A/N: Hey everyone! This is my seemingly new attempt at writing a story due to the fact that I lost motivation for my other two stories, so wish me luck!
Summary: In a seemingly normal world, one young man when inspired by his comics becomes a superhero, in the process kickstarts a powder keg creating an explosion which will forever change the world as he knows it.
Edit: I decided to make this as a simple OC story, so let's just forget the whole self-insert thing alright? Alright.
...Tick...tock...tick...tock...
I thump my finger against the desk, bored as hell inside of my mind. My eyes scan the room around me, taking in the view of all of my classmates trying to stay awake, with the lucky few dilligently taking notes. My right hand was lazily copying the words on the whiteboard with my pen while our middle-aged teacher Mr. Miller droned on in the background. I look at my notes and felt my eye twitch when I noticed the badly-written words.
'Great. My chicken scratch strikes again.' I thought, even with the fact that I had to take cursive writing lessons from my parents awhile back too many times to count. And I had to read these words too, just great.
DING DING DING DING!
"Oh!" Mr. Miller exclaimed before he stopped lecturing and looked around. "That's it for today class, and make sure to work on your assignments, alright." He said before gathering up his belongings
Getting up like the others around me, I placed away all my stuff in my large blue bag and went out through the door, into the hallway of our large humble abode known as Apollo High. It was your average school corridor with white walls decorated with red and gold details, with the many large iron school lockers set against the walls as well as the simple black doors leaing into the any rooms of this place. And lets not forget the many students who study in these illustrious halls.
And by "study", I mean socialize and fuck around inside the school before having to rush through their entire homeworks, but hey! I'm not judging. I wade my way through the many groups of teenagers before getting inside the washroom which was empty. I go to one of the urinals and quickly do my business before zipping up and walking towards the faucets.
...what, did you expect me to place my bag down in this place? Hell no!
I wash my hands up and splash my face with cold water before wiping the water off. I took a look into the mirror checking to see if anything's wrong.
Staring back at me was a tall, lanky fifteen-year old teenage guy over 6'3" with ligh skin, short spiky brown hair slightly shaven at the sides and normal green eyes over an average boyish face that wasn't exactly great but wasn't exactly ugly either, along with a patch of freckles on my nose and cheeks. I was wearing a simple black t-shirt with red retro letters spelling out the words STRANGER THINGS on the front underneath a red hoodie decorated with video game patches ranging from a yellow pacman on my left shoulder to a little fireball on my right pectoral, along with black jeans and white sneakers.
...Yeah, I'm a geek.
I moved out of the bathroom and stepped out into the hallway wading through the crow again, before a voice spoke up.
"Eugene!" I stopped walking and turn around, before grinning widely at the figure walking towards me. "Nick, what's up man?" I called out and stretched out my right hand.
Oh yeah, never did say my name did I? Well it's Eugene, Eugene Nichols. Which is kinda weird since I've been talking to myself in my mind for the past couple of minutes. Strange.
Nick stretched out his own right hand and high-fived mine, before we bumped fists with them. "Not much dude, Algebra sucked ass!" Nick said while groaning. This was my best friend Nicholas Lavelle or Nick for short, who I grew up together with since I was young when we met in preschool. He was a slightly above average guy who had light skin with short blonde hair and wide storm grey eyes along with a handsome face I was ashamed to admit looked better than mine. He was wearing an orange t-shirt underneath a brown bomber jacket and blue jeans with black shoes.
Nick, from what I've remembered way back then had always been good at playing the guitar, and even now he was dreaming to become a music artist. Me though, I never specialized in anything, always being that comic geek who loved superheroes.
We actually bonded over our love of comics, games, cartoons and shows we both liked, with our first discussion being about the classic Batman or Superman. I was one of the few rare person who actually liked Superman while he chose Batman, which was a shame really.
"So, we going out at our usual place?" I asked out, licking my lips in anticipation. You couldn't blame me since we usually hanged out at one of the most delicious and slightly unhealthy burger joints in Queens known as Sloppy Adam's. It's a weird name choice, but they had good burgers.
Nick chuckled and slapped me on the back a few times. "You know it!" We both walked out of the school and into the courtyard when I turned my head to look at the left and stopped, starstruck. Nick looked at me confused before turning his head to look at where I was seeing, before he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Now, I know what you're thinking..." He said, trailing off.
"Uh Huh." I muttered. I didn't know if I could blush due to my skin, but in this situation I think I was doing it.
"...but you'll never get a shot at her." Nick finished.
I sputtered and glared at Nick. "What? No! What makes you think I was looking at her!" I pointed at the direction I was looking at before.
At one of the many spots on the couryard was a large tree with a bench underneath it which was the usual go-to for the popular kids at school, and sitting on that bench surrounded by the popular guys and girls was a certain girl. She was a beautiful young woman with light skin, long luscious red hair which reached her lower back with a fancy looking clip on the left side of her bangs and pretty light violet eyes over a heart-shaped face. She had a curvy figure which was hidden by her usual light purple tank-top inside of a baggy white shirt that has a big opening for the collar that reaches until both her shoulders. Below, she wore a black leggings underneath a black skirt and had black ankletops on her feet.
