Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Nine
...
Jetstream threw the Commander forward, watching as gravity and her husband's super strength knocked the latest villain of the week unconscious. Jetstream hadn't even bothered to learn the villain's name; her mind was preoccupied with the news reports calling her a Peeping Tom thanks to that awful Gemstone. Her, a Peeping Tom! After everything she'd done to save the citizens of Maxville, now the reporters were accusing her of looking into people's homes!
Steve had reassured her it was just the reporters trying to gain ratings - they'd practically forgotten the fact that he'd put the Mayor in a coma a few short weeks ago, after all - but Josie knew how these sorts of things could linger in people's minds far longer than the news broadcasts.
"Jetstream! Jetstream, over here! How do you feel about this villain taking on your moniker?"
Damn it, the one time she didn't know the villain's name!
"Who's Monica?" the Commander asked, frowning.
The reporters laughed in response. Thankful that Steve's idiocy worked in her favour for once, Jetstream smiled indulgently, ignored the reporter's question, and indicated to another reporter instead.
"Do you have anything to say to the women out there for the upcoming Super Women's Day this weekend?"
Jetstream's smile was broader now. "Of course. All women are super, especially if we have to clean up after our husband's every day. I will, of course, have more to say on the day as the official spokesperson for Super Women's Day at the Maxville Park event, and if you come along there, there will be speeches and panels, and time for photos and autographs, of course!"
The next reporter held up a hand for their question, and Josie indicated to them, wondering if she might actually get the full twelve promised minutes to herself for once instead of needing to split it with Steve.
"Earthstone and Airborne still have yet to comment on the embarrassing display that occurred yesterday afternoon with their cutouts. Have you anything to say as the mother of Airborne?"
Not quite the question she would have chosen if she could, but at least it wasn't about being a Peeping Tom.
"It was a sick and cruel joke, and we're working with the Super Bureau to determine who degraded and defiled Airborne's public image. It was disgusting and I hope the... prankster turns themself in before they are found through other means."
"It was cardboard, Jetstream. Or are you referring to the act of men kissing as being disgusting?"
"Would you have the same response if it'd been a cutout of... say, Lustful? Her book's fifteenth anniversary is coming up; I saw a cutout of her on the way here," another reporter added.
"Which store was that?" one asked, their voice low but not low enough.
An idea came to Josie's mind, one that could possibly resolve all of her issues, and Jetstream cleared her throat to return their attention to her. "Lustful is gone and while some of these newer and younger heroes may emulate her and her lack of style, a real Hero knows what is right and wrong, and she stands by that." Hands on her hips and showing her best pose to display her own style covered from neck to toe, Jetstream smiled broadly at the cameras.
The female reporters seemed to understand her passive aggressive statement before the men, leaning forward with recorders and cameras in her face.
"Are you talking about Gemstone?"
"Have you had any further interactions with her since the incident yesterday?"
"Why do you consider Gemstone to have a lack of style?"
Jetstream smiled briefly and answered their questions. "I won't refer to anyone by name. I will, however, state that certain Heroes should be aware that there is an expectation when it comes to having a... certain preference or lifestyle, if you will. Being a sexual deviant certainly isn't the behaviour you'd expect from a Hero, is it? I, at the very least, expect a Hero to have only one partner and to remain faithful to that partner. If they are lying to their significant other, then how can the citizens of Maxville trust anything they say?"
More questions exploded from the reporters, and Jetstream looked out at the hungry vultures that were eager for juicy and meaty morsels. They might not be the gossip or social reporters, but hang something like this in front of them, and they devolved to the lowest level of reporter scum for a measly scrap of information. She'd given them enough information to make their assumptions - a Maxville Hero who dressed as scantily as Lustful, which wasn't a difficult leap from assumption to the truth - and they could do the rest. It only mattered that they completely forget about her husband's idiocy, her son's embarrassment, and her own degradation.
...
"Are you sure you don't want another day off?" Nina asked, looking Warren over as they had their morning coffee together. "You can skip training, at the very least."
"If I don't go, then that means I woke up early for no reason. Besides, I need to check on the bees; I don't know if anyone remembered to clear their hives and I'm low key freaking out about them now that I've remembered," he said with a grin. Seeing that Nina still wasn't convinced, he reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "I'm all right now, Ma. I feel better now the drugs have worn off. Last night was the best sleep I've had in weeks," he added.
"Even without Layla?" she teased as she sipped at her coffee. Nina was more than grateful to see that her son was looking far more healthy and clear-headed than she'd seen in a fortnight, and would be sending Ida a gift basket in thanks sooner rather than later.
Warren rolled his eyes. "We didn't sleep together at night; the beds were too small, and I kept freaking out that I'd yank out her IV needle by accident."
She winced. "Yeah, that's not a pleasant sensation. Well, I'm glad you slept better last night. I definitely did now that you're home again," she admitted with a smile.
Warren drank the last of his coffee, then stood and gathered their mugs to take to the kitchen. "You just missed my cooking."
Nina laughed. "Oh, I did, but I missed you too, kiddo. It's nice knowing you're home safe and not getting crushed by buildings."
"The potential for that happening again is pretty high, Ma. You know buildings collapse in fires all the time, right?"
Nina raised an eyebrow at her son and followed him through to the kitchen. "Of course I do. I've been in enough burning buildings myself. But that's not what I meant, and you know it. Are you purposely trying to annoy me so I won't be upset to see you leave for the day?"
