#hoec

[madnessdemonart]

Okay, I'm back, and Hoec is with me! x'D The Wiki says that the eldar pathfinders consider him their patron, and that he is one with the Webway and is as old as the world itself (or something like that). My headcanon is that he's not so much a separate deity as a personified way for the Webway to communicate with. Aand I didn't make the classic mask of god for Hoec because of the headcanon too >3

Two ones left! >c

[siriannatan]

Heroes of Empires City part 2

Part 1

About other characters - Spoiler warning

Jimmy - local Sheriff, Lizzie's younger brother - has water-control powers but never uses them, when using them gets fins but with how rarely he uses them there are no signs of it - very good at his job - almost instantly figured Scott is Major only knowing him for one night and just having met Major - hates heroes because of a certain incident that landed Lizzie in a wheelchair - has two cats, likes them better than most people - hates that Scott is Major because Scott is pretty cute

Lizzie - mayoral candidate, very popular - wins the election later - actually, a retired hero from before the government legalised heroes - Ocean Queen - married to Joel (Stratos) and knows full well he's a hero, - supportive of the hero business -someone has to take care of the villains and magical monsters and other things that are beyond the police, - worried about Jimmy's safety all the time even if he can fully take care of himself

Katherine - President of the Empire City Hero Association - probably not paid enough to deal with her heroes antics - might think Shubble's cut but she's a professional so it had nothing to do with her being hired - even Stratos is a bit scared of her, even if she has no powers - cares and worries for her heroes excessively in a violent manner - especially when telling them off

Pearl - Katherine's new assistant - actually, Sausage's adoptive younger sister, has similar powers but they're a lot weaker than his so she didn't pass the entry exam - mostly the physical test - happy to help the heroes in any way she can, usually by making sure Katherine doesn't die from overworking herself and by cutting her caffeine intake - might like Amethyst a bit more than she probably should which results in flowers sprouting in her hair whenever she's nearby - a bit conflicted about liking this office worker from the tower - Gem (only Katherine really knows all heroes' civilian identities for safety reasons) she only sees her when she's leaving the tower, which is a shame

Pixl - works as a nurse at the biggest hospital in the City - dated Sausage before finding out he's a hero, was at all not offended Soos kept that a secret - did not mind it when Sausage adopted - often finds himself working alongside Sanctuary because of the limitations of his power

Xornoth - Scott's older twin brother, glad to be born with no powers, had a good time watching Scott figure his out, especially the flying part - freelance, programmer, and guitarist in an indie band - a bit worried about Scott's safety even if it was he that encouraged him, - doesn't leave their apartment much outside of band stuff - Oli's band - shocked Scott by getting a boyfriend first

Joey - Xor's boyfriend and the reason why Scott met Jimmy, not directly but still, - bartender at that one Bar Oli's band frequently plays at - Smithy - used to have a big crush on Katherine, and many of the heroes - most notably Sanctuary

Oli - frontman, leader and vocalist of the band Xor's in, changes the name of the band at least twice a month - the band would have flopped ages ago without Xornoth, - very obviously flirts with Eddie whenever he got a chance to

False - the owner of a steampunk-themed coffee shop Jimmy always gets his coffee at - one of the establishments with 'Hero seating' - Shubble's roommate and good friend

Potential SPOILERS

Eddie - Sausage and Pearl's adoptive father - the owner of the Smithy - finds Oli's advances amusing but nothing more - outside his bar works for HA's Equipment Department - totally didn't cry when Sausage introduced Hermes to him - thinks Pix could do much better than Sausage

Hermes - Sausage's adopted son - his parents were killed by his psycho grandmother who could not accept their divorce - Jimmy kind of saved him from the woman and solved the whole case with Scott shadowing him - thinks Scott is Jimmy's guardian angel - Jimmy is the coolest, much to Joel's dismay - loves it when he's left with Pix or Eddie - always stares at Pear with wide eyes and never talks to her - once told Amethyst his auntie likes her - can read minds and no one believed him at first but when he told Amethyst his auntie likes him Pearl got convinced about it and convinced Sausage to get him tested for powers - likes sheriff more than the heroes

[siriannatan]

Heroes Of Empire City

Part 2

About the Heroes:

Scott 'Major' /called 'Pigeon' by Jimmy/ - ice powers, has a bit of trouble controlling them, even if he has high cold resistance overuse of his powers carries the danger of hypothermia - his powers give him wings, can hide them but it does leave a big sigil on his back, and change his appearance a lot so he does not really need a mask - hero Major is cold, calm and collected and distant - Scott is a massive flirt, not too social, kinda very gay and distraught by his lack of a boyfriend - protective of his older twin brother but does trust him to make good decisions - it might have been his brother that convinced him to become a hero

fWhip 'Tinkerer' /or 'Hot Stuff' by Scott when no one's listening/ - fire powers, very destructive, he mostly relies on his inventions and gadgets - designs most of the support gear the Agency's heroes carry on them - a lot more confident and out-spoken as a hero, and quite snappy - fWhip prefers to stay indoors and tends to hide behind Gem or any friend he's with when faced with having to talk to people - will throw hands if anyone insults Gem in his earshot

Gem 'Amethyst' - crystal control, usually creates amethyst dragons to fight by her side, and flies on a crystal broom, if she creates too many constructs her head hurts and she gets ravenous- fWhip's older sister (twin?), will not hesitate to smack him if he misbehaves - a lot quieter and more distant as a hero than civilian - will punch you if you talk badly about her brother - thinks Katherine's assistant Pear is pretty cute, especially the flowers that often pop up in her hair

Sausage 'Sanctuary' - can control plants, can't just make them out of nowhere, can heal and detect wounds but it is dangerous to use on not super-powered individuals, - can't use his healing on himself but luckily he's dating Pixl who is a nurse - his personality barely changes as a hero, often jokes that's why Sanctuary is his favourite hero 'we're just so similar, how can I not' - very popular with children. Every holiday season a new Sanctuary toy is launched with all proceeds going to charity

