? 🥺👉👈

I saw someone mentioning that his eyes are grey "like storm grey". I always thought his eyes were a very dark shade of brown, so I had to go check by myself. And I might or might have not given myself a case of the "why aren't you real?" in the process.

[hournites]

Homecoming 

Hournite fluff fic for @freckledpianoman & @theozmachronicles

~.~

The divorce changed everything. Beth tried not to hold any resentment towards her father, for wanting to tear her away from the friends she had (finally, finally) made in Blue Valley, because of course, he's not seeing it that way. It wasn't his fault that he wanted to move for a better job opportunity on the opposite side of Nebraska. And, it's not like Beth had wanted him to stay working at The American Dream.

Beth loves her dad. She does, and she is thankful that he loves her too, that he wanted split custody over her with her mom. It meant a lot to her, to know they were unhappy with the stickiness of their flat marriage. Not the stickiness of her. So the split custody made sense, she had come to realize, from the moment her parents had carefully sat her down at the dinner table to inform her of their separation. 

For two parents who had kept it together so long, they were friendly, and they put her interests into honest consideration. So there's not any real resentment there.

Still, everything changed. And the missing. Beth was well accustomed to longing and yearning for things she had not yet had. But now she did, and she does, and that yearning is no longer wishful, it's ingrained with the truth of experience, and reality and the history and real deep feelings of missing people. It was new and fresh, and painful. That was so much harder. 

The summer months spent away made sense on paper. Beth got to stay in school at Blue Valley, without risking sudden change or her precious 4.3 GPA. She got to explore the new city with time off. But that meant starting over, reaching out to try to meet new people. Force friendships through an awkward trial and error nature, while worrying about the JSA back home.

Weirdly enough she could appreciate the odd miraculous fact that the ISA went rather dormant over the summer vacation, but it could not be taken for granted. At the back of her mind as she went off to explore the national forests, or got ice cream by the river, was that looming concern that things might not be okay back home. 

Rick, and Courtney and Yolanda with Mike and Mr. Dugan and Mrs. Whitmore at the Pit Stop and Whitmore-Dugan family home. 

And Rick. Had she mentioned him, yet?

Her heart clenches when she so much as thinks of his name. Beth couldn't help but think they'd be...Dare she thinks, something more, something bigger than the inexplicable way they already are if she had stayed home with her mom.

They still texted every day, Rick providing the updates she had coveted for, the details Courtney wouldn’t admit, because sometimes Court only gave the big picture. Sometimes there were video calls that Chuck would pull up for her on his goggle screen.

Rick asked a few times if she wanted him to drive down to see her. He had only asked a handful times in the seven weeks she was gone, each offer resulting in Beth staring at her phone and biting her lip, heart hammering out of her chest. Somehow she could not imagine explaining why a boy drove 5 hours across state just to see her, forget asking if he could sleep overnight. 

Besides, Beth knew honestly, if Rick came knocking at her dad's door she'd burst into tears and it would horrify him. Worse, once she had him outside to the mystic bubble of Blue Valley, she didn't think she could ever stomach letting him go.

It's the Thursday before Labour Day weekend, and Beth is moving back in with her mom. She leans her head against the glass window as the familiar rolling grass hills appear in the horizon. The car trip was long, but at those green hills, her shoulders immediately relaxed, relieved. 

"I'm assuming your mother will be picking you up somewhere in the city? You can give me the address for the GPS." 

Beth pulled out an Airpod from her ear. The taxi driver met her eyes through his rear-view mirror. Beth's dad was going to drive her home, but he had an unexpected phone conference and she had reassured him that she was okay taking the road trip alone. 

They've been on the I-80 for several hours now, but the exit road signs for Blue Valley were in the near distance. 

 "No," Beth says. Truthfully, she had forgotten to tell her mom that her dad had changed plans last minute. "But it's okay, I can get dropped off at the Pit Stop? The town garage? My mom works long shifts at the hospital so she wouldn't be able to pick me up anyway."

 "I could drop you off at the hospital instead if you'd like?" 

 "Oh no." Beth shuddered at the thought. To sit with her luggage in one of the sterile, cold waiting rooms when her friends were literally only a few minutes away would be pure torture, no matter how interesting her mom's research on medical treatments for metahuman related injuries had become. "Thank you, though."

Soon enough, the familiar Pit Stop sign is straight ahead and they're parking right under it. A grin spread across her face, and she opened the car door. She paid the taxi driver with her dad's money, and he got out of his driver's seat to help her take out the yellow suitcases from the back. Beth held onto her duffle bag, the one with her tablet e-reader (and Chuck), and rolled out the suitcases together as they were taken out of the trunk. 

She was a little embarrassed at the look on the taxi driver's face when he saw them all lined up together. Especially considering the fact her dad still had more of her clothes to mail over the next week that didn't make the trip home. 

 "I think that's all of the luggage from the back," said the driver. "I'd just double-check the back seat again to make sure you didn't forget anything important."

Two arms went around her middle suddenly, startling Beth. "Should be fine," a low, masculine voice said above her, "She's the real precious cargo, actually."

"Rick!" 

She had nearly not recognized him. His voice was deeper, older, in person than all those times over the phone.

Beth spun around and gently dropped her duffle bag to the ground, stretching to wrap her arms around his neck. 