"Only a little," Warren said with a grin. "I'll be fine, Ma. I promise. I'm back to full power, I've got the emergency painkillers Dr. Spattle gave me, Mrs. Morton's letting us take Brie and Erin to Sky High so we don't have to catch the bus after training, and I have your direct number for work if I end up in hospital again. Which I won't," he added quickly.
"All right. I'll try to stop myself from worrying too much. You look after yourself, okay? I don't care if it means you leave class in the middle of a discussion; if you have to stretch or walk, you go. And don't overdo it at training. Just because you feel good now, it doesn't mean it'll last, and - "
"Ma, breathe. I promise I'll make sure I look after myself, okay? If I don't, I'll have a line of angry friends to deal with, too," Warren admitted.
Nina felt herself smile at that. "Yes, you will."
Warren headed back to the lounge room to get his bag, Nina following and trying to tell herself she needed to get ready for her day as well, not that she was trying to keep her son in sight for as long as she could. The TV had been on in the background, but on hearing Gemstone's name, both of them looked at the screen properly.
"Oh, shit. Where's my phone?" Warren asked, patting his pockets and looking around.
Seeing it on the lounge armrest, he snatched his phone up, winced at the sight of the notifications already popping up one after another, then unlocked the screen to try to convince several people not to kill Jetstream in retaliation.
...
"Jewel? Babe, put the sledgehammer down."
"No! Don't you dare power me down, either!" Jewel snapped at Grant, stalking out of the training arena with the sledgehammer over her shoulder.
"Uh, Ace, wanna tell me what's going on?" Craig asked Adam.
"You haven't seen your phone, have you?" Adam asked Craig, his eyebrow raised.
"It's set to silent; catch me up so I don't have to read through it while my girlfriend potentially does damage to something?"
"More like someone," Beau said, jogging to catch up to Jewel. "Babe, wait; let me help!"
"Help with what? Dude?"
"Jetstream called Jewel a sexual deviant because of her relationship with you, Grant, and Beau, and made some noise about her outfit. In public and on live TV," Adam added.
"She did what?!"
"Ironically, it's Super Women's Day this weekend, so Eth and Honey are having a field day with it," Adam said, looking at the various news articles from Labyrinth and other journalists on his phone.
"I don't give a shit about that. She insulted Jewel!"
"Everyone, calm down!" Layla called from the Hive's doorway, stepping inside with Warren a step behind her. "She's obviously doing this because you're a threat to her, Jewel, and it helps our plans - "
"I don't give a flying fuck about your plans, Layla! That bitch basically called me a slut on live TV; she'll deserve more than a sledgehammer to the face!" Jewel snapped.
"She'll survive, you'll look crazy - though they'll call you unhinged and a danger to society, of course - and while 'Gemstone who stopped fighting villains in Maxville' probably won't be remembered by society in a hundred years, they will definitely remember 'Gemstone the villain who tried to smash Jetstream's face in with a sledgehammer,'" Ethan pointed out.
"Fuck off, Ethan! I'll fucking smash you instead!" Jewel snapped.
He sighed, pushed his glasses up his nose, and stepped forward - in the reach of the sledgehammer, which was far too close for Zach's liking - then nodded. "Okay."
"What?" several people chorused at once.
"I need the practice to dodge incoming threats, you're angry enough to mean it, and - " Ethan's words were cut off as he melted down, the sledgehammer spraying water across the hallway before it lodged in the wall itself.
"We have a training arena for this very reason. Attack all of us with the goddamn sledgehammer, if you want, Jewel," Warren offered, moving to wrench it out of the wall and offer it back to her, handle first. Beside him, the wooden wall was repaired as though it had never had a sledgehammer lodged in it in the first place.
Jewel's lip trembled and she swallowed hard, her eyes brimming with tears, even as Ethan reformed. "I'm not a slut."
"Of course you're not," Adam said, simple and matter-of-fact. "Hey, Terrence, can you bring up Jetstream's face on a bunch of TVs that Jewel can destroy?"
"Sure. How many d'you want, Jewel?" Terrence asked kindly.
"How many can you make?" Jewel asked, sniffing and wiping at her eyes with her free hand.
"As many as you need. I just wish it was the real thing."
"In honour of Super Women's Day this weekend, I can say with absolute certainty that Jetstream's a bitch," Eliza said from the Hive's entrance.
They all looked over to see Ry with Victor and Eliza. Ry shrugged at their expressions. "Craig teleported here and left me behind, so Victor offered to drive; we heard the news report on the way. They were carpooling and Eliza threatened Jetstream's life in several creative ways already."
"I also wanted to offer my services as your legal representative. Beth also sends her regards, along with several vials of... actually, I don't know what these are, but I do know that they can be inserted into any standard vial gun. Have fun," Eliza said with a bright smile, offering a container of test tubes to Grant.
"Ooh, look, babe. We can make her teeth fall out," Grant said.
Beau wiped her tears away and kissed Jewel gently. "She means nothing, babe. You'll get your chance to kill her, I promise," he murmured, hugging her firmly with his arms wrapped around her body, Grant hugging her as well.
"That's so sweet. Where's your other boyfriend? The cute curly one?" Eliza asked curiously, not seeing him in the crowd of teenagers.