Joel 'Stratos' - No1 hero of the Empires City - can summon and control thunder, overuse will cause him considerable headaches and might even change the weather, often causes power outages, - husband of the number one mayoral candidate Lizzie - a lot noisier and more boisterous as a hero -as Jimmy's relative he's banned from working with the police more than necessary - always floats a bit as a hero to look taller - similar to Scott does not need a mask, his powers change his appearance when active

Shelby 'Shrub' - a new hero just like Scott - mushroom based powers, can make them appear about anywhere and release spores with different effects - fWhip made special filters so she can fight alongside other heroes without having to worry about hurting them - lacks confidence, looks up to Sanctuary, - maybe a future mentor? - might have a big crush on the Agency's president - Katherine

[siriannatan]

Heroes of Empires City - chapter 1

AO3 for anyone who has an easier time reading there :}

More about characters: Part 1 & Part 2

Villains and magical beasts and monsters were just a few of the many daily threats looming over Empires City. Lucky for its resident it was also home to the Hero Agency. An organisation helping its six registered heroes keep the city safe from any supernatural, superpowered or inhuman danger.

Scott, or Major, has recently been accepted into the Agency and one of his first assignments is helping their relationship with the local sheriff. Sounds easy, doesn't it…

______________________________

Chapter 1

"Let's welcome our new heroes Major and Shrub," Katherine, the head of Empires City Hero Association announced and Scott did a little bow to the senior heroes. He did not raise from his seat, that seemed like a bit much considering they were all supposed to be equal. And he saw Shrub do the same out of the corner of his eye.

There were Tinkerer and Amethyst, they were speculations to be siblings but with how covered by his costume Tinkerer was - there was really not a single bit of him visible from under it, it was a bit hard to actually tell if there was any resemblance. The slightly creepy, blank mask Amethyst covered her face with did not help. Sanctuary who he kind of already knew, he was there during the recruitment tests. Mostly to take care of any wounds with his healing powers. And was probably the most popular among children. Scott would know, he worked at a daycare place before applying to be a hero and saw a lot of Sanctuary toys. And there was Stratos, the oldest and most well-known hero in the city. Controlling thunder made for a showy and impressive power even if it could cause major power outages and even change the weather if his fights drew out for too long. His toys were popular with kids, particularly boys too. All the heroes were and Scott found himself dreading the release of the first toy based on him... He was not that great with kids.

Scott was very lucky to be accepted with the frankly mediocre control of his ice powers, there were any better, in his opinion, candidates. He probably just looked better fro the media with his snowy white wings. The appearance was a big part of being a hero. Inspiring people or something like that. He was very determined to show that he deserved to be a pro hero. At least he didn't look scared to be there unlike Shrub. He remembered her and her nature powers from the test. It was a bit shocking she was accepted with powers so close to Sanctuary's. Well, it wasn't like she could heal with hers. And her mushrooms were very useful in capturing villains if she could get close enough. And her toys would probably be popular with little girls. Amethyst was a bit too regal with her whole Grand Wizard theme.

With the introductions done, Katherine moved to assign them patrol routes for the week. Scott was to follow Tinkerer for his first week and Shrub was with Sanctuary. Just so they could learn the ropes and then they were on their own. The patrols were mostly for the show anyway. Small things not including individuals with super powers were usually left to the police unless there were civilians in danger.

"Another thing, the mayor is disappointed with our poor relationship with the ECPD and wants one of you guys to follow the sheriff about, just one day a week," Katherine said with a heavy sigh. "Any volunteers? No Stratos you're out for this," she said, quickly cutting their number one off as he rise his arm. 

Scott briefly wondered why, before offering that he can go. "Maybe the sheriff will be a bit less hostile to a newer hero?" he offered as everyone stared at him. If no one wanted to do it then why not start on this proving himself worthy of his license thing? And their local sheriff was a very cute one so even if it would be suffering he'd have someone handsome to look at. Respectfully.

Katherine probably didn't feel like arguing with the senior heroes so she just dismissed everyone. Scott would, or Major would be introduced to the sheriff the next day, the first day he was supposed to follow him and his work. For the whole day. What did he get himself into...

"Don't worry about the sheriff, he's not that bad just... a bit much and most of us would rather not bother him too much, and who knows," Tinkerer assured him through his voice-modulating mask. Scott had one on himself. Heroes' private identities were important to keep secret so any hero who could not modify their voice in other ways was equipped with one. In Empires City they were all of Tinkerer's design. Even if he limited the use of his very destructive fire powers his inventions managed to keep him comfortably at the same level as other high-rank heroes. A lot of their support gear was designed by him. "He just might about tolerate you since you're new but if he tries anything tell me and I'll deal with him," Scott was pretty sure the man was smiling under the mask but not completely sure. The massive goggles covering the rest of his face did not help in the slightest.

"I'll just have to show him we're not here to make his job obsolete or something," Scott shrugged, stretching his wings slightly when they left the building. "Narrow spaces are not the best for the feathers," he sighed as he followed Tinkerer.

All in all the patrol was uneventful other than them helping some elderly with groceries and crossing the street. And some media took photos of them as they walked across one of the bigger parks. Tinkerer gave out a lot of autographs and took a lot of photos. Scott was actually asked for a few too. Probably as a preparation for him becoming more well-known. That was what patrols were. A big PR move to let people see the heroes, interact with them and feel like they are less of that distant paragon. Like they are people with a job too. Same with visiting hospitals and schools. It beat just sitting in the office and waiting for a villain to attack.

"Appearances like this keep the public happy and feeling safe and make us look more approachable," Tinkerer explained as they were about to have their break. Not even other heroes knew each other's identities. Not unless they decided to share it so they were about to separate to have their food at two different places that had a contract with the Agency to feed the heroes in private when they were out and could not just hide in their fancy offices on the top floors of their building. One of the few perks they enjoyed.