He was somehow taller than when she had left him, but he bent down just enough to get the hug to work, beaming. Beth could hear the smile in his voice as he welcomed her home. Distantly, the taxi cab reversed out of the lot, driving away. 

The hug made her feel tingly and warm. She pulled back just so she could see his face, the surprise still taking half of the air in her lungs. "I didn't think you'd get here so fast!" 

"Are you kidding? I missed you." 

It's almost humiliating, the way those words sprung tears to her eyes without Beth's permission.

 "I missed you too," she whispered as her heart launched off into an overdrive of feelings in her chest.

His face softened, and he pulled her close again. "Why didn't you let me visit?"

"...I" She took a deep breath in, then removed herself from him so she could sit down by the chair near the back. "I'd get too homesick."

He let out a pleased laugh. "For me?"

"Yes, for you." She rolled her eyes. "For all of you. But, yes, for you."

"Well then, I was homesick too," Rick decided.  

He grabbed two of her suitcases to roll down the pavement, Beth took the third and left the last ones outside to return back to later, walking into the back garage with Pat's classic cars.

"You can't be--" She shook her head fondly, "You haven't gone anywhere, how could you--"

Rick shot Beth a look so earnest it shut her right up.

"Oh," she said softly, ducking her head to stare at her shoes as her face went exceedingly warm. She stuck out her free hand once they let go of the suitcases and lined them up against the wall, reaching for his to hold. "I think I get it now."

[rosesisupposes]

Watch Them Run

Part 5 of Another Goddamn Hero Story

read on ao3

Chapter Pairings: Platonic & Romantic Analogical, Romantic Royality, Pre-Romantic LAMP, Romantic Remceit

Chapter Warnings: Violence/fighting; allusions to smut; some miscommunication

Word Count: 4,981

Taglist: @residentanchor​ @royally-anxious​ @bewarethegrammarpolice​   @jemthebookworm​ @arandompasserby​  @sparkly-rainbow-salt​ @astral-eclipse​​ @thelowlysatsuma​ @monsterinatophat @turtally-pawsome @um-yes-hi-hello @idkaurl

Chapter Notes: Can you tell I love writing the boys as gay disasters? Can you also tell that I am in love with Remy? Fun fact: I have a playlist for this AU of 24 songs, 11 of which are Panic! at the Disco. I regret nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Air rushed by Virgil’s ears as he flew over Harmony City. It was truly lovely in the twilight, when the first pricks of silver light were appearing in the indigo sky and the last rays of the sun were glinting off rooftops. And the moon had risen early tonight, shining bright and full above his head. He was flying slowly, making the rounds of his regular patrol. He was currently somewhere in the southwest, near Sycamore Heights, and knew Logan was in the north covering his quadrants. He was alert and aware, but not on edge - tensed to move and defend at any moment, but passing birds and bats didn’t make him jump.

What did make him jump was a sudden buzzing at his wrist.

The coordinates flashing from the HATCH alert sent him wheeling north. It could just be one of the ordinary villains they faced on a regular basis - all the supers in the region seemed to flock to the city sooner or later. But some sixth sense told him it would be the terrifying pair from the week before. He hoped Logan would arrive at the same time - he didn’t want the speedster to go up against both villains alone.

The coordinates led him to the middle of the city, right on the street that divided the north and south. There was a construction site here, some government-funded building, but Virgil couldn’t remember what. A children’s hospital, or a school, something along those lines.

He stayed in the air, hovering, blending in with the darkening sky. He didn’t have enhanced vision, but unlike his bespectacled partner, he had pretty decent eyesight naturally. He peered into the shadows of the building skeleton that was slowly being built up in the crater of some past super fight. There. Movement. And occasional flashes of red light. It was them.

He flew down slowly, scanning the streets. No sight of Logan yet, but he couldn’t be more than a few seconds away. And they’d devised strategies for situations just like this. It was Virgil’s responsibility to start them off before Logan arrived.

He flew down and alit silently on the tallest beam to watch more clearly what the villains were up to. Gale Force said something to the Marauder, then floated away to the perimeter. The Crimson Marauder was creating constructs again - another bomb, by the look of it. What was it with these villains and wanting to blow shit up?

He landed heavily and knocked the red-and-black-clad man back with a single blow to the chest. The Marauder fell back, his constructs immediately vanishing as he stumbled. Virgil froze for a moment - had he used too much force? He didn’t want to be cruel, not even to an attempted saboteur. But the man rose with a grown and sent a huge ruby fist the size of a small car hurtling back at him. Virgil crossed his arms and braced, letting the impact hit and dissipate without harm. He straightened again, and made eye contact with the villain. The Marauder stared, open-mouthed.

“What the hell, that didn’t even phase you?” he asked.

Virgil shrugged, a cocky smirk playing on his lips. “I mean, maybe you could actually try this time, Princey.”

The Marauder stiffened. “What the fuck did you call me,” he snapped.

“Oh, sorry, was that rude? Didn’t mean to pop the whole ‘reinvention’ bubble you’ve got going on here,” Virgil offered with false sincerity. “Though I gotta say, love the new outfit compared to the old one. Very Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge.”