"Oh, shit," Ry said, echoing their thoughts at the realisation that Craig had disappeared.
"I'll find him. Fuck, he'd better not be doing what I think he's going to do," Adam muttered, his thumbs flying over his phone screen.
"If he's going to kill Jetstream, we're all going to group therapy sessions with Doc," Layla said. "I have plans, goddamn it!"
"I don't think anyone cares about your plans right now, hippie," Warren muttered.
Layla couldn't blame them, honestly, but the point stood.
"Found him! Move, the big screen's downstairs," Adam said, sidling past Layla and Warren to get downstairs to the training arena and projector screen.
"You could just, y'know, vine Craig and stop him, if you really wanted to," Terrence said, even as the others all rushed after Adam.
Layla smiled. "Oh, I know."
Terrence snorted and shook his head. "Right. You two coming to see what he's going to do?"
"Yeah, we'll be right there," Warren said, tugging Layla close against his chest so Victor could get past easily.
He hadn't moved Layla for the others, but they hadn't exactly given him a chance, either. Victor walked past with a slow limp, Eliza talking away about lawsuits and defamation and sprinkling itching powder on the papers she'd get delivered to Jetstream's doorstep, just for the satisfaction.
"You okay, hippie?" Warren asked.
"I'm worried about Jewel, and if Craig goes off to do things like this every time someone is insulted, it could cause difficulties. I just... " she trailed off and shook her head, her plaits flying.
"You just what?" Warren prompted, turning her around in his grasp to look at her, not entirely certain what feelings were coming through his wrist: not the frustration and anger - those were easy to identify - but the underlying pleasure was so twisted up with guilt that it was almost unrecognisable.
"Last year, I would've been just as pissed off as Jewel and Craig and everyone else," Layla said, playing with the bracelets on her wrist, more specifically her mother's bracelet that Warren had found and given back to her.
"And now?"
"Oh, I'm still pissed off. It's just... Jetstream being a bitch makes it easier for us to get more people; if she insults Gemstone today, who will she insult tomorrow? No one wants to be targeted like that, and we can use it to our advantage," Layla said in a rush of words, as though the faster she said them, the less guilt she'd feel for using her friend's abuse to gain more permanent markers.
Warren smiled, slow and warm and broad. "I love the way your mind works, hippie."
Layla seemed surprised by his response, but smiled happily in return and rose on her toes to kiss him. "Come on, I want to see what Craig's doing."
Warren licked his lips and followed Layla into the training arena to where Adam was casting his phone screen onto the large projector screen for everyone to see.
Craig had landed in the middle of Maxville, shifted into Jetstream herself, and smiled at the citizens below, waving as more people joined the growing crowd.
"How sure are we that it's actually Craig?" Robin asked with a frown.
"I'm following his phone; he can keep it on silent, but I'll still find him," Adam said.
"Greetings, citizens! I, Jetstream, have a very important announcement to make."
Craig waited until every citizen was looking up at him, several phones pointed at him and recording what was sure to be Jetstream's great announcement - maybe she was going solo, maybe there was a villain in the area and she wanted their help to evacuate people, maybe, maybe, maybe - and smiled broadly.
"I think it's time you all knew the truth. I am not just Jetstream, beloved Hero to Maxville and the world. I am also Josie Stronghold, the proud wife of Steve Stronghold, who you know as the Commander. We're the co-owners of Stronghold Realty, and parents of Airborne, also known as William Stronghold. The video of Will destroying the architect's new home last month really was him, and everything we said to refute it was a lie. You all know what it means when a hero lies, don't you?" Craig!Jetstream tutted, hands on hips. "I just don't know how you can trust anything any of the Stronghold family says after all of this. Oh, and I'm so jealous of Gemstone that I degraded and belittled her on live TV with no chance to defend herself. I think Gemstone's suit looks amazing, don't you?" he said, as Jetstream's outfit shifted to Gemstone's.
Gemstone's outfit had been designed to suit her skin and ensure that she didn't end up with a completely destroyed outfit if a villain (or hero) fought against her; her outfit not only complemented her diamond-hard skin but also allowed her manoeuvrability to defend and attack. Jetstream, however, was mostly human under her own outfit, which was another reason it covered her from shoulders to toes. Gemstone's outfit on Jetstream showed the same amount of skin but without the jewelled aspect, the white fabric blended in with white skin, and Jetstream could have been standing in front of the crowd naked.
"Oh, shit. Victor, we have to go. Our bosses are going to be losing their minds over this," Eliza said.
"Not to mention their stocks in JTC will drop; share prices often plummet once a super's alter ego is revealed by the super themselves. There was a smaller drop with Airborne, since he went on record saying it was a copycat, but they won't be able to say the same now. If everyone starts selling, I say we buy big," Ethan said.
"Why will your bosses be losing their minds? And why would we be interested in buying Jetstream and the Commander stock?" Terrence asked, frowning.
"It's obvious the person on TV is an imposter, but the reporters will dig and find out the truth anyway, especially with full names being revealed this time around. Our bosses own both sides of the legal chambers that are used within the public courts, both super and citizen, thanks to a few shell companies to avoid monopoly regulations. So now we have to decide who Jetstream and the Commander will sue, if they'll do so as their super or alter egos, and who they're actually suing in the first place since no one knows who this new copycat super is," Eliza replied, though she grinned and didn't seem overly upset about the challenge.
