Chapter Text
Wilbur, as usual, got up early and was already preparing breakfast for himself and his younger brother. At the age of sixteen, he already knew how to cook well, because their father was often absent because of his work. This time Phil was missing especially for a long time - he wasn’t at home for almost a week. Wilbur didn't pay much attention to it at first, once his father didn't come home for almost a month. However, Phil usually tried to call and send products through couriers. He was always extra careful when it came to his work, even he always called from different numbers. But in any case, the children were never angry at him for this, because they knew who their father really was. They saw him almost every day on the evening news. One of the strongest superheroes of L'Manberg - Angel of Death - gave his all to protect the city and always emerged victorious from the battle with the villains. It was even rumored that the Goddess herself favored him.
But for Wilbur and Tommy, he was first and foremost a caring father who never really left his children.
Wilbur realized Phil wasn't coming back when he found a stack of cash tucked away in the far corner of the kitchen cabinet the next day. At first he pushed the thought away from himself: "It must be just a stash for a rainy day, I have to tell him not to leave the money in such an unreliable place, otherwise Tommy will waste it all"
There was a note with a short message next to it:
"I'm not coming back, this money should be enough. Don't look for me."
There were spots of dried tears on the paper. Soon fresh ones were added to them. The boy clutched the note in his hands, not believing what he had written. The father couldn't leave them, he couldn't abandon them, he always comes back, he will definitely call and say his usual "hello, boys." Wilbur rushed to the phone. He clutched it with shaking hands for an hour, tears streaming down his face. The boy was waiting for the call, which never sounded.
Realizing what had happened, the boy fell into apathy. In the mornings, he still put on a smile and accompanied his brother to school, but he did not appear in it for a whole week himself. He spent days lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. The boy was trying to figure out what to do next, but the clarity of his thoughts was constantly hampered by approaching tears.
However, Wilbur had to pull himself together, he had to take care of Tommy, he had to tell him everything.
One evening, as usual, the boys were watching TV, some kind of documentary about animals. The younger one especially loved them, they always helped him fall asleep. The program was abruptly interrupted for a news release. "The supervillains Dream and 404 were spotted in the Snowchester area. Angel, Blade and Guardian were sent to the place. We ask all residents to stay in their homes until they receive new instructions."
Tommy sighed wistfully - father is working again. When he finally returns? I so want to show him Henry, whom you gave me.
Wilbur knew he would have to talk to Tommy about it. He even bought this stuffed cow on purpose so that it would be easier for his brother to calm down when he understands everything.
- Tommy - Will started by turning off the TV - you know... He paused for a long minute, trying to find words, even though he had been thinking about this conversation for two weeks - I don't think he's coming back, Tommy.
- What?- young looked at him in bewilderment - Wilbur, he always comes back, he just lingers, it's all Dream Team's fault.
- I found a note and money in the closet two weeks ago. He apparently decided that we were old enough to live on our own, and abandoned us! - The elder's voice trembled on the last sentence.
- But dad couldn't leave us! - tears welled up in the blond's eyes - he would never do that!
- Tommy - Will hugged him to himself - now it's just you and me, Tommy...
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Wilbur had set aside most of the college money for himself and Tommy, or at least for Tommy. He got a job as an employee in a burger joint, but working part-time because of his studies, he could not earn much. Will was terribly tired, he was also completely taken care of by his brother. Even though Tommy was already twelve years old, he still needed it. The elder took him to school every day, cooked and tried to keep him in a good mood. Although he himself was absolutely depressed. Their father abandoned them, there is barely enough money, and by winter you need to buy warm clothes. Wilbur cried in his room every night. The boy simply did not understand why they did this to him, he did not know what to do and how to live on. Every day he recognized himself less and less in the mirror. He looked like a ghost -pale skin, circles under his eyes, hands trembling with fatigue. The guitar he loved to play was dusty in the corner.
