#Superpowers AU | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

edupunkn00b · 5 days

Text

Progression, Chapter 8: You've Created a Monster

Photo by edupunkn00b

Prev - You've Created a Monster - Masterpost - [ AO3 ]

Last night's incident at the bar had consequences that no-one could escape. Written for @imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper's @dukeceit-week-2024, final day: Free Day. "Free" day. WC: 1190

Wet and heavy, the air outside the bar stank of rotting vegetables and piss, old paint and sweat. Fear. He shivered, sweat cooling his skin too, too quickly, even in the stuffy, muggy night.

He almost asked to go back inside, to return to the soft lights and the loud music. To return to Jannie and Lucas’ watchful gazes. Did they see him leave? Would they be worried?

He almost asked to go back inside, but before he could even surface the thought, Bryan urged him around the corner and into the alley, voice sweet and brushed with just a hint of heat. His lips were soft and the hand on the small of his back was warm and gentle.

Until it wasn’t.

The Muse cracked open his eyes, squinting against the cold glare of his buzzy overhead light. It hummed and crackled, some ancient thing that didn’t fritz right out under the strangling weight of his room's new shield.

Sighing, he rubbed his cheek against the carpet. It was now stiff, without the same drag and bounce it had had before Papa Bear and Virge renovated. The fresh glue stank, burning his nose and his throat.

Maybe that’s what he’d smelled. Not last night’s bar. Not last night’s—

The floor jolted beneath him, the little thud that meant the elevator had stopped on his floor. The Muse grinned. Someone was coming!

“Jannie!” The Muse cheered, racing to the door as it began to open. “Jannie, Jannie, Jannie, Jannie, Jannie, Jan—”

Papa Bear’s head stuck through and he frowned. “Sorry, Kiddo.” The cheer in his voice was thin and brittle, too high and too chilly to be real. If The Muse pushed at it, it would shatter under his hands like the old plastic cabinets had. Papa Bear raised the tray he carried and curled up his lips into something like a smile. “Just me and some dinner for you while Virge converts your stove to work in the EMF.”

His voice was rough, like he’d been shouting. Or crying. The Muse flipped backwards on a nearby chair and hung his head over the seat, watching him as he walked on the ceiling. He’d never been able to easily read Papa Bear. Not without touching him, at least, and today—tonight?—Papa Bear wore a long-sleeved hoodie, all drawn up and covered like he was cold.

A bead of sweat trailed down his temple.

He couldn’t easily read him—not without pushing, not without being noticed, and he was trying so hard to never do that, no matter how much he needed it sometimes. But he could usually make Papa Bear laugh. When he wasn’t scaring him or grossing him out, anyway.

“Guess Jannie’s too busy bom-chicka-waow-waow , with the hubby, huh?” He grinned, waiting for a laugh or a grimace. Usually his innuendos about Papa Bear’s little brother got a bit of both.

Not today, though. “Something like that.” Papa Bear’s mouth trembled and he turned to set down the tray, a wave of grief and loss knocking Remus to the floor.

“Oh, fuck, Papa Bear…” He scrambled to his feet and moved close. “Lucas isn’t… hurt, is he?”

“No, um… Lucas is fine, Kiddo. Everything’s okay.” Papa Bear smiled through his lie. “I… I should go… I left Virge without another set of hands in the lab, um… Eat up, Re. You’re getting too skinny.” He smiled again, lips curled up softly, but cheeks pale and eyes red-rimmed. “I’ll make you anything you want, I promise.”

He squeezed his shoulder, grip firm but not very steady. It was only then that The Muse noticed his gloves. “Yeah—yeah, Papa Bear. I’ll eat this time. I…” Another wave of sadness oozed off of him, cold and sticky. Syrup left to dry or those cold compresses he’d stick on his bruises when the ice burned.

The Muse poked at the edges of Papa Bear’s hurt, feeling for the source of the thudding, throbbing ache around them. Papa Bear shrank back and shook his head, wincing, so he stopped. Tried to, at least.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s okay, Re,” he murmured, but didn’t move closer. “I know it’s not your fault.” His arms twitched, almost like wanted to hug him. The Muse stepped closer, unable to hold back the itchy little whine at the back of his throat. A big Papa Bear hug would feel so fucking good right now.

But instead of moving toward him, arms open, Papa Bear shuffled backwards and palmed open the door with the new controls. “I—I—I gotta go, Kiddo,” he said, not meeting his eyes. He slipped through the door, pulling it closed behind him. “I’m sorry,” he mouthed from the other side of the door.