"Don't kill anyone, okay? If you do, don't tell me about it until after you've hired me so I can still represent you in court," Victor added. He tugged Jewel into a tight hug, clutching his cane, murmuring soothing words into her ear.
The anger that had been on Jewel's face didn't melt away entirely, but tears filled her eyes and she hugged him back. "Thanks, Victor," she said, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief he handed to her.
Victor nodded, turned, and left with Eliza on his heels.
"In regards to the stock market, the more shares that we own, the more say we have in Jetstream and the Commander's business as majority stakeholders. People selling them after today's revelation means we can buy more at a cheaper price than yesterday, and if we hold a majority share over Jetstream and the Commander themselves, we could do a lot of damage to their business. We could even dictate what merchandise they can or can't sell. They may even go bankrupt, depending on how much they have invested in themselves. It would, of course, mean that we take a loss as well, but I have our money spread across various investments, so there is nothing to worry about in that regard. In fact, some of those investments would soar if JTC tanks."
"I understood about half of that," Craig said from the doorway. "You okay, babe?" he asked, crossing the room to pull Jewel into a warm hug.
Jewel sniffled once more, then nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Thanks for outing their alter egos."
"Oh, it was my fucking pleasure. You're lucky I didn't kill her, so don't even start trying to tell me off for what I did," Craig added, holding a hand up to Layla and Warren.
Layla smiled. "Craig, sweetheart, if I wanted to stop you, you wouldn't have left the Hive at all."
There was something cold about her tone and smile, and Craig was glad he hadn't needed to find out exactly what she meant by that.
"I recommend you hold a press conference; I'll be happy to discuss journalism techniques with you. Honey's been teaching me what to do on the other side, so you can be prepared for it," Ethan offered.
"We can do that after a bit of destruction. Are those TVs ready, Terrence? I could destroy Jetstream's face myself this morning," Layla said, a vine curling around her forearm. Beside her, a ball of fire appeared in Warren's hand.
Jewel pulled out of Craig's embrace, kissing him once before turning to take her offered sledgehammer from Beau, and getting ready to pulverise the ever-loving shit out of Jetstream's technological face. "Destruction first, then we'll talk," she said with a grateful nod to Ethan.
...
Maxwell felt like his body was vibrating in pure anger, and he struggled to contain the emotion, or at least keep his face expressionless as he walked through Sky High's hallways to his office. He needed to collect himself before he went to homeroom with far-too-impressionable teenagers, and possibly have to listen to a deluge of their own ideas and comments about Jetstream's comments for himself. Her statement about Gemstone being a sexual deviant for having a relationship with multiple people had hit far too close to home for him, and he wasn't looking forward to hearing it reiterated over and over again by teenagers. Part of him hoped they'd be too self-involved to have seen the news, but Maxwell was well aware of the students' love of gossip, too.
Eliza had been just as pissed off as he'd felt but she'd needed to leave for work since she was carpooling with Victor. After Eliza had left, Beth had hugged him firmly to help calm him down. It had started to work, his emotions not quite as turmoiled as he reminded himself of the good in his life. Then, standing in his embrace and her voice soft and trembling, Beth had admitted that she was just as insulted as he felt. He looked down to see tears in her eyes as the likes of Jetstream's words made her feel lesser for being in love. Beth's tearful admission brought his anger back with a raging vengeance. His sweet Beth being insulted and upset by the likes of Jetstream wasn't something he'd let slide, and some part of him was tempted to unleash a horde of brain mushrooms on the Hero at the next parent-teacher night.
"Good morning, Mr. Medulla. Are you all right?" Will asked, eyes wide even as he desperately tried not to look at the pulsing vein on his homeroom teacher's head.
"I... I'm fine," he ground out, trying to remember that he was an adult and he wouldn't unleash his problems, emotions, or feelings on hapless students. "Do you need something?"
"Oh, well. I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about Mad Science," Will said, putting his hands on his hips like he'd been taught to do when Facing a Difficult Question. He figured it would help him keep his attention lower than the Mad Science teacher's bulbous forehead with its pulsing vein.
Will looked just like Jetstream had in her interview that morning, and Maxwell had a fleeting thought that Will wasn't just his father's son, but he was also his mother's son, too. He actually had to fight down a wave of revulsion at the thought of this particular apple falling at the roots of its parental tree. "What about it?"
Will didn't know why he felt a shiver running up his spine, but he was pretty sure that the vein on Mr. Medulla's head was getting bigger. "Oh, I was wondering if you did tutoring? I know Gwen used to tutor as your TA, but she can't do that anymore since I put her in Maxville Super Penitentiary and all."
Maxwell was no seer but at that moment he had a very clear vision of that particular future, and it wasn't pleasant. "No."
Will blinked, his hands lowering from his hips. "Oh. I can pay for it. I really need to pass Mad Science; it's the only class I'm failing!"
Considering the comments he'd heard from several other teachers about the Stronghold heir's work, Mr. Medulla sincerely doubted that. "I said no, Mr. Stronghold. Go to your homeroom."
"But you're the homeroom teacher," Will said, even as Mr. Medulla shut the door in his face.
Maxwell's hands trembled as he forced himself to sit on his chair, to take deep breaths, and to look at the photo of himself, Beth, and Eliza on their very first date. He loved life, he loved his girlfriends, and Jetstream's public declaration meant nothing to him. He told himself this three times in quick succession, then sent a text to Beth and Eliza to reassure them both they were loved and to check on Beth's wellbeing, and hoped this awful start to the week would be a distant memory sooner rather than later.
