How do you think a maniacal villain with a dark and brooding persona takes his cuppa joe? One might assume the man prefers a pitch black americano to match his dark soul [https://img.wattpad.com/a1c132fd5814e88d796b626250043a634ea7cba1/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4c705f3161476443635271614c413d3d2d313334313136363031302e313736336132346134353139326436333730353930343132363535342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

How do you think a maniacal villain with a dark and brooding persona takes his cuppa joe? One might assume the man prefers a pitch black americano to match his dark soul. But then again, Stygian is so theatrical and extra, so perhaps Jay should've expected the absolutely ridiculous order the man is currently making.

"I'd like the vanilla ice cream latte please, with two extra shots of vanilla, extra whip, chocolate drizzle, caramel drizzle, cookie chunks, and sprinkles. Oh also, A strawberry refresher and a black coffee."

The cashier stares daggers at Gannet, but her mood quickly shifts as he places an extremely generous tip in the small jar next to the cash register. A few moments later, the villain grabs the neon pink drink and the sugary abomination before handing Jay his black coffee. Drinks in hand, they both move to a sunny booth in the corner.

The cafe is much more than a simple coffee shop, Jay notices. There are tons of Network enthusiasts milling about, buying Hero merch, watching Heroes on flatscreen TVs, and chatting up other superfans. The blond glances at the TV playing a clip of Pixamena throwing hands with Texas, apparently doing just fine without Quickwit...

He's pulled from his thoughts of his ex-partner by a nervous cough from Gannet. "Um, I hope it's okay that I invited a friend. Sorry she's late, she's such a ditz..."

Jay smiles. He's actually quite relieved that the man asked to bring a friend...He'd been a bit worried that this was a date. It wasn't right? Do people invite their friends on dates?

"It's no problem. Thanks for introducing me to such an interesting place...I haven't gotten to explore the city much since I arrived."

The dark-haired man smiles, sipping his monstrosity of a drink. "You're new? I've lived here since I was a teen. Let me know if you want some recommendations for H-town, I know some amazing restaurants."

The sidekick is about to ask about the best sushi spots when Gannet stands up, waving to someone. "Faye! Over here!"

Jay turns around to see who has Gannet so riled up. As he does, he spots an out-of-breath woman dressed in pastels, two balls of curly hair bobbing atop her head. She smiles, clutching a baby blue purse to her side as she skips over to Gannet. They embrace and Jay's eyes widen as he observes the woman up close. It's Pixamena!

The sidekick gapes as Pixamena chats eagerly with the supervillain Stygian, neither aware of the other's secret double life [https://img.wattpad.com/cb24ccc6d43a1c3fa4ecab4b8503ba8fc1e07dcd/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f315874726d3570324670744a76673d3d2d313334313136363031302e313738386564393033333665373937343738353132323334383132382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

The magical girl sits at the table, accepting her drink as she smiles at the dark-haired man. The sidekick gapes as Pixamena chats eagerly with the supervillain Stygian, neither aware of the other's secret double life. Although...Jay had suspected this day would come sooner or later. Her disguise was always flimsy, and he knew he would figure her out eventually. Still, he can't help but chide her internally because, really, Pixamena? Trading twin-tails for space buns is not a proper disguise!

Jay imagines for a moment running around the city in such an inane disguise. Without his balaclava, people would recognize him, right? Changing his hair from a blond undercut to a glittery set of twin-tails won't reasonably change that.

Pixamena—or rather Faye turns to look at her former sidekick. She smiles, extending a hand. "Quickwit, right? It's so cool to meet Gannet's favorite hero."

Jay feels a muscle twitch in his jaw as he reluctantly accepts her manicured hand for a shake. As she releases him from her clawed grip, he can't help but feel a bit uneasy—he feels strange wearing his mask when both Stygian and Pixamena are in plain clothes, even if the rest of his outfit is just flannel and jeans. However, given the numerous cosplayers milling about, he finds himself blending in rather well.

Jay wonders, did Gannet choose this cafe for that very reason?

The sidekick coughs, trying to tame his train of thought. "Um yeah. Did you make it here okay?"

Faye nods, stirring her drink. "Yes, thanks for waiting. I foster dogs so sometimes I have to leave suddenly..."

Gannet nods happily, looking at Jay. "She's rehomed tons of pomeranians!"

"Wow, what a hero."

Faye narrows her eyes, smiling in an unkind way. "Such a compliment coming from you. I saw you on the news the other day—you work with Aquarikid now right?"

The blond thinks of saying something scalding about it being an improvement, compared to working with a childish flutterbye fairy wannabe, but he holds back. They had their problems, but he can't pretend that they were uniquely Pixamena's fault...

"Ah, yeah. For the time being. I'm gonna miss working with Pixamena though. She's an amazing hero—not to mention a great role model."

The dark-skinned woman flushes, looking surprised. "Oh, uh, yeah..."

"Plus," Gannet interjects, "she has amazing style. She always looks so cute—the shoes especially! Green kitten heels, what an icon."

Jay huffs. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand why so many heroes and villains wear heels. It's just begging for a broken ankle."

