#aghs

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

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

Name: Moonshadow

Status: ACTIVE

/////////When last seen, they were incarcerated, but obviously that changed. Again.

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 -LL

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.”

~~~~~~

their BALLIN’ boots get a direct link because i need them

~~~~~~

They get the whole AGHS taglist because I’m In LOVE 

@residentanchor @royally-anxious @bewarethegrammarpolice   @nightmarebeforevirgil @jemthebookworm @arandompasserby  @sparkly-rainbow-salt @astral-eclipse​ @thelowlysatsuma @monsterinatophat @turtally-pawsome @um-yes-hi-hello @idkaurl @immortaldystopia @sweetbakeryeagletrash @cool-chick-c-c

yeah aha the background on this thing was really fun to do omg

“I have to be able to stand up to give piggybacks,” Virgil pointed out from where he was still lying prone, Quil and others sitting on top of him.

One of them giggled. “We trapped you! Can’t get away!”

“Is that a challenge?” he asked with his best Roman-Is-Offended gasp. He lifted himself into the air, bringing children as he went, until he was floating in midair with three kids balanced on his back.

The rest of the group cheered, clapping and egging him on.

“Guess you three are first up for piggybacks! Are you ready? Hold on tight!” He never flew fast while carrying them, but any distance into the air was still a thrill for them. He did a low loop, then gracefully returned to earth.

A line had formed as he flew, and as he let his first passengers off, he knelt to let two more wrap their arms around his neck. He held them in place with his arms and they were off once more.

On the porch, watching, sat Patton with Tatiana and Celeste Skylar. Some of the quieter children sat with them, apart from the raucous cheering and laughter of the group. Patton’s winds were carrying paper airplanes swiftly through the air, the crafts perfectly aerodynamic thanks to Logan’s earlier tutelage.

Patton himself was leaning on Tati’s shoulder, watching the kids and Virgil as he swooped carefully through the air.

He looked around, and suddenly stiffened, sitting up. “Where’s Thomas?!” he asked, a panicked edge to his voice.

“He’s with Roman, honey, remember?” Tatiana said warmly, squeezing Patton’s shoulder lightly. “He’s safe.”

The tension leaked out slowly as Patton sank back into leaning against the woman. “Oh, yeah. I… forgot.”

“It’s okay, sweet pea. You’re worried for him. It’s always too easy to think of what could be goin’ wrong if you’re not there yourself. I’ve been there. It’s okay. It’ll get easier.”

Patton nodded. “I don’t want to coddle him but- but I know he still has nightmares, and flashbacks, and…”

“And Roman’s been getting the same trainin’ as you have from Dr. Picani. He can help too. It’s not just on you, honeycakes,” Tatiana reminded him gently. “You aren’t all that Thomas has now - he has a whole home of people who love him and want to help him recover.”

“Don’t you mean a whole Haven?” Patton asked with a small grin.

“Same thing, aren’t they?” Celeste asked from Tatiana’s other side.

Haven Foster Home had been open for business for almost three months, and was growing steadily. They had sixteen children between the ages of three and twelve living with them currently, and plenty of space to expand. Which was good, because Virgil and his boyfriends had all moved in as they helped with construction and day-to-day operations. And Thomas, of course, had come too. Between the five of them, they were assisting the Skylar women get the home fully operational. And they were a so-far-endless source of entertainment.

Patton hugged Tatiana impulsively. “Thank you, Mrs. Skylar.”

“Pattycakes, what have I told you about callin’ me that?” Tatiana asked with a smile. “Even if you weren’t my son’s partner, you’re family here.”

Patton nodded shyly. “I know, but-”

“We mean it, Pat,” Celeste said seriously. “You have a home here, no matter what happens. Wherever Haven is, you belong. You and Thomas both.”

Patton brushed away a tear. “Thank you, Mrs- Celeste. It feels wrong to call you Mum and Mama like Virgil does, even if-” he shrugged.

“You know what the kiddos call us?” Celeste asked. “Mumma C and Mama T.”

“Those’re so cute,” Patton admitted with a small giggle.

“Just like you, bean,” Tati said, booping Patton’s nose. “And it took Roman all of two seconds to start using them.”

He grinned. “Well if the light of my life uses them, I guess I can too.”

“Did someone say Light of their Life?” Roman asked, coming out onto the porch with Thomas behind him.

“Roro! Tommy!” Patton said happily, standing to hug them both.

“Pat, we’ve only been inside for an hour and a half,” Thomas said, but he was grinning as he hugged his brother tight.

“Which is half an hour longer than I promised Captain Muscles I’d make him be on kiddo-duty,” Roman admitted. “Time for me to take over!”

He strode out into the field, a giant red slide coming to being as he gestured. The children who’d been entertaining themselves by ripping out grass leapt to their feet and ran over.

Virgil threw Roman a two-fingered salute as his boyfriend blew him a kiss. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck. It didn’t tire him physically to give the kids rides, but their energy was emotionally draining in its own way.

“Am I too late for one more flight?” a voice asked from behind him.

About to apologetically decline, Virgil turned to face the speaker. A young woman smiled up at him, the volume of her springy red hair making up only about half of the difference in their heights.

“SANDRY! You’re home from school?” Virgil asked with delight, sweeping up his little sister in an enthusiastic hug.

“Couldn’t miss seeing my favorite brother!”

“I notice you didn’t say sibling," Virgil responded, cocking an eyebrow at her.

“That’s right,” Sandry said with a smile. “I’m not starting that argument again. Alex will never let me hear the end of it.”

“That’s because they know they’d lose,” Virgil said with an overly-elegant sniff. “Can they help you set up roof-to-ceiling bookcases? I don’t think so.”

“Always playing the super card, god,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “So rude.”

Virgil ruffled her curly fro. “Hey, I know my strengths. It’s every sib for themself in this family. Especially when the mums keep finding more for me to compete with.”

“And you will be introducing me properly to the boyfs later,” Sandry said. It wasn’t a question. “Lo’s already told me all his embarrassing stories of you but I want to hear them all.”

“I’m getting flashbacks to, hmm, let me see, every single year growing up with you competitive little gremlins,” Virgil groaned. “I can’t get a break.”

“Your fault, you’re the greedy one who brought home three men and a new brother. I feel threatened. Truly. I do.” She tweaked his nose with an impish grin. “Now where’s my piggyback ride?”

Virgil stuck his tongue out at her. “You’re only three months from graduating college, aren’t you a bit old?”

“Virgeeyyyyyyy,” she whined, poking him in the cheek with obnoxious delight, punctuating each poke with a nickname. “Virgey. Virgey. Virge. Vee. Vee-man. Virgil. Virgey. Virge.”

“Fineeee,” he groaned, turning so she could wrap her arms about his neck. His huge smile betrayed his feigned irritation, though, and the minute she was secure, they were off, flying much faster than he every took the little ones.

“WHOOO!” she cheered in his ear as he flew them into a loop-de-loop, arcing over the house and field. “Hey, hey Virge! Do a barrel roll!” she said in her best Starfox impression. Virgil grinned and spun them into a tight spin, holding her legs secure as she whooped in exhilaration.

He finally landed and let her slide off, breathless. “Mum, why didn’t you warn me there was an invasion of little sisters?”

Celeste looked up from a game of tic-tac-toe in the dirt with a six-year-old. “She swore me to secrecy, V. I couldn’t betray her.”

“Also I promised to help arrange furniture,” Sandry added, fluffing her hair back to a normal shape after the wind’s free blowout.

“For someone who plans on law school, you’re too good at coercion,” Virgil grumbled, messing up her hair again just for the fun of it.

“Technically, this was bribery,” she responded with a wink. “See you at dinner!”

Tatiana passed her coming out the door, kissing her daughter’s cheek as she passed. “Oh, I just love it when my babies are home together. Virgey, don’t forget, Jacques and Liv are coming over for Sunday dinner this weekend, too, so make sure your boys don’t have any plans!’

“Yes, Mama,” Virgil said. He checked his phone, and walked over to where Roman was still supervising the kids on their glowing playset.

“Hey, you,” he said, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist from behind.

“Hello there, Purple Gay-ze,” Roman replied, squeezing the muscled arms wrapped around him.

“Do you know where Lo is?”

Roman pouted. “What, I’m not enough?”

Virgil smiled and kissed his cheek. “Why do I have three boyfriends if I don’t get to want them all at once? No, I just wanted to check in on him. I haven’t seen him all morning, and he’s doing the not-responding-to-texts thing again.”

Roman nodded at house behind them. “Last I saw, he’s up there.”

“Again? Why’s the only one who can’t fly the one spending all his time on the roof?”

Roman shrugged, mouth twisting into a worried line. “I’m still learning his signals but… I think he wanted to be alone.”

Virgil hugged Roman around the shoulders briefly, then stepped up into the air. “First rule of Logan: what he wants and what’s going to make him happier are not always the same thing. I’ll go check on him.” He waved to the kids and flew up to the roof.

At first, it seemed empty. The chairs were unoccupied, and the trampoline was still. The cupola, an idea Virgil stole from City Hall, was empty too, its door to the inside shut for once. About to search somewhere else, Virgil suddenly noticed a flash of blue behind the chimney.

Logan was sitting on the ground, feet planted, arms hugging his legs. He stared off into empty air, fiddling with his black-and-white goggles.

Virgil approached slowly and sank down gently next to him with a murmured, “Hey.”

Logan jumped slightly, almost falling on his side before he realized who it was. “Oh. Hi.”

Virgil tentatively touched Logan’s shoulder, only for him to lean in to the touch immediately. Virgil wrapped his arms around the smaller man, letting him get so close he was practically in his lap.

“I won’t ask if you’re okay, because I know this has been all sorts of terrible for you, but - do you want to want to talk about it, or do you just want comfort?”

Logan shrugged and nestled his face further into the space where Virgil’s neck met his shoulder. Virgil squeezed his arms around him firmly carded his fingers through his hair in a soothing, repetitive way.

A mumbled rumbled into his shoulder. “What was that, love?”

Logan lifted his face, a little pink from the pet name. “I just. With Tommy and Pat, even Ro, even you - you all have had so many more struggles and heartache. I feel selfish for feeling this bad about it when I wasn’t even hurt.”

“First off, emotional hurt counts just as much as anything else, so jot that down,” Virgil said with a slight smile. Then his expression shifted back to serious. “But Lo, really- you’re allowed to be hurt and feel bad, even if others are too. I’m not going to run out of sympathy or patience. Neither are they.”

“I know that, intellectually. And yet, I feel guilty.”

“That’s okay. It really is. And I think it’ll help if you can talk it out.”

Logan sighed, withdrawing from Virgil’s hold, but still leaning against him.

“I still feel responsible. Even if I wasn’t the one who actually did this to Thomas, my work, my research was involved. I helped my par- I helped the project progress and escalate, even if I didn’t know what it was progressing to. And if Thomas resented me for my part in it, I wouldn’t blame him.”

“But he doesn’t,” Virgil said softly.

“I wish he did. No one blames me. Not Joan, not Talyn, not any of you.”

“Because we love you and know it wasn’t your fault.”

“But that’s just it!” Logan said, sitting up fully. He threw his goggles in frustration, and they cracked on the brick wall as they collided. His grey eyes blazed, all the brighter with no lenses currently blocking them. “You all know me and assume the best. If the public knew my full involvement, they’d hate me, and they’d be right to. Instead, I get off scot-free, known only as the star witness of the trial, while all the hate gets directed at my parents.” His voice broke on the last word as his head fell forwards into his hands. Virgil rubbed his back soothingly, seeing Logan’s shoulders shake with silent, suppressed sobs.

“You miss them,” Virgil murmured.

“I know they did terrible, unethical things, they hurt our brother and countless others, and they perverted my research and life’s work and yet I still miss them so much. Bea and Jem are barely speaking to me, and I know they both say they don’t blame me, but I can tell that they do. I haven’t been able to visit them at our cousin’s house yet because I can feel the betrayal. I broke my family, Vee.”