As he forced himself to put aside his personal emotions so he could prepare himself for the day ahead, Mr. Medulla wondered how Craig and Grant were handling this as Jewel's boyfriends. (They were anything but subtle, and the teachers' lounge had been rife with gossip and speculation after Will Stronghold's birthday party the year before.)
Seconds later, a news alert appeared on his phone stating that Jetstream had revealed the alter egos of herself, the Commander, and Airborne, and he didn't have to wonder anymore.
...
"Hi Magenta. How was your bus trip?" Layla asked with a bright smile.
"Oh, hi. It was, uh, fine," Magenta said, shifting her bag, and looking over Layla's shoulder as though she wanted to escape.
Everyone had seen Jetstream's comments that morning and everyone knew she was talking about Gemstone, therefore Jewel and Craig and Grant. People had whispered or outright talked about Craig's relationships with them and their obvious sexual deviance, some even glancing in her direction like she wasn't in a completely normal relationship with Will, thank you very much. She didn't even think about Lorcan anymore, or Malik, or that guy from the bus!
Besides, Craig wasn't even really her friend. They just sat at the same table at lunch sometimes, and it wasn't like she'd been friends with him for the whole year like Layla was. Even now, Magenta felt people whispering and looking at her just for talking with Layla, who was friends with Craig. And Pad and those multi-coloured frogs. Admittedly, no one quite knew what was going on with them, but after the accident with Will and Pad's car, there were... rumours.
Layla grinned at her uncomfortable response, grabbed her hand, and headed inside. "Since I'm back now, would you like to sit with us at lunch? I'm sure we've got so much to catch up on."
Magenta tugged her hand out of Layla's grasp, and shoved both her hands in her pockets, though neither was large enough for such an action. "I, uh, probably shouldn't. I mean, I'm going to sit with Will today. He's... uh, he's got something special planned for lunch," she added quickly, lying through her teeth and hoping Layla wouldn't notice.
Layla's eyes widened. "Oh, that sounds lovely. It's your one-year anniversary soon, isn't it? Is that what the special lunch is about?"
"It is?" Magenta asked distractedly as Layla opened her locker, a sweet smell wafting out. "What's that smell?"
Layla looked at the leaves, flowers, and berries with a sharp smile, then turned to Magenta with a more neutral expression. "Lonicera xylosteum. Honeysuckle," she added when Magenta looked at her as blankly as Will had nearly two years ago now.
The difference between the honeysuckle she had kept in her locker as a freshman and the one she now had as a junior was as stark as the foliage. The red-flowering Cape honeysuckle in freshman year wasn't even really a honeysuckle, just commonly named that way; the cream-flowering Fly honeysuckle was part of the proper genus and, just like most species within the honeysuckle family, had red poisonous berries. Of course, they were more dangerous if consumed in large amounts, though smaller amounts would be uncomfortable and unpleasant. Still, they both smelled fragrant and no one assumed honeysuckle could be dangerous.
"Oh. It's really pretty, and it smells nice, too."
Layla smiled again. "The berries are edible, too. Would you like some?" she asked, popping one in her own mouth, the poison tart and harmless on her tongue.
"Uh, sure. I'll, uh, have them later. I had a really big breakfast," Magenta said, grabbing the offered berries and shoving them into her messenger bag. People were starting to stare and whisper again, and she wanted to leave already.
"Enjoy them. I'll see you later," Layla said.
"Bye!" Magenta said, leaving as fast as her legs allowed.
...
"How many times did people make sexual deviant comments at you?" Ethan asked with a weary sigh as he sat beside Craig, Zach flopping beside him and groaning with his head in his hands.
"Just once before Mr. Medulla set off one of those creepy mushrooms. Did you get it, too?" Craig asked curiously, scooping up pudding onto a tiny spoon.
"It was to be expected, as we're not exactly the norm when it comes to accepted relationships in society," Ethan said. Zach lifted his hands and splayed three fingers.
"Mr. Boy was very upset and had to leave homegroup early, so the bastards pounced."
"Names?" Adam asked, throwing a muesli bar over to him.
"Oh, don't worry, I blinded their homophobic asses then pushed them at each other. They beat each other up and had to go to the nurse. No one else said a fucking thing."
"It was surprisingly peaceful after that," Ethan added with a nod.
"Give me their names so I don't have to go into Nurse Spex's records to hunt the bastards down anyway," Adam said.
"What're you gonna do?" Terrence asked curiously.
"I don't know yet. Maybe do a factory reset of all of their phones or something; I'll work it out," Adam muttered.
"I'm ready to kick Will's ass in Save the Citizen," Ry announced, checking for frogs before settling down next to Pat.
"I'm ready to kick his ass outside of Save the Citizen; my mother's right and sexual deviants can't be trusted," Pat mimicked, pulling a face. "What a dickbag."
Kiara reformed and put an arm around Pat's shoulder. "Want me to poison him for you, cariƱo?"
"Yes. But after Ry's fight, that will be cathartic for everyone. I might need to rewatch the video a few hundred times," Pat groaned, leaning into Kiara's embrace.
