1. âHold on, weâre coming.â Superhero Analogical
If anyone sees this, âHiâ. It has been flipping years I think since Iâve posted (sure feels like it). No more perfectionism. We are simply replying to prompts. What happens, happens.Â
Relationships/Character: attempted Analogical, Janus style character as villian.
Warnings: injury, death mentioned/implied
Summary: Logan just wants to go on a date with Virgil. One little date and he was sure they could be something more. Unfortunately for Logan, he has a job to do. When an emergency call comes through from a young unregistered hero, Logan must ditch his plans to put a stop to The Puppeteer's plans before anyone else gets hurt.
The diner was a buzz with patrons as afternoon lectures finished and everyone was desperate for $3 special time; half an hour where desperate college students could indulge in a plate fuller than their head, if you could snag a seat. Logan scored a couples table in the far corner and was already munching on a plate of nachos while finalising his notes from the day.
"Excuse me," Logan glanced up at the round-faced girl that called his attention, "Is this seat taken?"
"Unfortunately, it is. I'm waiting for someone."
"Oh, okay. Sorry."
Logan watched the girl slip back through the crowd, desperate for a table, and turned his attention to his phone. He'd been waiting 5 minutes, hardly cause for alarm of being stood up, but still the thought wormed into his mind and played like a mantra.
Perhaps Virgil wasn't being truthful when he said he wanted to go out. Maybe he only said it to avoid upsetting him at the time.
Thoughts continued to swirl until his phone buzzed in his hand with an incoming call from a number listed with only an asterisk. Pressing his finger to the scanner, Logan scooped up his notebook, leaving the nachos unfinished, and pushed his way out of the diner; table quickly consumed by waiting patrons.
 "7827 Starix, listening." His voice was echoed as he whispered into the phone, hearing the other listener add their code.
"6483 Cloak, listening."
"h-h-hel-l-lo?"
"It's okay," Logan assured the terrified caller; hurrying down the path to find an ally clear enough to use.
"Take a breath and tell us what's happening."
"H-h-he took m-m-my friend. S. He took my friends."
"Who did?"
"Pup-puppeteer." "What's your name?"
"Where are you?"
Logan rolled his eyes; he and Cloak always had a habit of talking over each other.
"Pat-n. I'm Patton. A-a-and I'm at the p-p-power sta-shhh-on. Please, hur-rr-y. It hurts-s."
"Good work, Patton."
"Just hold on, we're coming."
 Logan disconnected the call and opened his messages to text Virgil.
Logan: Sorry Virgil. I need a raincheck. Something came up.
By the time he had stuffed his satchel of notes behind a dumpster, the reply rang through.
Virgil: No worries, Logan. Talk later.
 The young man didn't have time to dwell on his lost date, squeezing his eyes shut and allowing hidden energy to rise to the surface of his body. His body was quickly enveloped by a substance that resembled a space scene, littered with stars that moved with him; glasses no longer visible to the regular eye, glowing white orbs sat where his eyes were instead.
Identity concealed, Starix became weightless, rising into the sky, blasting energy through his feet and hands to propel himself across the city towards the power station on the cityâs outskirts.
  âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ
  Cloak pulled his bike around the corner and spotted sparks flying from the power station just before an explosion took out the west side. Cursing under his breath he urged the bike forward at an unsafe pace, wind whipping through the jet-black cloak that shrouded him.
Skidding to a halt, Cloak leapt from the bike and ran towards the large hole that had been made in the safety fence; black clothing shifting to remove his riding helmet and replace it with a simple mask.
 Laughter echoed from the top of a building before another explosion sent a body flying through the air. Cloak watched helplessly, thankful to hear the familiar whoosh of Starix's approach and see the space hero swoop through before the mystery victim hit the ground. Satisfied that the civilian was safe, he ran towards the building and leapt for the fire escape to reach the top.
 âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ
  Starix gently lowered his passenger to the ground and quickly looked the trembling figure over. Their baby blue fabric mask, and matching outfit, was scorched and dusted in black soot.
"I assume you're not a registered hero, Patton."
"No sir." Patton looked rather sheepish and pulled his pointless mask down his face. "I just wanted to help."
"Are you hurt? That was a nasty explosion."
"I'm fine. Electricity is...well, it's kinda my thing."
Despite their assurance, Starix gave them a give look over before agreeing that their injuries weren't anything for concern.
"I assume your friends are gifted too."
"Well, yes, sir. He-they can summon things. Well, one can imagine it a-a-and the other makes it a reality."
Starix carefully considered their words and made a mental plan of attack; he only had one last thing to learn.