“Your parents broke it,” Virgil said fiercely. “They made a choice, and now they’re facing the consequences. That’s not on you.”

“But the fact remains that the Lancaster family is broken, and the rest of the family would rather blame me than them, because that way they don’t have to admit that our parents did something like this all on their own. And I… I get it,” he said, deflated.

Virgil stayed silent, but kept rubbing small circles on Logan’s lower back, waiting for him to continue when he was ready.

“Parents are… they’re larger than life. Especially mine,” Logan said, with a wet chuckle. “Two brilliant doctors, one a literal superhero. And she wasn’t just any superhero, she was the face of them all, the one in all the PR spots. We grew up with a mom who was on our TV and in our PSAs at school. She was the most anticipated guest lecturer at HEARTS. I grew up in awe of her, surrounded by a city who was in awe of her too.” Logan paused, looking out into the distance again. “I always knew deep down that she was human, of course, but until now, I never saw any flaws myself. And I feel like I should have. Dad, too, except - people always used to tell me how much I look like him. How much I take after him. And now they’ll see my face and see our generation’s fucking Armageddon.”

“Lo, I know this is hard, but exaggeration won’t help. They’re not Armageddon villain-level. They didn’t flatten the city or threaten the entire world.”

“They may as well have,” Logan replied, voice tight with anger. “They could have, if we hadn’t stopped them. If Thomas hadn’t escaped when he did, they would have kept going.”

“Don’t torture yourself with what-ifs and could-haves, starlight.”

“...are you quoting Mum?”

“Mama, actually.”

Logan cracked a smile at that, but it flitted away again like the sun on a cloudy day. “I feel like the world’s gone wonky,” he admitted. “If I was so wrong about them, what else have I misjudged?”

Virgil looked meaningfully behind them, where they could dimly hear the happy shouts of the kids as Roman and Patton led them in a sing-a-long.

Logan sighed. “I mean, yeah, that’s it, isn’t it. The one thing I thought I knew for sure, as certain as my power or gravity, was that the world had heroes, and everyone who could be one and chose not to be was a villain. And my parents were heroes. Now all that’s gone, and I don’t know where that leaves me.”

Virgil nodded sympathetically. “You’re lost, Lo. But it’s okay.”

“How can you know that? What if I can’t find myself again?” His voice was small and hesitant, and Virgil immediately pulled him into his arms.

“Because I was lost once too. And you were the one who found me. And thanks to you, and our boys, and this whole big new family - life sucks less now. You’ll figure it out, Lo. You’re the smartest person I know, the most brilliant star in my sky. And I’ll support you in any way I can.”

Logan looked up into Virgil’s face. That wonderful man started back, his face so frank and open that Logan couldn’t help but believe him entirely. He blinked back tears, smiling shakily. “I love you, Virgil.”

“I love you too, Logan. More than words or sound.” They held each other tightly for a moment, then Virgil let go, standing. “Now c’mon. You have other boyfriends to love and be loved by. And the moms want taste-testers.”

“I’m not particularly hungry-” Logan started, but Virgil interrupted.

“They’re trying a new recipe for jelly thumbprints. And one of the new flavors is blackberry-pomegranate Crofter’s.”

Logan immediately was on his feet. “Well, can’t keep the moms waiting, better go!” He sped away, running down the outside of the building rather than wasting time by taking the stairs. Virgil laughed as he flew behind him.

As he flew to the yard and landed, Patton smiled up at him from where he was lying with his head in Roman’s lap.

“Hey there, big guy. Was that blur our boyfriend on his way to get spoiled?”

“You know it. Pretty sure his first time breaking the sound barrier was because of a Crofter’s sale. This was so worth it, even if I did have to promise Mama I’d do more construction as a trade for the extra baking.”

Roman smiled, his fingers tangled in Patton’s curls. “You big fellas and your big hearts. Lookin’ all tough, but you’re the softest possible touch.”

“What can I say, my boyfriends are my one weak spot. Or, you know, my three weak spots,” Virgil said with a smile, sitting so that Patton could sprawl his legs over him. He kissed Roman’s temple and rubbed Patton’s calf with a warm hand.

“Hm, and are we your only weak spots?” Patton asked, eyes dancing with mischief as he sat up between the two men. “What about here?” He poked Virgil in the side, wriggling his fingers as he did so.

A laugh bubbled out of Virgil’s mouth before he clapped his hand over it with a mock-glare. “Oh no you don’t.”

“I’m sure a big, strong man like you can’t be disarmed with some petty little tickles,” Roman purred, reaching an arm around to his other side.

“Fuck you!” Virgil gasped, giggling, but he was surrounded, his boyfriends on either side tickling him mercilessly. They trusted him not to lash out, not to hurt them even accidentally, and that warmed Virgil just as much as their affection. When it became too much, he laughed aloud and lifted them onto his shoulders, one on each.

Patton whooped at the sudden elevation, twining his fingers around Virgil’s where he gripped his thigh. Roman just posed, reclining elegantly and winking at the muscled man he had the good fortune to be dating.

“Oh darling, you’re so smooth, always ready to sweep us off our feet,” Roman drawled.

“Nice one, Roro,” Patton giggled.

Virgil grinned up at his boys. “What can I say? This is the closet I can get to putting you both on the pedestals you deserve.”

“VIRGIL!” a voice suddenly shouted from inside. It was immediately followed by a blur that crashed through the door and resolved back into Logan. His face was flushed, his hair askew, and there was a smear of jam on his mouth still.

Roman and Patton both immediately lifted themselves up and off of Virgil’s shoulders as the big hero ran to Logan’s side.

“Lo, what is it? Are you okay? Are the kids okay?”

“Yes, they’re great, everything’s great, I have just made the best discovery!” Logan said, words spilling out in a rush. “Tommy! Are you coming?”

Sure enough, Thomas was emerging from the door in Logan’s wake, walking at a normal human pace. He carried a jelly jar with a spoon stuck in, though he’d been slightly more successful in cleaning his mouth than Logan had.

“Are you alright, Thomathy?” Patton asked, brow knitting slightly.

His brother smiled up at him, glowing in a tentative way. “I’m great, Pat. Logan - you should explain, I don’t know that I fully understand it-”

Logan nodded eagerly. “My dears, it’s wonderful- we discovered another power of Thomas’. Something new. We were both so excited to try the Mums’ cookies, and I was moving fast to help, and without extra effort, I started getting faster and faster. I was barely even aware at the time! And I could still control it, it was just easier. I- knowing what we know now, about Thomas’ origins, I think I know what his true power is. The same way he can spread emotions that paralyze, he can spread emotions that amplify. He’s not just a human dampening-field- he’s an enhancer!”

Roman frowned. “Sorry, my dearest nerd, I don’t think I follow?” He summoned a handkerchief and handed it to Virgil, who wiped Logan’s face free of jelly as he continued to explain animatedly, barely aware of Virgil’s movements.

“Our emotions are tied to our powers, right? The first time we used them, it had to be through a certain feeling, and then over time we could trigger them through experience. And we know Thomas could shut them down the same way, by triggering the antithetical feelings, or even a complete absence. But, he can send out positivity, too! And excitement, and elation, all the normal discovery-emotions. He’s like a rainbow cloud full of mood-enhancers! A human embodiment of an SSRI!”

Thomas smiled at them all, and the extra years of stress seemed to fall away, leaving him looking like an actual teen again. “I think I can be a teammate now, not just another person on the attack. I can help. In training, in learning- Ro, I think I can even help you on grey days.”

Roman stared in shock. “Really?”

“I hope so, at least. I want to make up for what I’ve done. I think this could be how I do that.”

Virgil clasped Thomas’ shoulder. “Remember, though, you don’t have to, Tommy. You don’t owe the rest of us anything, not if you don’t want to give it. You don’t have to become a professional hero.”

Thomas nodded. “I know. But… I do want to. Maybe not constantly, not all the time, but I want to help.”

Patton seized his brother in a hug. “And you will, Thomathy. And we’ll be there to help you, no matter what.”

“Promise?” Thomas’ voice was small as he looked over Patton’s shoulder at the other three.

Roman was the first to wrap his arms around both the Sanders, but Logan soon did the same, and Virgil rounded out the group hug, resting his face in Patton’s curls.

“We promise, Tommy,” Roman murmured. “Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes,” Logan echoed.

“Whatever it takes,” Virgil promised.

If a tear or five happened to roll down their cheeks, well. Nothing to be ashamed of. They were all family, after all.

~~~~~~

>>D.R.E.A.M. Index

     >>User Mode: Administrator

>>Update Impact: Global

     >>Update Field1: Classification

           >>Update Type: Criteria

     >>Update Field2: Affiliation

          >>Update Type: Delete

     >>Update Field3: Threat Status

           >>Update Type: Created

>>Description: Overhaul of the classification system with respect to ‘affiliations’. New guidelines for entry:

     A - formerly ‘Hero’ - now defined as a registered H.A.T.C.H. participant, willing to use their powers to respond to threats and attacks

     M - formerly ‘Neutral’ - now defined as “Not a foreseeable threat”

     Z - formerly ‘Villain’ - now defined as “Foreseeable threat”

>>Justification/Note: If we’ve learned anything from the past year, it’s that forcing us all to pick sides does more harm than good. Fighting isn’t what makes a hero. - Joan and Talyn

~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337501 [UPDATED]

Classification: M.1.ii [Primary Tier, No Threat, Acquired Powers]

Name: The Understudy

Status: INACTIVE

/////////Reason: Enrolled

Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Thomas Sanders

Threat Status: No Foreseeable Threat

/////////H.A.T.C.H. Status: Blackout

Partners/Sidekicks: DI#A-4894 - Team Left Brain; DI#A-4895 - Team Right Brain;

Primary Foes: N/A

Powers: Pathokinesis - Broad Spectrum; Illusions - Broad Spectrum;

/////////Specialty: Assistance and Enhancement;

Costume: Black t-shirt with rainbow flowers, jeans

Age: 19

Height: 5’10”

Pronouns: He/Him

H.E.A.R.T.S. Class: Enrolled

Note: Brother of DI#337437 - Gale Force; Powers created through Project Charcoal, see IR19-Z-0001;  

~~~~~~

It was a normal afternoon at Haven, which is not at all to say quiet. Virgil and Thomas were on chaperone duty, with Sandry lending a hand, and they’d brought the children to the upstairs play rooms so the other adults could get a break.

Logan and Patton had volunteered to cook that night’s family dinner. It was their first time doing so together, as Virgil and Roman had carefully made sure an actually-experienced cook had been involved each time previously. But the two shared a stubborn streak, and had insisted that they’d be fine.

Celeste wasn’t supervising, per se. That would be implying she didn’t trust them. She just happened to be sitting at the bar between the living room and kitchen. In theory, she was reading a young adult novel that one of the kiddos had brought home from the library for their monthly mixed-ages book club. In reality, her eyes spent about twice as much time watching the boys in the kitchen as on the page.

Patton had never learned to cook growing up, and Roman had been the cook of their little home. Logan had been spoiled by home-cooked meals his entire childhood and now had his own method of ‘carry out’ which was actually ‘run over to the next state because they have much better pho than the place across the street.’ They’d mutually decided on Breakfast For Dinner. That was the last thing they’d both been sure about.

“Should eggs be this runny? Do I need use the whipper more?”

“I think it’s a whisker.”  

“Well that can’t be right. I don’t care how I look, I’m a Patton, not a Cat ton!” he said with a giggle, pulling the cat-ear hood of his sweatshirt over his curls.

Logan groaned fondly and turned to kiss Pat on the cheek, which turned into several more. Unfortunately, he’d forgotten that he was frying bacon at the same time. He whirled back as the smell of burnt fat started to rise from the pan.

Logan blushed. “Whoops. Um, crunchy bacon is a thing people like, right?”

