Chapter Text
Hero headquarters.
It's huge, tall, and built simply for the purpose of meetings for the heroes. On the upper side of Pandora, mainly because the other side, Yggdrasil, is practically filled to the brim with villains. It makes sense for the hero headquarters to be placed in Pandora. Since Yggdrasil is overrun with criminal activity and illegal business.
Way too many to fight.
And that might just be a problem.
But anyways, the said hero headquarters is where you could find Saparata, otherwise known as Truce. A well known hero, most notable for his kindness towards heroes, villains, vigilantes, civilians. Hence the name. Said hero, was also Fluixon's partner.
The two of them were often a pair. Even when he was technically under Luminara's team, and Saps mostly worked for whoever, they were paired together a bunch. It was fine, he liked Saps just fine. Even with their usual banter and tease, they worked together well. His fists curled up, he went in the room despite the thought of the normalcy they built wrecked.
"Hey, Saps." He greeted, smiling.
The white-haired hero turned around, eyes lightening once he realized who it was. "Oh, hey! You made it!" He beamed at him. "So," He started with, taking a look at the holographic map of the city of Pandora. "What's in store for us today?" Flux asks his partner. "Glad you asked," Saparata swings over to the shelf, quickly taking one of the files off of a middle shelf. Placing it on the table, laying it all for Fluixon to see.
"Hm. Another one of the Emperor's hideouts found?"
The Emperor. Honestly, the guy's insane. Like a lot of the villains around here. With all the money he manages to steal from poor suckers, he ends up making fighting rings in order to scam more people out there. And if they can't provide either loyalty (fighting for him when said fighting rings are found) or more money, then they get sent into the 'Colosseum' as he likes to call them. As well as the hatred he has for Sitzkrieg, one of the members of Common Wealth.
He gathered all the info, eyes darting around the papers. Sightings of people with criminal charges walking in, loud noise around the area, and problems with the plumbing. Flux has no clue why that part is evidence— but it is nonetheless.
"Yep..." Saps responded with.
"Well, I mean, at the very least we aren't dealing with Scorch's lava floods. Those.. are basically from the pits of hell."
Flux chuckled lightly, hearing slander at his sister's name.
It was all in good fun, of course. It's not like he hated her. Quite the opposite. But Saps didn't know that. And he didn't have to know that. He could just stay the same as he is now. She is very creative with her flood though. Part of her power, specific control over Lava.
"Alright so then, the same thing we always do?" He glanced up at Saps for agreement. "Yeah, guess so, unless you have something else planned..?" He tiled his head. "Maybe I do." He replied mysteriously. "Maybe I don't." Saps groaned, slapping his hands onto his face. "You know what, kicking down the door and beating the emperor's goons to bits seems more fun." He insists, pulling Flux down the hall.
"No problem from the start, you know."
"I just don't want to make a nuke." Saps asserts. "..again." He adds.
Perhaps using an orbital strike cannon wasn't very heroic, but that mission was tough. And Jophiel, the 'responsible' one, literally helped them make it!
Flux shakes his head. "No.. that won't do anymore. Remember when we did that last time?" Flashes of the concrete marked by dynamite still haunt his sleep schedule. "Gamble practically teleported to get the orbital strike cannon. And he doesn't even live here! He lives in Capital city!" Saps gently lets go of Flux's wrist, throwing his arms out.
Gamble, a villain all the way from Capital city, a huge nuisance, especially if you see him with Fabricator? Horrid. Flux is relieved the man chose to terrorize Capital city instead of Pandora.
"He was literally.. wait.. how far—?"
"5 hours by plane. So he might've used a considerable amount of rockets." He finished. "Seriously man, that guy has an issue." Saps grumbled.
"Nothing we can do about it."
"Yeah." Saps nods. "I'd like to stick to our city's villains."
"But our villains still suck." Flux said, catching up, to stay by Saps' side. "They're villains." Saps deadpanned. "They're gonna suck.. But I mean that the villains of Capital city suck harder." He clarified. Flux started snickering at the innuendo Saps made without meaning to.
Saps stopped.
He must've realized what he said.
"I didn't mean it in that way!"
"Right, right." He bit back another laugh. "You don't, yep, definitely not."
"You're so immature."
"Like you aren't?"
Once out of the headquarters building, Flux cut the banter short, hopping off the high ledge shortly after Saps.