“Papa Bear, wait, what hap—” The Muse rushed to the door and slammed his hand on the controls. It wouldn’t respond. He tried again, slower this time, fingers carefully spread over the surface. Nothing.

“I’m sorry, Kiddo.” Papa Bear’s voice spilled from a little vent next to the door. “That won’t work anymore. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

He pressed to the window. “Papa Bear? I—I’m sorry! Please come back! Papa Bear?”

Papa Bear’s shoulders shook as he rushed toward the elevator and disappeared. “Papa Bear?” he cried one more time, banging on the door. The elevator doors swished shut and the hallway was again bathed in darkness.

Braced against the door, one hand stretched and hopelessly tapping the door controls, he watched the hallway shadows a long, long time. The lights above the elevator dimmed and brightened almost imperceptibly, silently and dutifully marking each floor change as the elevator moved in its shaft. The lights never heralded Papa Bear’s return.

Or anyone's.

By now they would’ve told Ro what happened at the bar. But maybe… maybe Ro would still visit? Not come inside, that was too, well, it wasn’t safe not alone. they both knew that. But Ro still might come and sit outside the door like he used to, close enough to see him through the window. Close enough to imagine they still breathed the same air. Close enough for Ro to show off a new flower or dazzling lights.

He’d bragged he could make fireworks the last time they’d talked. The Muse laughed. Maybe he could show off what he could do, too.

The Muse closed his eyes and straightened, hands outstretched in front of him.

Scarred and shaking, he saw nothing but empty hands and his empty room.

He tried again, picturing the sparks of heat and light, the singe as the fireworks spread and scattered over his hands. But no matter how clear the picture was in his mind, the static pushed back against it, forcing it all back into his head. He tried again. And again. Fireworks, flowers, a fucking rock.

Nothing worked.

He shook his head, pounding behind his eyes as his Illusions stuttered against his skull, echoing back to him instead of pouring out into the world, into his palms, alive and real. His room wasn’t supposed to do that. He had to tell Jannie.

The Muse pushed at the static surrounding his room, the new, ever-present buzz of the shield pressing against him like a soap bubble. Was it louder now? He slammed his fists against it, scratching, clawing, poking against the deafening darkness. -”Jannie?-“ he screamed against the bubble. -“Jannie, can you hear me? Jannie? Jannie?! JANNIE!!”-

#Progression #ts remus #ts janus #dukeceit #platonic dukeceit #demus #ts patton #The Muse #Papa Bear #ts lucas #Lucas and Janus don't have their nicknames yet #well‚ Lucas might have just picked his #but that happens off screen #superhero #superpowers au #the story continues in Meus ex Machina

9 notes · View notes

coramwrites · 6 months

Text

Petals and Ink

by SugarAndMint

Pairings: Min Yoongi | Suga/Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V

Words: 133,223

Chapters: 18/18

Status: Complete

Jimin likes his new street, his new apartment and his new flower shop. Business is picking up, his days are filled with sunshine and delicious muffins, and it seems as though, overall, he has nothing to worry about.

Except that, well. His new neighbors seem to be a little strange.

Which is okay, since Jimin is a little strange, too.

(A flower shop/tattoo AU, with a twist.)

#my absolute favorite yoonmin fic #yoonmin #yoonmin fanfic #bts fanfic #taekook #tattoo au #flower shop au #annnnnd #superpowers au #fic rec

8 notes · View notes

melissak2802 · 26 days

Text

[ID: traditional coloured drawing of designs of seven characters. The first - Bundle Brent transformed with the Bee Miraculous - has black hair in a short ponytail, blue eyes, wears a yellow panama, jacket, knee-length boots and domino mask with black line accents, black pants, gloves and belt, black antennae-like things on her hat, and has stylized geometric yellow bee wings. She is standing in a confident pose and has her weapon, a spinning top, on her belt. The second - Jimmy Thesiger transformed with the Fox Miraculous - has ruffled pale orange hair, violet eyes, wears a mask shaped like a fox head on the upper part of his face, an orange tailcoat with its tail shaped like a fix tail, black gloves, boots and a bowtie, and white pants and chemise. He is walking fancily and has his flute in his hand. The third - Loraine Wade transformed with the Ladybug Miraculous - has shoulder-length pale blonde hair, blue eyes, wears a knee-length red dress with black polka dots and domino mask of the same pattern, black turtleneck, sleeves and tights, red shoes and gloves (her sleeves reach mid-hand), a big bow on her back with upper part polka-dotted and lower part cyan (resembling ladybug wings), and four red "antennae" in her hair. She holds her hands together and has her yo-yo on her chest like a medallion.