"I'm hoping so. I've got a few new techniques I want to try out on his solar plexus and see if they hurt as much as advertised," Ry said, grinning then drinking his water.
"Youf otter beef seal an' sealant firsh," Craig said around a mouthful of food, the words muffled and wet.
Warren raised an eyebrow at him. "Say again?"
Adam snorted. "He said Ry's gotta beat Celia and Celine first. Don't you speak mouth-full-ean?"
"Wouldn't it be mouth-full-ese? Mouth-full-ish? No, that's nonsensical."
"The fact you're seriously considering it as a name is nonsensical, Eth," Zach said with a snicker.
"It depends on where the root word, or words in this case, actually come from. But I digress; why are you ready to kick Will's ass, Ry?" Ethan asked, sipping at his water and waiting expectantly.
"Well, Doc said I need to beat my demons, and I'm taking it literally for now. I'm going to work on the figuratively and emotionally parts later, but I reckon it'd be cathartic as fuck to beat the every loving shit out of him and get graded on it. Not to mention, he broke my super restraining barrier and that thing's gonna cost money to get redone."
"I thought Hyacinth said that she would waive the fee?"
"Oh, she did, but it'll cost me therapy. Not to mention time, and time is money, so... Same difference," Ry said with a shrug. "Now, who wants to be in the arena with me? We need to work out how to beat the Cell twins, then plan on how to wipe the floor with Will and Magenta."
"Dibs!" Craig called, raising his hand as high as it could go. Then he frowned over at Adam. "Why didn't you call dibs?"
"You need to redeem yourself against Celia and Celine. Besides, you've got a score to settle with Magenta, don't you?" Adam pointed out, swapping his and Craig's puddings.
Craig blinked, considered it for a moment, then grinned broadly. "Ooh, fuck, yes. Wendy! Help me plan this!"
Wendy rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her eagerness as she strode over, a thermal wind playing at her ankles. "I've got six ideas. You can choose two."
"Uh, should we really be discussing this out here?" Corvin asked, looking over to the Sky High building.
"Ignatius graduated last year; he had super hearing. I don't believe there's anyone else who can hear us," Ethan mused.
"What about lip reading? Or ASL; you're not the only ones who know sign language."
"I've got an illusion up so no one can see us," Craig said, his hands still continuing with his plan with Wendy.
Ry relaxed against the tree at his words, not wanting to admit that he'd been on alert for Will as well. He still felt nauseous just thinking about him, and he really hoped that Doc was right and fighting his demons would help.
"Ry, would you do a favour for us?" Layla asked.
"Depends what it is; I can't kick Will's ass with excessive force since Coach Boomer would - "
"No, not Save the Citizen. I wanted you to ask Mr. Medulla to join us."
Ry blinked, and a few conversations stopped as they looked at Layla and Warren. "Seriously?"
"Nurse Spex suggested it ages ago and as of this morning, he's ready. Whether or not he knows it," Layla said with a shrug.
Ry licked his lips. "Let me think about it? I don't have to do the whole spiel like you two do, right?"
"Of course not. We can follow up with that if he agrees."
"Dude, what if he doesn't?" Craig asked, chewing on the tiny spoon nervously.
"I guess we'll find out."
...
Gemstone looked out at the gathered reporters, wishing she knew exactly what they were going to say or do. Honey had been busy with one of her other companies and had even sent Sarah in her stead to represent Labyrinth at the press conference. Doing essays and oral reports for Communications at Sky High and at the University of Maxville was nothing like standing in front of a crowd of reporters, eager for blood, mistakes, and ratings.
"Gemstone, this is the first press conference you've called! Is it in response to Jetstream's allegations this morning?"
"As you say, this is my first press conference. I haven't felt a need to hold one before, but Jetstream's allegations, whether she named a super or not, need to be addressed."
"Are you saying the comments weren't about you?"
"It's a press conference, Jimmy, let her talk first," Sarah called out, rolling her eyes.
Gemstone promised herself to get a kick-ass present for Sarah sometime soon. She smiled out at the crowd, steeled herself, and answered. "The comments were about me, as I think we're all aware. I'm in a polyamorous relationship. Jetstream with her cishet worldview immediately assumed I'm cheating on my partners, and therefore labelled me a... sexual deviant. She wasn't provided with this information about my relationships, but I won't stoop to her level and ponder exactly how she found out."
Oh, no, she wouldn't do that, but the reporters would come to their own conclusions, especially after all of the "Peeping Tom" content that had been splashed across the media in the last two days.
"Why didn't you pick one of your partners?" Jimmy called.
"Monogamy? In this economy? I don't think so. Not all of us can marry the world's richest second-gen super, can we?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "As to your actual question: that's none of your business. Some of my relationship needs to be kept private or I'll have to go to therapy two times a week," Gemstone said, grinning.
"Any comments about therapy?"
"What's your mental health like?"
"Do you think other supers have mental health issues?"
"Honestly, it's very likely that every super in the world has mental health issues. If they say otherwise, they probably need to find out things about themselves in their own time. I, for one, can't go up against villains with ray guns and death rays and other world-ending devices and not have a response after the adrenaline's died down. That's all I'll say for now; I'm not going to make blanket assumptions for every super, but I know that therapy with a super-therapist has helped me work through the things I've seen and done, and I recommend it," Gemstone replied, hoping that they wouldn't ask about those things she'd seen and done.