"Makes sense... I worked with children recently, they were super excited about heroes," Scott admitted with a light chuckle. "A lot of hero toys..."

Tinkerer made an uncomfortable noise. "I hate those but at least the profits go to pay all the people helping us keep the city safe and charities and a whole bunch of other cool things," he chuckled back and they separated to get their food. If they did know their identities they could eat together but it was a bit soon to share it just yet. Scott just got hired and it wasn't yet sure he'd actually stay for long. Or how long. He was determined to make it but who knew what might happen.

As he was returning home Scott was not physically tired but his mental stamina was drained pretty low. Just walking around the city was nothing compared to keeping his hero persona up. The calm, cold collected Major was different from the relaxed, laid-back and flirty Scott. But seeing small children look at him and Tinkerer with sparkles in their eyes was pretty rewarding. Especially the gasps as he moved his wings just a little bit. Realising they were real was a big positive shock to them.

"Xor?" he called out, locking the door. Officially every hero's civilian persona worked at the Agency to make it easier for them to go in and out of the building. "You home?" he called out again as his brother stayed silent. It wasn't his stream day nor band practice day but he could be lost in a programming project.

"I'm home!" finally came an answer from Xornoth's room, followed soon after by Scott's older twin himself. He was dressed unusually well for a not performance day. Even on those he didn't put that much effort in. "Hi. I'm going on a date," he grinned pushing a strand of long, dark-purple hair back. "Any ideas what I should do with my hair?"

Scott hummed for a second. Since when was Xor interested in dates? And looking good. "Just leave it out, it looks good," he finally said. "And how and when did you even find a date? You only leave for coffee and band stuff," Scott could not help but ask. He was genuinely curious how that managed to happen.

"At a band thing actually," Xornoth grinned still fussing with his hair. "We stayed at the bar we were performing at to celebrate and there was this cute bartender so I asked him out while Ollie bothered his boss, and he said yes. How was the first day of being a hero?"

Even if Scott was feeling a bit sus about the whole sudden boyfriend thing - he doubted it would last long, he moved to talking about his day. As boring as it was Xornoth was genuinely interested. He had no powers and always supported Scott on his long journey to being a pro hero. "If anyone asks I'm just a random clerk at the PR department looking over social media to see what people think about the heroes," he explained the whole cover story. Xor was all about the secret identity thing.

"That's still a cool thing," he said with a grin.

They chatted a bit more about hero stuff while Xornoth waited for his date to pick him up. At least the guy had his own car, which gained him a bit of respect from Scott. But he was still not sure he'd approve. He finally had a chance to return all the critique his former boyfriends faced from his brother and did not intend to go easy on this Joey guy.

Soon enough - a bit late, the Joey guy finally showed up and to say Scott was not impressed would be an understatement. He looked like he just tossed whatever nicer clothes he had on and put no additional effort into the date. Scott said nothing but did give him a bit of a stink-eye during the introduction. And continued glaring until they left.

And Scott was alone. 

It felt weird to be alone so he did what any logical person in his situation would do - went to a bar. Not the Smithy the band Xor was in frequented. That would feel weird and there was a big chance someone recognised him as Xor's relative. He didn't need that tonight. And he could always say he was celebrating a new job. He couldn't say what exactly he was doing but hey. An excuse is an excuse no matter how bad. Right?

He was three drinks in and barely feeling it - superpowers made getting drunk a challenge when some unpleasant fellow started bothering him. And was very unpleasant and clearly drunk while doing it. And did not take a 'no' for an answer no matter how much Scott pushed him away. He did his best to keep his body's temperature as close to normal as possible but it still brought more nasty comments. Something about warming him up and Scott was very not about it.

"I'm waiting for some friends, sorry, I'm busy..." Scott tried getting the guy to leave and failed miserably. The creep was not even in the slightest his type. Too short and well build. He really preferred tall men.

"*cough* Sorry but I must ask you to stop bothering my friend. Sorry, I'm late," suddenly someone saved him from the creep.

Scott didn't listen to the excuses the man-made as he slunk away, focusing on his saviour. The sheriff himself was standing next to him with a relaxed smile. He looked even cuter in person, the young hero had to admit. No, not pretty, handsome as hell fit him much better. A whole meal and no snack kind of man. Just Scott's type and probably very unavailable. For many reasons, their jobs, the sheriff not liking heroes, there was no way someone like that was single. 

"You okay?" the sheriff asked taking a step back. In the middle of all that he stood quite close to Scott, not that he was complaining. 

"Now? Yes. That guy just would not stop," Scott sighed, finally relaxing. Maybe he could come back to enjoying his evening. "Thank you for the help," he smiled. It was really hard to not start hard flirting with the man.

"It's nothing, I don't like people like that. Mind if I sit here? I kind of just came here on a whim and don't really know what to do with myself now."

Who was Scott to say no to the sheriff himself so they started chatting? Scott slowed down on the drinks to not get too far with those and accidentally say something he shouldn't say. He still slowly moved into flirting, but only when the sheriff let a small flirty comment slip out. And from then it somehow devolved into a battle of innuendos and flirts. And, once again Scott's not sure quite how even if he was mostly sober. Jimmy, as the sheriff introduced himself, not that Scott didn't know it, was damn distracting with those pretty eyes and smile of his. They ended up in a hotel, making out and tearing each other's clothes off like a pair of horny teens.

"You sure you're okay? You're kind of cold," Jimmy breathed out as they broke for air. Resting his forehead against Scott's.

"Yeah... I just run a bit colder... power side effect," Scott explained with a small smile. He had no idea how he got this far but he was not about to overthink things. There would probably not be another chance like this, like ever. "And leaves a big ass snowflake on my back, it's frankly a bit annoying, bye-bye short sleeves," he joked to hopefully distract the sheriff from his power 'matching' the new hero. And came back to kissing and undressing the handsome sheriff for good measure.