The next row: Gerry Wade transformed with the Butterfly Miraculous wears a full-face white mask with purple butterfly shape, purple dressing coat with four tails shaped like butterfly wings, hood, breeches and shoes, white stockings, chemise and gloves, has his Miraculous - a purple butterfly brooch - on his chest and his cane in hand. Ronny Devereux transformed with the Cat Miraculous wears a full-face white mask, black dressing coat with tail shaped like cat tail and serrate lapels, good with cat ears, and shoes, as well as white pants, chemise and gloves, has his Miraculous - a black ring - on his hand and his baton on his waist. Bill Eversleigh transformed with the Turtle Miraculous wears a full-face white mask with yellow pattern resembling a turtle's wrinkles, yellow vest with plate pattern and gloves, green hood and shoes, and white pants and chemise, he has his green shield on his back. Babe St-Maur transformed with the Butterfly Miraculous wears a full-face white mask with purple butterfly shape, purple hood and gloves, and purple evening dress with white lower skirt, and upper skirt layer shaped like butterfly wings; she has her Miraculous on her chest and her cane in hand. Also all of them, like the characters above, have the eye colours of their kwamis - purple for Gerry and Babe, green for Ronny and yellow for Bill. End ID. ]

Finally the coloured version of the new designs for the Miraculous Agatha AU (those of the SDM characters with the new assigned Miraculous).

#Miraculous Agatha AU #my art #kwami swap #the seven dials mystery #superpowers au

3 notes · View notes

kaythegayest · 1 year

Text

Superhero/Villian Au

I'm was gone for a while, I would like to assure you that I didn't die.

Anyway, finalized character designs! (Let's be real, no one can read my handwriting. So I'll be translating everything)

Starting with the hero's,

Aviate- Sky

Hero: Danger level: medium-high

Crimes committed: justified murder, Minor vandalism, manslaughter

Facts:

-strict but kind, determined, outspoken

-friends with both Shade (see second panel) and Rogue (see third panel)

-out of all the hero's, he is the most hostile towards vigelates, believing them to be volatile threats to the public

-very defensive of the hero system

-favorite food is corn dogs

-engaged to Sun

-Calm under pressure

-has a pet parrot

What's in the pouch? A feather from his parrot, a red potion, hero ID, some rope (for restraining foes)

Power: Flight

Aviate's power is rather simple at first glance, but is very effective when it's used. Aviate, like the name suggests, can fly using holographic-looking wings, controlled by a combination of focus and arm movements. The wings largely follow Aviate's arm movements, however with enough concentration, he can move them on their own. The reason Aviate is the #1 hero, and what Makes it so powerful, is that it takes no endurance or stamina whatsoever to use. For example, Say he is chasing a criminal. The criminal is running as fast as he can, soon enough he runs out of breath, that's when Aviate swoops in, arresting him with little to no effort.

Shade- Time

Hero: danger level- high

Crimes Committed: 3rd degree murder, lawful vandalism

Facts:

- Sarcastic, irritable, collected,

-Rogue's (see third panel) mentor

-unlike Aviate, doesn't find a problem with vigelates, unless they get in the way

-knows full well the corruption of the hero system, but they do pay really well.

-Rather temperamental, but trys not to be

-has a annoyingly specific coffee order

-married to Malon

What's in the pockets? Anger Management medication, tape (for restraints), protein bar, Nokia phone (he needs a work phone that won't break), hero ID, pepper spray, Red potion

Power: Reactive Strength

Shade's ability builds off of his already powerful physical strength, and makes him stronger based on the intensity of his emotions. Rage is the best fuel for his power, multiplying his strength about ten times. However his power can be powered by any strong emotion. Doing as the fact that his power is emotion based, he needs to be extremely cautious with everyday situations, as anything could trigger his power. So as apposed to hurting someone, he elects to bottle up his emotions. Which makes his powers more powerful on the battlefield, however causes lasting problems with, and his mental state. He has prescribed anger management medication for when he needs to calm down, but he doesn't take is often as he's supposed to.

Rouge- Twilight

Hero: danger level: medium-high

Crimes Committed: manslaughter, battery

Facts:

-Loyal, protective, and decently petty

-is the only hero with permission to tamper interact with the evidence of a crime scene

-out of all the hero's, he is the most layed back about vigelates (and certain villains) leaving them with a warning as opposed to arresting them.

-Shade's protege

-(secretly) a mentor to Suspend (see fourth panel) and has a albeit shaky alliance with Thorn (see eighth panel)

-doesn't know the extent of the hero systems corruption, but knows enough to understand villains

-unlike the othe heroes, Rogue had 2 swords

-orders only basic white girl drinks at Starbucks.