It's not an uncommon experience for those who have superpowers to just jump off high places. Since physical ability is boosted because superpowers need a stable body in order to manifest. Of course being able to lift a few more pounds wouldn't help you when landing straight for concrete, but most superpowers can soften the fall in some way.
In his case, he has Terrakinesis, Geokinesis, whatever you want to call it. Basically, he can morph stone. Like in that one show.
Although his power is mostly used as defense, he likes to be creative with it, making the earth around him sharp, cutting, not stable or crushing. It's unexpected, and that's why it works so well. Not that he really ever gets to use his powers like that, Zero would never let him do that. The only person who he can joke around like that is Saps.
Saps is a weird one, it took him a long time to even figure out he had powers. Mostly because his power is obscure, and doesn't even have a name for it.
Think of photosynthesis, the process of plants turning sunlight into energy in order to make food for itself. Saps is kind of like that. He can't just make food out of nowhere. But what he can do, is use the energy he gets from the sun into little bursts of force. Like a tiny spark, that almost looks like nothing.
Sure, it's a weird phenomenon, but it's not even the way Saps is supposed to use his powers.
If he were to use his powers like intended, he'd be a healer. Using the energy he has from the sun and finding a way to apply it to give more energy to an injured person. But due to his amazing combat skills, and the creative way he applies his powers, he's been able to make it up the ranks.
As of now, Saps is exploding through the air, with a force that almost looks like nothing. Flux is moving forward with a chunk of the earth beneath him.
People with superpowers are easy to spot. The ones who don't work for some sort of hero agency are either one, working alone, a vigilante, two, working against them, a villain. Or three, they haven't figured out they have powers yet, in other words, a child.
While they traversed through the city above, the further the went into the back of the city, the more gloomy it became.
"Jeez.. coming here never gets any old." Saps commented.
The once sleek and pristine buildings became more rugged, wet, cracked. You could probably find a dead cat on the side of the road. Or a drunkard. The chances are basically the same. No one other than the monopolies controlling the city lived there. At least willingly. There's practically no order in the area. No rent to pay, so the really desperate people go here. Even when there's way higher chances of injury, death, uncomfortable conditions, and that's just surface observations.
"It's so.. overrun."
And that part was certainly true.
Villains like the Emperor, Scorch, Safe Haven, the Dictator, and maybe even Lingulini, they run this place, as tyrants of power. But Flux doesn't know if Lingulini counts, since he's technically actually a mafia boss, and doesn't really hide his identity.
He does crime, and that's all that matters really.
The story of how he, and his sister, Cynikka ended up on different sides of the city, is one for another time.
"Is this the spot?"
"Yup.." Saps said, more like a whine than affirmation.
"Well," He rolled the sleeves of his long black coat up. "Let's get this over with." He set aside the rock he used to get here, placing it on the side for later.
Saps dropped down quickly, doing an extra flip just for the stake of it. "Movie night after this?" He asks. "If we get home before 10." Saps does his cute little cheer, his small ponytail at the back of his head bouncing along with him. It was stupid, but it was his kind of stupid.
Flux stepped forward first, the sharp stone in hand, almost like drip stone.
He tried the knob first, of both doors, okay, it was locked. They didn't totally suck at the one job they had. Flux raised the drip stone in his hand, with one sturdy hit, the doors were.. destroyed. Leaving a crack where the gap between the two doors used to be. He stared at it for about a second, before using the gap to open it fully.
"After you." He did a small bow.
"Wow, thanks, prince charming." Saps remarked, entering. Flux rolled his eyes, but followed.
Their footsteps were quiet, practiced, mostly because this is the third base they're found that belonged to the Emperor. It's actually not too hard to go unnoticed by a bunch of drunks in a room. The only people who aren't drunk are the people being forced to fight to death. So Flux believes they aren't too focused on two extra people entering.
As always, the entrance is pitch black. However, the stone wall can guide you down, that's what some old man told Saps once, it works, surprisingly.
Once you follow the walls enough, the place begins to be lit up by rather old-fashioned torches. It's a vibe thing, he guesses. The cheers from the crowds are often loud. And when two guards are placed, right before the access to see the fight.
"Hey, they have the same aesthetic as you do, Saps." He observed. Looking Saps up and down. He had the same Greek kind of look, and this was a Colosseum. Most of his outfit was based on what Greek warriors used to wear, now, Flux doesn't know why, but that's just where the inspiration is from. Other than the sun motif on his cape draping over the right side, nothing about his outfit is really symbolic.