[siriannatan]

Heroes of Empires City chapter 2

Update hype time I suppose :}

AO3

Scott woke up to two phones ringing like mad. He briefly recalled setting it for an earlier time before leaving for the bar last evening. And, as he forced his eyes open to look for the offending piece of technology, he came face to face with an already awake and already getting dressed, sheriff. A bit of a shame but they both had work. And clothes didn't take much away from how handsome he was. 

"I probably should have woken you up?" the sheriff grinned finishing the buttons on his shirt. 

"No, it's all fine, it's set for earlier than I need it just in case," Scott shook his head as he turned his alarm off and forced himself out the bed to get dressed. He still had to make it to his apartment, have a shower and go to the agency. 

"You need a ride?" the sheriff offered. He was not drinking last night. "So hero types don't give you trouble," he added with a grin as Scott slowly got dressed. As far as he knew Scott was just a random clerk at the Agency's tower.

Scott had no reason to say no so he accepted, and it allowed him to stare more at Jimmy. Even if he was about to follow him the whole day. Stare at not angry at him for just being there Jimmy? Yeah, probably...

He made it in time to the office only thanks to Jimmy's help. No more staying at random hotels with handsome sheriffs... Unless he had a proper hard leave with no 'come in in case we need you' clauses to them. But that was for another time, now he changed into his costume and marched to Katherine's office, glad none of the bites and scratches from last night were bad enough to not heal overnight. Now that he had coffee and his brain worked a bit better he didn't see any marks on Jimmy, granted he was mostly dressed by the time Scott woke up so who knew?

"Good morning," he greeted Pearl, Katherine's assistant. She took the exam at the same time as he did but just barely failed the physical part. A real shame but it was nice to see she didn't fully give up on the hero business. Or become a villain as it happened far too often. "Is Katherine in?" 

"Morning, yes, she just got here about fifteen minutes ago," Pearl answered with a wide smile. And took a big sip of her coffee. Early mornings were probably the worst part of the hero business.

Katherine was all ready to drag him off to the police station. "So sheriff doesn't run off to deal with something just to avoid us,' she said rolling her eyes and Scott followed her like a good hero. Sending smiles and waves to children on their way to school. Small, regal waves befitting the 'ice prince' as Katherine called it, a persona he was supposed to be putting on. It was nice to see the big smiles replace sad yawns. And the little yawns and 'it's an angel-hero!' whispers just loud enough for him to hear. It was hard to not smile at that but he managed. Children it would seem were the biggest challenge for any hero. They just got so genuinely happy whenever they saw a hero.

Unlike the police station when they saw Scott follow Katherine in. "Is Jimmy here yet?" she asked the front desk.

"The sheriff should be here soon," the girl behind the desk barely said before the sheriff walked in. A cup of coffee and a bag of bagels from the Cogsmeade coffee place they passed on the way here, in hand. Instantly glaring at Scott after a sizeable yawn. "Oh, sheriff the..."

"I can see," Jimmy sighed. "So the thing starts today?" he grumbled, not saying anything else as he just passed by them. "Whatever, as long as he doesn't get in the way I suppose he can stay," he tossed over his shoulder, eyeing Scott once more.

Scoot could not help but tilt his head and bite back a question about how he was supposed to get in the way. It was better if he didn't annoy the sheriff too badly too quickly. They followed the sheriff to his office since Katherine needed him to sign something to do with the whole thing. They did not make it to the office, Jimmy was stopped by some random police guy passing him a file.

"We were called by her kid's friend's mother when she brought him back after a sleepover," the guy told the sheriff, glancing at Scott. He was slowly getting used to being constantly stared at.

"Okay, I'll go there as soon as I can. Any other family?" Jimmy nodded sipping his coffee. 

"A grandmother, she got there just a few minutes after us, she's ready to take the kid..."

"Do not let her have him, we're doing it properly so while the investigations going he's with the services, and I want to know how far that grandmother lives, it's weird how fast she got there..." Jimmy instantly ordered. "What about the father?"

"Divorced as far as we know. Should we find him?"

"Of course you muffin, there is a high chance it's all about the kid," Jimmy scolded, smacking the guy with the file. "I want anything we can dig up on all the relatives when I'm back," he added and turned to Katherine. "As much as I'd love to sign your papers I have a murder to deal with..."

"They can wait but Major's coming along," Katherine shook her head.

The sheriff said nothing more and just stormed off. Scott glanced at Katherine, and after getting a nod followed him as fast as he could while still looking all proper. He was too slow and the sheriff already drove off but the random guy was easy enough to find and gave him the location of the murder. Scott flew and got there first so he waited on a roof for Jimmy to arrive. 

In the meantime, he observed the situation. There was a crowd surrounding the red tape. An ambulance. A kid with a lady Scott assumed was from the child protection services talking to him. And an elderly lady trying to get to the kid being restrained by two policemen. She didn't even calm down when Jimmy arrived waving the media and the crowd away. The lady, the grandmother Scott guessed. calmed down when he landed behind Jimmy.

"Please ignore him, a governmental project with nothing to do with the situation. Hermes will have to stay with the services until the investigation, I'm very sorry but these are the rules, once it's all over you're free to get custody..." Jimmy calmly explained, barely recognising Scott's presence.

Feeling he wasn't needed Scott approached the worker and the kid. As it was the case with children he looked up at Scott in wonder. "Hello little guy," Scott said offering the Agency approved Major smile. 

"Are you an angel?" the kid asked and the lady almost gasped. Scott guessed he was quiet since she got here.

"No, I'm a hero," Scott shook his head while making a small snowman with his powers. "Sheriff over there will do his best to figure this whole thing out so you be a big, strong boy and hold on until then, promise?" he said offering his pinky to the kid.

"I... I promise," the kid nodded shaking Scott's hand. "I'm Hermes. Why is grandma here? She lives far."

"I'm Major, and I don't really know, maybe she wanted to surprise you?" he offered. He agreed with what Jimmy was probably thinking. It was weird how fast she got here. And how much she insisted on taking the kid.