“That’s how I like it,” Celeste commented from the bar with a smile. “I used to like it chewy, but Tati showed me the light. Or, dark, in this case. Insert ‘once you go black’ joke here,” she added with a wink, gesturing vaguely.

Logan chuckled and grabbed tongs, salvaging what bacon he could. “Well, this is edible at least. Let’s get started on the pancake batter, yeah?”

“Batter’s up!” Patton chortled, and went to get a mixing bowl.

Celeste sighed fondly and stood to answer a knock at the door. As she did so, she blew a kiss to Tatiana where she was sitting with Roman in the living room.

“So, I was thinking this weekend’s big Outdoor Activity could be Treasure Island!” Roman said excitedly.

“Oh, that’s a new one! What’s that?” Tati asked. She had planner open on her lap that was stuffed full with tabs and notes.

“So it’s like capture the flag, but with four teams, and you need a treasure from each team to win,” Roman explained. “So I can make, like, crowns for one team, and coins for another, and gems for a third-”

“Or, we can just buy some more play equipment that we know we’ll re-use,” Tatiana interrupted, smiling. “I don’t want you to push yourself too much, honey.”

Roman blushed. “Oh, yeah. We can buy things.”

“Don’t forget, that means things for you, too, okay? If there’s anything you need, we’ve got you covered.”

“I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“Roman,” Tatiana said with a warning tone, but she was smiling. “What have I said about you being an imposition?”

“That I’m not one,” Roman recited.

“And you never could be, sweet pea.” She patted his cheek fondly. “Now, tell me more about Treasure Island. There’s no permanent outs, right? We know the little ones don’t do well with those.”

Celeste came back and smiled at the two of them as she slipped back into the kitchen. Pancake batter had gotten on the bowl, spoon, the counter, Patton’s brand new cat hoodie, and Logan’s glasses, but not yet on the walls or the floor, so Celeste reasoned it was going about as well as could be expected.

“The recipe book says it should be smooth,” Logan said, looking with despair at the lumps in the mixture. “I am fairly certain there is no world in which this is smooth.”

“Ooh, let me try,” Patton said. He took the bowl with a grin. “Maybe we just need to encourage it!”

“I fail to see how that will-”

“C’mon, pancakes! C’mon Pannie!” He suddenly grinned. “Pannie, are you okay? Are you okay, Pannie?” the man started to sing. “You’ve been hit by-” he tapped on the side of the bowl, “You’ve been struck by-”

“Please no-” Logan tried to interrupt.

“A smooth criminal!” Patton finished with a flourish, pointing at himself with the spoon. Unfortunately, it still had batter on it, flicking even more on them both.

Celeste took that as her cute to intervene. “Okay, Patty-pan-cakes, maybe less MJ and more Ramsay, okay?”

Patton looked over, still grinning. “Okay, Mumma C.”

“Maybe you should go clean up and let Lo try in the meantime?”

Patton nodded and handed Logan the bowl back, kissing a bit of flour off his cheek as he did so.

Logan took the bowl, but paused. “Ah, Mum, would you mind giving me a hand? I believe I may be a bit lost here.”

She smiled. “Of course.” She helped him add more milk until the batter was smooth but not runny, and got a clean pan up to the right heat.

“So you’ll want to add a bit more oil in between so they don’t stick, does that make sense?”

“Oh, it’s like resetting to stasis for a new experiment run!”

“If that’s what makes sense to you, sure!”

A sound echoed down the hall. “I’ll be right back. I believe in you, Lo!”

Logan got to work, brow furrowed in concentration, barely aware of the batter and flour smutches on his face and glasses. He could hear Tatiana and Roman laughing in the living room, and the muffled shouts and bumps from upstairs.

He’d promised the kids pancakes. And pancakes they would have, dammit.

Celeste wandered back down the hallway to the living room, fiddling with her pride flag bracelet. “Tati, honey, I think I’m hallucinating,” she complained. “I could have sworn I heard a knock, but no one was there. Were we expecting any more arrivals today?”

Tatiana stood, looping an arm casually around her wife’s waist as she checked the detailed calendar on the living room wall. “Hm. No planned dropoffs, but it has been picking up as word spreads. But I thought I heard something too. Maybe it’s Virgey? He’s upstairs with Sandry and Tommy and the kiddos.”

Celeste leaned her chin on Tatiana’s shoulder. “That’s probably it. Hey, have I told you recently that you’re gorgeous? And also incredibly organized, and so amazing at keeping track of details? And that this place would never have become so wonderful without you?”

Tatiana blushed so hard, her brown cheeks practically glowed. “Ceecee! Stopp!”

“How can I stop when you’re just so cute?” She took advantage of her wife’s attempt to hide her face by kissing her fingers and cheeks while Roman laughed in the background.

Another knock sounded under the chatter. Patton, coming back from the bathroom, turned into the hallway to answer it.

This time, there was definitely someone there.

“Pat?” came the shocked gasp from the doorway.

Patton stared, jaw hanging open. “Damon?”

There were far fewer scales than when he’d last seen him, a sign he hadn’t had to use his power recently. And right behind him, staring back over their dark glasses, was an equally-shocked Remy.

Patton started in silence for half a moment, then stepped back, pulling the door with him. “Come on in, you two. Uh, assuming you wanted to, that is.”

The couple nodded and stepped in cautiously. Damon looked around warily, holding his partner’s hand tight. Remy might have been surveying the cozy entrance hallway with similar trepidation, but the lack of irises always made it difficult to tell.

“I… didn’t expect to see you ever again,” Patton admitted. “I thought you’d left town and the state. Or I assumed? I’m a bit fuzzy on when or how exactly you left. I just remember seeing you.”

“Ah, that’ll be my fault, sorry babes,” Rem said, giving a slight bow without letting go of their boyfriend’s hand. They held themself in the bow so they could look up over their glasses to wink at Patton.

Damon reached out hesitantly to touch Patton’s shoulder, and relaxed a bit. “I gotta say, I didn’t expect to see you here either. Or anywhere. I thought…” he took a breath. “Last we heard, you were volunteering to fight the thing that… Valerie.”

Patton’s face fell. “Oh. I- fuck, it’s been a really long couple of months, Dam’. There’s so much to tell you.” He bit his lip, worrying it between his teeth, not sure how to begin.

At that moment, Tatiana came around the corner.

“Oh, Patty! I thought I heard voices. Do we have new guests?” She looked over the pair. “Or are they friends of yours?”

Patton took a breath. “They’re friends. I- actually, how did you two come to be here?”

Damon flushed under his golden skin. “I heard there was a new foster home and I had to see it, at least. And then I kept losing my nerve when we knocked and had Remy blank the woman who answered.”

Tatiana laughed. “Oh, so you’re to blame for my wife’s confusion! And hear I was ready to start making senior citizen jokes. Welcome, then! Any friends of Patton’s are practically family. I’m Tatiana Skylar, my wife Celeste and I run things here at Haven. And you two are supers as well, or just Blank Space over there?”

Remy grinned “Oh hun, can I steal that one? Yeah, we’re both supes. Dam’ here has like, restraint, though.”

Damon smiled up at them, then turned to Tatiana. “Trust them to not actually introduce us. This tall string of sass is Mx. Remy Dormions, also known as an absolute headache and, sadly, the love of my life.” Remy chuckled and just preened as their boyfriend continued, “And I’m Damon McLeggan. Pat and I, uh, grew up together for a bit.”

Tati smiled even wider, her white teeth flashing against her plum lipstick. “So you are family! Wonderful!”

Damon had all of one second of warning before he found himself wrapped a welcoming hug. Tatiana turned to Remy to give them the same treatment, and saw them grimacing awkwardly. “Sorry, I know I’m too long to hug normall- oof!”

They found their middle wrapped by warm brown arms, Tati’s head angled so that their neck didn’t need to stretch awkwardly around hers.

“Honey, don’t even worry, I’ve got all the practice in the world of Tall Hugs,” she said with a smiled as she withdrew. “You should meet my son!”

Patton raised an eyebrow at Remy. “Actually, they have. Last I saw, they were flirting with him dramatically.”

“You’re gonna have to be more specific,” Damon and Remy said in unison.

“They were flirting dramatically while being arrested,” Patton clarified.

Remy’s glasses slid down their nose. “Oh worm? Wait, who’s mom is she, Specs or Flex?”

“Both,” Tatiana said proudly. “Come in, you two, come sit. Dinner’s going to be awhile still, but the smoke has gone down, at least. Hope you like extra-crispy bacon!”

Damon hesitated, but Patton grabbed his arm and tugged him down the hallway to the living room.

“Patty-my-dear, who’ve you brought us?” Celeste asked.

“Mumma Cee, this is Damon and Remy. Dam’ was at the old home with me, and Remy’s his partner. And they apologize for making you forget they were there, right?”

Remy grinned. “Yeah, I’m sorry. Mostly. But I can’t promise I won’t do it again.” Damon elbowed them. “Ow! My own boyfriend, my darling, attacking me in front of new people, how dare.”

Celeste looked utterly charmed. “Please, come sit, here, take the long-legs chair.” She and Remy launched into gossip about powers and their partners with equal enthusiasm.

Damon tugged Pat’s sleeve. “Pat, you’re sure it’s okay we’re here?”

“Of course, everyone’s welcome.”

“Yeah, but. I mean. Villains? Technical fugitives? Multiple times over? We just thought we’d lurk and make sure it didn’t seem sketchy, I didn’t think we’d be invited in. I don’t want the heroes to shut this place down from association.”

Patton brushed a comma of black hair that had fallen in Damon’s face. “Oh, no need to worry about any of that-”

Just then, Logan emerged out of the kitchen, wearing a batter-splattered apron but looking pleased with himself. “Dinner’s ready!”

Remy and Damon whipped around and made eye contact with Logan the same moment he noticed them.

Remy tensed up immediately and grabbed Damon’s hand, but before they could use their powers, Logan was beside them in a blur.

“Rem, no, it’s- you don’t need to, I’m not gonna, it’s fine,” he babbled. “Don’t blank me, okay?”

Remy grimaced. “Lolo, hun, I love a good reunion as much as the next bitch, but this is clearly your house. It’s one thing to tease you when it’s your job to chase me, I’m not gonna invade your space.”

“Remy, Damon, please, no, it’s not like that anymore,” Logan said. He stepped back at a normal speed. “Pat? Can you help me?”

The couple looked confused, staring between Patton and Logan. Celeste and Tatiana stayed quiet, watching the interaction but letting the supers handle it themselves.

Patton grinned tentatively. “So, let’s see, what’s the fastest way to explain. Um. Number 1, you’re not fugitives anymore, because of the Fresh Start Initiative by the mayor’s office. Number 2, you’re not villains, because no one is, not even me ‘n’ Ro. Oh, and number 3, we’re dating,” he finished, waving at Logan.

Remy frowned. “You left the sparkling red beauty for Specs?”

Damon rolled his eyes. “That’s what you got out of that?”

“That’s the part I understood immediately, sue me.”

Logan cleared his throat. “Patton meant, he’s dating Roman and I at the same time. Also Virgil. All four of us.”

“Virgil?” Damon asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Tatiana chuckled behind him. “I’ve been forbidden from using it when he can hear me, but his other nickname is ‘Flex,” she provided. She smiled up at Remy. “I told you I’m used to giving tall hugs!”

Remy settled back into their chair. “Holy shit. Y’all’re dating Flex? I thought he was still pining over Short-Stack over here.”

Logan colored. “How many people knew this besides me?” he muttered to himself.

Patton heard him and grabbed his hand over the back of the couch. “All of us, love. You’re kind of oblivious sometimes.”

Damon was leaning on both his hands, brow creased. “What’s wrong, sugar?” Remy asked.

“I- so much has changed. I’m not sure I get it yet. I didn’t think we’d ever be staying in Harmony City again, not long term.”

“Technically, we’re outside city limits,” Celeste offered. “We’re over the Easthamshire County line. But within the municipal government jurisdiction for taxes and tax break purposes, that was important.”

