Chapter Text
Niki doesn’t trust people easily. You never know what someone can do with your trust, they can take it and deceive you, which never ends up well in the end. She sure as hell doesn’t give strangers her trust, and she doesn’t plan on doing it anytime soon.
Especially with her job, you can never trust alliances with villains or heroes to go well.
So why could she possibly think of trusting this kid? Niki doesn't give out trust like presents, no, it's something that she rarely gives right away or not at all.
But seeing this kid, too young to be a hero and too young to ever have to have the burden on his shoulders of being a hero, Niki feels it in her gut, the feeling of wrong. She always trusts her gut. She doesn’t understand why, but she trusts this kid, even if she’s just met him, and is still ready to throw him off a building.
She pulls him up from the edge of the tall building, shoving him to the concrete ground. He breathes heavily, catching his breath, his adrenaline levels coming down. She stands in front of him, her steady eyes watching him as he gets up, bruised and battered from their fight. She knows he won't make a move (for now at least), he's got more to lose than she does.
“...Thank you.” he finally says, staring at her for a moment after collecting himself, seeming to want to say more.
“Make sure I made the right choice, Soleil.” she chooses to say, her voice is firm, and he looks uncertain, but nods timidly, getting up.
He turns away, and the young hero leaps off the building to another, probably off to patch himself up or finish his patrol. Niki just hopes she made the right choice, watching his figure fade off in the sea of the night. After all, if he doesn't do the right thing, she'll have to make him regret it. And a kid doesn't deserve her wrath. Losing in a fight he’ll never win.
She lets out a short sigh, adjusts her mask, and gets ready for a few more long hours of patrol.
—
She gets home at four am, and she hurriedly takes off her suit, changing into her pajamas. Practically collapsing into her bed, she sleeps, getting rest before her work in the morning. Or, at least she tries.
“Look, wait, wait, fuck, please don't drop me off this building.” Niki raises an eyebrow. “I don't want to be a hero, okay? It’s not what I want, and I’m planning to leave soon. Just don't drop me off this building, and I promise not to bother you.”
There's a sincere look of fear, and a rooted determination that Niki knows far too well. Maybe that's what makes her decision to pull him up. Or it’s that she doesn’t want to have the death of a kid on her hands, she’s not on her villain arc. Yet.
His words echo in her head, “It’s not what I want” Niki never trusts easily. But the desperation, and raw hope of his voice, and even though he was very obviously terrified, he was still able to convince her. A rare thing, the only person she’s really trusted right away is-
She tosses and turns in bed, the early sunlight now barely peeking through the windows, her thoughts running circles in her head.
It was a quite eventful patrol, especially returning after a six-month hiatus (well, not really, she’s making her official comeback tomorrow). She was expecting some pick-pocketers or something like that, not a new hero kid fresh out of training, trying to take her in. Niki guesses that he hasn’t gotten the informal rules, which one of them is don’t mess with her. She would think the other heroes would at least warn him about her. She might not be a hero, but it sure as hell doesn’t mean that the actual heroes can chase her around for a cat and mouse chase.
Sleep comes to her eventually, soothing her restlessness and dissipating her thoughts running around in her head. More sunlight can be seen from the window and the faint chirping of birds. She dreams of nothing, for once, instead of her usual nightmares.
—
An alarm rings, bright and loud, screaming impatiently. Niki shoots out of her bed, startled from her calm sleep from moments before. For a second, she’s back– an alarm ringing, pulsing through her head, the splatter of blood staining her dark suit, and a shout of pain–
No. No, she’s not there anymore, it’s done, he’s gone. She turns off her alarm rather bitterly, and gets out of bed, getting ready for work. She grabs her bag, a croissant, and walks over to her office building.
It’s a short walk, and she takes the time to take in the springtime, the season newly arrived, bringing flowers and migrating birds with it.
As she approaches the building doors, a hand shoots out from behind her, opening the door to the building, and she chuckles, already knowing who it is.
“You don’t have to open the door for me, Jack.” she walks through the doorway, her footsteps barely making a sound, and Jack following after her.
“Ladies first, and besides, it’s tradition now!” Jack protests, following her to the elevator, his footsteps tapping fairly hurriedly against the floor.