Deciding to continue with her actual speech before they could interrupt, Gemstone smiled once more. "For those of you who remember Maxville's Fashion Week last year, I promised to sell the jewelled heart and rib cage with the proceeds going to charity. As such, an auction will be held at Gemstone's this weekend. Invitations have been sent to those who requested them during MFW already - "
A few people started to text the high-rollers they knew, as well as the gossip and society reporters in their companies to verify her statement. She had a sign right outside of Gemstone's advertising the auction, but these weren't the reporters to follow up on that kind of thing unless it was relevant. Or mentioned in a press conference.
" - and this is an open invitation to the rest of the public who would like to attend. Tickets are available on Gemstone's website and can be purchased at varying rates, depending on what you'd like from the night."
"What about the eyes? They were removed from display at Gemstone's, is that correct?"
"Unfortunately, the gems used to create the eyes were very brittle and didn't mix well with strawberry jam. I will personally be making replicas for this weekend's auction."
A trill of noise came from her phone, and Gemstone looked at the notification, putting on an apologetic expression as she returned her attention to the reporters. "It looks like evil won't wait for my first press conference to be officially over. Thank you for your attention, everyone," she called, running out of the room before they could ask more questions.
Outside, Jewel tugged a power-repressing cuff on, ducked behind a pillar to change into regular clothes, then headed down the stairs to where Grant waited in her car.
"Hey, babe. You did great in there," Grant said, leaning over to kiss her.
Jewel grinned against his lips, pulling away and tugging at her hair nervously. "Was I all right? I tried to steer and deflect without lying, like Eth said, but I don't know how well I did."
"Jewel, you were awesome. You're already a meme."
"Wait, what? How is that a good thing?"
"It's not a bad meme, see?" Grant said, offering his phone.
Jewel saw a photo of Gemstone's eyebrow raised with "in this economy?" written beneath. "Okay, I can deal with that. At least they cropped the photo in a good place."
"All your places are good, babe. Now, since that notification clearly wasn't for a fight, and you've got two hours before your next class, do you want to get lunch?"
"Ooh, food, hell yes. I set an alarm in case I panicked and needed to get out. I didn't panic, but I figured I'd get out anyway."
"Good plan. Also, were the eyes really damaged?"
"Yeah, some kid got jam-filled cupcakes from Ammie's bakery and decided to decorate them with the eyes yesterday. The kid's mother didn't even apologise. Remind me why I went into retail?"
"Because you want people to pay you for making jewellery?" Grant suggested, grinning.
"Besides that. Ooh, that place has the best burritos. Pull over!"
"You're paying for mine, right?"
"In this economy?" Jewel said with a laugh and hopped out of the car.
...
Recess was over far too soon, and Save the Citizen was next. Celia and Celine seemed suspicious of Ryuu and Craig's offer to go against them, but agreed, thinking they'd already fought Craig once and could do so again. This time it was their cockiness that was their downfall.
Once the twins were defeated, Craig and Ry shook Celine and Celia's hands, then Craig called out Will and Magenta as their next opponents, ignoring the low mutters of disappointment from the crowd. It wouldn't last long when Ry beat the shit out of Will.
Every super at Sky High knew that Will had a crush on Ryuu - Will was the least subtle teenager in existence when it came to showing his emotions on his sleeve and face, after all - and it was just as obvious that Ryuu didn't return his feelings. Rumours about what Will had done to get suspended had flown around the school hallways for days, with most concluding it had something to do with Ryuu. This fight could be the culmination of whatever had happened and show exactly what kind of power Ryuu had.
"Again? C'mon, choose someone else in the crowd," Boomer said, apparently just as disappointed as the student population. Craig shook his head in response. "All right, fine. Stronghold, purple kid, on the floor!" he called out. "What are you two planning?" Boomer murmured to himself; he had been an active superhero for longer than most realised and knew when someone was planning something, whether for good or evil.
"We're fighting again? This is ridiculous," Magenta muttered as she headed down the stairs with Will to the arena.
"It's great! We get... uh, practice. It's not like we've fought many villains in Westville, so this helps!" Will said eagerly, pulling on the padded pieces even though he didn't need them.
His only thought was that he'd finally get another chance to be close to Ry. Maybe this was Ry's way of telling him that he wanted to kiss him again? If they both got injured in the fight, he could talk to Ry about repeating that kiss while they were recovering in the nurse's office. Or, even better, Ry could be the one hurt and Will would be the kind hero looking after his classmate. Ry would definitely owe him then, and Will would be gracious enough to accept a kiss as payment.
Magenta didn't look convinced but she still pulled on the protective gear. "Do you have a plan?" she asked, waiting a full ten seconds while her boyfriend spaced. "I've got one."
"You?"
"Yes, me. Sidekicks have Strategy and Battlefield Techniques classes, too, y'know."
Realising that he'd upset his girlfriend - did it really matter when she wouldn't be his girlfriend for much longer? - Will smiled his boyish smile. "What's your plan?" he asked in his most encouraging tone.
If things didn't work out with Ry, he could come back to Magenta. She would be heartbroken if they broke up so she'd definitely come back if he said he'd made a mistake. But until then, he'd be able to kiss Ry and this time he wouldn't run away. He was sure Ry only pushed him away because he was already dating Magenta.
In the stands, Donny shuddered in revulsion at Will's thoughts and dug in his pockets. Wendy looked at him in concern but he shook his head and unlocked his phone.