“You’re jargonin’ again, honey,” Tatiana said, brushing her fingers through Celeste’s bright hair.

Celeste smiled up at her. “What I mean to say is, Damon, Remy, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you like. We’ve got a whole house full of folks figuring everything out - you’ll be in good company.”

Patton nodded. “And there’s someone else you need to meet, too. Virgil, when he comes down, but, Damon, you should- actually, let me get him now. Uh, Mama T, can we use the sitting room?”

“Of course, sweet pea.”

~~~~~~

Two days later, Damon sat watching the open field behind the house as Remy joined the kiddos in playing Treasure Island. (They were forbidden from using powers because “it’s cheating,” Quil had insisted, and everyone agreed. It turns out that Remy was a terrible thief without their powers, but they were having a grand time all the same).

Thomas sat beside him, and Patton sat on Thomas’ far side. They watched in companionable silence for while, until Damon broke it.

“Thomas, you know I don’t blame you, right? For any of this.”

The boy swallowed hard. “I know you said so.”

“And I meant it. I get it, you know? People always say that, say they understand, but I really do.”

“What do you mean?”

Damon smiled lopsidedly at him. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to be an experiment?” He waved his left hand in a faux-salute, the hand that never fully healed from his shape-shifts, the one covered continuously in scales that ached and itched and got covered up when he was around strangers. “The anger, at the one who did this, and at this whole fucking society that could have stopped it and didn’t? The regret when you lash out mixed with a weird satisfaction that at least you finally did something on your own terms for once?”

Thomas softened. “You do know.”

Damon nodded. “So I mean it. I don’t blame you. And I - Lo mentioned what you hope to do. To be a teacher and coach and protect these guys.” He nodded out at the children, from the ones running and falling and shrieking in delight to the ones sitting separately, reading or watching or just dangling from tree branches. “I’m… god, I’ve had years to recover, and you’re been out for what, four months, and already ready to make amends and pay it back?”

Thomas shrugged.

Damon sat quiet for a moment. “Could I help too? I don’t know what I’d do, but… I feel like I have something to make up for, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I- I was pissed at the world and the city for letting us get pulled into that. But I didn’t try to fix it, I just mentally flipped off the institutions and took all the resources they offered me. And I didn’t- I let her drop out. I kept tabs on her, but she reminded me too much of that place and that time. I didn’t let her talk about it around me, I just refused to listen. I could have made an effort, been a safe person to relate to, but I didn’t. And I know these kids won’t be the same, but maybe it would be a way to make up for it.”

“It’s a start,” Patton commented softly. “This place won’t make everything better but… it’ll mean a world of difference to these kids. We can’t protect them from every possible struggle, but-”

“But we can keep them safe from the ones we faced,” Thomas finished. He grabbed Patton’s hand and squeezed. “I’ll do it, Pat, just you watch,” he said fiercely. “I’ll keep them safe. I promise.”

“I promise too,” Damon said. “For Valerie.”

Patton nodded. “For the Parsons.”

“For us,” Thomas said softly.

They squeezed hands, watching the children of Haven play. The clouds above were turning cotton candy pink as the day wound to a close. Light glazed the home behind them and the graceful branches in front of them, painting everything golden.

The sun was setting on Harmony City.

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337501 [UPDATED] Classification: M.1.iv [Primary Tier Neutral, Unknown] Name: Agent Whisper Status: INACTIVE /////////Reason: Reformation-In-Progress, Enrolled Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Thomas Sanders Affiliation: Neutral Partners/Sidekicks: DI#A-4894 - Team Left Brain; DI#A-4895 - Team Right Brain; /////////The two teams volunteered to oversee his reformation Primary Foes: None Powers: Pathokinesis - Broad Spectrum; Illusions - Broad Spectrum; Self-Healing/Rejuvenation - Broad Spectrum; /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] There have been multiple edits to this entry, and I’ve no idea why, and I can’t see the history. Can you check this? - Joan Costume: Black t-shirt with a skull that can change between white and floral, jeans. Age: 19 Height: 5’10” Pronouns: He/Him H.E.A.R.T.S. Class: Enrolled Note: Brother of DI#337437 - Gale Force; Presumed killed in IR15-Z-0632, apparently self-healed; Unclear if powers were created by [REDACTED], or if they were always present and [REDACTED]. /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Talyn, what’s going on? Why can’t I un-redact these phrases? /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] I have no idea - these details weren’t added by me. It makes no sense. The note was added, and then edited and redacted. But from the code it looks like both changes were from… Logan?

~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337413 [UPDATED] Classification: Class A.2.iii [Secondary Tier Hero, anomaly] Name: Crimson Marauder Status: ACTIVE Civilian Name: [TOP SECRET] Roman Fitzroy Affiliation: Hero ///////// H.A.T.C.H. Status: On Call Partners/Sidekicks: member of DI#A-4895 - Team Right Brain; Works with DI#A-4894 - Team Left Brain; Primary Foes: N/A Powers: Psionic Construction; /////////Able to manipulate color of constructions along the red spectrum, unless it is a previously-created object being stored in a psionic pocket dimension; Constructs that have persisted need less energy to maintain; complete lack of consciousness can deconstruct Costume: Black Suit with Red Blocks, Gold Belt, Black and Red Cape with Gold accents; Black and gold mask Age: 25 Height: 5’ 11” Pronouns: He/Him H.E.A.R.T.S. Class N/A Note: Formerly known as Scarlet Prince, see DI#337321; Origin and family unknown

~~~~~~

D.R.E.A.M. Index #337437 [UPDATED] Classification: A.1.iv [Primary Tier Hero, unknown] Name: Gale Force Status: ACTIVE ///////// H.A.T.C.H. Status: Blackout Only Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Patton Sanders Affiliation: Hero Partners/Sidekicks: member of DI#A-4895 - Team Right Brain; Works with DI#A-4894 - Team Left Brain; Primary Foes: N/A Powers: Air Manipulation - Broad Spectrum; Costume: Grey calf-length tunic, slits up to waist with loose sleeves over loose white trousers; light blue belt; matching blue symbol of a hurricane across chest. Does not wear a mask. Age: 21 Height: 5’10” Pronouns: He/Him H.E.A.R.T.S. Class: Enrolled Note: Highly volatile, responsible for deaths of DI#265351 - Commander Eagle and DI#337236 - Silver Sparrow, see IR15-Z-0632; First appearance at Harmony City Foster Care; Origin and family unknown. ///////// Changed affiliation after unmasking of DI#337501 - Agent Whisper revealed to be his brother. Still unclear if he is an anomaly or if the Sanders bloodline is super, particularly because of DI#337501’s involvement in [REDACTED]. /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Talyn, it’s happened again here! Has Logan been messing in our files? /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Joan, this is really troubling - some of the edits have been made while I know Logan has been in the field. DREAM may have been hacked. I’m going to have to suspend all access until further notice.

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

“Pat, are you sure about this?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll catch you.”

“This just feels like the superhero equivalent of a whoopie cushion. Or ‘down low, too slow.’”

Patton hugged his brother around the shoulders. “I mean it, Tommy Salami! You won’t be hurt.”

“It’s a long way down, though,” Thomas said, eyeing the edge of the roof nervously.

“Never fear! Your knight is here!” Roman announced, landing gently by the brothers with a smile. He bowed gallantly to the teen. “Sir Roman Fitzroy, on official Safety Net duty!”

Thomas smiled shyly. “You’re sure?”

“Of course, my Very Special Agent! Even if you can’t fly naturally, you’ll feel just like a bird,” Roman said, gesturing off the roof with a flourish. Floating in mid-air was a giant red cushion, soft, plush, and downy.

Other students at HEARTS were mingling around in various levels of trepidation and excitement. Some were confirmed flyers, ready to practice more and to build up their reaction time. Some were like Thomas, testing for latent abilities in a controlled environment. And some knew they couldn’t fly, but were here for the experience anyway.

“Ready?” the teacher called. A ten-year-old wearing what looked suspiciously like a beloved blankie tied around their neck like a cape clapped their hands and nodded. “Here we go!”

The teacher scooped the little one up and tossed them onto the trampoline, launching them into the air in a burst of surprised giggles. Their cape fluttered behind them as they bounced, eyes squeezed tightly shut. When they finally opened them, it was to realize they were floating about fifteen feet above the heads of their classmates.

“I doned it!”

“Yes indeed! You did it!” one of the older students said as their classmates clapped and cheered. The elder girl floated up serenely to their level. “Can you get down yourself?”

The child frowned and focused on their feet. Slowly, they lowered down to the ground once more, sparking another round of applause as the next student stepped up to try.

Finally, it was Thomas’ turn. There were rounds of encouragement from the crowd, though more subdued than they had been for the others. But the youngest students didn’t flinch or waver, just cheered as Thomas offered his hand to the teacher. Patton floated just by the edge of the roof, Roman at his side, ready with the enormous cushion to catch him should he go awry.

Virgil glided up beside the two just as Thomas was tossed onto the trampoline. He bounced high into the air, making a strangled yell that grew louder as he immediately started to plummet. But in a breath, air wrapped around him and he was gently deposited on his feet by Patton’s side.

He smiled shakily at his brother. “I guess you got the ginger and the flying genes, Pat.”

“You okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Thomas said. He looked over at the other students. The ten-year-old who’d gone first was going for a second turn, keeping their eyes open this time. “I think I’ll leave the flying attempts to the experts though. C.C. was right - they said they weren’t sure I’d like it.”

“Who’s-” Patton started, but one of the students walked over with impeccable timing.

“Hi! I’m CC! I’m in Thomas’ class.”

Patton grinned and shook their hand. “I’m Patton, Thomas’ brother.”

“And you’re also Gale Force,” CC said with a nod.

“Only when I’m in uniform! I wouldn’t want you all to think I’m full of hot air,” he replied with a wink.

They laughed brightly. “Ooh, can I add that to my list? I’m documenting super school, you see. The conversations here are so much fun to overhear!”

Patton agreed willingly, and asked about their favorites and classes, watching with pleasure as they drew Thomas into the conversation too. Not everyone was so comfortable with his brother, the shadow of his past still lurking in their minds.

CC smiled suddenly at the brothers, interrupting the conversation. “Did you know? You’re going to be happy.”

“Is that another prediction?” Thomas asked them. He slipped a hand into Patton’s, a tic of seeking reassurance that had been carrying them both through their school days.

CC shook their head, smiling softly. “It’s a guarantee.”

Only feet away, Virgil tugged Roman towards him, fidgeting with the papers in his other hand. “Hey, could you come over here for a second?” Roman looked nervously at Pat and Thomas, not wanting to leave them. Virgil smiled in understanding. “We won’t go far - I’ll help you keep an eye on them. I just want to be safely out of earshot.”

Roman followed him to the the other half of the roof, where the building rose up into the elevated classrooms. He was intrigued by whatever Virgil had to say, but still took the opportunity to slip a hand into his back pocket to squeeze his ass.

Virgil turned with a smile, bringing them chest to chest, and leaned down to steal a kiss. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Depends, is it working?” Roman asked with a wink. The past month had seen them all maintaining a laser-sharp focus on Thomas and his recovery, leaving only the occasional night and stolen moment for them to solidify the affections they’d finally expressed in so many words. Virgil, Logan, and Roman all cared far more about supporting Patton in his reunion and joint recovery with his brother than escalating their relationship - but there were still the occasional moments where they couldn’t, or didn’t want to, restrain themselves.

Virgil drew back smirking, one brow raised. “Up to you, Princey. We can get distracted in the closet right around the corner, or I can share the surprise with you.”

Roman exaggerated his pout, circling Virgil’s muscled waist with both arms. “How dare you pit my love of your kisses against my love of surprises. Can’t I have both?”

Virgil kissed Roman’s temple. “Here, read this first, and maybe there’ll be time for distraction after.”