Seeing that the grandma left Scott left the kid with the worker. He was much more willing o talk to her now. And went to share what he learned with Jimmy. "The kid said grandma lives far from here," he said leaning in to see the papers Jimmy was looking over. "I convinced him to talk to the kid services lady, should not be much trouble," he added offering the man a smile. The sheriff graced him with a cold stare.

"I thought so," he sighed. "Shot and stabbed, lucky for you the body is already at the coroner's," he added with another heavy sigh and went inside of the apartment. Shouting out orders and questions. Mostly about any paper documentation. He only shouted because the kid was gone.

Scott just nodded and followed Jimmy after giving a wave to the crowd. Some people left after that.

"They divorced shortly after the kid was born, from what we found out the grandmother tried taking custody after her son just gave it up," Scott managed to catch another cop talking to Jimmy. "She had a restraining order on the mother," the cop said and fell silent seeing Scott. "Um..."

"Don't worry, he's not here about the case," Jimmy explained and the cop relaxed a bit. Just a bit. "Have someone keep track of what the grandmother's up to and contact the father.."

"That's the thing, Hermit City PD called to ask about our lady... he's dead and they thought it was her..." the cop said shuffling their feet. 

Jimmy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay... Can someone check if his mother was there recently? And tell me these things sooner," he said and went around the apartment himself. Scott tried to not touch anything and kept his wings really close.

The rest of the day was shockingly not too exciting. Jimmy talked to a whole bunch of people. Looked through a whole bunch of things. Went to the coroners. Had several phone calls and... when the sun just started to set had all he needed to arrest Hermes's grandmother for two separate murders. Her screaming and cursing the sheriff out was probably the most exciting part of the day. 

As he sat on the roof of the PD's building he was much more tired than after the last day's patrol. Even if he really didn't do much it was a lot of going back and forth at Jimmy speeds which were higher than the hero patrol speed. And the lunch break was much shorter too. 

"Guys downstairs said there's a pigeon here," Scott was a bit shocked the sheriff came up to see him after ignoring him for most of the day. Other than explaining why a hero was following him around he did not acknowledge Scott's presence at all. "Here," he passed Scott a cup of coffee. "You're not bad for a hero."

Scott had a feeling it was the highest compliment he could get from Jimmy as Major. "You have your job and I have mine and they're different but at the end of the day we both want to keep the city safe," Scott shrugged staring at the cup. 

"I suppose that's right," Jimmy hummed. "You really should be mindful of your head tilt habit," he added, shocking the hero with the sudden change of topic and tilted his head. A fully subconscious thing. "Yeah, this one. It's really obvious, and Scott's cuter."

Scott turned around to look at him and almost dropped his cup. "What do... I..."

"It's fine," Jimmy shook his head with a smile tugging on his lips. "Your secret's safe with me but stay mindful of it," he added and left.

Scott could only sit there for a moment. Holding a cup of coffee. Confused. Not sure what to do. Should he tell Katherine? Did Jimmy have powers like his sister or was he like Xornoth? Why must Jimmy be both handsome and smart? At least they got along well enough.

Eventually, he got over it and flew to the Agency's building. For now, he'd keep Jimmy knowing his name a secret. He had a feeling it was going to be okay. And if not... then he would see.

"How was the day with the sheriff?" 

The first person he ran into on the way to his office was Stratos himself. Scott heard at different points throughout the day about him chasing a minor villain with very annoying power. Mirror or something like that.

"Not too terrible, all things considered, just a lot of running back and forth," Scott shrugged. "I didn't get much to do outside following him around," he added as Stratos just nodded. If he wasn't still thinking about Jimmy connecting Major and Scott he might have been confused as to why Stratos was interested in his day.

"That's good, means there is a chance at fixing the relationship before the mayoral elections," he said awkwardly and left.

Scott stood there processing the whole thing for a moment before retreating to his office to write out the report about his day. And he needed to drop papers signed by Jimmy at Katherine's office. He ended up asking Pearl to come and pick them up. He was just too damn tired and Jimmy walked damn fast. All he wanted was to go home and have a whole pizza for himself.

[siriannatan]

Heroes of Empires City Chapter 7

I was close to giving up on having a chapter for this week since I was not feeling too well this week. But I managed to get a bit of a shorter one put together. Not my best work but it gets us places for the next chapter.

AO3

Tinkerer's second debut was on Scott's day off so he had full opportunity to see it from the civilian's perspective and he had one thing to say - fWhip looked damn cook in a more fitting leather jacket. And all the dark brown made his hair and wings stand out so much more and... And the damn fire was hot to see in action. It was a bit sad the scarf was gone but since it was a gift from Jimmy, Scott guessed fWhip did not want to risk damaging it anymore. A fair and personal reason and something he'd be asked on the talk show...

Scott was dreading it a little. It would be his first time on one of those and Tinkerer wasn't known for much of formal appearances on shows like that. An interview if the media caught him after he caught a villain happened. Obviously. Not even Scott managed to avoid the media as much as he seemed to them to try - as evidenced by the photo that had him and fWhip have to show up on TV.   And fWhip's flying ability. Scott was glad he could see that with some distance because it was frankly impressive how quickly he was learning. They were still meeting to practice some more complicated manoeuvres but at this point, it was more a fun part of the job than the mandatory practice Katherine assigned them. She had good reasons. They wouldn't always fight in conditions that made flying easy.

Unfortunately, good days had to come to an end and Scott and fWhip were herded into a TV studio. Given a quick tour of the main stage and were introduced to the host. Angeline. a pretty but unnerving woman with far too much interest in their private life. At least Katherine was there to force some distance before they were stashed in a greenroom until it was their time to talk. At least it was a short slot...

Jimmy wasn't sure what to do with himself with fWhip and Scott's interview coming up. He did have a bad feeling about it though. But wasn't sure why. He and Scott were just friends and he wasn't even on speaking terms with fWhip but... the idea of the two cutest guys he knows, ignoring the hero problem, and being seen as a couple was... making him annoyed for some reason.