What's in the harness? Latex gloves (no fingerprints allowed), a notebook, a pen, a Nokia phone (same reasoning as Shade), Empty bottles (storing evidence), handcuffs, Hero ID, health potion

Power: Tracking

Rogue has a more peculiar power, he has the ability to track someone down with dead accuracy using only something they have been in contact with. (ie: a piece of torn clothing, a left behind weapon, the persons blood, ect). He has gained the title "the bloodhound" with the media. Another thing about his power is whenever he uses it, he gets a almost feral impulse to hunt them. The strength of this urge is based on how close the person he's tracking is to his location. Rogue is scary because when he genuinely wants to, he can know your location, exactly what your doing, and how long it will take him to get there.

Vigelates

Suspend- Wild

Vigilante: danger level: medium-high

Wanted for: aggravated assault, assault, battery, obstruction of the law, theft, vigilantism, Minor destruction of property, disturbance of peace, Minor vandalism

Facts:

-Reckless, Easily distracted, Loyal, persistent

-Allies with Tetrad (see panel 5) and (friendly) acquaintances with Thorn

-Rogue's Protege, which gets a little complicated sometimes due to the whole your-entire-job-is-to-arrest-me thing.

-Became a vigelate when he realized that the heroes weren't protecting the poorer parts of town, so he decided to help the people the hero's weren't.

-he makes a very good vigelate despite his impulsive tendencies

-doesnt like coffee. Drinks monster energy instead. (Mipha does not approve)

What's on the harness? Stamina potion, climbing clips, (stolen) police radio, (stolen) taser, stun grenade. (He also has the rope across his chest)

Power: Time Manipulation

Suspend has a unique ability called time manipulation. He can slow down or speed up time around him while he remains at normal speed. This ability can be used for flurry rushes, sneak attacks, or even bullet time. Originally the media mistook his power for super speed which he had to correct the next time he saw a hero. There are two issues to his power. Not only does it sap his energy extremely fast, forcing him to carry around a stamina potion at all times, but also he hasn't completely mastered the power. He can't just slow down time whenever he wants. It's largely timing based, in the heat of the moment. The adrenaline rush allows him to temporarily unlock his power, but when the rush fades, he can't use it. he and Rogue are currently trying to figure out what triggers the power.

Tetrad- Four

Vigelate: danger level- medium

Wanted for: vigilantism, obstruction of the law, wire fraud, theft

Facts:

- subdued, rational, witty

-usually a loner but has a strong alliance with Suspend.

-prefers to stay out of the spotlight to avoid the hero's attention.

-he is very helpful to his community, fighting off criminals, walking drunk people home, ect. But comes off as more threatening then Suspend, who's more extroverted, when in reality he just doesn't want to talk. The community loves him nonetheless.

-when theres nothing to do on patrol, he reads. He's reading the Odyssey right now, or at least trying to. He has no idea what's happening.

What's in the backpack? Rope (restraints), flashlight, police tracker that notifies him about and where nearby crime is, his book, and thirty bang! snaps! (those little snappers you get for fireworks that you throw on the ground and they light up and are super loud. He uses those for stun grenades)

Power: Cloning

Tetrad has a rather unique power to clone himself a max of 4 times. these clones don't have separate personalities, and are more like to drones. He can use these clones as anything from distractions, to a extra pair of hands, getting multiple civilians out of danger. however, controlling multiple of these clones takes energy, so often times Tetrad will be exhausted after using them. He can't control the clones once they get too far away, so the moment he gets out of range, they'll just disintegrate. If a clone dies, he feels the effect, but very downgraded. If a clone gets burned alive, he'll get a blister. Stabbed? That might hurt a bit in the morning things like that.

Villains

Thypoon- Wind

Villain: danger level- high

Wanted for: first degree murder, third degree murder, manslaughter, destruction of property, disturbance of peace, criminal mischief, vandalism, aggrieved assault, terrorism, anarchy

Facts:

-reckless, charismatic, loyal

-Captain's (see panel 7) younger brother

-started being a villain mostly for fun, but then realized how horrible the system is and now he refuses to quit

-Captain doesn't let him drink coffee so he drinks fanta instead

- has a rivalry with Suspend after the vigelate told him he looked like he was seven. (He is not seven for your information)

-Allies with Hare (panel 9) and Thorn (panel 8)

What's in the pouch? Water bottle, smoke bombs, granola bar, device that send his location to Captain if he holds the button (wasn't his idea)

Power: Water Creation and Control

Despite his young age, Typhoon's power is terrifyingly efficient, the only consequences being dehydration, Typhoon can summon water, at will and can control its form, making it from a liquid to a gas or a solid. This can be used to make ice shields, changes in humidity, attacking with waves, drowning foes, water boarding etc. However, the more water he summons, the more dehydrated he gets. he will reach dangerous levels of dehydration, If not monitored.