Not like he has room to talk, he's wearing something completely purple and black. That doesn't often remind people of stone. But he does look fancy, very deserving of his hero title, Architect. Comes from the fact he never really fights during fights. Not as up front as Saps is at least.
"Thanks...?" Saps settled on saying.
"If you aren't here to pay, you aren't allowed to enter." One of the guards grunted. Okay, so they weren't very quiet, and they failed at avoiding (probably) old drunkards.
Saps and Flux looked at each other.
The two guards held their spears, blocking the doors (that's sort of inefficient, and enough reason to believe they likely don't have any powers)
In one swift motive, and the flick of his hand, two blocks of stone emerged from the sides, pushing the two guards to bump into each other. After the sudden attack, the two of them sunk onto the ground, the spears dropped with a clink.
"That was easy."
"This isn't really supposed to be hard."
"You're just jealous at my skill."
He scoffed. "I could probably do that!" He huffed. "All you have is a sword and the abilities of a plant." Flux argued. "Literally."
"You—! Urgh.. nevermind, we don't have time for this."
Saps shot him a glance before holding onto the handle. Flux just held the usual smirk on his face. Saps clearly wanted to punch him in the face for it some times, perhaps it's just part of their chemistry.
The cheering crowd settled down when the two of them entered. He hoped it was because these dimwits would at the very least know the two of them. But it was likely because the two very muscular guards were unconscious on the floor. The fight paused, the person sitting at the top, was not the emperor. He doesn't visit these places at all, and Flux knows that. "Another useless one." He sighed, molding the rock he found on the ground. Sharp, almost like a lance, the weapon for jousting.
"Well... at least we'll get home early?" Saps guessed, uncovering his sword.
"Disarm then clean up crew?"
"You know it."
All at once, the guards started charging, Flux easily stopped their attacks, they were predictable. They were all trained by the same people, he'd assume, so all he needed to do was learn that fighting style. Even if it wasn't the Emperor teaching them, it didn't matter. It was like stopping a child from running off.
Although with a child, you'd usually be more careful.
Not throwing them all over the place like rag dolls. He shoots off one into where the crowd is, scurrying away from the passed out guard. Saps has a strict no-kill policy, not that Flux believes in it, he just doesn't want to deal with a depressed Saps. It's fun showing off, and Saps is amused, so it all works out. Saps glares at him, a warning. He shrugs, and one of the guards try to use that as an opportunity to best him, he breaks their nose. (Maybe on purpose, maybe by accident)
It's funny how they believe they have a chance with numbers.
He yawns. It's the same as always.
Saps on the other hand, his fighting style is fluid, it has huge bursts of energy out of nowhere, mainly from his power. Where he just charges, other times he just flows through. Making it unknown whether he'll pursue you into a corner, or knock you out right there and then. Either way, his strikes are strong, they pierce, and they go through. He never jabs deep enough to cause life-threatening injuries though
That's just the kind of person Saps is.
He has fun with fighting, he's alive, that's what makes him nice to be around.
Around.
Yeah.
He can hear the footsteps of a guard behind him. It's shaky. Uneven. Unstable. Easy to take down. Clearly with the last spurts of energy this guy has left. Flux uses the sharp stone, holding it to one of the guards' neck. Dragging it across, picking at their skin, a smudge of blood dripping out. He holds them in place as they try to back away.
It's not like him to want to act directly.
Nothing personal against this guard, he hasn't even met the dude. He's just.. not feeling it. The guard started crying as he narrowed down his eyes at him. Saps notices, kicks down a guard without any thought, he hears the impact. He just doesn't care.
"Woah! Woah! Flux, no kill!" Saps yells. He takes a deep breath in. Withdrawing the weapon back, using his free hand to push the guard back.
He could hear them shudder. He can hear them scared. Flux continues his style as before, staying away at a safe distance. Why bring himself closer when this is safer? The guards curse in frustration, a few of them choose to hide in between the people who were watching. Less attention, and perhaps less blame.
"Hell yeah man!"
Saps cheered, as he knocked out the last enemy. "Ugh, I don't know why you're cheering, when this is clearly just another dunce base." Flux mutters, dusting off his pants. The rest of the audience froze. No one dared to talk. Good. Then no one will try to interrupt their conversation. "That bastard Emperor is loaded. It's annoying." He complains.
