"Has your friend always been this... eccentric?" Whumpee muttered as they glanced in the rearview mirror.
"Hm? Whumper?" Caretaker, still tipsy, jolted a bit from the passenger's seat. "Yeah, they've always been a little unhinged."
"Oh."
The stars seemed to flicker.
"I think they had a bit too much to drink tonight, though and, uh... they always got a kick out of saying the weirdest shit and watching people's reactions. Thought they would've grown out of it by now."
"Yeah, I... noticed that." Whumpee wanted to glance at their partner so badly, itching to communicate their discomfort through the strained look on their face - but they had to keep their eyes on the road.
"Well, don't take anything they say seriously." Their stomach dropped as Caretaker responded ever-so-nonchalantly. "If they said something weird, they probably already forgot about it."
Whumpee stayed silent, squinting as the headlights of another car in the opposite lane entered their line of vision.
After all, who were they to stand in the way of a decade-long friendship?
A/N: I did not intend to write more than two parts for this, it’s shaping up to be a short series🤦I may not know where this is going or where we’ll end up, but god am I excited for the ride😆
Warnings: intimidation, implied threats, slight interrogation, gaslighting (idk if this counts as gaslighting, but I’m putting a warning in because it felt kinda gaslighty to me), minor anxiety/fear, stressful situations, the author not knowing this was to become a series
Part 1 | Part 3 |My masterlist
Hero spent the days after the gala laying as low as they possibly could without disappearing altogether. They didn’t know what to make of Supervillain’s…proposition. But they knew one thing: there was no harm in heeding the criminal’s “suggestion” to blend into the shadows for a while. Hero knew they couldn’t disappear altogether, for their absence might draw more attention than if they were to take a step back from crime fighting. A small step, an easy step. Stop a low tier villain here, break up a petty crime there, but nothing more. Above all else though, Hero had to keep a finger on the underground’s pulse. They didn’t know when or if they’d hear from Supervillain again, so their best defense against Other Supervillain was to be as in the know as much as possible.
Their mind was still reeling from the revelation that Politician was Other Supervillain. Hero didn’t know if they could wholly believe it…but it explained a few things. It explained how Politician had gotten the money for their successful campaign, how things they seemed to want to improve suddenly got taken care of even when they hadn’t garnered the support to do anything about it, and how they’d remained in office despite multiple attempts on their life by the city’s more ambitious criminals.
So, Hero had reasoned over and over again, either Politician was a chess master, Other Supervillain benefitted from their mayorship, or the master criminal and controversial figure were one and the same.
Hero bit their lip, turning the puzzle over in their head again. It was possible Supervillain had lied to them — about everything. But why? And why would they be working with Other Supervillain? Was it under duress? Were they playing a long game to take Other Supervillain’s mantle? What was the angle, and how did Hero play into it?
“That’s a wonderful question, darling.”
Hero whirled around. Other Supervillain stood in the shadows of the dimly lit street. Hero went stock still, their blood running cold, as the master criminal approached slowly. With all the ease in the world, Other Supervillain backed them against the abandoned brick building. Hero’s lips quivered as Other Supervillain crowded them, trapping them against the rough brick. Their eyes darted to either side. Crestfallen, Hero realized they’d wandered into the abandoned industrial center of town. The old factory was the pinnacle of the city’s devastation, and by virtue, the beginning of masked crime.
“You’ve gone awfully quiet, Hero,” Other Supervillain said humorlessly. Hero shrank under their gaze, curling into themselves as Other Supervillain leaned in closer. “I didn’t frighten you, did I?”
“M-maybe,” Hero shuddered. Maybe if they hadn’t gotten lost in their speculations, they wouldn’t have strayed so far from the observed streets. Maybe if they had paid more attention to their patrol, they wouldn’t have wound up trapped between a building and the imposing criminal bracketing them in with their arms on either side. Close, crowded, but not touching. There was that at least. That bit of space that teased clarity, and maybe even a dumb sense of safety.
Other Supervillain studied them closely. There wasn’t an ounce of distinguishable emotion on their face. All Hero could do was stare back at them, wide-eyed and with a tight chest.
“You attended my gala the other night. Why?”
“I—”
“Don’t,” Other Supervillain interrupted quietly, “think about lying to me. I’ll know, and I don’t have time to deal with you further. Answer my questions and nothing will happen to you.”
Other Supervillain’s lips quirked in what might’ve been a wry smile. “When have I ever gone back on my word?”
Hero swallowed. Was there any sense in asking them to clarify what they meant by that? If they were talking about their life of villainy or as a public figure? Besides, Hero didn’t know if Other Supervillain knew what Supervillain had told them at the gala, so maybe they didn’t know that Hero knew who they were — if Supervillain was to be believed that is.
“I was following a lead.” A half-truth, but honest enough that Hero didn’t think it could be considered a lie.
“What kind of lead? I need you to tell me everything, Hero. The harder you make this, the less likely this will end amicably.”