“You know perfectly well I can open a door myself, Jack.” she replies coolly, pressing the elevator button and turning to face him, arms crossed.
“I know Niks.” he smiles sheepishly, and Niki softens for a second, smiling back.
The elevator dings, doors opening up for the two to walk in. Niki presses the two worn-out buttons ‘three’ and ‘four’ and settles back next to the other. He nudges her side gently like a small apology, and she rolls her eyes playfully, nudging him back.
When the elevator arrives at floor three, Niki sighs, waves goodbye to Jack, and walks out of the elevator.
She works at the publications department for DSMP Heroes, and she’s usually the one controlling what goes out to the press and what’s not, along with writing articles.
Niki has the fate of the DSMP Heroes organization in her hands. She lets the wrong thing slip, and they all go down. It’s the only reason why she’s still working at the department, a final backup if something goes wrong on her end. It hasn’t happened yet, but who knows, you can never be so sure.
She walks to her private office, unlocks the door, and closes it behind her. She drops her bag onto her desk and grabs the files, filled with information for articles she has to write for the next few days.
She doesn’t miss the one where she’s included, her and Soleil, and how she let him get away. That file gets tossed to the side, in the pile of files that she is not going to write. Niki doesn’t write about small silly stories, and she sure doesn’t write stories about a new kid hero who doesn’t even want to be a hero.
She sits down at her desk, continuing to look through the files.
- Dolos, Janus, and Actaeon had a successful fight last night, against Kratos and Phanes, wounding one and making the villains retreat.
- Aftermath of Apate’s death, a month later: remembering a hero.
- Pareil was spotted last night after a six-month hiatus. Once again, the question returns, who is Pareil? Are they a hero, a vigilante, or a villain?
The first file seems interesting enough, and she looks at the info, taking in what she needs to write about and how to say it. The public will twist your words easily, there’s no room for poorly written sentences and biased claims, the media will eat you up. Niki’s worked long enough in the media to know that.
–
The first file reads:
Dolus, Janus, and Actaeon [alternatively known as the Dream Team] wounded villain Phanes, leaving the other [Kratos] to flee, carrying the injured villain.
Last night we were informed by the Dream Team of their effective harm to the villain Phanes. His partner Kratos was there and was not harmed, allowing them to escape. Dolus attempted to control Kratos’s actions, but the villain seemed to somehow tune him out.
More quotes and details are down below.
–
Niki starts up her computer and gets ready to write. Looking at the file, she picks out the important info, as well as looking closely at the interviews and quotes. The readers always love quotes or interviews, and she always thinks it’s because they want to be closer to the heroes. According to them, a quote is just the thing. She doesn’t understand the fans of famous heroes, always gasping over their “selfless” feats and incredible powers.
Niki doesn’t think too hard about what she’s writing, she’s written countless articles about the same topic and situation, and to her, it’s really just a routine. She knows what to specifically highlight, what did Dolus say? What were the two villains trying to do this time? It’s all a blur to her, after countless articles about the Dream Team and their miraculous feats. A lot of things don’t impress her these days, especially whatever the Dream Team is up to now.
She doesn’t stop to take a break until a knock on the door interrupts her focus, drawing her eyes away from the computer to her door. Jack stands there, with a wide grin on his face, motioning his head towards the elevator, a sign to get lunch.
Niki sighs, and nods, hastily finishing her sentence and grabbing her bag, joining Jack at her door.
“What’d you write about today?” he asks, as they walk over to the elevator together.
“I got four files today, one I deemed not interesting enough.” Jack shakes his head and smiles, already expecting an answer like that. “But I should be able to send one out by this afternoon, it’s about the Dream Team and the Emeraudes.” they exit the elevator and walk out of the building.
“Huh, the Dream Team back at it again?” Jack teases, knowing that Niki always gets a file on them, even if it’s a minor thing like saving a cat from a tree. They’re the stars of the show, what the organization uses to save their asses when they get a bad reputation for something. She doesn’t think she would be surprised if she ends up getting a full report one day on what they did for a week.