Virgil was answered with a yell as psionic constructs came flying towards him, accompanied by the villain himself. Swords, bats, and what looked suspiciously like a keyblade flew harmlessly passed him as he dodged swiftly and grabbed the Marauder by the front of his uniform. He pulled him close, halting the villain’s momentum, then pinned him up against a partially-built wall. The Marauder seethed, scowling at the hero who kept him trapped as constructs blinked into existence and faded again.

“You know nothing about me, you posh-ass hero-boy! With your fancy suit and your cushy support of the city and your beautiful hair!”

Virgil cocked an eyebrow. “Aw, you dig the purple? Always nice to be appreciated by my fans. And I’m sure I’ll be getting to know you very well, once you’re all cozy and locked up.”

“You’ll have to catch us first!” a voice rang out. Gale Force was hurtling towards hero and villain, winds funneling around him as the pressure knocked Virgil entirely out of the way.

Virgl landed hard on the ground. It didn’t hurt, per se, but the shock left him almost winded.

Gale Force patted the Marauder’s cheek. “You all good, Roman?”

“Yes, my dearest Patton. Go get him.”

Roman and Patton, Virgil thought, fixing the names in his brain as the wind manipulator sent a small hurricane whistling towards him.

A dark blue blur came into being around Gale Force, a matching tornado that spun faster and faster. Virgil smirked. Logan’s timing, as always, was impeccable, and the speedster was turning Patton’s trick from HEARTS against him.

The villain stumbled and started to choke, then toppled over. Logan came to a halt just in time to catch the villain in his arms.

Excellent, caught him, he thought to himself, when his thoughts were suddenly diverted by an entirely new train. The villain’s blue eyes fluttered open under ginger curls that appeared to be constantly bouncing in the wind. Partially passed out, the man’s freckled face looked so… open, and vulnerable, and lovely, and what was happening to him?

It was at that moment that a huge excavator arm made of glowing red light plucked the grey-and-blue-clad villain out of Logan’s arms as the Marauder recovered his partner. Logan scowled, mind back on the task, and sped towards Roman. The construct holding Patton didn’t disappear as a ramp sprang into being right in Logan’s path, sending him running straight into open air. Without hesitating, he used his momentum to land on a beam of the partially-constructed building, then leapt across to another. The Crimson Marauder, still holding Gale Force, began flying up, but that only brought him to Logan’s level. The speedster leapt across from beam to beam again, landing a blow on the villain’s cheek. It sent the man spinning and caused him to drop the just-waking Patton. The wind-raiser caught himself before he hit the ground and threw himself once more at Virgil. Prepared this time, Virgil leapt into the air to dodge the attack, then came slamming down with a punch to the villain’s jaw. Patton staggered back and tripped, but remained conscious.

“Getting a little hot, Pattycake!” Roman cried from where he dodged and weaved around Logan’s quick jabs.

“Just like you, Romano Cheese!” Patton called back. He took off into the air, spinning a wall of air to knock Logan back. The moment gave Roman enough time to gain altitude above where Logan could reach from the growing building. Virgil flew up, ready to follow, but Logan shook his head. Instead, Virgil hovered in the air by his partner as the two villains flew off once again, much slower this time.

“We got them away from their target without anyone else getting hurt. That’s what matters,” Logan commented. He looked up at Virgil. “Is something the matter? What did Gale Force do to you before I arrived?”

“Lo, you might not believe this, but this Patton guy is actually tough enough to match me. I didn’t hold back at all.”

Logan looked worriedly at his partner, but was surprised to see some mix of awe and excitement on Virgil’s face.

“V? You okay?”

“I’m great,” the hero replied with feeling. “For the first time ever I don’t need to worry about pulling my punches. I can just… cut loose.”

And over the following weeks, he did just that.

The villain duo were tricky - they never seemed to go for the traditional targets of huge gatherings of people or grand openings of buildings. They continued a string of sabotage attempts around the city, along with a host of thefts and small vandalisms. Logan and Virgil had officially become the on-call heroes for them. All the others on the HATCH call were too easily flustered by Gale Force’s unnerving dichotomy of viciousness and wordplay or by the Crimson Marauder’s distracting showboating and flattery.

Patton was loathe to admit it, but he was growing accustomed to their recurring opponents. They weren’t friends, of course not, but they were… familiar. Almost comforting in that familiarity. There was Reflex, powerful, huge, and yet Patton could tell he consciously chose to not punch the less-durable Roman with all his strength. The ginger man may have needed glasses, but he’d have to be fully blind (not to mention deaf) to not be aware of how attracted his partner was to the hero despite their opposition. And Patton… was not unmoved. He wasn’t one to lie about his feelings, even when it was an impossibility. A hero with a villain? Particularly this hero, the strongest one the city had, with these villains, the scourge of City Hall?

And then there was Doctor Vectorious. The speedster. Curse him and his muscled thighs and the way his forehead crinkled when he was frustrated with their latest scheme. The tiny sighs and barely-concealed smiles whenever Patton told yet another pun. It was incredibly rude of the hero to be this endearing when he was the worst of his kind. Maybe it was his black-and-white goggles that gave him such a dichotomous view of other supers: either active hero, or villain. No in between. Which was rich, given that the ‘active’ heroes were never enough to save everyone. How many times had Patton wished he could have been just a little faster that fateful day, and now a man who could have been thought he was in a position to judge?