"It's not like we can rob him or something, we're heroes, dude!" Saps reminds him. "And about earlier—"
"Yes, yes, I don't need your 'we're heroes' speech for the millionth time." Flux waves him off, making his way to the door. Gesturing for Saparata to follow, but he doesn't. He stops. Looking around the completely destroyed arena, all fighting enemies disarmed and stopped. The clean up crew about to come any moment from now.
"You know.." Saps begins. "We make a good team." He smiles.
Fuck.
Flux curses in his head. Over and over again. He didn't know what was coming. He could stay that way. "Yeah, I guess we do." He forces himself to say.
"Now.. time for movie night!"
He marches over to the door, Flux stops him, holding him by his cape. "No. We still have to call the clean up crew, and the police." He jogged Saps' memory.
"What."
"Don't act so surprised." Flux pulled out his communicator. "It's the procedure, you know. You're well aware of that." He stated flatly. "Just watch the audience, make sure no one leaves." He instructed, pushing Saps on the back into the crowd. Saps looked as if he would melt into the floor, but Flux couldn't exactly pay any attention to that. Calling the hotline receivers number on his communicator.
"Handled it?"
"Yup."
"Clean up crew? Do you need the police too?"
"Yeah. Police too." He paused. "Also, hurry up, Truce is awfully impatient." He added.
"Gotcha. They're on your way."
The phone call went flat. The hotline receivers always sound so depressed. It's insane. Is it a requirement to get the job? Or is talking to heroes and dealing with annoying prank callers just that draining. He shrugs.
"Please tell me we can go soon. I hate it here."
Flux sighed. "Just wait."
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After about 5 minutes of waiting, the police arrived, dealing with the people in the crowd, questioning them about the Emperor. Clean up crew got rid of the blood fast, Flux always thought the clean up crew should have more appreciation. He could never have a job that pays so little and has basically no recognition.
Saps ran out the (broken) doors of the Colosseum.
Quite the performance, but Flux had to follow after his partner. "Ugh.. I don't feel like shooting myself over and over again back." He whines. "Okay." He acknowledges it.
"That's it?"
"What do you want me to do about it?"
Saps pauses, actually thinking about it. Before rushing to his side. "What are you trying to pull?" He asks. "Easy fix! All I have to do is hold onto you while you're flying through the air, with your rock powers!" He suggested. Flux stepped onto the rock he used from earlier, eyeing Saps. He stepped onto it quickly as well.
"Whatever."
"I'll take that as a yes?"
"Fine."
Just as Saps inched closer to him, he sent the rock up into the sky, he was startled, grabbing onto Flux's arm out of reflex.
"Dude."
"You took my answer as a 'yes', not a 'I'll wait for you to get on'. Your mistake." He shrugged, Saps had a scowl on his face, but he just held onto to him tighter. "If I fall off this floating rock I'm taking you with me." He vowed. Flux nodded back at him.
They stood in silence for a while, the wind blowing past them.
"You're so hard to annoy now!"
A smile of pride crept onto his face. "I think your edge is just wearing off." He retorted. Saps obviously took that as a challenge. "Oh yeah?" He shifted the weight of the rock, pulling Flux's arm. His brows furrowed in slight annoyance, but telling Saps that would make him boastful. The rock drifted off the path due to his hand moving off place, he slowly made it go back to current.
"Saps." He said, voice low.
"I thought I was 'losing my edge'. As you put it." He had that shit eating grin on.
"I could just throw you off right now."
Saps rolled his eyes. "Nah.." He shook his head. "You looovee me, you wouldn't do that to me!"
.. that's ironic.
Flux didn't engage back with that topic, instead, he elbowed Saps lightly, in the stomach, just enough to throw him to the edge. He yelped, holding onto him closer.
"Yeah.. I totally wouldn't."
"Jerk."
He muttered in return. It almost made Flux chuckle, but they were here, at their destination for the night.
Flux placed down the rock, molding it into the cracks in the concrete. "I get to pick the movie because you tried to murder me!" Saps declared. Flux stared him down, no way. "Are you kidding me? No." He declined, it came out as more of a laugh. Because it's a joke if Saps thinks he can choose another shitty 3D kids movie that was made in the 2000's.
"You're gonna pick something stupid, like fish tales."