Donny: whatever your plans are for killing Will, I want in.
Layla: of course, you can all have a say in it
Layla: but what brought that on so suddenly?
Donny: so many reasons and all of them involve him being a giant ball of pus on the face of humanity.
Warren glanced from Layla's phone to Donny in the seat behind him, and noticed he looked vaguely green around the edges. He decided that while he didn't want to know what Will was thinking about, it was definitely a thought that deserved a painful death.
Zach: Eth is recording & your notifications are distracting him so it's your fault if you get shaky cam footage later
Adam: that was a long-ass way to say shut up
Justina: shut up
Justina: but also, I've got ideas for killing him that involve fire ants, scorpions, and deadly spiders!
Lorcan: he's super strong; they won't be able to penetrate his skin.
Justina: no, but they can crawl in his mouth; he's not super strong inside :D
Terrence: that's my new nightmare, thanks.
Zach: shut up already
The buzzer sounded loudly as the game started, everyone looking to the arena immediately.
Will flew straight for the citizen, ripping the rope that held it above the metal teeth, and setting the dummy down on the floor. With that done, he left Magenta by the citizen and flew at Craig and Ry, ignoring the rest of Magenta's plan.
Ry immediately stepped in front of Craig, ignoring his friend's protest, and watched as Will flew straight at him with a fist outstretched. The lamp post that had been knocked over in the previous fight with Celine and Celia was still on the floor, so Ry scooped it up and swung with all of his might. Baseball wasn't exactly a fighting technique, but sword fighting definitely was, so Ry used every ounce of his superpower and willpower to ensure that the post would knock Will out of the park. Or at least the arena.
Will couldn't stop in time but didn't even try to, so certain that he'd be an unstoppable force against a giant stick. Ry watched with a gleeful grin as Will smashed into the post and was flung back at the same speed. Will smashed into the gym barrier, the panels reverberating with the force of his impact, and the protective gear cracking under his back. Ry hoped that Ethan had captured that beautiful arc; he'd watch that loop for hours if he could.
Magenta was guarding the citizen as a human now rather than a guinea pig, and put up her fists bravely as Ryuu approached. Will had ignored her plan for him to stop Craig first, but she would fight and protect the citizen from being killed. "Stop right there, villain!"
"No."
Magenta squared her jaw. She might not have Will's strength or speed, but she'd show everyone that she wasn't a useless sidekick! She could fight and she could win! Magenta threw out a punch which Ry deflected easier than swatting at a fly. She didn't let her disappointment show and instead tried a kick, determined to prove her worth.
Ry realised that Magenta intended on fighting him, and held back a sigh as his plan to beat the shit out of Will was ruined. He couldn't beat the shit out of Magenta, certainly not with her poor stance and weak wrists like that. Ry stepped sideways to avoid her kick and Magenta almost fell over which just showed how off balance she was. Honestly, where was she learning this awful style of fighting?! The answer came almost a moment later as he recognised a series of punches even while deflecting them. "You're learning from Jetstream, right?"
"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"
"She's teaching you her style, not something that suits your height. You need to find something that works for you or else you won't find your balance. I could knock you over with my pinkie finger right now," Ry said with a frown.
"What?" Magenta didn't know if she was offended or not, but at least Ry wasn't paying attention to the citizen, and that meant Will could continue with her plan.
Will blinked his way to consciousness with the last few seconds nothing but a black empty space, and his head pounding from connecting with the gym barrier. Struggling to his feet, Will saw that a fight was occurring by the citizen. He moved forward to help Magenta - she couldn't handle Ry, and besides, Ry was his - but promptly fell over. Laughter from the crowd of students had him turning red, and Will realised that Craig had tied his shoelaces together. It was just like that stupid, disgusting prank that someone had pulled on him and Earthstone the day before, and his cheeks burned in humiliation. Will kicked his shoes off rather than waste time trying to undo the double-knotted laces, and looked around for Craig. He couldn't see him anywhere, so he looked back to Ry and Magenta, just in time to see Magenta land a punch on Ry.
"There, didn't that feel better? Your wrist won't hurt next time you hit a real villain," Ry said with a grin.
"Awesome. So how do I keep balance better when I'm kicking some- "
An evil laugh sounded behind her - dramatic and so over the top that even the Drama Club students rolled their eyes - and Magenta spun around in time to see Craig standing next to the metal teeth, citizen in hand.
"How did you get there?!" Magenta asked.
Craig didn't answer and instead threw the citizen into the gnashing metal teeth head-first, even as Will flew over in a split second to save her. Will grabbed the citizen, wrenching so hard the metal contraption actually whirred in protest, and he flew back sharply.
"We win! I saved the citizen!" Will called out triumphantly, just as the buzzer sounded loudly.
"Villains win!" Boomer called.
Will looked at the citizen in his hands, realising that he had technically saved half of the dummy, but no one could survive without a head. Throwing down the remaining legs and half torso, Will winced when it got caught in the metal teeth and destroyed the rest of the dummy with a loud and obvious crunching sound.
People were looking at him like he'd done it on purpose and Will felt embarrassed all over again. He flew out of the gym before anyone could stop him. Moments later, he awkwardly crept back into the gym to return the damaged gear and collect his shoes.
...
End of the hundred and seventy-ninth chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked it!