Patton had thought he was alone in his frustrating attraction to the short hero until the villains were relaxing in their home one lazy evening. Stretching out dramatically over Patton on the couch, Roman had proclaimed, “These heroes will be the death of me.”

“No they won’t, my Crim-sunshine. Because I’d kill them first!”

“No, my love, not actual death. Just… gay death.”

“Oh, yeah,” Patton hummed sympathetically. “That last time Reflex pinned you, I knew I had to get you free before you started moaning. They don’t need to know how loud you are.”

Roman flushed. “It’s just so rude. His nickname is ‘Flex and that’s all I want to see him do.”

“It’s okay kiddo, you’re a gay disaster. I love you anyway.”

“It’s not okay!” Roman wailed. “Because the Doc was monologuing the other day and he pushed his goggles back and his hair was all windswept and I tripped over my own construct.”

Patton flushed. “You… think he’s pretty, as well?”

Roman looked up from where he’d face-planted into a pillow to make eye contact with his partner. “Pat! My dear Gay-le Force, hater of all speedsters, finding our resident Doc Vectorious pretty?”

“No!”

“Ooohhhhh, you totally have a crush on him!!” Roman teased.

“No more than you do!”

Roman giggled. “Darling, you said it yourself, I’m a disaster, that means nothing. My influence has been grand. You’re officially a gay disaster, too. Although in your case, maybe you’re a gay natural disaster. Like, Hurricane Gay-trina.”

Patton grinned brightly at the pun, and kissed Roman on the cheek. “You have more experience with this, what do we do now?”

“Oh my dearest Pat,” Roman said with a smile, “now we scheme harder.”

“Why will that help us with the fact that we now both have crushes on the heroes who fight us on an almost-daily basis?”

“Because,” Roman declared, standing into a dramatic pose, “now we will scheme with debonair grace! We won’t just steal riches, we will steal their hearts!”

At that moment, the police scanner in the corner crackled to life. It had taken many tries, but Roman had finally found a way to tap into the hero channel, real-time reporting of the system they used to summon heroes in response to villain activity. And now, even through the static, the current report made him frown.

“...respond...Reflex…-torious...Antiques…Shadow…” a voice read out through crackles and pops of a shaky signal.

“Flex and the Doc?” Patton confirmed aloud.

“Sounds like it, my sweet summer breeze.”

“But they’re our nemeses!”

“Well, we should go join them then, shouldn’t we.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since he’d been notified by the Mayor’s office a month ago, he’d been awaiting this moment. Logan sped through the city, focus narrowed only on his speed as he arrived at Something Borrowed Antiques in seconds flat. He knew Virgil was coming as well, but this was a case where it was Doctor Vectorious who was truly needed. As strong and powerful as he was, even Reflex wasn’t immune to the unique powers wielded by the villain known as Moonshadow.

Logan came to a halt at the corner across from the storefront and adjusted his goggles. He’d built them up to include tech of his own invention, including, on this occasion, binocular focus, night-vision, and heat signatures. He peered across at the building. Moonshadow was likely inside, but had they brought a lookout? A small movement above the door answered that question for him. It looked like a lizard - a chameleon, perhaps? - was crawling inside.

“Ah, so you’re looking out for them again,” Logan murmured to himself. He adjusted his goggles back to regular distance and sped across the street, entering the building and zipping through the grand halls in a barely-perceptible blur. He zipped and zagged through glass cases filled with dainty porcelain and around stately showrooms of gilt-encrusted furniture. He knew where he’d find the villain he sought, and it would be…

Ah yes. Right there. On the actual throne of some bygone ruler.

The villain was lounging across the velvet seat of the throne, admiring the jewel-encrusted rings that adorned every finger. There was a lot of them to lounge, though at least half their height was made up by impossibly-long legs. An antique tiara perched on top of their head in sharp contrast to their artfully-mussed hair and ever-present leather jacket. Today, the jacket was paired with form-fitting leggings and a crop top that read “Royalty” in bedazzled purple and gold letters. As he ran closer, Logan could see the glinting rhinestones and jewels reflect in the sunglasses they wore even now, indoors and at night.

God, they were so- what was the word Virgil had used?

They were so goddamn extra.

Without letting his attention waver, without a single pause in his speed, Logan raced up to the reclining form and pulled them up roughly, pinning their arms behind their back and holding their torso pointed firmly away from himself.

“Good evening, Remy. Having fun?” he asked politely.

“Doctor, babes! How’s it been?” Remy asked, twisting as they tried to look at the hero holding them firm.

“In the month since you broke out again? Adequate, for the most part, but Corbin, of course, misses you.”

“Aww Corbie, what a sweetie. I knew he cared under all that bluster of ‘No I can’t let you out’ and ‘Do the crime, serve the time’,” Remy drawled. “I suppose I’m going back to visit him again?”

“Yes, Rem. As a reminder, not that it ever makes a difference, this,” Logan said, free hand gesturing to the stately room, “is theft. That’s when you take something that isn’t yours without asking or paying for it. Much like that bank heist you pulled off last month.”

“But Logan,” Remy said earnestly. “No one’s using it, why can’t I have it? Finders keepers, right? C’mon, just let me take some bling. It’ll be funny.”