He handed Roman the sheaf of paper he’d been twisting in his hands. Roman smoothed out the crinkles and glanced over it. He did a double take and looked over it again, reading closer, mouth falling open as he went.

“A new foster home?”

“Not just any foster home,” Virgil said, a smile slowly stretching across his face. “One that’ll allow supers to stay together with non-supers. One that’ll work with HEARTS without making kids leave their home to learn.”

“For them?” Roman asked, glancing back across the roof at Patton and Thomas.

Virgil nodded. “For them and everyone like them. And if a kid is staying there, there won’t be a cost to go to HEARTS. I’m working on Joan to allow the normal foster allowances to go towards school fees.”

Roman smoothed the paper again with hands that shook slightly. “For me,” he said quietly. It wasn’t a question, but Virgil nodded all the same, resting a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s waist.

Roman’s eyes filled slightly as he smiled up into Virgil’s dark ones. “Virge, this is wonderful . Where’s it going to be? Who’s gonna run it?”

Virgil rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling slightly. “My family’s house, actually. It was my moms’ idea. I already have to talk them out of adopting every single friend they meet - what if I just… didn’t talk them out of it? And I’m hoping that this means Thomas won’t ever have to be on call. His detail can just be protecting the kids, maybe keep Pat with him too-”

Any further words were cut off by Roman tugging his head down to silence him with enthusiastic kiss after kiss. “You wonderful, brilliant, beautiful man,” Roman said in between kisses. “You’re so considerate and sweet and smart!”

The packet of papers were discarded as Virgil responded with equal enthusiasm despite a spreading blush. Roman summoned a discreet wall around them, preempting any students stumbling by.

They could tell the others the news later, at a less interesting time.

~~~~~~

That evening found the brothers Sanders taking time away from the other students again. Mealtimes were fine, but the atmosphere after dinner, where teens and kids and young adults all mixed and played in the common areas still had twinges of uncomfortable familiarity.

So Thomas sat instead with his brother on the roof of the school in the setting sun, staring out at the reflection of the clouds on the harbor. The light bathed his face in blood-red tones as he listened to the crash of waves and call of gulls.

“Patton, I’ve been meaning to ask,” he started, then paused with a nervous laugh. “I don’t know that I really want to know, but I have to find out sometime. How do I know when it became real?”

“What do you mean, kiddo?”

“I spent so long hallucinating in what I think was the facility. But I saw myself escaping almost every day. When did I do it for real? When did I start infecting everyone else with my visions?”

Patton turned to look at his brother. The boy looked scared, but his face was set, even as he refused to make eye contact.

“It was a bit over a month ago that the first attack came,” Patton supplied.

“What happened in that one, Pat?” Thomas asked. His voice was strained and distant.

“Are you sure you want to know, Tommy? You didn’t know what you were doing, you can’t blame yourself-”

“Yes I can, Patton!” Thomas interrupted. “I have to! I didn’t know it was real, but I still chose to attack innocent people, even if I thought they were just illusions. I could have stayed nonviolent, I could have just tried to hide from it all, but I just… it hurt, so much, every time I watched the home collapse around me, every time I had to feel the fire and bricks blasting through us, and I lashed out. I need to know what I did. How else will I ever make up for it?”

Tears leaked out of Patton’s eyes. “You’re… Thomathy, I know you will make up for all of it. We both will. I lashed out, too. We’ll work hard, and we’ll become the heroes we needed when we were younger. We’ll help.”

Thomas grabbed Patton’s hand, squeezing too tightly. “I still need to know, Pat. What did I do that was real? What happened that first time?”

Patton sucked in a shaky breath. “How many of our friends do you remember, from before? From when we were kids?”

Thomas closed his eyes. “I remember… I remember Leo. And Derri and Dahlia. And… Ms. and Miss Parson.” He opened his eyes, looking anxiously at Patton. “Am I right? Were they real?”

“They were real,” Patton confirmed. “They were our Hundred-Acre Wood friends and our moms, or the closest we got.” He steeled himself, breathing in deep. “Do… do you remember Damien?”

Thomas frowned, responding slowly. “Yes, I think I do. He was older than me? He left, early. There was… something happened. An accident?” He looked for confirmation.

“Sort of. The experiments weren’t an accident, but the fire in the lab was. Dam’ got adopted and then the man who’d taken him turned out to be not very nice.”

Thomas stiffened at the mention of ‘lab’, but he squeezed Patton’s hand tight and forced himself to relax. “I… yes, I remember. Did he…?”

“He survived, but we didn’t know it. I only learned he was alive recently… the day of your first real attack. He was transformed, given powers, so he got sent here instead of back home.” Patton gestured to the brick school underneath them. “Tommy… do you remember who was with Damien when he left?”

Thomas spoke sadly, eyes fixed on the horizon, staring off into distant haze of remembrance. “Val. Valerie. Kanga. She… we lost her too.”

Patton swallowed. “She… was in the same place as Damien.”

“And the same thing happened to her?” Thomas turned to look at Patton, his eyes searching for confirmation. At Patton’s nod, he looked off, eyes flitting as he poured through his twisted, unclear memories. “I dreamed about her a lot. I saw her so many times. She kept coming back, sometimes the same age I remember her, sometimes older. One time she brought me Teddy. But usually she just hated me. She blamed me for letting her go and letting her get hurt and... I could never help, never enough.”

Patton squeezed his brother’s hand. “What was the last time you saw her?”

Thomas frowned. “I… the day I hurt Roman. She was there, angry with me, telling me that Roman was the reason she was so hurt. She had burn scars from his light powers, and dark bruises all over.” He looked up. “What that real?”

“No, it wasn’t, kiddo. Roman never met her,” Patton said. Tears were coursing down his face, and his voice was thick. “The last real time was three days before that. She… she was given powers too, like Damien, but they were painful. She had feathers growing out of her skin, purple and black ones…”

Thomas scrambled to stand, backing away from his brother. “No. No, you’re lying! That time wasn’t real, it couldn’t have been!”

Patton stood too, grabbing Thomas’ hand before he walked off the roof by accident. Tears continued to fall down his face. “I’m sorry, Tommy. It’s real.”

“But that means that I-” Thomas choked out, and then the sobs took over as he crumpled to the ground. His entire body shivered and convulsed as the reality of his actions took hold.

Patton knelt with him, trying to hold as much of him as possible, crying into his shirt. “You didn’t know,” he whispered. “You didn’t mean it.”

“But I did it anyway!” Thomas wailed. “What have I done, Pat? What kind of monster am I?”

“The one you were made into,” his brother said, voice hardening despite his grief. “The one the world created, leaving you behind. Like they left me behind.”

“The world didn’t create me, Pat,” Thomas responded. “People did, and I did.”

Now Patton looked at him in confusion. “The heroes? They created me too. They’re part of the world.”

“No, Pat. The people in that facility. The lab. Whatever it was.”

Patton hesitated. “I don’t want to make you talk about it, but… what do you remember of that place? Do you remember faces?”

Thomas wiped his eyes. “No. Maybe I did once, but I- no, I don’t want to remember. It’s too much. Too much pain and fire and…” He curled in on himself again. “Please don’t ask me to remember them, ” he asked in a tiny voice.

Patton wrapped his arms around as much of him as he could, holding him close. “I won’t. I’m sorry, Tommy. It’s okay now. You’re here. You’re safe.”

Thomas reached up a hand to bunch in Patton’s shirt, gripping tightly. “Is this real?” he whispered.

“Real, Thomas. It’s real.”

~~~~~~

Things weren’t always great. Logan had learned to be okay with that. Thomas had nightmares, waking in cold sweat and anger, lashing out at anyone who got close. But slowly, he was recognizing them all faster, seeing them as safe. Recovery would be a long road, but they were all on their way. Virgil had started therapy, partly at Logan’s urging and partly as encouragement for Roman and the Sanders to go too. Logan came sometimes for group sessions, more a supporter than a patient. Roman and Patton had nightmares too, but they always woke to the tangle of limbs in the enormous bed that now dominated most of Virgil’s apartment bedroom. They had a good arrangement, even if Logan was finding that he became far too easily flustered by Roman and Patton’s much more overt forms of affection. It was new and intriguing, but the frequency with which he blushed now was, frankly, embarrassing.

He had time to discover all the new shades of red he was able to turn because the level of super activity had also dropped sharply. Virgil and Logan hadn’t been called since that last attack, and they’d been reveling in their newly-free time by exploring the city as civilians, bringing their boyfriends and Thomas out to the Skylar home in surburbia, and taking them on leisurely flights above the cloud cover. When Logan received a call one morning to go see the mayor at City Hall, he was more intrigued than alert.

“Virge, wanna come?”

“Hm, I didn’t get the call, you think I could?”

“Why not? It’s just Joan.”

“You’re right. C’mon, starlight. Want a lift?”

They walked into the office together, stopping short as they realized the alert hadn’t been quite the casual call they’d assumed. The windows were blocked out with heavy shades. The table was covered in printout and status reports that threatened to drown a very frazzled-looking Talyn in paper.

“Joan, Talyn, what’s going on? You needed to speak with me?” Logan asked. “I brought Virgil, I hope that’s okay…”

Joan paced backed and forth, their normal worry lines looker much deeper than normal. They paused one or twice, about to speak, but glanced at Virgil and Logan, then around the room, and away as they resumed pacing. Finally, they sighed and asked, “Can we go to the roof?”

The roof of City Hall was the same graceful style as the rest of the Neo-Renaissance building, with swooping arches and balustrading that made it stand apart from the marble of the other government buildings. The roof had a cupola that had clearly been designed to make it even more distinctive. Now, it functioned as an entrance for flying supers into the building, one that Virgil preferred if he was arriving without Logan. But that wasn’t its only purpose.

“I’m going to turn on the dampers,” Joan told them bluntly as they filed into the small space from the stairwell.

Logan stiffened in shock, glaring at the mayor.

Virgil reached out a gentle hand to rest on his boyfriend’s back. “I trust it’s for a good reason?” he asked Joan drily.

The mayor nodded. “It’s not about you two. It’s to keep other powers out. I really, really don’t want anyone to overhear.”

Logan sighed, his shoulders falling from their tense position. “I know you wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. Go ahead.”

Talyn quickly tapped in a PIN on one of the columns, then a now-glowing button. Walls of light blinked into being around them and sealed over the entrance to the rest of the building. Virgil flexed and stretched his free arm. Knowing that his strength and durability were being neutralized wasn’t a comfortable feeling, even if he understood that it was sometimes necessary. He kept the other hand solidly on Logan’s lower back, feeling the man tremble slightly and offering comfort.

“What’s so important that needs all this secrecy, Mayor Stokes,” Logan asked, voice clipped.

Talyn came over with their tablet in both hands. “It’s the database. DREAM’s been compromised.” There was a slight tremor in their hands as they showed Logan the screenshots from the most recently-updated records. “I created this tool, and Joan is the highest-ranking official in the city, and neither of us can read these edits. All we know is that according to the system, you were the one making them.”

Logan took the tablet, staring hard. Finally he looked up. “I didn’t make these changes.” Three pairs of eyes looked back in concern. “But,” he continued, looking at the screen in confusion, “I think I know who did.”

“And who would it be?”

“Drs. Atticus and Portia Lancaster,” Logan said. “My parents. I- it looks like it might be related to their work on the origin of powers. They’ve been hinting at some more exciting experiments.”

“Hold up,” Joan interjected. “Why didn’t I know about this?”

“It was all under the umbrella of EANSC 2.0, and my understanding was they weren’t sure there was anything to find, let alone brief you on. If you didn’t read the full reports, you might not have noticed,” Logan said, removing his glasses to rub his temples. His fingers shook, but his voice remained steady, if a bit detached. “I don’t know the full details myself. If I’d known you hadn’t been informed, I would have procured a summary for you.”

“Lo, we need to get these dampers off and go talk to them,” Virgil said. “If they can tell us more about how to help Thomas, we need to know sooner rather than later.”