Tinkerer's new costume was really cool. Too cool for the absolute nerd fWhip was under it. The lack of scarf stung a lot. Even if he was angry fWhip included it in his hero costume and thought Jimmy would not figure it out. But even with all that he had to admit one thing - Scott and fWhip looked damn good on their own but when put together... How was he supposed to work with them and be angry at them if he knew the two cute guys under the costumes? And... 

Maybe he should have talked to fWhip instead of just letting him break up with him...

"I know we got the questions ahead of time and all that but I don't feel at all ready," fWhip sighed, staring at the floor.

"Well, if our host gets out of control Katherine'll just cut the show," Scott tried to cheer him up despite sharing his statement.

There wasn't much time to talk since shortly after that they were called to the stage. And introduced in probably the most cringe way possible. "Empires City's guardian angel and the hidden dragon - Major and Tinkerer." Scott was tempted to just leave after that and wondered why the PR team never discussed that with them...

"Welcome and once again thank you for dropping by, I know heroes lead a busy life protecting the City," the host smiled widely shaking their hands before they sat down. Separate comfy chairs but fWhip had some shuffling to do to be comfy. "We can get a different chair in if needed," the host offered seeing said shuffling.

"No need, just still getting used to these," fWhip politely declined. Scott could see Katherine nod behind the cameras.

"Speaking of, I and a lot of our viewers were all shocked how quickly you recovered from that," Angeline, or Angie as she said they can call her. Over Scott's cold dead body... "And flying with so much grace." fWhip would never call his flying that but still smiled.

"Well, I had a good teacher," he explained, gently nudging Scott. "It'd be stuck in the training room for forever without Major being patient with me," he chuckled, getting small applause from the live audience. Katherine kept looking pleased with the conversation.

Angeline nodded but her smile faltered. Scott guessed she was not the biggest fan of Major. "That's great to hear. Any reasons for a costume change this big? I hear people are missing the scarf."

"Well... that was a gift from a friend and after that Shadow Master clash I might have realised I probably shouldn't include something that personal in my costume. On the other hand, flopping coats and scarfs make flying hard," fWhip tried to laugh it off. Costume change was an expected topic but not that the scarf would be the centre. His glance at Katherine was rather obvious and the audience glanced that way too.

Scott was starting to feel he was there just for one topic. The photo. And Angeline would spend all the time talking to fWhip over him. "Yes. That was a big event for the city. A hero's power evolving and a big villain caught..." she droned on and kept talking to only fWhip. And Scott listened nodding and not seeing any chance to put anything in. He could see Katherine arguing with someone behind the scenes. And it was that moment of distraction Angeline used to move to her main topic.

"A lot of the fans wonder about this picture from that day," she asked, very smugly, and the picture of fWhip in Scott's arms showed on screen. fWhip froze. Likely forgetting everything he was supposed to say after Angeline went over his whole rivalry with Shadow Master. "It must have been nice...."

"Well, Tinkerer was obviously unable to fight and even with the both of us there Stratos didn't see a good way to keep Shadow Master in check so he send me away with him, knowing I could get that done fast," Scott took over the answer and the audience clapped a bit.

Angeline was not too happy about him but kept going. "There have been many interesting theories online..."

"I can assure everyone we're just friends. Being a hero leaves little time for other things," Scott carried on talking. Now a bit worried why fWhip was suddenly very silent.

Jimmy was not in the slightest bit shocked the show was cut. There was no way that's how Katherine and the hero PR team wanted the interview to go that way. And... And Jimmy was close to looking what laws might have been broken there  just so he could show up and let out his anger at that unpleasant woman for nearly causing fWhip a panic attack... He was also considering getting Scott a box of chocolates for stepping in before he caught himself. They broke up. He should not be getting so defensive... Why did he care so much still?

No matter the reason he did. And... was fWhip being a hero that good of a reason to just let the break up happen? Maybe he should talk to fWhip. And Scott too... 

Not that he was given much of a chance to think anymore about it.

Shadow Master did not like the talk show and has escaped from prison...

Luckily he managed to buy enough time for Katherine to get in touch with the important people at the station since the show was apparently making problems and cut it all short. The moment 'cut to commercials' was called Angeline, ignoring the two heroes ran up to her superior who was arguing with Katherine and a short man in a fancy suit.

Scott ignored that commotion and turned to fWhip. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I just... I panicked..." fWhip whispered back. The very confused audience was still there whispering and wondering why the show ended so suddenly that they had to keep up their professional appearance.

"The interview went off the rails, it's not how she was supposed to ask. Katherine's arguing with them about agreement breeches and stuff. You two can go back to the Tower," Pearl jogged up to them with an apologetic smile. 

"Thanks, Pearly, and good luck with the mess," Scott agreed and led fWhip out to the parking lot behind the building. There wasn't really any better place for them since the helicopter pad was needed for other things.  

Having Jimmy be the first thing they saw upon coming back did not spell any good things.

"Sheriff? Can we help you? Katherine's still at the TV station," Scott was not at all apprehensive to talk to the man. If a bit worried about what brought him to the tower.

"Shadow Master broke up during that interview, we lost all track of her," Jimmy said sternly, glancing at fWhip. "How was the interview?"

"Went off the tracks. Could Shadow Master have seen it? Do you need any of us to help with anything at the prison?" fWhip was instantly back to Tinkerer mode. "Or should we wait for Katherine?"

Jimmy had no time to wait for Katherine and Amethyst was already at the prison so Scott and fWhip stayed at the tower. And relayed the news to Katherine who was not too happy to hear it next to having to sue the talk show about breaching the contract. 

"Major, you keep an eye on Tinkerer for now, if she shows up I need you two to get to any other hero. NO fighting her just the two of you," she told them before dismissing them.

Needless to say, fWhip was not thrilled about it.

"All this training and stuff and the moment she shows up I'm almost put in house arrest. I can take care of myself," he complained as they changed for training. "At least it's you and not my sister..." he sighed.