She was Anastasia Olsen, of which she prefers to be called Ana, considered to be one of the prettiest and smartest girls in Apollo High alongside a few of the other girls here. She moved from England to America since her parent's company Red Lion Corporations, which I heard were working on new forms of technology, had transferred here in New York to branch out. She came along with her family since they worked as scientists there.
How'd I know this exactly? Well, it's what she said on the first day of highschool in her introduction. Everyone on Campus knew about it actually.
As expected, she has a crowd of admirers from the guys and girls here, myself included. But I never felt the courage to just go and...well, talk to her. Hell, I don't even what she's actually like aside from the fact she was nice.
Which is kinda sad now that I think about it.
"Dude, ever since our start as freshman you've always been looking at her." Nick said, raising an eyebrow. "It's...pretty obvious."
I looked to the side sheepishly, "Um, well..."
Nick leaned in closer. "PS: I Love You." He said, deadpanned.
I winced and snapped my head back to him, embarassed. "Shut Up!"
To have a little context on the situation, before Ana and during middleschool there was this girl I liked named Zoe Anderson who I was friends with before she moved away to Canada. One night, we were exchanging mails through our phone when I asked her what was her favorite movie. She texted back "PS: I Love You".
In a fitting moment of brilliant, I took that as her confession and texted back to her "I love you too!".
...It turns out there was actually a movie called PS: I Love You...you can see where this was going.
"Come on, let's get going prince charming." Nick said before walking away. I turned around to take one last look at her before I followed after Nick.
'I hope I can talk to her one day...' I wistfully thought to myself.
"I can clearly say, with what's happening lately, that Marvel sucks now." Nick said solemnly.
We were seated at our usual table at Sloppy Adam's, me with my usual Sloppy Set while Nick had his chicken sandwich and fries.
I raised an eyebrow, slurping on my drink before stopping. "What do you mean by that? I'm pretty sure they're doing great at the box office." I asked curiously.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Not that! I mean the comics!"
I thought about it for awhile before nodding. "Yeah, I know what you mean." I grumbled, rolling my eyes too. "Ugh, they turned Captain America, clearly their symbol and golden boy aside from Spiderman, into a Sleeper Hydra Agent. How fucking stupid is that?" I complained.
"I know!" Nick agreed. "Either way, they better think of something quick before sales plummet again. They're lucky that the MCU has their back or they would've been toast."
I nodded before taking a bite of my burger. I suddenly had a thought and looked up, "Hey Nick."
"Yeah?" He asked.
I thought about it more before responding. "What would you do if you were a superhero?"
Nick raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"Uh..." I said. "I ...was kinda been wondering what it would like to be one, and well...I don't know, wouldn't be it be cool though." I asked shrugging my shoulders.
Nick hummed in thought. "Weeell, if I could become a superhero...I'd totally be Batman for real though." He chuckled.
I scoffed, smirking. "Of course you would."
Nick then raised an eyebrow. "So, why are you suddenly asking this?"
I pondered for a moment. "Well...I was thinking what it would be like to be a superhero in real life."
Nick raised an eyebrow and straightened himself in his seat. "Okaaay?'
"Hey, hear me out." I raised my hands. "Wouldn't it be cool to be a hero in real life? I mean, stopping bad guys, saving the day and all that?"
"Well, yeah but...those things are in the comics." Nick replied. "Don't get me wrong, there are superheroes in this world but they're just normal heroes. You ever hear of Chibatman?" He asked.
"The guy who drives his motorcycle around Chiba?" I replied, tilting my head. "But why him, he doesn't fight criminals."
Nick nodded. "Yes, but my point is this. Let the police handle real life. Superheroes are just ideals in the comics everyone follows and are inspired by. Don't go getting ideas, alright?"
I didn't know why, but I found myself hesitating for a moment before I replied. "O-Okay."
We spent the rest of lunch eating and chatting, but I couldn't help but feel that piece of conversation get stuck in my mind no matter how many times I tried to forget.
After hanging out with Nick and buying takeout at the local dimsum restaurant, I finally returned home to my place, which was a normal apartment room in the neighborhood. I got the key from underneath the welcome rug and opened the door. "I'm home!" I shouted naturaly before shrugging my shoulders when nobody answered. It was natural, since my parents were overseas with my dad working as an international liason for his company while mom was in Paris working there as a fashion designer. They would send enough money for me every month for my expenses. It was bizarre of them to leave me alone but I was responisble enough to take care of myself. Besides, my older cousin lived next door so it's fine.
I took off my shoes and placed them to the sides before walking into the living room. I placed my bag onto the ground before falling back onto my comfy green couch. My living room was large with blue walls and dim lights, and also acted as my dining room/kitchen which was behind me with the kitchen appliances in one side and the dining table to the right. I took out my dimsum takeout and my phone before I reached my hand out for the remote on the small wooden table in front of me. I switched the tv on, which was a large flatscreen thanks to my parents, and watched the usual shows they broadcasted while eating my dinner.