Logan replaced his glasses. “Yes. Yes, of course. I- Yes. We shall do that. Yes.”

Virgil paused in his pacing and came over, cupping Logan’s chin in his hand. “Lo? Are you alright?”

Logan looked up at him and attempted a smile. “I… I am trepidatious. I am unclear as to why they would have neglected to inform me, if they made a breakthrough like this seems to imply.” His voice sounded oddly formal and strained. “Let us go discuss with them at once. And, Virgil, if you would - permit me to take the lead, as it were. I am quite confident there will be a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this. We need only ask without accusation, and it should be all revealed to us.”

“Logan-” Joan started, but Logan just shook his head. Talyn typed in their PIN again to deactivate the dampers.

“You’ll at least let us know what they say?” Joan asked as Logan and Virgil stepped to the edge of the cupola.

Logan took a deep breath and looked back. “You’ll be the first.” He stepped off the edge, becoming a blur as he did so.

Virgil nodded to both Joan and Talyn before leaping out to follow his partner.

~~~~~~

“Logan! Virgil! What a lovely surprise!”

The Drs. Lancaster were both in their lab at the university, and Portia greeted them both with a smile and a little wave. Her red hair was pulled back into a bun, but wavy strands had popped free, held back only by the headband tied into a bow. Virgil had asked, once, how no one ever recognized the former public face of Harmony City’s Heroes, even if she had changed her last name. The doctor had winked, tapping her frames, and said, “It’s all in the glasses.”

Her husband was able to pause his work too and came over smiling. Virgil had always liked the Docs - they’d welcomed him into their home as his ‘City Family,’ once it became clear he couldn’t commute out to his mums in the suburbs as much as he would have liked.

He really, really hoped that Logan was correct.

“What brings you ‘round, big guy? It’s been months!” Atticus asked, going for a hug. Virgil didn’t so much hug back as he patted the man’s shoulders awkwardly, glancing meaningfully at Logan.

The young man cleared his throat. “Mom, Dad, I have a question for you.”

Atticus’ eyes lit up, looking at Virgil and back to his son. “Are you asking us for our blessing, finally?”

Logan did a slight double-take. “Beg pardon?”

Portia chuckled, slinking an arm around Atticus’ waist. “Your father here has been hoping you’re going to make an honest man out of Virgil soon.”

Virgil blushed deep crimson at that. “I- uh. Our boyfriends might object if we got married without them?”

Logan elbowed him. “Virge, I hadn’t told them that yet-”

“Shit-”

“Boyfriends? Multiple? Are you starting a collection?” Atticus asked, blinking. “Is it like a butterfly collection, are you collecting taxonomic details?”

Logan cleared his throat. “No, Dad. I- Virgil and I have started mutually dating Roman and Patton. All four of us as equal romantic partners.”

A slight crease formed in Portia’s forehead. “Roman and Patton? Have we met them?”

“Not as such, no,” Logan said, not meeting either parents’ eyes as he fiddled with his glasses.

Atticus and Portia stared in a mixture of confusion and concern. Logan shot Virgil a pleading look, linking their fingers together.

Virgil flinched. This conversation was far more personal than he’d been prepared for, but he’d gotten them into this mess in the first place. “You may know them by their super names - Crimson Marauder and Gale Force.”

Logan squeezed Virgil’s fingers so tightly that he would have bruised, if he ever bruised.

Portia pursed her lips, the wrinkle in her brow becoming more pronounced. “Weren’t you fighting them, dear?”

“Yes, Mother, I was,” Logan started. “But things, ah, changed. And they’re reformed now.”

Virgil wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Atticus’ face in something that had to try so hard to taken as a smile. “But they’re villains, Lo?”

“They were villains,” Virgil clarified. “They both went through-- god, they went through some rough shit, and the anger from their experiences made them more villainous for a while there. But they really are wonderful men, and they’re nonviolent now.”

“Well. I suppose such a thing is possible, hypothetically,” Portia replied. She tapped her lips with a long, elegant finger. “If trauma was so involved in their moral failings, what on earth could have shaken them enough that they’re now attempting to erase them?”

If Virgil had been a cat, he would have hissed. Instead, his shoulders and back stiffened even as a chill ran down his spine. He exhaled slowly, making sure he didn’t accidentally squeeze Logan’s hand back. Feeling like this, he might hurt him inadvertently.

“Actually, Mother, Father, the answer to that question is the very question we have come to ask,” Logan said. He stood ramrod straight, meeting his mother’s eyes levelly despite the difference in their heights.

“What’s with the fancy-talk, Lolo?” Atticus asked, chuckling uncomfortably. “We’re all family here.”

“Speaking of family,” Logan continued, “Patton and Roman found their perspective on what makes a hero or villain dramatically changed by the events of the last several months. This was largely to the reappearance of Patton’s brother, Thomas Sanders.”

Virgil had never quite determined if his acute awareness of others’ body movements was part of his powers, or if it was just the natural power of anxiety. But it was enough for him to notice that both the Drs. Lancaster blinked in a way that looked a lot like recognition.

“That may be another name you have not heard, I am aware,” Logan continued. “But I am quite confident you know who he is. His alias was Agent Whisper.”

Portia gasped. “Goodness, how upsetting for your friend that his brother was such a terror upon our city! No wonder he was so upset. Such a reveal, and losing even an evil sibling would be terrible, I’m sure.”

“Dr. Lancaster,” Virgil cut in, “Patton didn’t lose his brother again. Thomas is also in reform. I thought you knew.”

“How would I know, dear?”

“Because you’ve been in the DREAM Index,” Logan replied, taking back the thread.

Atticus smiled, round cheeks crinkling. “Lo, you know she doesn’t have access to that anymore! They can’t let just anyone see all the supers’ data!”

“But you two do. You asked for my information, when I handed off my dissertation. To cross-reference, you said.”

Portia pursed her lips. “We did, didn’t we. It must have slipped my mind.”

Logan frowned. “Mother. Please. One of you has been making edits under my name. I’d like to know why, and what it has to do with Thomas.”

“That was me,” Atticus said. “I was preserving the integrity of our research. You know how important that is.”

“Which research was being implicated?” Portia asked conversationally, as if her only son wasn’t still staring her down.

“Project Charcoal.”

“Ah, a good call, my love. That’s far too sensitive to be revealed.”

“Even to the mayor?” Virgil asked innocently. “Because not even they could see past the redaction.”

Atticus walked over to the lab bench. “Lo, come sit. No need to be so suspicious - you know we’ll tell you everything.”

Logan looked to Virgil automatically, who shrugged in response. Are we ready to do this? Do we have a choice? They squeezed their interlocked hands and sat across the bench from the doctors.

“So. My dissertation became Project Charcoal,” Logan stated.

“Yes, that’s what it came to be called,” Portia said. “EANSC 2.0 was too much of a mouthful, and lost accuracy.”

“And you didn’t tell me this sooner because…?”

“You never asked, kiddo,” Atticus said with a smile. “We were telling you about our experiments - the refining of the dampener field, the RNA sequencing, that’s all under the project!”

Logan frowned. “And yet, there is clearly more that you neglected to mention.”

“Well, yes, but we didn’t want to distract you. Your hero work was more important,” Portia explained. “We were continuing our research on side-effects of EAs on civilians and it ended up being merged together, that was really the only big change we didn’t tell you about.”

“...the side-effect research?” Virgil asked quietly.

“It started after the Mystic Magician,” Logan explained. “He managed to succeed, in a terrible way. The Viper is proof of that, and the Condor was too. But it rocked the conventional understanding of enhanced abilities. My parents and the larger genetic research community started looking into whether or not civilians were affected by being exposed to active abilities.”

Atticus nodded. “We wanted to minimize collateral damage beyond what could be seen. Were bystanders being slowly mutated? Was the density of supers here self-fulfilling? So we looked at both demographic data and autopsies of casualties from super fights. We started seeing the beginnings of patterns, but nothing definite. And then we hit a wall completely when Logan was about nine years old.”

“And then, in a fluke, we discovered the EANSC - the Neutralization & Stasis Chamber. And the dampening field,” Portia said, eyes alight. “An electromagnetic field that affected the use of powers. For the first time ever, there was the idea that abilities could actually be affected externally. We had a whole new way to conceptualize the side-effects and to focus our research. And only two years after we perfected EANSC enough to implement, Logan joined us in studying just how the emotional effects of the dampers were connected to the use of abilities.” She smiled fondly at her son. “If we hadn’t been inspired before, getting to work with you was what really did it.”

Logan smiled back, relaxing. “Thanks, Mom.”

Virgil was frowning, though. “But what were you looking for?”

Logan grinned at his boyfriend, squeezing his hand. “We’re scientists, Virge, isn’t it obvious?”

Virgil raised an eyebrow.

Logan opened his mouth to speak at the same time as his mother did the same.

“A greater understanding of the world!!”

“A way to stop supervillains forever.”

Logan whipped around, jaw going slack. “What?”

Atticus nodded. “Loberry, don’t be naive. We don’t get these kinds of resources just for being lecturers at the university. We don’t get highest clearance in the city for teaching undergrads how to run a simple gel electrophoresis. We’re on a direct research mandate from the State. Why do you think your mother thought this work was more important than remaining an active-duty hero?”

The blood was slowly draining out of Logan’s face. “I- she was taking time off for us, for me and Bea and Jem, right?” He looked at Portia, who smiled.

“Of course, dear, that too. But I’d been fighting for almost 20 years. I was practically a senior citizen in hero years. And I was so tired of fighting villains, over and over, knowing there would always be more. So when we were asked if we’d like to work towards ending the fight once and for all, I couldn’t very well say no!”

Virgil looked sick. “You- and what, you’d unmake villains? Like the Magician tried to make them?”

Atticus laughed. “Of course not! The Magician was so ham-handed, it was sloppily done and clearly had painful results. We wanted a painless way to remove the risk. Like declawing a cat.”

“Declawing a cat isn’t painless, it’s mutilation,” Virgil snapped. “It leaves them entirely unable to fend for themselves. Was that the plan? Non-heroes left defenseless?”

“In captivity, preferably, until we were sure they could re-enter society,” Portia said with a shrug. “It’s more humane that the life sentence they get now, except for those who break out.”

Logan had released Virgil’s hands, instead gripping the table until his knuckles had turned white. “You never told me,” he said to himself quietly. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked up. “You know more about Agent Whisper than you’ve admitted, too. Tell me. Now.”

Atticus made eye contact with Portia, who inclined her head.

“We examined bystander casualties directly after some incidents and were able to find electromagnetic signatures in the brains that resembled damper fields, but different in a very key way. They were equal and opposite. If the fields correspond to suppressed emotions, then these brains had their emotions intensified, instead.”

Virgil shivered at the thought, reaching for Logan once more under the bench. Without looking, Logan moved a hand to link their fingers once more. He kept his gaze fixed on his parents.

“If there was a heightened effect happening as collateral in bystanders, we thought, there was a chance we could recreate it deliberately,” Portia continued. “And if it persisted enough to show up in autopsy, that modulation in both directions could potentially be made permanent. We could replicate dampers without the tech! But we needed to look at side effects first. We had to wait for more casualties with exposure to extreme ability usage.”

Virgil felt a headache starting to drum in his temples, the ache of anger and tears that he refused to let fall as the pieces connected before him. “And you got the fucking golden opportunity, didn’t you. At the foster home. All of Pat’s rage and grief just created the goddamn ideal specimen.”

Atticus blinked at the venom in Virgil’s voice, but responded calmly,. “It was a tragedy. Heartbreaking, of course. But tragedy breeds emotion, and emotion is the lifeblood of your abilities.”

“We were only trying to use the fields to affect the brainwaves that hadn’t yet petered out,” Portia said, as if that excused it. “We shocked when we picked up a renewed heartbeat. But the brainwaves hadn’t changed. It was still brain-dead by any measure.”

“He.” Virgil’s voice was iron and blood as he spat out the correction.

Logan was paler than Virgil had ever seen him, even when he’d needed treatment for blood loss back in the earliest months of their heroing. “And you kept going? What happened to only experimenting on organ and science donors?”

Atticus smiled in confusion. “Lo, that was never the case. We didn’t perfect the EANSC with cadavers, we had villains to test with.”

“I’m sure they agreed to be lab rats, too,” Virgil accused.

Portia just shrugged. “Anyway, we kept the body in cryo except when running more tests. It still appeared to be brain-dead, right up until the day it- sorry, he,” she corrected exaggeratedly, ” He escaped. And started killing people.”

Logan looked ready to yell, his face yet, but he stopped and took a deep breath. “Are you familiar with his powers? Have you heard about what his memory of that time period is?”

“I’ve read the Index entry,” Portia replied blandly.

“He relived his entire life hundreds of times, and the accident at the foster homes thousands more,” Virgil said quietly, dangerously. “He saw everyone he loved die, then alive and loving him, then dying again. And when the memories were done replaying, new ones started being created. All emotionally charged, extremes of elation and sorrow and fury.”

Atticus looked at Virgil, eyes glinting with interest. “So you’re saying the prolonged exposure to the modified dampers actually created this power? Fascinating!”

“What the fuck, Dad?” Logan spat out. “This isn’t some mere curiosity! This is someone’s life. You destroyed the psyched of a real, living, breathing kid and all you care about is what it means for your fucking research grant?”

“Logan, there’s no need for such language,” Portia chided. Virgil shot a glare in her direction. She looked back, eyebrow arched. “It’s just research.”

“Research that you’re going to stop, correct?” Logan asked.

“When we’ve just gotten confirmation of the biggest breakthrough to date?” she asked incredulously. "We’ll take more precautions going forward, of course, but by no means will we stop. That would be illogical.”

Blood pounded in Virgil’s ears. “I’m sorry, what? You’re going to keep going? Hell fucking no.”

Portia narrowed her eyes. “Virgil, be serious here. This is too important to let a tantrum get in the way.”

“Oh, you want a tantrum?” Virgil rumbled. He stood, bracing himself in a fighting stance. “Let me show you what a tantrum looks like.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not going to fight you,” Portia scoffed, though she stood too. She looked over at her son. “Either of you.”

“So you agree to end the program then? Because it’s one or the other,” Virgil snapped. He tapped his watch decisively. “The mayor is hearing about this. Now or never, Professor Polarity . End this madness, or get ready to see your precious EANSCs up close and personal for the foreseeable future.”

Portia’s metal hair tie popped out of her bun, letting her hair fall free as the tie flew into the air beside her. She lifted her hand, and a metal apparatus flew from the back bench to her grip. “Don’t be stupid, Virgil. I’m immune to it. It’s an electro magnetic field. You, however, aren’t so lucky.” She flicked a switch on the machine, bringing it to life. The familiar glow of dampers show out the front.

“I’m sorry, Lo!” Virgil shouted, and dove at Atticus, easily manhandling him and trapping him, one arm around his neck. “Don’t try it, Portia. I don’t need powers to be able to cut off his air. You turn that on me, you won’t like what happens.”

“You see, Logan?” Portia said, not turning as she scowled at Virgil. “You see what happens? Virgil’s spent so much time with those villains that he’s resorting to their tactics. It’s a contagion. This is why they can’t be forgiven. What reformation can there be, when their lack of morals spreads so?”

Logan was frozen, eyes flicking between his boyfriend, who had his father caught in an uncomfortable chokehold, and his mother, who was pointing a weapon at his boyfriend.

“You don’t exactly have the moral high ground here,” Virgil growled at the former hero. “Unless torturing a child is considered a virtue now.”

“Use it, Porsh!” Atticus rasped around Virgil’s arm. His fingers scrabbled to get a grip, but Virgil’s muscles were unmovable. “He’s bluffing!”

“Am I?” Virgil asked. “You said it yourself, I’m clearly infected by the influence of my other boyfriends. Who knows what I’m capable of, now? I know you love your experiments, but you just might want to not put this particular hypothesis to the test.”

Portia sneered, her face managing to look lovely even when twisted in scorn. “Atticus, dear. I love you very much. I apologize in advance if the max setting hurt you, too.” She aimed the damper squarely at Virgil and hit the switch.

Except she didn’t. And her arms were tied behind her back with pure rope, nothing metal. And the damper was secured in a plastic bin at the corner of the lab. And Logan was standing between his mother and his boyfriend, chest heaving.

“Mom,” he said, voice breaking. “How- how could you? Why?”

“I’m a hero, Logan,” she replied, as steadily as someone who'd just been bound by a family member could be. “I serve the greater good. I thought I’d taught you that, but clearly I failed.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, my love,” Atticus interjected. Virgil had released his neck, though he kept his arms twisted up behind his back. “We both tried. It turns out he wasn’t as much a Lancaster as we’d hoped.”

“Shut up,” Virgil snapped. “I’m tired of your bile, both of you.” He turned to the window, seeing the reflection of flashing lights.

Logan had his back to them all. Virgil saw the quiver in his shoulders and knew he was crying and trying to hide it. He quickly grabbed a stray zip tie and secured Atticus by the wrists to the lab bench. Then he crossed to Logan and wrapped his arms around him.

He didn’t speak. He just let Logan turn and cling to him, face buried in his chest.

Let it out, love. I’ll keep the world at bay.

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

D.R.E.A.M. Index #265345 Classification: A.2.i [Secondary Tier Hero, Legacy] /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Do we update this? - Talyn /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Let’s archive this one. Save the legacy. We can record the truth in clearance for now. We can at least save Logan some heartache. - Joan Name: Professor Polarity Status: INACTIVE /////////Reason: Retired /////////[CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Reason: Jailed pending trial Civilian Name: [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] Portia Lancaster née Portia Price Affiliation: Hero ///////// H.A.T.C.H. Status: Blackout Only ///////// [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] H.A.T.C.H. Status: Inactive Partners/Sidekicks: DI#A-2305 - Forces of Nature Primary Foes: DI#265333 - The Mystic Magician; Powers: Magnetokinesis Costume: Jumpsuit patterned in red-and-blue rectangles; blue cape with Ampère model of a magnetic field; gold belt with a buckle in the shape of a horseshoe magnet Age: 54 Height: 5’6” Pronouns: She/Her H.E.A.R.T.S. Class of ‘82 Note: Mother of DI#337255 - Dr. Vectorious; Co-inventor of the Enhanced Ability Neutralization and Stasis Chamber (EANSC) now in use at City of Harmony Enhanced Ability Containment Center (CHEACC). [Hall of Fame notes archived]. ///////// [CLEARANCE: TOP SECRET] As architect of the covert Project Charcoal, she attempted to discover a ‘cure’ that would strip supers of their abilities. Involved in reviving and creating DI#337501, see IR19-Z-0001