The brown-haired man understood that they would not last long like this. He could not take out of the money he had saved if he wanted at least Tommy to have a future, and he decided to take a chance, since not only his father in their family had superpowers.
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It was not safe at night in some parts of the city. And now a robbery was taking place in one of the alleys of Logstedshire. The criminal looked rather ridiculous - he was obviously wearing a homemade mask, a dark raincoat that did not fit and a yellow sweater that completely ruined the image of a formidable bandit. However, the victim was not having fun at all, for some reason the person could not resist the robber's voice.
- Stay where you are!- the criminal came out of the shadows and approached the man. Victim froze, unable to move. Cold sweat poured down his back.
- Give me your wallet!
The poor guy's hands moved by themselves, as if he was a doll on strings. After receiving the loot, the bandit grinned. The man was already preparing for death, his heart was pounding wildly in his ears.
- Now go away and don't look back!
Wilbur returned home with a full package of groceries and, after making sure that Tommy was asleep, locked himself in his room. His heart was still beating uncontrollably in his chest, and his legs were shaking. But he didn't feel bad, on the contrary it was the best day in recent months. The events of the robbery were still replaying in his head.
- Stay where you are. Give me your wallet - the teenager whispered, looking at the ceiling and smiling broadly.
For the first time he felt really strong, for the first time the power over the situation was in his hands. The emptiness in his soul seemed to disappear for a moment. At last it seemed to mean something.
Wilbur fiddled with his mask. It was made of thick cardboard and wrapped in a black cloth. The mask hid only the upper half of the face, as the guy decided not to close his mouth, so as not to interfere with his not yet fully strengthened ability to work.
Usually, the power were manifested before the age of fourteen, but in Wilbur it woke up at sixteen. He didn't even notice her at first, until one day he and Tommy were accosted by a drunk man on the street. Wilbur, in a fit of panic, shouted loudly at him: "Stay away!". And surprisingly, the man really fell behind. Tommy decided that the older one had scared him with his determination, but Wilbur felt a strange burning sensation in his throat as he uttered the phrase. He was waiting for his father to talk to him about it, but he never came. Wilbur pushed the thought of him away, focusing his mind on his mask.
- Well, we still need to work on the presentation.
The guy's crimes became more and more audacious. He no longer limited himself to robberies, sometimes just mocking his victims using his voice. Wilbur found his outlet in this, time after time he vented his anger at his father on the unfortunate, but it never seemed to end. He longed for more, he longed for destruction, he wanted to see how the city that Angel had exchanged them for was burning.
But coming home every day, spending time with his brother, Wilbur began to doubt his actions. The days they spent together filled his soul with happines. The brothers laughed and had fun, arranged pillow fights. Will sometimes taught Tommy how to cook, and every night they watched some movies or favorite documentaries about animals together. At these moments, Will realized that his actions were disgusting, that he was a monster. He tried to quit the crimes several times, but every time the news about Angel was broadcast on TV, anger flared up in him again. Every time he passed by an empty room, he remembered that they're alone in the cruel world.
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Will planted a bomb in the kitchen of a small bakery. He was pacing around the empty room. The brown-haired doubted his decision.
A few hours ago, when he got home, he found Tommy watching TV. Angel was giving an interview. The journalist congratulated the hero on the capture Demon leader of the Eggpire sect.
- Please tell our TV channel how did you do that?
The hero shone in the glare of flashbulbs. A crowd of people on the street chanted his name. Reporters were almost fighting among themselves for the opportunity to ask a question.
- To tell the truth, it's not really my merit, it's all Blade, I just helped a little. He had already dealt with almost half of the villains when I arrived. - This recognition clearly did not diminish the role of the hero in the eyes of the public. People kept shouting praises. The hero regularly waved them back.
- Now that the Eggpire is no longer threatening the city, what will you do? - the journalist pressed with questions. The microphone almost crashed into his mask.
- The threat of Dream Team has not been eliminated yet, and for me there is nothing more important than the safety of the city. - Angel emphasized the last phrase.