“Jack, you know I get a file about them at least every day.” she deadpans, and he laughs at her obvious distaste at his joke.
They walk to a deli near the work building, ordering food quickly. They decide to eat at the park, sitting on a worn bench and admiring the spring weather. Niki finishes her food quickly, watching kids play soccer and an occasional passerby. Jack on the other hand takes his time, looking up at the trees and around the park, enjoying his BLT sandwich.
He chuckles when a kid gets hit in the face with the soccer ball, and Niki shoots him a look, and he shrugs in response, with a sheepish expression.
“What? It’s funny! You can’t tell me you’ve never been hit in the face with a ball as a kid.” he finishes off his sandwich, taking the last bite and washing it down with his water.
She looks away from him, ignoring his gasp of shock. To be fair, her powers do give her enhanced reflexes, but Jack doesn’t know that. If it’s up to her, he’ll never have to know.
“Niki! How is that even possible?” he exclaims, and she turns back to face him, stifling laughter at his shocked face.
“I just have good reflexes, okay?” she protests, the other’s face still showing disbelief.
Jack shakes his head, and crumples up his wrapper, throwing it towards the trash can and missing, the wrapper landing far off from the trash can.
“There are some things I can’t believe about you, sometimes Niki.” he says picking up his wrapper and tossing it in the trash, as she gets up and throws her trash away as well.
She scoffs lightheartedly, and asks, “Like what?”
“Well for one, you’ve never gotten hit in the face with a ball, which is on the top of the list by the way! And you started learning martial arts at like four years old!” he exclaims, and Niki raises an eyebrow, not convinced.
“Okay, maybe the last one is normal, my parents wanted me to do all these weird hobbies when I was younger too. But how about the fact that you can use nun chucks? That’s a little worrying Niks, how did that even happen?” he elbows her as they walk back to the building, smiling at her.
“I already told you, Jack, my parents just wanted to make sure I could protect myself. I mean, it comes in handy now, sooner or later someone is going to target me for writing for the organization.” Niki replies, tone playful, despite the serious implication.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you Niks, don’t worry.” Jack opens the door to the building, holding it open for her.
She rolls her eyes playfully once again, and steps inside the cool building. Jack follows after her, walking over to the elevator.
“We both know I’d be fine on my own, I have nun chucks, you know?” she says teasingly.
The elevator dings, doors open, and they step inside. This time, Jack presses buttons ‘three’ and ‘four’, settling next to Niki.
“That is true, in fact, you’re probably better off than me! Even Dolus can’t do as well as you can protecting yourself!” he jokes, and she has to stop herself from laughing, she could totally beat Dolus in a fight, Jack is just unaware.
The only thing keeping her from actually doing so is that no one in the media really knows if she’s a hero or a villain or a vigilante. So if she somehow beats Dolus in a fight in public, the media would have an absolute field day. And Niki would have to write more articles and paint herself as a villain, which is something she does not want to do. So yeah, she’d prefer not to. Well, not yet at least.
She gets off at her floor, waving goodbye to Jack as she exits the elevator. She heads towards her office, ready to finish the article.
She drops her bag, sits down in her chair, and starts up her computer. She entertains the thought of defeating Dolus once again, and she’s confident enough in her abilities to know that she would probably win. After all, you don’t win fair flights without being better.
Her computer finally starts up, and she goes back to work. An hour or so passes, the sun shining into her office, illuminating the room. Niki finishes the final touches and edits and sends it off to the publisher.
–
Dream Team Injures a Member of the Emeraudes
Last night, the Dream Team had a run-in with the Emeraudes the notoriously well-known villains, effectively injuring one of the members, Phanes. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring the two in, as the other uninjured villain was able to make a quick getaway, despite Dolus’s attempts to control Kratos.
The Dream Team fought them in an abandoned alleyway late last night, according to Actaeon, who claimed the following, “Yeah, we found them in an abandoned alleyway last night, they looked like they were talking about something important, enough for Kratos not to notice our attack on his partner”. Actaeon later adds that they had injured Kratos enough to keep him out of public view for a while.
“We roughed him up pretty bad, bad enough that we won’t be seeing him for a long time, I’m not even kidding”.