Did Scott have any good response to that? No. "Why is Shadow Master so obsessed with you?" so he used deflection.

"I honestly have no idea. As far as I know, it's how she's been since she showed up, obsessed with me and my inventions," he sighed.

They dropped the topic for the rest of the day which was shockingly calm. Shadow Master was not acting yet. Likely plotting her next big move to try and get Tinkerer to switch to her side. What was going to fail since fWhip had no intention of becoming a villain.

Even with the threat of Shadow Master's revenge Scott had a feeling things would all go well. That is until, in the middle of a solo patrol - Katherine decided only fWhip needed extra protection - something knocked him out...

[siriannatan]

Double Chapter 5 Update...

Since JoeHills won his round while I was in a posting mood I decided to start posting yet another fic - I have no idea how regular my updates will be with 3 ongoing fics but it should be fun :}

Heroes of Empires City - Chapter 5

He actually spend the rest of the day cooped up in Jimmy's office - with his leg still healing he didn't do much walking but Scott had his responsibilities and one of them was to follow the sheriff. Or sit in his office until his hero shift was done and fly to the tower to change and go home. And be annoyed by his brother's boyfriend making fun of his hero tower desk job. He really wanted a boyfriend of his own… Too bad the two men he liked were both also full of issues and rather unavailable…

Jinn & Other Troubles - Chapter 5

fWhip has not spoken about why he got drunk. He did apologise about doing it at the bar but that was the best Pix would be getting out of him. Not with Gem coming to town, to stay… He didn't even complain about Jimmy tagging along with him on his errands. Not that he ever did. He was kind of surprised by what he was supposed to get done.

Empires Modern Fantasy - Chapter 1

(I had no good idea for the title :{)

"Sorry, your lack of a shirt distracted me. I need you to help me find someone. A vampire. He gave me the best night of my life," Scott started listing off, eyes closed, raising finger after finger as he listed the vampire's crimes against him. "Marked me, allegedly on accident, made me fall asleep when I realised he is a vampire and showed him I'm a demon and left. And being a gentleman he left me a glass of water and aspirin and a note on my bedside table… Can you help me?" with the final question Scott finally opened his eyes up again and froze. Behind Jimmy, also frozen and staring at him was… fWhip the vampire. "Oh. Found him," Scott huffed crossing his arms over his chest.

[siriannatan]

Heroes of Empires City - finale

And it's over. I hope it was a good one, I certainly enjoyed it :}

AO3

'I have your distractions,  I'm waiting where we first met, love Shadow Master ps. come alone or they die ;)' 

Was not something fWhip wanted to ever find taped to the window of his office but here he was. Ready to take his costume off and go home and relax. But now he had to think about what to do. He could tell Katherine but there was no way she'd let him go alone. Unless... he was nearly there before he let her now.

With a plan in mind, fWhip set out and only when he had the falling apart storage building in view called Katherine. "SM kidnapped Major and Sheriff, I'll explain why later but she says she's going to kill them if I don't show up alone so.... sorry..." he said and cut all communications before she could stop him. And was faced, alone, with what to do now.

He wasn't expecting any goons. She'd not risk them messing her grand plan up. That was a relief, though small. How was he supposed to get Scott and Jimmy out safely on his own? If he got at least Scott free it'd be good. It was not a plan but it was better than nothing so he started making his way into the building - if it's ruined state still warranted the name... 

As he expected there were no goons...

Seeing Shadow Master first thing after he woke up was not something Scott ever wanted to happen to him again. And it took him a second to realise he was one, out of costume and far too cold for it to be good. Two, in a cage. And three, there was a still unconscious Jimmy in a cage next to him.

"I see Major finally woke up, I would say I'm sorry about my goons but you tried stealing my Tinky from me," she chuckled making a spin that was maybe supposed to be cute but it was creepy in the current situation.

How did she find out Scott was Major? "How did you... During the election. The kidnapping was a rouse to get into the tower, no one high rank was in..." Scott huffed.

"Smart one, aren't you? Not smart enough for Tinky, I'm afraid neither your water nor ice powers will work Major," she laughed and turned to her screens.

She had no idea the water was Jimmy. And was so sure she had it all perfectly planned she did nothing to stop him from using his powers. Meaning the moment Jimmy was awake... She was done for. Or if other heroes came in... Not that'd probably be bad.

Just Jimmy waking up would not do much though so Scott looked about for a solution and... spotted a Tinkerer, fWhip, hiding in the rafters. And fWhip spotted him too and made some sign with his arms. Scott interpreted it as fWhip wanting a distraction. 

"Why me and sheriff tho? All I did was teach Tinkerer how to fly, we're not that close, and Sheriff hates heroes," Scott huffed at the villain. Collecting all the energy he had in him in case fWhip needed assistance of any kind.

"Well, you might not know it but fWhippy and our idiot of a sheriff," she started and Scott got a strong urge to punch her. "Used to date and he broke Tinky's heart. And he's mayor's, little brother, with him in hand I can get her to do anything I want," she talked and even turned around to give him smug looks as he detailed her plan to rule Empires City with fWhip by her side.

"But he said he's not interested, just between us, I think he might like guys more," Scott hummed as fWhip soundlessly landed behind her and started sneaking up to the console. Just a little more distraction.

"And just what might you know? Didn't you say you two aren't that close?" Scott really got her attention now.

"It takes one to know the one I suppose?" Scott shrugged. He really hoped whatever fWhip was planning would happen soon. He was out of what to distract Shadow Master with. "You're not about to force a guy into a relationship? That'd  probably be worse than all your crimes combined."

"I... What can someone like you know about true love?"

"A lot more than you," fWhip said and knocked her out with one good strike and started to tie her down. Super-powered individuals recovered quickly and even with police on the way there was a risk she'd wake up too soon.

For a moment they were both silent as the cages lowered and Scott felt the cold go down to the levels he was more used to. "I should call Katherine... I kind of told her about this but then cut all the contact without giving much detail..."