Captain- Warriors

Villain: danger level- medium

Wanted for: arson, anarchy, kidnapping, manslaughter, first degree murder, second degree murder, third degree murder, destruction of property, vandalism, terrorism

Facts:

-Protective, Chatty, Sarcastic

-Thypoon's older brother

-Allies with Thorn(panel 8) and Hare (panel 9)

-friendlier then most villians, but that doesn't make him a good person

-actually never wanted to be a villain, but he found out wind was one, and decided "maybe if I'm out there with him he won't get hurt"

-Only drinks black coffee because he wants to look cool. He hates it.

-he talks when hes nervous so you could be fighting him and out of the blue he'd just say "your dog could be planning your murder and you wouldn't know" It doesn't happen often, because he's pretty good under pressure, but that's how you can tell he's actually anxious

What in the hoodie pocket? Athletic tape (he gets muscle pain), small knife, device that sends his location to Typoon if he holds down the button (was his idea), survivalist fire starter, gasoline in a bottle, red potion

Power: Paralysis

If he touches any part of you clothing included, then he can paralyze you temporarily, the closer he is to you, the longer you are paralyzed, the farther away he is the less time it takes for you to be able to move during paralysis, you are still fully conscious, usually he will pair up this ability with Typhoon's power, allowing the 2 of them to get hostages easier and more effectively. Their is no downside to his power and it can be used on multiple people. But the more people he has to paralysis, the shorter the paralysis lasts on the victims.

Thorn- Hyrule

Villain: danger level, medium

Wanted for: theft, first degree murder, third degree murder, kidnapping, manslaughter, destruction of property, Anarchy

Facts:

-friends and close Allies with Hare, Captain, and Typoon

-knows Hare's identity

-trys to avoid killing people, but it's occasionally needed.

-knows the hero system is corrupt, but doesn't blame the hero's for the state of the system since they can't control it.

- he likes vigelates, believing their everything the hero's can't be.

- He always feels guilty whenever he sees someone injured, so he'll toss a roll of bandages to them every now and again. Which is how he has so many Allies (some heros included)

What's in the pouch? Several bandage rolls, bandaids, medic kit, various packages of plant seeds, red potion

Power: Accelerated Plant Growth

Thorn carries pockets of seeds around at all times, while it seems like a weak weapon with thorns, power becomes a terrifyingly effective asset, Thorn can speed up, slow down, and control plant movement and growth. Just with a few scattered seeds, he can make a wall out of plants the size of a 2 story building.

Hare- Legend

Villain: danger level- high

Wanted for: theft, arson, destruction of property, first degree murder, second degree murder, anarchy, attempted murder, hostage taking, kidnapping, drug possession with intent, non-consentual drug use

Facts:

-Friend and close allie with Thorn

-knows Thorn's identity

-doesn't shy from murder

-believes the hero's themselves are corrupt

- picks fights with vigelates, believing them to be mo better then the heroes.

-has Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) (had to look it up)

What's in the cargo pants pocket? Stamina potion, candy, switchblade, rope, chalk (for hands), vials of anesthesia, a rag (for anesthesia)

Power: accelerated jumping and grip

Much like his ally, Thorn, Hare has a seemingly questionable power for villainy, until you see how he uses it, not only can he launch himself at foes, but he can also escape a crime scene very easily simply by going into a alleyway and jumping off building to building. He can get to people fast, or get away from them fast. What Makes Hare so deadly isn't his power, its his willingness to kill any, and all people who get in his way. He doesn't feel much remorse for killing people anymore. He's been doing this for year's.

28 notes · View notes

delimeful · 2 years

Text

tear it down (around my head) (6)

warnings: unreliable narrator, physical & mental abuse, violence, dissociation, panic, remus-typical body horror, PTSD, painfully high number of dad jokes

Everything was not fine.

Patton shook his head, trying to focus on the meat he was browning. That wasn’t true, not really. Here, everything was wonderful.

That was the problem.

One day turned to two, turned to a week, turned to two weeks. And Patton was still here.

In all that time, they hadn’t made a single mention of kicking him out, not even Umbra. They’d settled into a routine, displacing their usual lives to live in what had to be a secondary safehouse, and Patton had somehow been folded into that routine without any of them thinking twice.

He wasn’t the best cook, but he was good at what he knew, and he had the time and the energy to make meals where the others dragged themselves back from patrol looking near-ready to collapse. It was the least he could do for them, even if Dee insisted on buying the groceries.