Dolus and Janus later added their own statements, supporting the young hero Actaeon’s claim.
Dolus’s statement is down below.
“Well, we found the two in an alleyway as Sa- Acataeon said, huddled close together. They seemed to be talking about something important, important enough to not notice Janus creating one of his icicle illusions and sending it Phanes’s way. Kratos knew right away, as he always does. I tried to control him using my powers, but he was somehow able to ignore my voice. To be fair, we don’t know the full extent of Kratos’s powers. They were able to escape, but I am confident that Janus was able to injure him enough for us not to see him for a while”.
Janus’s statement is down below.
“As my two partners said before, we found them in an alleyway. I used one of my icicle illusions to harm Phanes. I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but Kratos was able to ignore Dolus’s powers, and escaped with his partner.”
We know the Dream Team was able to injure one of the Emeraudes, who are rarely seen without the other. Does this mean that we will be seeing less of Phanes and more of Kratos, or less of both? It looks like we will have to find out.
Don’t forget to subscribe to get more updates on the Dream Team and the DSMP Heroes!
–
Niki stands up, stretching her arms up into the air, back aching. She takes a sip from her water bottle as well, it being heavy in her hands despite being almost done with the day. She sits back in her chair and grabs her next file to get a head start for the next day of work.
–
The file reads:
Updates on Apate and the city, six months after the stabbing.
Six months after Apate’s tragic death, the city is still grieving. There has been a statue put up in honor of the hero, a day dedicated in memory, and new heroes established [i.e. Soleil] despite the pressure of continuing the legacy of the hero before them.
More details are below.
–
Niki is suddenly hit with a grim memory.
One that she doesn’t think back to often, one that she prefers to not remember. But the world is not kind, so it lingers, never letting her forget. Turns out that she gets more nightmares than dreams these days, her memories running over and over again while she sleeps.
An alarm is ringing. Red highlights the walls, painting the stark white to the color of bright crimson red. She looks over to her left, expecting him to be safe-
A shout pierces the air, sharper and faster than a bullet could ever be.
She shakes the memory off, setting down the file gently. Her fingers are shaking. Sometimes, Niki thinks her job isn’t the best for her, especially when she has to write about the things she’d rather forget and erase from her mind. Her hands clenched into fists, jaw tight, and she can feel the red, she can see it stain her hands, and a promise.
“Promise you’ll watch over him for me Nik, promise me.”
Maybe she should go home. Her hands still shaking, she grabs her bag, quietly opens the door to her office, and exits hurriedly.
No one questions her leaving, and Niki doesn’t know if it’s good or bad that they’re used to her leaving randomly. She reaches out to press the down button of the elevator and hurries inside when it arrives, quickly pressing the lobby button.
She rushes out of the building and hurriedly walks home, this time not stopping to admire the nice weather. Her hands fumble with the keys to the house, hands still shaking and taking an unnecessarily long time to open the worn-out yellow door.
Niki steps into her house, drops her bag on the floor and stands there. She stands there, on the worn-out mat that says ‘welcome home’. She doesn’t know why she thought it was a good idea to come back home, it’s not any better than work.
Her home is filled with him. There’s the couch he sat on, there’s the picture of the two of them, there’s the old sweater he gave her, there-
There he is. There he is in a worn picture frame, arm slung around her shoulder carelessly, his grin wide. And she’s…she’s laughing. It’s captured mid-laugh, and her face is filled with joy she hasn’t seen in a long time. The same familiar yellow sweater of his, and the glasses that he didn’t actually need.
Her cheeks are wet, and tears are falling down her face like a never ending waterfall. She ignores it and closes her eyes, tears clinging to her eyelashes.
Niki tries to do those breathing exercises she found online, but they don’t work, and instead more memories fill her head.
“Nik, did I tell you what Tommy did today?”
“Patrol went great today!”
“Make sure he’s safe.”
Her cheeks are still wet. He’s still not there. But she still is. She can feel her body taking in air and breathing it out. She can see a body, the color of red, and a final breath of acceptance. She does not have acceptance.
Come back. Don’t leave me here alone.