“The stolen artifacts. I received a tip that they might be at the gala, and I went to retrieve them,” Hero hesitated, not certain if that was the answer Other Supervillain was searching for, or if they wanted Hero to trap themselves by allowing them to prattle on under the threat of…well a vague threat of being hurt.
“You’re searching for the artifacts? From the museum?” Other Supervillain asked with what sounded like doubt. Hero’s head spun. Fighting crime was so much easier when they could gauge what was going on in their enemy’s head or their next action, but Other Supervillain gave little indication to help them in any way.
“Yeah,” Hero nodded. “They were worth a lot of money. Could fund…I don’t know, but if a villain stole them and sold them on the black market…”
Other Supervillain pulled back slightly, but didn’t drop their hands from either side of Hero’s shoulders. Hero watched them wearily as the other seemed to study them from head to toe. Their breath coming a little easier now, Hero hoped that was all.
“I didn’t steal them. I’m not a petty thief.”
“I didn’t say you were. That’s why it’s called ‘a lead’, you follow—”
“Hero,” Other Supervillain chastised, “I’m losing my patience. Tell me, why did you dance with Supervillain?”
Hero flinched. “I didn’t know it was them, not until later.”
“What made you realize it was Supervillain?”
“They said something to me, something I thought only Supervillain would say,” Hero replied slowly, swallowing the hesitation that threatened to choke their throat. Other Supervillain glared at them, opening their mouth probably to reprimand them, but Hero cut them off. “They threatened me, personally.”
Other Supervillain’s eyes bore into them. Neither one of them moved an inch. Hero was too afraid to breathe, their breath stuttering in their lungs. Silently, Hero prayed that the master criminal was satisfied, that this was the end of it. They forced themselves to bear the intense scrutiny of Other Supervillain’s unwavering gaze. They didn’t know what they would do if the villain didn’t believe them. Or if they were truly Politician…what kind of implication would this have Hero’s life? As a hero, they were often in the same circle as Politician when it came to press conferences or city events, ceremonies, the like. But what if…what if Other Supervillain/Politician found out who they were, their civilian identity? What would happen if Other Supervillain found out what else Supervillain had told them at the gala?
“You’ve been very helpful, Hero, thank you.” Other Supervillain pulled away completely and turned, walking off down the empty street and leaving Hero to catch their breath.
Sliding down the wall, Hero sank to the cold, damp asphalt like an anchor. Staring, but unseeing, their mind raced.
What just happened?
Numbly, Hero looked toward where Other Supervillain had strode off to. The master criminal, the political figure, whatever they were, was no where in sight. Vanished into the shadows of the night, Hero was left wondering just who Other Supervillain was and what they wanted or intended to do.
Maybe their “potential friend” could be of some help. Now if only they knew how to get in touch with Supervillain without raising any alarm…
X lovingly stroked the leaf of one of their enormous, ten-foot tall tomato plants, bushy and bursting with tomatoes. “The secret is love, you know,” xe says, earnestly, to Y. “Love and compost.”
“Uh-huh,” said Y, sweating.
“It’s kinda the same thing with children! I know I’ve gotten really attached to yours. Sweet kid. I hope you’ll love hir like ze deserves. Or... compost. Y’know?”
“Are you giving me the shovel talk over my child?”
“Oh, honey, I’ve got much worse things than a shovel.”
Request for Anonymous
Gif Source: Mycroft / Moriarty
Imagine being Jim Moriarty’s cousin and him crashing your honeymoon with Mycroft
------- Imagine -------
You had just walked into your hotel room, Mycroft on your heels and smiles plastered on your faces when you saw him. You froze, your whole body instantly going into panic mode as you took him in, sitting in the one of the suites plush chairs and looking up at where you now stood. “Hello cousin dear.” He said sweetly, it was only then that you felt the heat from behind you as Mycroft stepped forward.
“Moriarty, how…inconvenient.” Mycroft said smiling coldly and you saw his hand grip his cane tighter.
“Come now Mycroft, we are family now after all. Besides I think I’m entitled; I didn’t exactly get an invite to the wedding.”
The stupor you had been in from fear and surprise at seeing your insane relative finally dissipated and you stood straighter, letting the fury and intelligence that seemed to run in your side of the family fuel you words. “Moriarty you are going to leave right now. I won’t let you ruin my honeymoon.”
“There is very little anyone, including your new groom or his dear brother let me do.”
“That may be, but I am not them. Now, Get. Out.”
His smile as he continued to look at you let you and your husband know this was going to be a long, long honeymoon.
Two Wayne County high school seniors won't walk across the stage at Friday's graduation following a racist online post that was shared hundreds of times. The Jesup Police Department says two students were using their gun range for target practice when one of them posted on Snapchat a video of himself yelling a racial slur and shooting. Sign up for our Newsletters TRENDING STORIES Chatham County District Attorney's Office changes how it...