When their schedules got really rough, Umbra in particular had been sustaining himself on pre-packaged snacks, coffee, and stress. Patton seemed to be slowly but surely working his way into the hero’s good graces through warm meals alone.

Remus was an inventor in the kitchen, and so excited to try bizarre combinations that it was contagious. Whenever a dish went sideways or Patton had an odd idea for a garnish or sauce, he found himself setting the trial portion in question aside for Remus to try.

Whenever Dee got the chance, he would appear in the kitchen to help him, chatting as they worked through preparing each dish, probably making sure Patton wasn't poisoning anything. He had mentioned several times that Patton ‘really didn’t have to do all this’, but Patton had noticed the way his shoulders had eased and his face lightened when everyone ate together.

He enjoyed the cooking process, too, introducing him to new recipes or better ways to prepare certain foods. Patton suspected that Dee would have been filling this role already if it weren’t for the fact that– no matter how many hands he had on hand– he simply didn’t have enough hours in the day.

After all, it was The Conductor who seemed to do most of the managing when it came to their chaotic crime-fighting trio, and even when they weren’t patrolling the streets or battling megalomaniacs, he could be found nose-deep in extensive legal documents or making phone calls to mysterious contacts and/or friends in high places. According to Remus, it was thanks to him that the three of them could use their abilities without being impeded by local law enforcement in the first place.

It was amazing, watching the way they put their all into being heroes, into helping people. Even someone like him. It was only natural that he’d want to return that kindness as much as he possibly could.

And so it went.

Every day, Patton did his best to make himself useful and make the three of them happy.

Every night, he tossed and turned under the force of horrible, gut-wrenching memories, fragments of a life he didn’t want to remember.

Every morning, the pit of guilt grew larger in his gut and he thought about telling Dee.

And yet, the words remained locked in his throat, all stoppered up by the idea that he’d tell them just as soon as he had to leave. The promise that he’d confess once he finally overstayed his welcome.

But he was still here. And the memories were getting worse.

They’d started out like that first dream. He still felt like himself, if a version of him that had been through an unending streak of bad days. The memories would start during little moments of solitude, walking the streets or curled up at home, finally feeling like he was half-settled in his skin. No matter how hard he tried, he could never remember his surroundings or read any of the street signs.

Then, the dream would shift to a punishment, like he was being reprimanded for those little moments of selfhood even in his subconscious mind. They varied in method and intensity, but none of them were as simple or painless as that first memory’s blow.

He learned that he could tell how old the memory was by his reaction to the worst punishment. In the old memories, the ones that were even hazier than normal and patchy at the edges, his memory-self would struggle and writhe and beg. It would take several other people to pin him down and force him into a kneel, their harsh hands leaving heavy imprints.

In the more recent memories, he didn’t fight. He folded to his knees and simply waited there, still and silent and unrestrained, for the blistering pain to white out his vision. His mind was mostly blank, but the reasoning still lay there under the surface: They went quicker that way. Only a single hand laid on him that way. Boss was happier that way. It was better.

Patton woke from those memories sobbing every time, trying to remind himself that it wasn’t real, that it wasn’t him, that he hadn’t given up hope. But he had, hadn’t he? If someone pressed along those fault lines, wouldn’t he do it again? Didn’t the memories prove that?

He hadn’t known it was possible to feel so betrayed by one’s past self.

Patton was jarred from his thoughts by a timer going off, and found himself stationed at a cutting board, halfway through dicing some chives. Hadn’t he been in the middle of something else before…?

Turning, he could see the ground beef sitting on the stovetop on low heat, already seasoned and ready to be scooped into taco shells. The smell of cumin and garlic powder was thick in the air, seemingly impossible to miss. He had no memory of even pulling the containers from the spice rack.

He’d lost time again. It was so easy to get caught up in his own head these days. Alarmingly so, when he didn’t know just what lay in the corners of his mind. There might be a supervillain in there somewhere. He was lucky that the episodes had been subtle so far, enough that he could just be dismissed as airheaded.

Something was wrong with him. Really wrong. He needed to tell the others.

The front door opened, and a chorus of three mismatched voices called out a greeting, toppling into the kitchen like sleep-deprived college students.

Umbra ducked past him with a grumbled ‘behind you’ and hauled both the first aid kit out from under the sink and four plates from the cabinet, Remus hopped up to sit on the bar with bloody lips and a cheshire grin that was missing a tooth, and Dee stripped off his outer armor to don his favorite apron (emblazoned with ‘No Bitchin’ in My Kitchen’, courtesy of Remus) before bustling over to the stovetop.