Her cheeks are wet. Eyes open, a stormy grey. They are glassy, and her hands are shaking. Her body is tense, a tree rooted deeply into the ground.
Niki doesn’t know when this all started feeling normal.
–
The air is warm, brushing her face and gently moving her hair in the wind. Niki checks that her mask is secured tightly to her face, the dove feathers tickling her face slightly. She climbs through her open window easily, having done it plenty of times, closing it gently behind her.
She climbs up the wall of her house, pulling herself onto the roof. Leaping off of her roof and onto another, Niki looks around the city for any crime, scanning dark alleyways and the sidewalks that are usually filled with crime.
She hopes that Soleil isn't around for his own sake, she doesn't have it in her to not throw him off a building this time.
Her eyes catch sight of a man trying to rob a woman’s purse, on the sidewalk and Niki decides to intervene. She leaps off of the building she’s currently on and lands right in front of the man.
“Huh? Where the fuck did you come from? You better not be one of those weird superheroes!” he shouts, obviously drunk, his breath the bitter stench of alcohol.
He moves menacingly toward her, while Niki says nothing, and simply shoves her elbow into his stomach, catching the bag as he lets go of it and doubles over, gasping in pain.
“Here you go ma’am, get home safely.” she hands the woman her bag, and she takes it and hurries away, probably trying to get as far away from the sketchy neighborhood as possible.
Niki sighs, and quickly ties up the man with zip ties for the police to find later when they do their daily patrol in the morning. What? She's on a budget, being a vigilante is pushing it, medical care supplies cost way more than they should.
She turns around to climb up the building once again when a voice interrupts her coming from behind her.
“That was quite a move there, Pareil.”
Niki freezes. She turns around slowly, to face the hero.
“Dolus.” she nods at him.
“Pareil.” he responds, voice neutral.
She knows better than that.
“What have you come to tell me?” she asks, her voice expressionless but cautious.
“I’m just here to warn you, be careful with what you involve yourself with, we don’t want another situation like six months ago.” he cocks his head, and once again, a bad memory floods her brain.
–
Dolus approaches a figure, slumped over a body laid out on the concrete floor. As he gets closer, he notices the concrete floor is stained red. The figure is wearing dark blue, obviously wearing some sort of suit, and looks roughed up.
“Did you do this?” the hero asks cautiously, ready for a fight.
The figure shoots up and slowly turns around. Dolus shows no surprise at who it is.
“Oh, Niki. What happened?” he approaches her, her suit clearly stained in blood.
“I…” Her voice trails off, and her body is trembling.
He moves closer, and she flinches, just the tiniest bit.
“Look Niks, I don’t know what happened, but you have to get out of here before they come. They’ll blame it on you. I can tell them you tried to stop the bleeding, I know you tried to stop it.”
“Someone- some fucker stabbed him. I- I couldn’t help him, there were people everywhere, I was just trying to protect him-” her voice breaks.
“I know Niks. But leave now, we can talk more later. I don’t need you going to jail too.”
She nods, casting a final look behind her to the lifeless body, the blood pooling around his abdomen.
“Goodbye, Will.” she whispers and runs off into the night, blood staining her hands, blood staining her suit.
Dolus watches her run off into the dark blue night. He hears hurried footsteps from behind him, and he whips around, his body tensing up.
It’s just Janus. He lets out a sigh of relief, shoulders loosening.
“Dre-Dolus…what the hell happened?” Janus exclaims, staring at the body lying at the ground.
“Someone stabbed him. Pareil was with him and tried to stop the bleeding. They couldn’t stop the bleeding though, people were attacking everywhere.”
Janus stares behind him, not saying anything. Dolus doesn’t turn around, staring at Janus through his mask.
“Dream-” he starts to say.
“I know George, I know.”
–
“...I know, Dolus.” she replies, voice tinged with sadness and bitterness.
“I know you miss him. I do too. But I don't want you getting hurt again, alright? Stay safe.” his voice is laced with honesty, and she can almost hear a splash of fear.
“I’ll be fine, Dream. It’s time I get over it anyways.” her voice is bitter.