"One more thing, The Puppeteer usually uses manakins and dolls with string; how did the Puppeteer take control of your friends?"
"It was the snakes." Â The younger boy shuddered and cleared his throat of the bile that rose from the memory. "They were wrapped around his wrist and-and-and then they crawled into their shirts, and I knew, I just knew, that he'd taken control of them."
"Thank you, Patton." He rested a comforting hand on their shoulder and squeezed. "You have been most helpful. Stay out of trouble; Cloak and I will help your friends."
When Patton nodded, Starix quickly rose and took off back towards the power station.
  âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ
 Cloak reformed his cloak to make jet black dual swords, starring at the unphased pair in front of him. Every swing of his blades was met with a weapon or shield conjured by the twins. So far Cloak had established that the boy in the red and white jacket was responsible for making the weapons, while the one in green shot an energy beam that brought them into existence. With the pair working together,
 Cloak couldn't get an advantage over them and was already struggling to work out a solo strategy.
There must be a range to their abilities. I need to get them apart if I'm going to get close enough to find the Puppeteers string.
 "You look tired." The boy in red offered, looking over at their twin. "Doesn't he look tired."
"Oh, yes indeed. Maybe we should help him lay down."
A morning star appeared before the green boy and became weighted when he grasped it; swinging it over his shoulder and waiting for the other to conjure a new weapon.
"Let the boys go, Puppeteer." Cloak growled, trying to buy time for Starix to return.
"No can do, hero. We are too much fun."
Sun glinted off the red boyâs fresh sword as he mirrored the others pose, putting Cloak on edge as he prepared to face both weapons.
"Shall we take out the emo nightmare, Remus."
The wicked grin that spread across the green boyâs face affirmed his name and Cloak was glad to have something better to identify him as.
"With pleasure."
 Remus ran forward, Cloak braced himself with raised weapons but didn't face the impact when a blurred force swept the boy away.
"Better late than never!" He called out before turning to the red boy that remained. "Just you and me now. Make it easy on yourself and let the kid go."
"Kid!" He gasped and grasped at his chest, "I'm not a snot nose brat."
"Could've fooled me."
"The name's Roman." He shifted his stance and prepared to move forward. "Best remember it because I'll be the one to kill you."
"Try me."
 With only the one weapon and body to focus on, Cloak was in his element; easily keeping the other at bay. Each swipe he managed to land he ensured his blade shrunk to avoid majorly injuring Roman; his goal was to sever The Puppeteers link and not harm the boy too much in the process.
Each fighter grunted with effort as their weapons became heavier; Cloak trying to encourage Roman to the roofs furthest corner without making his intentions obvious.
 "You plan on running, Tiny Terror?" Roman sneered, bringing his sword down heavily on Cloak's cross block.
"Funny, but no. I'm just waiting."
"Oh? For what? Your death?" Roman swung his sword again, only this time slipped straight through Cloak's own and left him stumbling slightly at the absence of solid feedback. A deep chuckle had Roman looking up in shock and paling as he realised, he was now without a weapon.
"Still think I'm waiting for my death?" Raising his blade to the boys throat, black stretched from the tip and began wrapping around his neck. "Let the boy go, Puppeteer; it's over."
"Why should I?" Yellow flared in the boys left eye and Cloak clenched his teeth. "You can't do anything without hurting an innocent child."
"Not quite."
Turing his wrist slightly, the black began to tighten around Roman's neck and the boy grasped at the solid substance with one hand while the other fruitlessly swung his imagined sword. Cloak ignored the burn of bile rising in his throat as fear rose in the boyâs eyes the tighter he squeezed.
"Roman may be your puppet, but you still share a connection."
"How'd. You?" Roman gasped out, still straining to relieve the pressure on his throat.
"How do I know?" Cloak laughed to conceal his true feelings; now allowing some of the black to spread further in search of the puppet strings. "Starix is very observant. They picked up on your trend of dropping strings rather quickly after heavy hits and you've just confirmed our theories."
"Sh-i-t."
 An explosion drew Cloak's attention away, darkness still searching Roman's body while his eyes scanned the source of the blast. Smoke rose from below in a grey plume, parting as Remus burst through, immediately sending an energy blast towards Roman's waiting sword.
  âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ
 Starix appreciated his powers, but he also despised them. Shooting a blast of energy from his hand, Remus's weapon was knocked free of his hand and dissipated onto the ground.
"Oh, so sparkles does have tricks other than flying. I was beginning to think you were nothing but CGI."
Blue and purple bloomed on Starix's face in embarrassment but he surged forward to face the boy in hand to hand combat now the weapon was gone.