Logan used both hands to hold the villain now, rolling his eyes. He supposed that it was only fair that the one villain who knew part of his secret identity was the one he’d been capturing and re-capturing for three straight years now.

“Rem, put the rings back on the throne. All of them.”

“But Lo, baby, honey, sweetie,” Remy pouted. “I look so good in them, right? Like, I know I make the tiara work, but hun. You should see me in a crown.”

Logan sighed pointedly as the villain fidgeted in his grip.

“C’mon, it’s not like anyone told me to leave,” they complained.

“Remus, I truly do not know how to explain it more clearly than I did last time: if you use your ability to make people forget they’ve seen you, that does not count as consent for you to continue doing whatever you’re doing.”

“But consider this: it’s funny.”

Ignoring him, Logan adjusted his grip, freeing one hand to send a message to City Hall. “Is Damon here tonight? I thought I spotted him outside.”

“You know I would never break our national no-snitching policy, babes.”

A clatter from outside, followed by an angry hiss that dissolved into a string of swears, made Logan quirk a smile.

“Ah, I see Reflex has arrived. That must be him and Damon now.”

The villain in his grip sighed contently. “I love our little catch-ups, Lo, but you know I always love to see my boi ‘Flex.”

“I will have a hold on you, so you will not be seeing anyone. Don’t you try anything on him,” Logan warned.

“You never want to share anything,” they pouted. “Or anyone.”

“Reflex, we’re in here!” Logan called, ignoring the captive villain. “I’m holding them away from the door.”

“Thanks, Doc!” Virgil called back. He entered the room, carrying a skinny man of medium height over one shoulder. “How’re they?”

“Better now that you’re here, ‘Flex,” Remy called, unable to turn towards the hero. “Are you manhandling my boyfriend again?”

“No, I love being carried like a sack of potatoes,” the man replied from Virgil’s shoulder. He wore a yellow and black bomber jacket. Unlike his partner, he actually wore a mask that covered his eyes and half his face and was attached to a black bowler hat. The eyes underneath it had reverted back to their normal hazel, but scales were still visible in spots on his face and hands. The multi-colored chameleon scales still matched the wall color, sticking out starkly against the puffy burn scars that protruded out from under his mask.

“Put him down!” Remy complained. “No hands on the boyfriend unless it’s an open invitation for us both.”

“Yeah this is definitely the time and place for that offer, babe,” the man drawled.

“Doc, is containment on the way?” Virgil asked, ignoring the couple’s back-and-forth.

“Yes, they should be arriving… just about now, actually.”

The two heroes towed their captives towards the front of the building, where Logan’s sense of timing had not yet failed him. A green truck was parked outside, labeled ‘City of Harmony: Enhanced Ability Containment Unit.’

A tech in green coveralls approached the heroes cautiously. “I’ve got the stasis cuffs, Doc, you ready?”

Logan nodded, and shifted his grip to hold Remy’s head towards the building. The tech came forward and snapped cuffs around their wrists. Virgil deposited the man he’d been carrying on the ground.

“Does he need cuffs too?” the tech asked.

“Technically, as a lookout only, he’s not guilty of any crimes-” Logan started, but was interrupted.

“Yes, I definitely do, I am very much guilty. Send me to lockup. Preferably right next to that one,” he said, gesturing towards Remy.

The tech frowned. “That’s… not really how this works?”

Virgil shrugged. “I mean, we could say he abetted an attempted burglary. Even if the real crime is just watching out after his partner’s dumb ass.”

“I heard that,” Remy called out. “And I’m flattered you’ve finally noticed my ass.” A tech had cautiously removed their sunglasses, revealing eyes that looked like marble orbs. Finally able to move on their own, they turned to face the heroes and their boyfriend.

“What can I say, when the man’s right, he’s right,” the boyfriend in question replied with a shrug.

“Damon, you love me, right?”

“Nope, not at all,” Damon replied, walking up to his partner. He cupped the villain’s cheek in one hand that was still dotted with slowly-fading scales. “Love is definitely not a term I would use.” He kissed them softly on the nose, and then on the lips, smiling as he did so.

“Well that’s gay,” Gale Force commented from the building’s roof.

“Not as gay as me,” the Crimson Marauder pointed out as he landed on the other side of the small group assembled by the truck.

“Fuck,” Virgil said with feeling. “Quick, get Rem- get Moonshadow into the truck,” he told the techs.

“What about the Viper?”

Virgil quickly glanced behind him to see Damon kissing Remy firmly, than suddenly shrinking as he transformed into a chameleon once more.

“Let him go, he’ll turn up soon,” Logan called out as the reptile skittered off into the shadows. In less than a breath’s time he was back-to-back with Virgil, both keeping eyes on the two newly-arrived villains. Without needing to speak, both heroes moved out into the street, away from the civilians.

The Marauder strolled closer, towards Logan. “So, less than two days from our last encounter and you’re already hanging out with other villains?”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. There are others. So many others. It’s almost like it’s our job to stop acts of violence from anyone who tries it.”

“Are we just not enough for you anymore? Have our schemes lost their charm? Do I need to scheme harder? I swear by Barbra Streisand I will scheme harder!”

Virgil caught himself smiling fondly when he noticed a slight movement and heard the rush of air coming from Gale Force. He was moving immediately, grabbing Logan as he leapt away. The targeted gust hit the pavement where they’d been standing hard enough to dent.