“Welcome home,” Patton told them, watching as they bickered and set the table and slowly but surely let the strain of a long night slide off their shoulders.

It was late. They were tired. He would tell them later.

—

“Umbra, now!”

His lips twitched down into a muted scowl as a bubble of darkness descended on him, blocking out his view of the street around him. Surrounding him entirely in darkness, with only his own glowing form visible in the void.

Only a heartbeat later, there were multiple hands grabbing hold to his arms, legs, all of them attempting to pin him in place. For a moment, his mind grew confused, a memory of punishment– of darkness and gripping hands– overlapping with the present for just long enough to make him pause.

“Surrender,” The Conductor demanded, his voice strained with the power of maintaining his constructs. “Whatever it is you’re dealing with, we can get you help.”

Anger bubbled hot and bright in him. These false heroes were a plague, and they insisted on trying to infect him. Unforgivable.

The bubble of shadow constricted closer, heavier around him, but it didn’t matter. They couldn’t hide away in the darkness. He was the bringer of light.

His glow grew into a piercing shine, brighter and hotter until it was burning away the hands and evaporating the darkness. Cleansing the scourge from this city, as always.

The so-called heroes disengaged, more than familiar with his blast radius, but he wasn’t willing to let them go so easily. He would engage them here, keep them occupied and contain their impurities while Boss made changes in the city unhindered, working on a bigger scale than these meaningless skirmishes.

He didn’t like the heavy darkness. A small, distant part of him cowered away from it.

With an outstretched hand, he pulled back his light before it could finish its usual crackling halo and redirected the energy towards a new target, one darting between the shadows cast by his brightness. Between one shadow and the next– there.

“Umbra!”

The others’ warning only gave the hero enough time to turn his head. His eyes went wide and frantic, the terror on his face lit from below as the bolt of concentrated light struck true.

—

Patton woke to a scream strangled in his throat and hot tears in his eyes.

A dream. Just a dream. … A memory?

No, that dream– it couldn’t have been a memory. It couldn’t have been. It hadn’t been like the others, where he felt like a real person, like himself, and only realized it was a dream when he woke up. This one was different.

He had watched from the eyes of– of Lightshow, fine, he could admit that much. But the shift of his gaze, the wave of his hand, the step of his feet? Patton hadn’t been able to control any of it. He’d been forced into the position of a silent spectator, trapped in place, forced to watch as his body moved and fought and burned.

It wasn’t a memory. Those weren’t his thoughts. It was just a nightmare, a normal run-of-the-mill nightmare, constructed by his mind as some twisted response to stress. He was feeling guilty over not telling them, and his brain had taken it too far, that was all.

It had to be just a nightmare.

Patton tried to calm his breathing, to lay back down, but Umbra’s expression at that last moment flickered into view every time he closed his eyes.

Eventually, he gave up, just like he had that first night, and climbed out of bed. On the nightstand, the clock’s digital numbers glared up at him; three AM. Maybe he could figure out something really fiddly and time-consuming to make for breakfast. Maybe Umbra would help!

To his surprise, when he rapped quietly on his door (to avoid ‘scaring the life out of’ Umbra the way he had that first night) and poked his head out, there was no hooded figure sitting next to his door, back against the wall.

Had the other two finally convinced him to stop keeping watch on Patton? Or…

A sudden jolt of foreboding ran down his spine, and he pulled the door open wider, looking up and down the hall. Nobody was there. Had something happened to him?

Patton hesitated; they’d never explicitly told him to stay in his room while they were sleeping, but it only made sense that they’d want a potential threat contained. If he started wandering around now, would they be upset with him?

A flicker of that memory flashed in his mind’s eye again, and it was enough for him to force his shoulders firm and cross the threshold. A potential punishment wasn’t important. Not when Umbra could be in danger.

He hurried down the hall, only registering the sound of lowered voices a beat after he’d burst into the common area.

Remus was laying on the couch, flat on his stomach with his face buried in his arms, and above him on the back of the couch–

“Umbra,” Patton said, unable to contain the relief that swept through him. It didn’t even matter if he was in trouble for breaking the rules. Umbra was here, he was alright, he was safe.

The hero in question blinked at him in surprise for a moment before frowning, more confused than upset. “Lightshow? What are you doing up?”

Remus popped his head up, craning it back at a painful-looking angle to grin at him. “Glowbug!”

Patton smiled back and drifted a few steps closer automatically before stopping short, remembering that he had yet to explain himself. He opened his mouth.

“You weren’t there.” … That wasn’t what he’d meant to say at all. That wasn’t an explanation, that was an accusation!