"Okay... I'll check on Jimmy.

Katherine was understandably not pleased that fWhip cut all the contact as he did but she was happy Scott and Jimmy were safe. No one but her, fWhip and Jimmy knew Shadow Master actually grabbed Scott because he's Major. Her breaking into Tower's data systems was a known fact but for all everyone knew Scott was just a guy she grabbed along with Jimmy. And just allowed to go 'home' just, in this case, 'home' was the tower and back into his costume so he could join Jimmy and fWhip in the infirmary to talk. 

Katherine insisted they solve their love problems so something like this doesn't happen again.

fWhip had no idea what to do with himself while he waited for Jimmy to wake up. According to Sanctuary, a strong sedative was used on him and since he was not using his powers too actively it would take a while for it to wear off. So for the moment, he waited to see if Scott showed up and tried to come up with what to say. Mask and hood off since the room was off limits to everyone but Katherine to give them space to talk.

Unfortunately, Scott was taking forever to get back. Probably relaying all the details he could remember to Katherine. Other heroes were hunting for Shadow Master's goons based on her grand plan fWhip found in her files.

The thinking wasn't going any better. All he could come up with was 'I'm sorry I was an idiot. I should have talked to you first instead of just breaking up.' He had a feeling it would not work well. Just a small feeling gnawing at his bones and not letting go. "I'm so sorry I was an idiot..." fWhip sighed, gently grabbing one of Jimmy's hands, he did not bother removing his gloves. It didn't feel right for some reason.

"He's still out?" Scott's question muffling click of the door startled him slightly. 

"No..." fWhip sighed sadly. "I... I have no idea what to tell him when he wakes up..." he confessed, if his wings weren't hidden they'd probably be wrapped around him like a cocoon.

He could only sigh when Scott pulled him into a comforting hug. Scott didn't say anything just loosely held fWhip, offering silent comfort as they waited. And yes, fWhip had things to tell Scott too but he'd rather talk to Jimmy first to know where he's with him before making it even more awkward.

They just sat that for a while, almost dozing off. 

"As cute as you two are like this, mind explaining where I am and why my head hurts so much?" Jimmy's still heavy with sleep grumbles startled them so bad they almost fell off their chairs.

"Geez, Jimmy don't scare me like that," Scott pouted leaning back in his chair but he did not look in the slightest angry. 

"Mhm..." fWhip nodded. It's been so long since he last talked to Jimmy as fWhip and not Tinkerer... "It was Shadow Master, she nabbed you and Scott to get to me..." he started and explained the whole situation.

Jimmy listened silently. The only break was Scott helping him sit up better. But when fWhip was done telling the story there was a long moment of silence.

"You..." the sheriff started and stopped to look for the right words. "Absolute Moron. You could have gotten so hurt and..." he almost yelled, grabbing fWhip by his jacket and pulling him close. "Idiot..."

fWhip sighed, resting one hand on Jimmy's fist tightly grabbing his jacket. "I know... It's... Exactly what I was afraid of before I broke up with you... That some villain would hurt you to get to me... And... It happened anyway..." he mumbled, not sure what to say exactly... "I..."

"Am an idiot, I heard you," Jimmy nodded and pulled him into a hug. "Never worry me like that ever again."

"I can't promise that," fWhip said, voice already shaking. Scott felt really out of place next to him. "I do work as a hero after all. Saving people is my job and it's not always safe..."

"I know..." Jimmy mumbled and made a grab for Scott. "Scott... you better come in for hugs too idiot" he grumbled and Scott listened and joined in the awkward hug.

Well, it was certainly a bit awkward for Scott, considering the history fWhip and Jimmy shared. Yet, once again, he found himself in the middle of it without ever trying. "So um... Where are we with this mess?" fWhip asked, Scott assumed he tried pulling back just by Jimmy's hug tightening. He was quite happy he could get away with hiding his blush in fWhip's hair. And maybe made a mental note to ask what shampoo he used. It smelled very nice.

"I don't know. Are you both free this Friday?' the sheriff asked, his breath tickling Scott's neck. They both were free and said as much, expecting Jimmy would rather talk about it out of costume. "Good it's a date then," he said and sat back. "Now, I supposed it'd be good to explain why I don't like heroes before we talk about anything else," he sighed, letting them go and sitting back with a hiss.

For a moment they were silent

"I... I wanted to be a hero once when I was younger... My older sister, Lizzie our new mayor, was one and...It was before the legalisation and all that...  I really looked up to her but then... A villain found out I was related to her and used me as bait, she got hurt, badly, and had to retire the cape and... I couldn't look at heroes like I used to after that... Today really got me thinking about that, I suppose."

Scott was shocked. It wasn't rare for heroes to get seriously hurt before the legalisation. Mostly because they used to work alone and with little support. Next to him, fWhip was incredibly tense.

"And that's exactly why I broke up with you, and it happened and..." fWhip mumbled, curling up.

"Yes, but I think we can make it work, as long as hero costumes and talk stay mostly away from me?" Jimmy offered. "Because," he carried on as both Scott and fWhip blushed and looked anywhere but at Jimmy or each other. "You're both darn cute out of these cursed things, and I might be a bit annoyed I could not see you," he poked at fWhip, "being cool and saving us."

"It wasn't that cool... Scott distracted her and I knocked her out," fWhip muttered, looking up just a bit. "And I'm fine with Tinkerer staying here."

"Same," Scott agreed with a slight smile. He was shocked he was being included in the whole date thing but Jimmy was somewhat right. fWhip was cute, but the sheriff should not forget how handsome he himself is.

Unfortunately, the moment was broken by the arrival of the very worried Mayor Lizzie coming to fret over her younger brother so Scott and fWhip had to put their disguises up and leave through a backdoor. Just to not worry her anymore.

The Friday date was lovely, by the way, and Xornoth was more than happy that Scott was no longer single if a bit salty that he out of nowhere pulled out two boyfriends. And boyfriends who needed much less maintenance than Joey did.