“Look at how fast you move!” the ginger villain beamed down at them. “This is why we’re so well matched, kiddos!”

Virgil set Logan back down on his own two feet before whirling to face the air manipulator again. “What do you want? You two don’t usually drop in on us, we just stop you,” he demanded.

In a flash of red, the Marauder was lounging on a floating platform just above Virgil’s head. “Would you believe me if I told you it was to just to get your attention?”

“You’ve had our attention,” Logan remarked drily. “You’ve yet to retain our interest.”

Roman sat up with a gasp, one hand splayed on his chest, the other draped gracefully across his forehead. “Cads, the lot of you. My honor has been besmirched, my loveliness impugned, my-”

“Wow, you really are unbelievably extra any chance you get, aren’t you.” Virgil said, deadpan. He flew up into the air to dodge another wind attack.

“That appears to be a theme today,” Logan commented, casually side-stepping Roman’s recovery as he lunged at the speedster with a glowing red sword. “I believe I used the word correctly to apply to Remy earlier.”

“See, I told you the flashcards would help,” Virgil said earnestly, grabbing both of Roman’s arms with one hand and pinning him to his own platform.

“Wait, you have flashcards?” the villain asked, incredulous. He lifted his head from where Virgil casually held him trapped. “What a Microsoft nerd!”

“Now Ro, we don’t need to be mean,” Patton admonished. Roman let the construct platform disappear so that he could fall out of Virgil’s grip, and Patton sent a breeze swirling through to buffet the tall hero back, allowing his partner's escape. “There are just so many new terms these days, what with the kiddos and their ‘moods’ and ‘yotes’ and ‘wiggles.’”

“Looks like I’m not the only one who needs vocabulary cards,” Logan muttered, running past Patton to spin the man’s body into dizziness.

Roman was just standing from his cushioned fall when a force pushed him back down. He was knocked flat on his back as Virgil’s weight trapped him there. Before he’d processed the fall, a hand grabbed both his wrists and pinned them above his head. He looked up into Virgil’s masked face, only a foot away from his, eyes boring into his own. All his constructs promptly faded as his fighting mind went blank.

“‘Flex, darling, you could have just asked,” he murmured. It appeared the only brain function remaining was Excessive Flirtation. “It’s not like we haven’t both been thinking it.”

And Reflex… didn’t immediately scoff. A slight smile quirked at one side of the hero’s mouth. Roman wasn’t sure what he’d done right, but he was not above trying to press his advantage.

“You know, the city may label me the villain, but it’s clearly you on the wrong side of the law.” Letting his eyes travel very obviously up and down the hero’s body, Roman continued with a grin. “It must be a crime to look this good.”

Virgil snorted, his free hand coming up to cover his smile. “Really? Pick-up lines? That’s where we’re at now? I thought-”

A sudden cry of pain ripped his attention away. His head snapped up in time to see Logan sliding to the ground from the wall Gale Force’s winds had thrown him into. Without thought, Virgil was in the air, streaking towards the villain to keep him from hurting his partner again. His fist crashed into the grey-clad man, knocking him back ten feet in a single blow. Eyes blazing, he followed after, ready to strike again.

Gale Force whirled, sending twin tunnels of wind from each hand. One sped towards Virgil’s chest, the other towards where Logan shakily stood up once more.

“NO!” Virgil yelled, his voice booming out in a shock wave around him. Gale Force suddenly froze, his eyes wide. The Marauder, too, was frozen, but in mid-air as he flew towards standing hero. Logan, twice as far away, was unaffected as dusted himself off. Virgil raced over.

“Lo, are you okay? Any broken bones? Is your back alright? God, that was such a hard blow, I’m so sorry, I was distracted, I wasn’t protecting you-”

“Virge, I’m okay. It’s okay. I’m fine. A little bruised, but I was able to cushion the impact.”

Virgil grabbed the shorter man to him and hugged him, holding him tight. “Thank god. I’m still sorry. I should have been over here. Gale Force is clearly the bigger threat, and I let myself get distracted.”

“Distracted?” Logan asked, raising a single eyebrow. He glanced over at the still-stunned Crimson Marauder, and back at Virgil.

The tall hero flushed under his mask and released Logan. “Oh wow, look at the time, better get containment here before the freeze wears off,” he muttered, tapping at the communicator on his wrist.

“Gentlefolk of all genders, observe carefully,” Logan said, smirking. “You’re witnessing a truly historic event. Virgil ‘Reflex’ Skylar appears to, for the first time ever recorded, have been affected by another man the way he affects everyone who likes men.”

Virgil’s blush deepened as he nudged Logan with an elbow. “Very funny. You know it’s not the first time.”

Logan’s eyebrow rose again, this time quizzically.

Virgil half-smiled, still blushing furiously. “You know. You.”

“What?”

“Wait, did you not know?”

“Know what?”

“Lo, I’ve had a crush on you since the moment we met. I thought I’d been, like, pretty fucking obvious?”

Now it was Logan’s turn to blush as his brain, normally so quick, struggled to catch up. He opened his mouth to reply just as the same green trucks from before pulled up.