It was frustrating to be reminded of his limitations mid-fight; a sore spot that even Cloak new not to broach. On paper, Starix was the strongest hero registered in their area; gifted with flight, light blasts, heat blasts and if he was lucky, he could plunge an zone into complete darkness. All fantastic on paper but in reality, his stars had to literally align for him to do anything with power behind it.
 "You hit like a girl." Remus said, rubbing his jaw where Starix's fist had connected. "Do you have lady parts under that space getup?"
"That statement is highly offensive to multiple parties."
"That's the point. I'm not here to compliment you, Star-for-Brains." Remus's eyes glanced sideways and flashed yellow before returning to their natural brown. "I'm here to destroy you!"
 It was almost comedic the way Remus suddenly bolted to his right, cackling at his own ingenious joke. The unexpected action left Starix stunned for a moment before he spotted the semi-transparent weapon Remus was charging for.
He assumed that separating the twins would prevent their creation ability, but it seemed the imaginative twin had stashed some surprises around the area for his brother to find. Sending a light blast forward, Starix was able to knock a flamethrower clear of his reach; not seeing the crowbar blended into the ground until it solidified and came swinging at his head. Â
 Retrieving the flamethrower, Remus took a moment to admire the hero staggering back upright.
"You seeing extra stars there, Princess?"
Starix struggled to focus his vision, just making out Remus as he fiddled with the weapon and threw it over to the transformer.
"I'd love to stay and play but I have a brother to help and you have a date with my Ex-plosion." Remus called out over his shoulder as he took off at a run. "You're going to love her. She's a blast."
  âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ âââ°â´,*â â˛ââăâ°ăâââ˛â *,â´Â°âââ
  Despite his weakening state, Roman's sword still easily pierced Cloak's side. Cloak held firm and continued his demand for The Puppeteer to release the boys, ignoring the weapon now protruding from his side. Failing to nail the landing, Remus stumbled back to his feet and charged at Cloak to plunge the blade completely through, knocking them both away from Roman.
"It's over, Hero." "Is it?" Cloak groaned as the sword tearing up his insides faded. "Let them go before it's too late Puppeteer."
Remus turned to see Roman still weakly struggling in the black weapons grasp, blue blossoming on his lips as he rushed over to tug at the weapon.
"What happens if one of your puppets dies, huh? Do you want to find out?!"
Yellow flashed and a snake slithered out from the twinsâ shirts before quickly slithering away. Satisfied, Cloak retracted the morphing fabric and was rewarded with the sound of air safely rushing back into Roman's lungs. Fabric quickly clung around his middle to stem the bleeding, and Cloak drank from a metal flask while stumbling to the edge in search Starix.
"You two need to get out of here," he grumbled, searching the smoky floor below. "I'll forget your faces if you stop playin' hero until you're registered."
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison; Remus helping Roman to his feet and heading to the opposite fire escape.
 Carefully scaling nearby framework, Cloak made his way down to the ground. The ground was thick with dust and smoke that even his fabric couldn't fully filter out. Pulling out his phone, he tapped the asterisk to place a call.
"6483 Cloak, calling"
"4357, responding"
"Powerplant case has civilians safely evacuating. Structures weakened. Starix is unaccounted for. Need a medical and engineering."
"Accepted. Medic already en route. ETA 5 minutes. Nearest engineers to be dispatched." "6483, out."
 Pocketing his phone, Cloak continued ahead into the haze and cursed Starix for having such a dark outfit. Metal scaffolding gave way to his right and Cloak roughly rolled clear, gasping as pain waved up from his side. To his advantage, Cloak had managed to blindly roll directly into Starix. "Ah, shit. Star? Starix, you good?"
Running his hands over the black form, Cloak search for any signs of injuries but his search was futile thanks to the black coating the others body. Despite his body's protests, Cloak lifted Starix from the armpits and began dragging them clear of the area. Clearer air sent a wave of fear up Cloaks spine as he realised why Starix had been so hard to find. Their body was completely black. No shifting stars. No spray of pinks or glowing white orbs where eyes would be. Nothing but a pitch-black figure.
 "No, no, no, no, no." Emotion gripped Cloaks throat as he felt for any signs of movement in Starix's chest. "Come on, Starix. Don't do this to me. I can't lose another partner. Not again."
  Two buildings over, The Puppeteer gasped for air from his rooftop hide out. Taking control of two powerful beings was tiring enough alone but he also took on the injuries of those he had controlled. Making his way over to the stairway door, he was shocked to feel it pull free from his hands a slam shut with a thud. The descending sun was beginning to cast a blinding light that the man squinted through to look around.
"Who's there?" He demanded to the empty space, leaning heavily on his cane as exhaustion continued to call.