Before he could start panicking, Umbra raised his eyebrows questioningly, and then seemed to put it together. “Oh. Yeah, I left to help Remus. Figured you probably weren’t going to get up and murder us all on only two hours of sleep.”

“Unless…?” Remus drew the word out suggestively, and Umbra jabbed his heel into his back in retaliation. Neither of them seemed upset at him, not even a little.

Patton dared to step a little closer, shaking his head and showing them his empty hands as proof that he had no murder plans. Remus pouted, letting his head flop forward once more.

“Help with what?” he asked, watching the way Umbra was applying pressure to Remus’s back curiously.

Umbra stiffened a little, narrowing his eyes at him the same way he always did when he thought Patton overstepped in his questions (which was frequently), but Remus didn't hesitate to answer in his place.

“Power malfunction,” he said, his nasally voice muffled through the couch cushion he was talking against. “Couldn’t sleep, so Paramoan here is keeping me company.”

“I couldn’t sleep either,” Patton replied wryly. A power malfunction? “Are you… hurt?”

Both of them went oddly still, and Remus rolled over onto his side to shoot Patton an incredulous look.

“Wait, do you not know my power?” he asked. Patton flushed, embarrassed. “Holy shit, you don’t know my power!”

“Here we go,” Umbra said with an eyeroll, drawing his legs up and tucking them under him like a cat as Remus squirmed up into a sitting position. He was going to give a demonstration of his power. Patton felt dread begin to fill his lungs, making his breaths shallower.

“Behold,” Remus announced grandly, waving his arms and wiggling his fingers dramatically for a moment before slamming his hands together. He had his two hands fisted side-by-side, with a thumb poking out between his pointer and middle finger of his left hand.

… Wait a minute.

“Tada!” Remus crowed, pulling his fists apart to reveal that he’d ‘separated’ his thumb from his right hand. It was a classic grade school magic trick. Above him, Umbra was facepalming.

Patton muffled a chuckle, smiling good-naturedly. “Remus, I may not remember much, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I know that one.”

“Aw, damn. Well, here, for your troubles,” Remus said, and dropped the thumb into Patton’s hand.

The thumb. The single, unattached, warm thumb.

Patton looked up, eyes wide, and Remus waved at him gleefully. His right hand was conspicuously missing a digit.

The thumb in his hand wiggled.

A short, strangled shriek of terror escaped him. “Your thumb!”

“No, Patton. It’s your thumb now,” Remus told him solemnly, apparently completely unconcerned.

Patton skittered over to Remus with his hands cupped around the missing appendage, mind racing. Could a finger be reattached? Would it heal if they put the pieces back together!?

The others had jerked back at his approach, but Remus obligingly held still as Patton grabbed his injured hand and inspected the wound that would surely be gushing blood by now.

The wound that… wasn’t gushing blood at all, actually. Instead, there was a dark green patch where flesh and blood should have been, as though Remus’s insides were made of clay. When he looked down at the thumb in his other hand, the severed end of it looked the same.

“Superpowers,” Patton recalled out loud, and slumped over onto the couch as his utter panic faded. “I forgot about superpowers.”

Remus immediately started cackling at his expense, and even Umbra had his face turned away to hide amusement of his own. Abruptly, Patton realized that he was so exasperated that he’d forgotten to be scared. He hid a smile, waiting for Remus’s amusement to die down before holding his hand out.

“I’m sorry Remus, but I can’t accept this gift,” he said, offering the thumb back. “It’s too opposable.”

That had definitely been a snort from Umbra’s direction. Patton resisted the urge to fistpump.

“Ah, well,” Remus replied with a delighted grin, taking the thumb back and reattaching it to his hand with ease. “You win thumb, you lose thumb.”

Patton cracked up. “I can’t believe you!”

“Just be grateful he didn’t do ‘pull my finger’ instead,” Umbra told him, shaking his head, the beginnings of a smile on his face. “He pulled that one on me and I threw the finger at him.”

“So cruel!” Remus agreed enthusiastically. “I mean, on one hand, I was wounded. But on the other hand, I was fine.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Umbra grabbed the nearest throw pillow and attempted to smother Remus with it. The homicide attempt was accompanied by snorting laughter, though, so Patton thought it was probably fine.

He hoped so, anyways: he was too busy laughing himself to perform a rescue.

#sanders sides fic #sanders sides #ts patton #ts remus #ts virgil #ts janus #patton-centric #superhero au #superpowers au #tidamh #tear it down around my head #my writing #writing #sorry this is late i was evicted #my internet access is infrequent as a result so if i dont reply to something its because i just didn't have time #hopefully ill be more active soon #love u all ttyl

134 notes · View notes