Wilbur barely restrained himself from smashing the TV. He snatched the remote control from Tommy's hands and turned off the news, threw it into the wall. Pieces of plastic fell to the floor with a crash. The wall clock ticked unbearably loud in the silence that hung.
The younger one got up from the sofa and gently hugged the older one. He wanted to support Wilbur, although it rather helped Tommy calm down himself. The boy did not lose hope of seeing his father again, but this report seemed to open his eyes. A lump stuck in his throat, and his eyes stung.
They stood in silence for a few minutes. Wilbur was gently stroking his brother's back.
- Do you want some hot chocolate?- the elder asked.
Tommy nodded. The two of them spent the rest of the evening chatting on abstract topics. The younger one talked about spiders, and the older one about fish, but despite all their efforts, there was tension in the air. They both understood that they were only trying to disguise the cloud hanging in the room, but neither of them knew what to do with it.
Wilbur distracted Tommy until almost midnight before he finally fell asleep. The child's sleep was restless because of all the worries. Wilbur also had a hurricane raging in his soul, but he knew how to cope with it.
He walked back and forth on the tiled floor of the bakery. His footsteps echoed in the empty room. Wilbur nervously twisted the detonator in his hands. The bomb was small and located in the kitchen, so being in the area for buyers, he would not have been hurt. In truth, no one except the building will suffer from this explosion, but the guy did not want it. He wanted to see at least a small piece of this damned city burn. But something in his soul stopped him, something told him to leave, go home, go to bed, and make chocolate pancakes for Tommy in the morning.
There was the sound of footsteps behind Wilbur.
- What are you doing? - the voice of all the heroes was distorted by a special device, but it was not difficult for Will to recognize his father.
Angel was standing at the door of the bakery casually leaning against the wall, his black wings were folded behind his back, an emerald pendant hung from his hat. The signature raven mask stared at Wilbur. The teenager froze, his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, thoughts tangled in his head with such force that he was unable to pull out at least one of them.
- I asked what are you doing at such a time and in such an outfit?
The hero noticed the detonator in the guy's hand. Angel took a step towards him.
- Stay where you are! - Will shouted, putting so much force into the words in a panic that his throat hurt.
The hero froze. His legs wouldn't obey him anymore. A slight shiver ran down his spine. The guy looked no more than seventeen, and he already had such a powerful ability. The hero should be careful. Angel raised his hands, indicating that he did not want to cause harm.
- Listen, boy, I do not know what happened to you, but you should not imitate Flame in his desire to destroy everything. Give me the detonator, and I promise you'll get off with a warning
"Boy"-his father didn't recognize him, Will realized. For a second he felt incredibly sad because of this, but immediately anger began to play in him with a new force.
- It's not for you to tell me what to do, Angel!- Wilbur put as much hate into this appeal as he could.
- Listen, - the hero continued, trying to keep his voice even, although it was not easy for him to see such a young guy led astray. He was obliged to help the boy figure everything out and not let him go any further - crimes are not an option, harming others will not fix your problems. Let me take you to your parents, I promise you'll be safe.
The mention of his parents made Wilbur grin, despite the fact that his eyes stung.
- I don't have any parents anymore, it's over...
- I can help you!- Angel stretched out his hands in a friendly gesture - I will take you to the tower, they will take care of you there.
It was so hypocritical of the hero to promise to take care of the child he abandoned. Offer support that will eventually not be there. To give at least a grain of hope to someone who has lost it. Unexpectedly for himself, the teenager realized that nothing was holding him back anymore.
Wilbur smiled and saluted, a tear rolling down his cheek - It was never meant to be.
The explosion thundered in the kitchen, knocking out the windows and knocking Angel off his feet. The hero covered himself with his hands and wings from the fragments. When he looked around the room again, the guy was nowhere to be found.
Four years later, the supervillain Siren had more than a few dozen explosions on his account.