Her fists clench, and her body automatically tenses at the thought of that night. A wave of calm washes over her immediately after, and she shakes her head, trying to fight it off and watching the hero as he stands motionless in front of her, posture relaxed.
“Don't do that bullshit on me, Dream. You know my powers, and I don’t feel like fighting you right now.” she snaps, pissed at the hero.
The moon illuminates the two, shining onto the deserted sidewalk. Dolus’s mask is shown in the light of the moon, a crudely drawn smile that Niki’s always found funny, even if others have not (often his enemies.).
The hero’s posture slumps and Niki knows he feels bad, he’s always hated his powers, even after using them for good, she knows he’s never felt like he was able to shake off his past.
“I’m sorry. It’s kind of a reflex, you know? But Niks, I just want you to be careful, okay? Do it for me, at least.” his voice is sincere, and she sighs, and her body relaxes a tiny bit, seeming to make the hero more relaxed as well.
“I know Dream, I will be. I promise.” she replies firmly, and he straightens up once again, checking his watch.
“I gotta go, but I’ll hold you to that. Bye Niks.”
With that, the hero leaves Niki on the sidewalk, climbing up the building he previously leaped off of.
The rest of the patrol is relatively normal, not running into any big villains, although she’s relatively sure she saw one of the new villains Hypnos running around the city. She’ll let him have his fun for now until he starts getting any bad ideas, like taking over the world, then she’ll have to step in. She has no need for even more big-headed villains, their egos are big enough by being a villain.
–
Six Months after Apate’s Death, How is Our City Coping?
Six months ago, the widely known and loved hero Apate was stabbed at an [redacted] area. Unfortunately, he did not make it out alive, bleeding out at the location, despite the well-known vigilante Pareil’s attempts to stop the wound from bleeding out. We were told he died on the field for a good cause, for the better of our city. If only he could see how much we’ve grown as a city since he’s been gone.
The past few months have been difficult for all of us, as a city. We all have grieved in different ways, some simply remembering the late hero, and some lashing out at the DSMP Heroes organization, despite their utmost care for our city. One thing that is certain is that we all miss the late hero.
One of the most notable things established in honor of the late hero is the statue of Apate near the historical landmark, The L’manburg Crater, as well as a day dedicated to the hero on September 14th, his birthday, coming up in a few months.
Along with several changes to the city architecturally dedicated to Apate, we have met some new heroes. One of our new heroes is Soleil, who is becoming widely loved by our city. He is often seen swinging from building to building, using vines.
Unfortunately, with new heroes comes new enemies. A new (minor) villain is on the rise, one who goes by the name Hypnos. Not much has been gathered of his powers, but it is known that he has the ability to disintegrate any non-living object, according to Soleil, when asked about his first run-in with the villain. The young hero stated, “Yeah I don’t f*****’ know man, he just ambushed me and when I tried throwing a rock at him, it completely f*****’ melted away, odd s*** man”.
The new hero seems to be doing well for being on the younger side of heroes, and we hope for him to be able to carry on the legacy that was Apate.
Don’t forget to subscribe to get more updates on the DSMP Heroes!
–
File on Pareil:
[unknown] Pareil was seen last night on patrol once again after a six-month hiatus. Info that we have gathered on them down below.
Pareil is a [unknown] who has been seen around and about the city for about a year now. Last night was the first time they were spotted after a six-month hiatus.
Known powers:
- Fast reflexes, potentially enhanced
- Gains the same power as their opponent while fighting, evening out the fight
- Enhanced sight and hearing
More details are below.
–
“Niki! I haven’t seen you in like fuckin’ weeks, come in!” Tommy grins, standing in his doorway.
Niki steps into the familiar home, following Tommy into the living room. She settles herself on the couch as usual, as the other rushes into the kitchen, probably to get water. Or to save whatever is making the burning stench in the air. She chuckles, he’s never been a good cook. Just like his brother.
She waits patiently on the couch, looking around the living room to see if anything’s changed. There are still pictures of the two brothers, and occasionally some of Niki with them as well.
There’s a burning feeling in her throat, but she pushes it down. She can’t break down now, not in front of Tommy. He’s the only person that she can be strong for and will be strong for (she does it for Wilbur).