“I- we can discuss this later. Once we’ve gotten these two safely secured.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337397

Classification: M.2.ii [Secondary Tier Neutral, Acquired Powers]

Name: Moonshadow

Status: INACTIVE

/////////Reason: Incarceration

Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: CONFIDENTIAL] Remus “Remy” Dormions

Affiliation: Villain

Partners/Sidekicks: DI#337500 - The Viper

Primary Foes: DI#337255 - Dr. Vectorious

Powers: Short-term memory manipulation

/////////It was previously thought they had invisibility powers, but security cameras have shown us that they can just cause onlookers to forget seeing them until they’ve passed from view

Costume: N/A

/////////They just wear a leather jacket and sunglasses even when it’s not necessary, like when it’s raining or nighttime or indoors

Age: 25

Height: 6’5”

Pronouns: They/Them

H.E.A.R.T.S. Class of ‘15

Note: Started neutral - more chaotic than evil. In the words of DI#337255 - Dr. Vectorious, “They’re not motivated by evil, but they just don’t seem to understand you can’t just take whatever you want.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337500

Classification: M.2.ii [Secondary Tier Neutral, Acquired Powers]

Name: The Viper

Status: ACTIVE

Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: CONFIDENTIAL] Damon McLeggan

Affiliation: Neutral

Partners/Sidekicks: DI#337397 - Moonshadow

/////////Less super-partners in the traditional sense, more he’s occasionally dragged along with them and tries to keep them out of jail

Primary Foes:  N/A

Powers: Shape-shifting [reptile forms only]; Poison secretion

/////////While shifting to reptilian forms can happen almost instantly, some quirk of the mutation means the shift back takes much more time. We’ve recorded a lag of over 24 hours after a shift.

Costume: Black and yellow bomber jacket, bowler hat with attached mask

Age: 23

Height: 5’7”

Pronouns: He/Him

H.E.A.R.T.S. Class of ‘12

Note: Inciting incident: some memory loss regarding exact details, but apparently was forced to be bitten by a snake that had been genetically manipulated by DI#265333 - The Mystic Magician; Rescued in the raid on MM’s lab, but sustained severe burn scars from MM’s attempt to blow the lab as the heroes invaded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[oatsn-honey]

The Sorrow Behind The Smile - Chapter 1

Summary: The day that Izuku discovered he was quirkless is fast approaching. The day that started all of it. The bullies. The anxiety and depression. The self doubt. This day always brings forth unwanted emotions and memories, resulting in a hard shut down. Izuku is accustomed to having his sweet mother to comfort him on this certain day, but now he lives away at the U.A. dorms. He's far from his main comfort system. And, to make matters worse, his classmates still have no idea of what hides behind their bright boy's vibrant smile. They soon will. 

Notes: Hello everyone! Thank you for checking out my story (TSBS, for short). This story is already up on FFN and AO3, but I want to branch over here. I mean, I have an account, may as well use it. ("> < ) Alright, I'll save the rest of the notes for the end of the chapter, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own BnHA, or any of it's characters! If I did, Izuku and Ochako would already be together! (And on that note, I may as well say: This story is Izuku/Ochako, if you couldn't tell from the tags.This first chapter is 100% Izuku-centric though!)

Disclaimer pt2: I would like to inform the readers that this story covers the topic of depression and further. I wish these feelings or anything similar on no one. If you feel uncomfortable reading about mental illness, I advise kindly that you don't read this particular story of mine. I have many others coming out soon that you can check out, though. Sorry for the bothersome note, and please enjoy.

“It’s best you give up,” The man was slouched in his chair, hands folded to the side, legs spread out, and eyes cast forward, though nearly invisible through his goggle-like glasses. The specialist was far too relaxed as he made the child in front of him fall into a sense of panic and dread with a simple, unencouraging five words. The child trembled, eyes wide, as the doctor, who still showed nearly no sympathy, explained the cold, hard facts to the boy’s mother. The kindergartener couldn’t even listen to what the two adults were discussing as the previously spoken words repeated over and over in his head.

These catastrophic words filled his mind until he found himself at his home, sitting in front of a computer. He then realized that his favorite video had been playing. A video that once made him over-elated. But today, as it ran through, the boy reached a conclusion, and a question. Eyes glued to the screen, he quietly spoke to his mother, who was near the doorway, “Mommy...No matter where people in trouble are, he goes and saves them with a smile…,” The mother knew that her son was speaking in reference to the hero he had looked up to for years. The hero he strived to be like. She said nothing though, and her son whispered, “Cause’ he’s a super awesome hero. Do you think… that I could be one too?”

The mother gasped as her heart clutched, looking at her son’s tear filled face. He looked at her in desperation, and she could do nothing but rush over to him, crying out, “I’m sorry, Izuku! I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” She grasped her son tightly, repeating those words like a mantra as tears ran down both of their faces. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

A raspy sob escaped loudly from the boy’s lips. His eyes shot open wide. He took quick and hoarse inhales of breath. As he stared up at the ceiling, he realized that he had been entranced in a dream. After finally slowing his respiration, he turned his head to the side, hoping to see the time on his bedside table. But, he was surprised to find liquid running down his face from the motion and that his eyesight was blurred. He sniffed, and his thoughts echoed through the current quietness. I was crying in my sleep. The boy sighed and brought a slow fist up to his face, rubbing the tears from his eyes, and wiping the wet tracks off of his skin.