"We already watched that one, that'd be boring." He reasons, as Flux followed him up the stairs. He placed a hand on his chin, like he was actually thinking this through.
It was Saps, of course he was thinking it through.
"Oh! Oh! What about the Emoji movie?"
Flux made a face. "I fucking hate the main character."
"See? So shitty that even emotionally avoidant and vague Flux has a strong opinion!"
He shot Saps a look. "What?" Saps just continued humming, opening the door to his house. The plain white walls just as they always are. They both have separate houses, of course, being a hero pays a good bit, so it'd be sad if they didn't. But Flux often found himself spending nights at Saps' house, specifically on his floor, right next to the guy.
"You get the snacks, I'll get the movie, deal?"
Against his smarts, he nodded, making way towards the kitchen. "Deal." A part of him knows why he's doing this. But he chooses to ignore it, and indulge himself in which popcorn flavor Saps will prefer.
"Took you long enough." Saps patted down a pillow beside his own.
"Wow." He said, his tone monotone. "Can't wait to watch the fucking Emoji movie of all things."
It cracked a smile from Saps.
That's good.
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In the morning, he finds himself tangled up.
A blanket half draped over him, Saps taking most of it. His arms wrapped around Saps' back. He realizes with half-awake eyes that he's practically on top of Saps. The whited-haired hero seems to be fully asleep. His mouth slightly open and everything.
Flux blinks, looking up at the TV, and it was at the end credits. Did Saps seriously not turn off the TV once he woke up?
He tried wrangling himself out of Saps' grasp to turn the light of the TV off, but it turns out, that was pretty hard. Even when the guy was asleep. A part of him honestly just wanted to lie there for a while. Since he didn't have anything to do.. yet. So instead of doing that, he buried himself back into Saps' shoulder.
Listening to him breathing. Watching his chest raise up and down.
Because it might just be the last time he ever gets to do this.
He doesn't want to think about that. He squeezes Saps' arms instead. Following his breathing. Following the way he looks so fragile in this state. His hand raises up, he plays around with his white strands. Twirling them around, then letting them unravel, over and over again. He just flicked them around for a while. Finding something for his hands to do.
The hero seems unbothered by everything Flux does, he's usually a light sleeper. He supposes it's because Saps trusts him.
"I'm sorry."
He whispers, even when he knows Saps won't hear.
Nothing.
"I'm talking to a person who's asleep." He observed. "Just.. stay like this." He begs. Even when he knows it's his fault. His fault for what he's about to lose. "Stay here." He says, holding up Saps' hand, interlocking Saps' hands with his own. Rubbing against his roughed up skin, callouses from training with his sword.
Maybe he's weird for this, but it's nice to be able to do this.
This.
Whatever it is.
Then, the peace he built up was interrupted by a ringtone from Saps' phone.
He let go of Saps' hand like it was fire, feeling him shift around, because his pressed up against him. Flux freezes up as he groans. It's not unusual for them to wake up like this, but it's unusual for him to do.. whatever that was.
"Ugh.. Flux..?" He mumbled.
"Who's calling me?" He steps up, placing his arms back to his side. "I.. don't know." Liar.
"Um.. It's gotta be somewhere." He feels around for the phone, finding it behind Saps' pillow. Then he hands the phone to Saps. "Here."
Flux didn't need to listen in.
It was important, definitely. But he already knew what was coming. Flux didn't need to be informed. He heard Saps' groans, he wasn't taking this very seriously, from what he could tell.
From yawns mid-sentences to his face dropping.
"Saps.. J-Jophiel is dead."
Flux looked away. Maybe not from guilt of what he just caused, not from grief, the loss of their friend. But because he couldn't face Saps. Not when he dropped the phone when he heard the news from Cass. Saps pressed for details, he shook his head, he couldn't believe the sudden death of her. He couldn't believe Jophiel was dead.
Dead.
And it's his own fault.
He was friends with her Majesty herself, the title all of her team dubbed her. Flux believes she held the same sentiment.
Yet he ordered her second in charge to murder her without a moment of hesitation.
Saps was going to be next.
So when Saps cried in his arms, Flux let him. He was crying too. He doesn't know if those tears were practiced, rehearsed, and calculated. Or if they were really because he knew he was the cause of Jophiel's murder, no, assassination.
Either way, he held Saps tightly.
It was for a good cause. It was for a good cause. He can't live in a world full of people like this. So he needs it to change. He can't allow Saps to either.