~~~~~~~~

a/n: It’s been over a year since I started this story, which is insane. So much has happened since I woke up with an idea of “what if royality were villains.” Thank you so much for reading and leaving kudos and commenting and particularly for theorizing. I’ve been in love with this idea, and knowing that anyone liked it too gave me incentive to finish it.

He sat up and grabbed his glasses from where he’d left them on the side table. Even in this terrible, sterilized light, Roman was still the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.

Or, one of them, at least.

Patton sat carefully on the edge of the hospital bed and laced his fingers through his unconscious boyfriend’s. He wasn’t sure when the heroes would be back today. Or even if they would be back at all. Did it matter, though? Patton had no intention of being anywhere other than Roman’s side.

He was still groggy and half-dozing when his ears picked up a slight change. The machines’ sounds were altering, just the slightest bit, the beeps coming just a tad faster. He looked up in time to see Roman’s eyelashes flutter gently.

Patton didn’t make a noise, frozen as he watched - what if speaking aloud or moving suddenly somehow broke the spell? He tentatively squeezed Roman’s hand in his, holding his breath. It seemed like an age had passed, but a slow, weak pressure squeezed his hand back.

“Sunshine?” he asked softly, throat thick with hope.

Another eyelid flutter, and then those wonderful hazel eyes opened just a crack. “Dearheart?” Roman croaked, his voice rough with disuse.

Patton clasped Roman’s hand in both of his, resting his forehead against their joined hands as tears rolled down his cheeks. “Ro, you’re awake!”

“Did I oversleep?” he asked, then stopped as he took in his surroundings. His muscles tensed as his eyes widened. “Where are we? What happened? Why are you crying? Pat, what’s going on?”

Tears continued to fall as Patton struggled to speak. “You’re safe, Roro. We’re in a hospital. You were in a coma, love. The heroes helped find you and get you here.”

Roman relaxed, slightly. “That… I thought was looking for you, sweet one. I knew you were close but I couldn’t see you.”

Patton freed one hand to wipe his streaming eyes. “Could you hear me, love? I didn’t leave your side. I was here.”

Roman smiled. “I knew you were, puffball, somehow.”

“Do you remember what happened to you? You were hurt, but you left us a hint...” Patton said slowly, not wanting to shock him with memory.

Roman frowned, forehead crinkling with effort. “I… no, I don’t recall anymore. I remember being really, really tired, then surrounded by dark, then bright white, and then… you.”

Patton reached out to hold Roman’s cheek, relieved to see color slowly seeping back into his dark tan skin. “How are you feeling now? Are you in pain?”

“I don’t know that I can sit up alone,” Roman admitted. “Everything feels so heavy, like there are weights covering me.”

“Holy FUCK!” a voice suddenly rang out. Patton turned to see the heroes standing in the doorway. Virgil was wearing yesterday’s clothes still, but Logan was in a fresh polo. Virgil was frozen, clinging to the door frame, unable to react more than his exclamation.

Logan was less impaired. He immediately hit the call button for the doctors, and strode quickly over to the bed. “Welcome back,” he said softly, smiling down at the bed-bound villain.

Patton impulsively reached out and grabbed the shorter man’s hand and squeezed. “He’s awake,” he said, grinning hugely. Everything seemed brighter, a rosy glow spreading across a world where Roman was conscious and alive and here.

Virgil was moving slowly towards the bed in stiff, stilted movements. He almost tripped from distraction, his eyes locked on Roman and ignoring all the obstacles in the way.

“Hey there, Princey,” he said softly.

Roman smiled, tilting back to make eye contact with the tall hero. “Hey there, ‘Flex. Miss me?”

“Not in the least. I reveled in the peace and quiet,” Virgil replied, grinning. He reached out slowly, carefully, to brush a stray piece of wavy hair out of Roman’s face. His hand lingered, holding the side of Roman’s face as the two men smiled at each other for all they were worth.

Patton looked at the pair, then down at himself, where he realized he was still holding Logan’s hand. He blinked, confused but still smiling, and reached out for Roman once more.

Just then, two alarms started to blare, one from each of the heroes’ wrists.

“Fuck, no, not now!” Virgil cried. “Joan and Talyn know we can’t-”

“If they sent it to us anyone, it must be for a very good reason,” Logan said grimly.

Roman struggled his way into sitting up. “Patton darling, you think you can give me some air support on our way? I’ll make myself a chair to float in-”

Three pairs of hands pushed him back down. “Don’t you dare,” Patton said, eyes flashing. “I did not spend three days straight worrying over you for you to hurt yourself again at the first possible opportunity.”

Logan nodded emphatically. “You need to rest and recover. It would be beyond foolish to attempt the sort of exertion we’re about to undertake now.”

Virgil said nothing to Roman, already on his phone. “Hey, Joan? Yeah, we’ll be on our way. But we need you or Tal’ to come make sure Roman doesn’t ruin his brand-new recovery. Yeah, he’s awake. Both of you? ...probably a good call. Thanks, bud, we owe you.”

He put his phone down and made pointed eye contact with Roman. “If you’re anywhere but sitting in this bed when they get here, I will personally come back from this HATCH call and beat your ass, got it? This is not the time for some fucking heroics.”