 His nose twitched as he looked back over to his night-stand, catching the time in his field of vision. 3:45 a.m. No way I’m going to be able to fall back asleep though. He curled in on himself a bit, just thinking about the dream. The boy stared at his All Might themed alarm clock, watching as it turned to 3:46, and then 3:47. His eyes started to ache from looking at the bright electronic numbers, and instead settled for peering at the opposite wall.

As tired as he felt, the young man could not bring himself to sleep. Painful memories flashed through his mind, causing him to flinch, and hug his knees to his chest. Another 20 minutes or so passed and the boy had found himself once again beaming his eyes towards the ceiling. As he laid there, the lad took notice of how sore his throat was and how sweltering hot his face felt. With a burst of courage, he decided to run downstairs to the common area in order to get a drink and rinse off. It might help. 

He cast away the heavy blankets that adorned his bed, and scooted towards the edge. When he sat up, his head span, and he nearly fell face first onto the floor. Grasping his head, he took a few moments to rest. Using the bedpost beside him as a support, he ever-so-slowly stood up. Shivering a few times, the boy decided to bring along a fuzzy blanket that had been draped over the backboard of his bed. Wrapping it around his shoulders and grasping onto it tightly, he began to shuffle towards the doorway. Back slumped and feet dragging, he opened the door and waddled out. Leaving the room, he didn’t even take notice that he had left the door that was labeled “Izuku” wide open.  

Izuku knew that it was past curfew, and that he would be in deep trouble if he was caught wandering the dorm with no reason. But although he knew that, his foggy and distracted mind had forgotten the fact that the dorm would be dark, due to the fact of it being past the curfew time. All of the main lights, other than the bathroom's, turned off automatically after the time limit, and there was no way to manually turn them on without going to the boiler room. Plus, Izuku had no knowledge of how to get to that room in the first place. 

He squinted his eyes while trying to make out his surroundings, feeling like a complete idiot for not bringing his cell phone. He continued to shuffle his feet, being as cautious as he could be. Izuku was so cold, and his knuckles were nearly white at how hard he was clutching the blanket that draped around him like a cape. Although using his hands to feel out the wall would have been a wise decision, he was far too frigid to do that. 

Sniveling several times, Izuku finally reached the stairs. Luckily, he had lived at the dorm long enough to know where they were located. Otherwise, he would have most likely fell down them, waking nearly everyone nearby. Finally, with a shaky hand he reached out towards the handrail on the right side of the stairwell. With unsteady and weak steps, Izuku began to descend to the first level of the dorm complex.

His brain ached and he nearly misjudged a few of the steps, but Izuku had miraculously made it down the stairs without falling. Unstable from the walk, and breathing heavily, he slowly sat down on the floor, using the bottom step as a place to rest his back. He brought his hand back up to his chest and clutched onto the blanket once more, practically melting into its warmth. 

After several minutes, Izuku finally stood back up again, sluggishly of course, and began to make his way towards the boys common bathroom. Passing the living room and kitchen, he was relieved that no one else awake. Though, why would anyone? His mind went blank, but still twinged with pain as he proceeded his trek. Finally, he arrived at the corridor containing both the female and male restrooms.

Trudging into the boys’ bathroom, the overhead lights turned on automatically, as they were motion censored. The bright radiance of the bulbs stung Izuku’s dark adjusted eyes, causing him to step back, onto the draping blanket, bringing him to fall onto the tiled ground. He quickly shut his eyes and brought his hands up to his face, groaning. 

After his eyes stopped pulsating in pain, he squinted them open slowly. His sight bit by bit accustomed to the lights, and he used the wall to pull himself back up. The blanket was discarded onto the floor and Izuku didn’t even notice the pain in his side as he shuffled over to the sink. He started the water, keeping it cold, and looked at the mirror. The reflection that flashed back at him looked like someone else. The crazy hair was still the same, but his skin was blotchy - pale in some areas, flushed in others -, his eyes were wet, his nose was pink, there were bruise-like circles under his eyes, and his eyebrows were furrowed.

 Averting his vision from his sorry form, he looked at his wobbly hands and brought them towards the chilling water, hoping to splash the refreshing liquid on his face. But, before he come close to doing that, Izuku felt his eyes drift close. His balance was thrown off and he felt his legs turn to jelly. He gripped the edge of the white ceramic sink as he fell to his knees, eyesight blacking out. Why now? His mind was hazy and he could barely formulate any thought at all. At that one last notion, his body completely went limp and he slumped to the floor. Izuku curled into himself as blackness entirely encompassed him. The sink continued to run and the lights turned off as he laid there, unable to wake from the treacherous memories that played in his head.

Notes: Thank you for reading this first chapter! Sorry for the short chapter! I would like to mention that this story will not be long -- just a couple of chapters. I would also like to ask for pardons on any mistakes, feel free to let me know, and I'll do my best to fix them up for 'ya! Now, in case anyone was wondering, I wrote this story because I felt that the topic of Izuku's depression and anxiety is something that should be brought to the attention of others. (Because let's be honest, our precious boy has been through too much to not have these problems.) This is my take on it. (Also, I'm a real sucker for stories like this, so expect some more in the future.) I'm pretty sure that this is all I want to say at the moment (other than: prepare for a slow and strange update schedule). Sorry for the long note, have a lovely day! <3