Tommy rushes out of the kitchen, holding two glasses of water and wearing a sheepish smile. He hands one to Niki and sits in a chair beside the couch, turning his body to face her.
“Did you burn something again?” she teases, and he flushes a bright red, opening his mouth to defend himself.
“Fuck you! I’m shit at cooking, and you know that!” he shouts.
“I do, judging from the burning smell. I still don't understand how you and Will survived so long with you both being terrible at cooking.” she chuckles sadly.
“Yeah, I don’t even fuckin’ know.” he looks down at his lap, trying to hide his sad smile.
Niki hates how it’s become a thing she’s used to seeing. She remembers Tommy. The real Tommy. The kid who would follow his brother to the end of the world, the kid who could never be seen without a smile stretching across his face. The kid who was happy. God, she misses him as much as she misses Will.
“So, how have you been?” she interrupts the silence, and he lifts his head to look at her.
“Well uh, I finally got a fuckin’ job, at this cafe near here. The owner is really nice, and she knows about…what happened.” he tries to smile, but she knows better than that.
“Tommy- you know it's okay to be sad. You don't have to bottle it up-”
“I know! I know Niki, I really do. But I have to move on, it's what he would've wanted, and it's the same for you. It's okay to be sad, but it's okay to move on too.” Tommy cuts her off, staring pointedly at her.
“I’m trying Tommy, I really am. I just…” I could’ve stopped him from getting hurt , “I miss him. He shouldn’t have died.” I should've been in his place .
“Niki, he’s gone! He’s fuckin’ dead, and he left us, and- I couldn't save him. I could’ve told him to stay, help me with my homework or something, fuckin’ anything!” his voice breaks, and his hands clench tightly in his lap.
“Tommy, it’s not your fault. I’m sure Will would’ve gone anyways…he was always so stubborn, he wouldn’t have listened to any of us.” she says.
“Nik-” he looks up, eyes the palest color of blue. Where did the bright blue go?
“No. We both couldn’t have done anything to save him.” liar, you could’ve saved him.
Tommy’s body relaxes reluctantly, letting his fists lose in a wilted way, a flower finally letting its petals fall. Niki hates how his petals have been gone for a long time, torn off by the wind and the harsh rain. He nods, looking at her, and she nods back.
They sit there, in the silence that was once filled by another. The phantom touches, a hug, a ruffle in the hair, an arm slung around a shoulder. He’s alive, but only in the memories. If only they could remember all of them.
–
Vigilante Pareil seen Once Again after Six Month-Hiatus
Last night, the vigilante Pareil was seen around and about fighting crime, after a long six-month hiatus away from the action. Witnesses report that the vigilante stopped a man from stealing a lady’s bag, and soon after was welcomed back by the hero, Dolus.
In case you do not know of the vigilante, they were first spotted about a year ago, disarming a man with a gun trying to rob a grocery store. From then on, we have seen them stopping crime, and even seeming to get along with the heroes, a rare occurrence for the local vigilantes, who often are found being chased by heroes.
Unfortunately, six months ago, shortly after the death of the famous hero Apate, they went on a hiatus due to unknown reasons.
We wonder, who truly is Pareil? What is their motive, and why did they decide to become a vigilante? We have not been able to get a proper interview, but many think that it is because the heroes are not always able to stop all the crime around the city. Despite not knowing much about the vigilante, it is certain that Pareil has captured the city’s heart.
As glad as we are to see the famous vigilante back on track, we wonder, are they truly a vigilante? Could they be an upcoming hero or even a villain? We have seen them doing truly heroic acts in the past, but how can we be so sure that they won’t turn their back on us?
All we can do is hope that this fan-favorite vigilante doesn’t turn on us, and continues saving our city from crime.
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Location: [unknown]
“Phil, how do we even know this will work?”
“It will work. It has to.”
A crumpled piece of paper, and messy handwriting, obviously hurriedly written.
He has a book that revives people. - Hypnos
“Where could he have even gotten the book? And how does the kid even know about it?”
“I don’t know Tech, I don’t. But it’s the only chance we have.”
Blood red eyes bore into determined emerald green ones.
“Fine. But if this goes wrong, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”