Roman sighed. “Okay. I’m trusting you guys to do the heroics for me, then. Pat?”

Patton immediately sat down on the edge of the bed. “Yes, sunlight?”

“Be safe.”

“For you, I will,” the villain responded, kissing his boyfriend’s forehead softly.

The heroes and Patton all changed in a flash, donning costumes and preparing to go.

“One more thing!” Roman called as they opened the window.

They turned to see Roman give them a hard stare. “If it’s who I think it is - make the bastard pay.”

Patton and Virgil responded with matching smiles, mirthless and threatening as wolves baring their fangs. Logan gave a last salute as the smaller team took off from the window, streaking towards the latest attack site.

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

“It’s quite rude, really,” Logan muttered as they arrived at the center of the city. The familiar amorphous cloud surrounded the founders’ statue and spread, encapsulating the grand courthouse located there too. “They’ve never cared about symbolism before, but now they go for the city landmarks?”

Virgil shrugged. “We can build new ones once we’ve taken this piece of shit out of the equation. You ready, Pat?”

Patton’s eyes were narrowed as he removed his glasses for safekeeping. “Let’s go.”

About to fly, Virgil grabbed Logan’s arm. “Hey - I’ll be there for you, L. Remember our signal?”

“I do. I love you, Virge.”

“Love you too.”

The small team sped into the fog into another confrontation with Agent Whisper. This time, Logan knew to expect the visions and was prepared for them. He held his knowledge of reality close as he zoomed into the fog, trying to find the villain. He was running too fast - no, this was his normal speed. He started to run in circles, creating a wind funnel to push the cloud away. He couldn’t see Patton doing the same - had the wind-manipulator abandoned them? Had he run too far and missed them? No, no, he was in the right place. Logan could feel dueling breezes - that was Patton, he just couldn’t see him.

Right?

It had to be.

Was it?

“V? Uh, frappe?”

Less than a full second passed before he felt a comforting pressure squeezing his shoulder. He took a deep breath and the illusions flickered, letting Virgil’s smiling face show through.

“We’re both here, L. I got you.”

Lips brushed Logan’s cheek in a quick kiss, and then both heroes dove back into their efforts to make the Agent Whisper reveal himself.

Virgil continued to push through the visions, trying to fly towards the epicenter of the foggy mass. He only saw flashes of the humanoid figure somewhere ahead of them, just bits and pieces through breaks in the fog. Moving forward took so much effort, ignoring all the images his brain conjured for him. He was so tired.  

He drifted lower, struggling to stay aloft, but fell to the ground. Growling in frustration, he risked a glance back. Patton and Logan were both on their knees, looking equally frustrated and exhausted all at once.

“Really? More manipulation? Come fight us like a real person, stop hiding behind your tricks!” Virgil tried to shout, but his threats lacked vigor. His words came out gasping as he struggled to stay on his feet. “I can do this all day, fucker!”

But he couldn’t, and he knew it. Worse, he knew the villain knew it, too. He braced himself into a fighting stance, trying to be ready for the attack he knew must be coming. He heard a terrible chuckle from the mist as his knees buckled and the last of his energy was sapped away.

“Oh hell no,” a new voice rang out. “You’re not getting away with this again!”

Virgil blearily looked up in time to see an enormous glowing red hammer come flying through the fog. It crashed to the ground with a thud and a cry. Suddenly, he could stand once more, and he immediately leapt into the air and flew towards the impact zone. There was Roman - still pale and sweating, looking ready to collapse, but floating determinedly aloft, held up by his powers.

“You absolute fucking dumbass,” Virgil growled, scooping him up in his arms and kissing him directly on the mouth. It was too forceful, too desperate, but neither hero nor villain could be bothered to care at that moment.

“Reflex, I swear to god, if you lose the advantage for us just to be gay-!” Logan shouted from behind them. Virgil grinned, shifted so that he held Roman with one arm, and sped down to where the red hammer was glowing even brighter than before. With his free hand, Virgil punched the hammer down into the ground, maximizing his own impact and channeling his strength through the weapon.

A roar rang out at the impact as Virgil leapt free again, flying back to Logan and Patton with Roman secure in his arms. The clouds around them grew dense and dark, completely blocking out the sun until Virgil was unable to see even the hand in front of his face. He held Roman tightly as he landed near where he thought the others were, scared to keep flying blind.

A voice dripped out of the dark, burning with venomous hate. “You fuckers think you’re winning? You really think you’re doing something good, don’t you. Taking me down for the ‘good of the city’? Newsflash, you muscle-bound bastards. The good of the city is not the good of the people in it. It just takes and takes, and gives nothing back.”

“Oh, and you’re so much better, killing innocent civilians and supers alike? Don’t act like you have the high ground here,” Virgil growled as he groped through the fog for his other companions. Once he could find them, he could protect them.

“No, you idiot,” the voice snapped back. It suddenly sounded more human, possibly male. “I don’t pretend I’m a hero. I don’t have some self-important cause. It’s why I’m the only goddamn honest super in this miserable fucking city.”

Another voice came up - Logan’s, crisp and accusing. “At least we do the best we can. We don’t ignore wrongdoing, or purposely cause harm, not while there’s something we can do to stop it. We protect the citizens as much as we can, and we protect our loved ones-”

“Don’t fucking talk to me about love,” the voice screeched. It was entirely inhuman now, distorted and echoing, with tones as high and grating as scratched slate and as low and rumbling as a tiger ready to pounce. "You entitled assholes. You think they care about you? They only care about what you can do for them. They will let you die in a heartbeat if it means they get something in return. They’ve done it before and they’ll do it again, and you dumbasses will let them. I’m the only one who sees the truth.”

“Roro, did you hear that?” Patton asked lightly, finally finding his partner’s wrist in the fog. He held on tight, holding him up as much as holding him close. “Isn’t that cute? He thinks he’s the only one who knows pain.”

“Pinche pendejo,” Roman hissed darkly. “Va te faire enculer.”

“How many languages does he speak again?” Logan whispered to Virgil, who’d found him in the mist too.

“The real question is, why are they all swears?” Virgil muttered back.

“Listen, Agent Whizz or whatever you call yourself,” Patton said. “I honestly couldn’t give two shits if all you wanted to do was attack the supers. They’ve failed me too. But you’re attacking civilians. They can’t defend themselves, and they don’t deserve this. Pissed at the city? Get in fucking line. You could have attacked the ones in charge, the ones who hurt you. But you think your pain is just so much worse that you get to kill anyone you want?”

“Don’t kid yourself, Fail Force. No one actually cares if the civilians die. They let it happen, over and over. They took my only family from me, and look what’s fucking changed,” the voice sounded, echoing from every side. “Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. They let them die because the supers couldn’t keep each other the fuck in line.”

A harsh laugh burst out of Roman’s throat. “Collateral damage. Yeah, can’t imagine what that’s like. Definitely didn’t lose my mom to that. Twice.”

“At least you had moms. All I had was a brother,” the Agent spat out, voice cracking. “A pair of orphans in home of orphans, and they let every one of us die.”

Roman couldn’t see Patton in the inky darkness, but he could feel his love stiffen in his hand. “Orphans,” the grey-clad man said, his voice tight. “A whole house of them, and the adults who ran it, too. A fight between heroes and a villain killed everyone in that building. But that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was that one survived. Just one. When the only blood family he’d ever known and the only chosen family he’d made were gone, and he arrived just too late to save them.”

The fog quivered, growing a little less dark. “...yes. Just one survivor. But… far too late. Years too late. He only woke up in that infernal lab. He… everything molecule was burning, and he felt the building falling over and over, until he realized he was the only one seeing it…”

“Not… not far too late,” Patton said. His voice was still harsh, but less certain as Roman gripped his hand tightly. “Right after the collapse. As the building fell. I saw the bodies. They were all dead. All my kiddos. Even- even my brother. And the heroes and the villain were still there, still fighting, barely noticing what they’d done. I sometimes wish I hadn’t killed them so quickly. I should have made it last, made sure they felt remorse before I gave them the mercy of ending it.”

“Kiddos? No. Nonono. I’m- it’s happening again. They’re doing it again. Please, stop, I’ll be good, I’ll be better, just stop!” the voice begged, words spilling out in a jumbled flood. It was thick with distress even as the fog slowly started to thin and the world became visible again. For the first time, they could hear that the Agent was definitely male, and he suddenly sounded much younger than ever before. The darkness dissipated, and for the first time they saw their foe without illusions. A man, younger than any of them, in black jeans and a black shirt decorated with a white skull. He was huddled on the ground, arms over his eyes.

“Please no,” he whispered, rocking in place. “I’d been doing so well. I haven’t heard him in months. Don’t make me, please.”

Virgil held Roman upright still and looked down, a question in his eyes. Roman frowned and jerked a head at Patton, who’d released his hand. The air manipulator was moving ever so slowly towards their foe, approaching as he might a cornered wild animal.

“I’m not a hallucination,” Patton said softly. “I… I lost the foster home three years ago, and my little brother with it. I was at my job when the attack came, and couldn’t get back fast enough to help. But… I saw him dead.”

“You torturers, please stop!” the man cried, a sob crawling out of his throat. “You sound… you sound just like him. I’ll do anything, please just stop! Stop making me think that Patton is still alive!”

The trio watching the drama unfold stiffened. Logan gasped. Roman’s eyes stung. Virgil found himself unable to breathe.

Patton knelt at the boy’s side, and hesitantly reached out a hand, looking ready to snatch it back at any time. “I’m fairly sure I’m alive. But I might be wrong to think that my brother is dead. Maybe you’ve heard of him? His name…” Patton swallowed a lump in his throat, and placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. “His name was Thomas.”

The arm fell, revealing a tear-stained face etched in shock. “Pat?” he whispered, meeting the kneeling man’s eyes. “You’re… you’re real?”

“Tommy,” Patton said, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. “You’re alive!”

He tackled the younger man, hugging him frantically. Both brothers were crying and holding onto each other for all they were worth.

Suddenly Thomas was pushing Patton away, thrusting him back. “No! No, you can’t be real, the illusions are getting stronger! I can’t- I won’t be fooled again! They don’t get to hurt me again!”

“I’m real, Tommy, I swear,” Patton insisted. “Ask me anything. I remember it all.”

“Of course you do, the illusions are mine! Everything I know, you know!” The young man stood, backing away slowly. Tears continued to fall down his cheeks as he forced himself to put distance between them.

Patton’s face sagged in despair. Then, suddenly, his head snapped up. “Thomas - let me prove it. With something you don’t know.”

The boy stopped. He didn’t draw closer, but he watched, warily.

Patton slipped a hand through his tunic flap and pulled something out of his pocket. “I took this from you on the day- on the day of the explosion. It was in your hand and I couldn’t bear to leave it.”

Thomas inched closer, peering at the small object. “Is that…?”

“Teddy the Turtle,” Patton replied. “I told you I just found him, but I lied. I bought him, with my first paycheck. I had to… wash him, after, and glue him together, but I couldn’t just leave him there lying with you and… everyone.”

Agent Whisper stepped forward, only an arms length away from Patton. The watching heroes tensed, ready for a trick or a sneak attack. Instead, the young man reached out and took the tiny turtle figurine with a shaking hand. His fingers closed around it, and the tears began to flow in earnest. “It’s… it’s really him. It’s you. Oh god, Patty!”

He threw his arms around his brother’s shoulders, and they both started to laugh and hiccup through their continuing tears.

“His brother?” Logan asked softly. “This whole time, we’ve been fighting his brother?”

“But they’re together now,” Virgil replied, squeezing Logan’s hand while keeping a hold on Roman. “They found each other. We’re… oh my god, Lo. Agent Whisper is no longer a threat. We’re all safe."

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

a/n: the reveal is HERE holy shit i’m so excited. Did you suspect it? What was the best hint/foreshadowing? Are you ready for the last chapter to wrap this up?