After I finished eating and felt like taking in a bit of fresh air since I was still in my outside clothes, I switched the tv off and got off of my couch. Throwing away the takeout in the trash, I went outside of my apartment and walked to the nearest park. While walking there, I couldn't help but hear a commotion in a nearby alleyway. Feeling apprehensive, I walked inside and looked to the right I couldn't help but felt my eyes widen.
In the far distance, I could see a middle-aged man lying on the ground getting beaten up by what looked to be a gangster. The gangster was tall and stocky being over 6'2" with light skin, a bald head, and a pair of black eyes who wore a light blue hoodie and black camo pants while his lower face were hidden beneath a blue bandana. I could hear him shouting at the man, catching snippets of their conversation.
"Give me your money, asswipe!" The gangster shouted.
"Stop, stop, please! I gave you all that I had. Please stop!" The middle-aged man pleaded. When I looked closer at him, he looked to be in his mid-thirties with short brown hair and tired green eyes with one currently having a black eye underneath it while his face sported various bloody bruises. He was wearing a white dress shirt with a red tie and black dress pants with brown loafers. I realized the man was probably an office worker.
"Don't fuckin lie to me, I know you still have cash!" He yelled again.
While their conversation was going on, I felt fear and hesitation at this scene. What was I supposed to do in this situation, call for help? I search for my phone, cursing under my breath that I had left it in the living room. Looking back, I widened my eyes when he moved closer to the man.
"Fine, if you ain't gonna give it to me, allow me to take it then." The gangster said before my blood chilled when he took out a pocket knife out of his hoodie's pouch.
He was serious. He was actually going to kill him.
My thoughts were mirrored by the man who paled and started pleading for his life again, but unfortunately for him the gangster moved in closer and closer. But before I could even comprehend what was happening, my mouth suddenly decided to make myself known.
"Leave him alone!" I shouted, shocking them both. They looked towards my stunned figure, realizing what I had done, before the gangster's posture shifted and walked towards me a few steps while the man was still too scared to move. "Well, well, well, looks like we have ourselves a hero." The gangster said, narrowing his eyes at me. "Were you honestly thinking about stopping me?"
I gulped nervously and stepped forward. I didn't know why, but I could feel my eyes narrow at him. "I-I'm not gonna let you hurt him." Even with how nervous I sounded, I was still surprised at how serious my words were. I honestly didn't know why I stepped up yet I didn't even question why.
The gangster glared at me harder. "Huh...well aren't you fucking bold." He said, tilting his head. "You sure you wanna do this kid, you might get a boo boo you know?" He taunted.
I gripped my fists harder and narrowed my eyes before I put my hands up, trying to get into a boxing stance but failed. The gangster narrowed his eyes and suddenly shifted his body and hands into what seemed like a fighting position. "Not running huh? I can respect that." He said.
Before we could fight, to my relief there were the sounds of sirens geting close by meaning that there were police nearby. The gangster looked to the side clicked his teeth in distate, before glaring back at me while placing his knife away. "You got lucky punk. But don't think I haven't memorized your face." He said before turning around and walking away from the beaten up man. "Remember the name Killbane from now on." He drawled, disappearing deeper into the alleyway.
I felt myself gulp again, before I shook my head and ran towards the man on the ground. I crouched and placed my right hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright sir?" I asked, snapping him out of his fear, causing him to shake his head a few times and nod. "T-thank you young man, you've really saved my hide there."
"No problem." I replied. "Can you get to a hospital on your own?"
The man shook his head, wincing his legs in pain. "I-I don't think I can."
I nodded before grabbing his arm and placed it around my shoulders, getting him up and started to walk. Carrying the man to the hospital was hard, but we eventually got there. While the nurses got him onto a spare bed, the doctor interrogated me about what happened while I explained the situation.
"Hmm, I see. That was brave of you, young man." The doctor who was was a man in hid forties said, looking at me appreciatively. "Most people would've ignored or run away in your situation, care to tell me why?"
I hesitated, not knowing why. "I-I don't know why but...I couldn't just stand there, you know?" I meekly said.
The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, you've done a brave act young man. Be proud, Mr. Hero." He said before walking away.
I stood there silently, processing what he said before I realized what he said. I felt a swell of satisfaction fill up in my heart. "I saved somebody." I muttered, looking at my hands.
Granted, I was luckily saved by the bell literally when the police were nearby, but that doesn't change the fact that I protected a life today. This felt...good.
'Is this what it feels like to be a superhero?' I thought to myself. For the first time in my life, I felt...driven. Determined.
If I could do this...doesn't this mean I have what it takes? I felt myself grin and walked out of the hospital with my head held high.
'This may be crazy and it may be insane...' I thought, my grin becoming a full-blown smile before I ran towards my home. 'But I'm going to become a superhero!'
Running with all my life, I never that from this point on my life will never be the same again.
A/N: Aaaand cut! Thank you so much for reading this new story of mine. It seems like young Eugene has taken his first step to becoming a superhero! Unluckily for him though his path ain't gonna be easy since this IS a Kickass story, can't have it be too easy now could we?
Either way, See you around guys. Peace!