Without warning, the cane was knocked from below and The Puppeteer was sent sprawling across the roof, along with the contents of his pockets. Confused and afraid, he desperately grabbed at his cane to pull himself to his feet. The discarded phone screen illuminated with an asterixis, placing an emergency call to the hero hotline without any further voice confirmation given. Tired and desperate the puppeteer pulled at the door fruitlessly. On another plane, out of sight, Starix leant against the door to seal it in place. The stars had aligned just enough for them to astral project and follow the snakes back to their owner. As a hero approached, Starix typed a code onto the display for the hero to find before leaving in search of their body and Cloak.
 "There are weak signs of life, but they donât respond to my touch," The healer shook his head in confusion. "I'm not sure I am able to help."
Running his hands through dark hair, Cloak paced away in frustration.
"We'll take you both to HQ for now. Starix isâŚnot a normal case. Their base form is less earthly than any heroes on record. We donât know if they are gone yet for sure."
Craning his neck back, Cloak stared up at the rainbow sky of sunset. "I hope you are right."
 Side aching despite the healing, Cloak folded into the medical car beside the bed containing Starix. The doors had just sealed when the gentle light began to spread over their body, stars working their way back across the black canvas. Starix gasping back to life sent Cloak into instant fight mode, cloak turning dagger sharp before he realised what had happened.
âFucking hell, Star. You scared the crap out of me.â
âIf itâs any consolation, I scared me too.â Shuffling off the securing straps with Cloakâs help, Starix moved to sit by his side. âAre you okay?â
âI actually respond to healers, so Iâll be fine.â
The pair shared a chuckle before Starix retold of how the explosion separated their forms which helped arrange for the capture of the Puppeteer.
 After additional medical checks and a debrief of The Puppeteer's capture, Cloak and Starix were cleared to go. Exiting the offices Starix offered to fly Cloak back to his bike, assuring him once again that he was fine and energised by the night. The hour was much later by the time the duo reached the discarded bike.
âNot the evening I was hoping to have, but an interesting one all the same.â Starix mused, starring up at the sky.
âI love that you describe near death as interesting.â
âCloak, I promise you, Iâm fine.â Starix placed a supportive hand on his shoulder and locked eyes. âI know my powers arenât the mostâŚpredictable, but-â
âI really thought I lost you today.â
Walls down, Starix saw Cloakâs emotional side for the first time. It was raw and painful to see.
âIâŚI didnât realise you cared so much for me.â
Cloak took Starixâs hand into his own and gave it a gentle squeeze.
âOf course I do. Youâre my partner.â
âYouâre work partner.â Cloak instantly recoiled at Starixâs words. âWe only know each other through aliases and hidden faces, Cloak. Iâm sensing that you want more, but we are strangers beyond this life.â
Hands dropping away Cloak mounted his bike in silence.
âIâm sorry, Cloak.â
âYou have your heart set on another donât you?â
âI do.â Despite not having a mouth, Cloak could sense the smile on his partners face. âHe is timid around most, but incredibly humorous around good company. I was meant to meet him this afternoon. Before the call came through anyway.â
Cloak perked up at that tidbit. âYou were?â
âI meanâŚIâd hoped to.â Starix fidgeted on the spot nervously as they recalled. âHe was late and didnât reply to my message until after I cancelledâŚperhaps I misjudged our closeness.â
Letting out a heavy sigh, Cloak allowed the bike to take his weight and pulled out his phone to tap out a message.
âOr maybe he was intimidated by the choice of location.â
âThat is a possibility.â Starix analysed Cloaks face carefully, mind ticking over slowly. âI did choose a rather popular location in order to impress him. Perhaps I should have stuck to somewhere simple. A diner for banana chocolate milkshakes perhaps.â
âYou donât need to impress him, Star.â Cloak chuckled and finished sending a text message before starting the bike. âYouâre already impressive enough on your own.â
Taking off on their own, Starfix headed back to the alley they had departed from, changing forms away from watching eyes. Once safely back on the streets, Logan took out his phone to find a message from Virgil.
Sorry I tried to ditch you ⨠want to try again? Milkshake combo at the old diner?
Logan didnât bother replying. He was already running. ***********************************
End Note: Can you tell this was kinda inspired by both Miraculous Ladybug and My Hero Academia? Iâm not promoting my other works anymore. I donât write frequently enough to be reliable. BUT, if you wanna chat auâs and force me to come up with story concepts live, Iâm on Twitch 1_1SnailXD. Old Cosplay videos and stories are on TikTok 1_1SnailXD. And obviously the Ao3 still exists. Go nuts.Â