"You have to look good fighting crime." Faye says matter-of-factly.

Gannet giggles. "Or doing crime."

The woman twirls her straw, smiling at her friend. "Not that many supers wear heels anyway. The only other ones I can think of off the top of my head are Stygian, Techtra, Delta..."

The villain slurps his coffee. "No, Delta said she had to stop wearing heels. They threw off her prosthetic's balance. But you know who should wear them..."

Jay zones out, watching rain begin to trickle down the window as the pair hotly debate if Alphaman should wear stilettos.

It was a little bit shocking to see that the supervillain was kinda...normal outside his villainy. He had a best friend, a favorite drink, and interests...what will happen when Jay reveals it all? Surely, Faye didn't know the truth that her close friend is the same criminal they had rescued Senator Haxton from. It would definitely be a hard blow...

Jay balls his fists, watching lightning crack overhead as the storm builds.

It didn't matter. Stygian had chosen a life of crime—it wasn't the hero's fault if the criminal paid the price. Not to mention, the villain was actively trying to bring harm to Jay! Why should he feel bad!?

His thoughts are pulled from him as the storm seems to grow in strength rapidly. The wind buffets the trees outside violently as rain pours down in thick sheets. He looks to his companions to say so when a huge boom of thunder shakes the whole cafe, causing Gannet to yelp and latch onto Faye's arm.

The woman gets a buzz on her phone, face hardening before she stands abruptly. "I've gotta go—this storm blew out my apartment's power and I need to check on my dogs..."

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Gannet nods. "Are you going to be okay out there?"

Faye smiles, hugging her friend. "I'll be fine."

She turns to Jay, glaring. "Give him a ride home, would you? There's no way the buses will run through this..."

"You don't have to do that..." Gannet begins.

Jay smiles. This was a great opportunity to see where Stygian's lair was located! "It would worry me all day if I didn't. Don't worry, I'm here to keep you safe—all part of the job."

The villain flushes, twiddling his fingers. "Well—alright."

After saying goodbye to Faye, the duo runs to the car, jumping in as the wind howls. Jay speeds as much as possible without breaking the law as Gannet gives directions to his home. Jay has a suspicion he knows what's going on—they need to get to shelter, quickly.

Luckily, the villain's lair is nearby; the sidekick quickly pulls up to a humble-looking apartment, parking and unbuckling. They both scuttle inside, attempting vainly to stay as dry as the cold rain pelts down on them.

The hero kicks his tennis shoes off as he enters, glancing around Gannet's apartment as the villain heads to another room. Jay takes the opportunity to study his surroundings well; It seemed Gannet's sense of home decor matched his sense of style—favoring dark-colored furniture, appliances, and even walls.

Surprisingly, the dark tones don't make the small studio apartment feel too constricting—probably because the villain seems to have an obsession with plants. Vibrant green leaves pop against dark tones, decorating nearly every surface. Jay reaches out to touch a blush-tinged plant trailing down the side of a bookcase, marveling at the mottled pattern on the heart-shaped leaves.

Gannet returns a few moments later, handing the hero a fluffy black towel. "I'm going to take a shower to warm up, do you want some dry clothes to change into?"

The sidekick takes a quick look at the man's lithe frame before shaking his head. There was no way Jay would fit into anything of Gannet's comfortably. "No thanks, but can I use your dryer?"

The man nods, smiling. "It's across from the kitchen. Feel free to grab a snack, I'll be quick."

Jay heads towards the kitchen, observing everything carefully as he strips off his undershirt and flannel. He sighs in relief as the wet clothes are pulled off, plopping them in the dryer before turning to explore the apartment.

He heads to the living room, looking for anything that might hide a secret entrance to some subterranean laboratory or dungeon. For some reason, villains always love to disguise the latch that reveals their secret rooms as a book, so Jay starts by fiddling with the bookcase.

He doesn't find anything of interest, just a bunch of cookbooks and romance novels. Though Jay raises his eyebrows at some of the covers—apparently Stygian was a fan of paranormal romance, owning several novels with glistening inhuman men on the covers.

Jay flushes, putting a book with a muscular serpentine man back on the shelf. He was learning a little too much about his foe...

He turns to investigate the rest of the room. There are several display shelves with hero memorabilia displayed proudly behind glass cases. The sidekick spots some Pixamena figurines, a few Delta posters, some signed autographs from Brighteyes and...

Jay pauses, coming closer to the display case. Is that...?

The sidekick studies the arrangement of items; there's several photographs and newspaper clippings that decorate a section of the display, all showing him, Quickwit, fighting crime.

But what shocks Jay the most is that he spots a blue glove proudly displayed on the top of the shelf. That's his glove! How in the...did the villain prepare this just in case Jay ever visited? What exactly does this accomplish?

The sidekick jumps as Gannet's voice startles him. "You like my memorabilia? I had to pay a pretty penny for some of those items."

Jay turns around to see a ruffled-looking Gannet, now wearing a pair of fuzzy black pajama bottoms and his autographed T-shirt.

The Hero flushes as the villain unabashedly studies Jay's bare torso before dragging his eyes back to the hero's face, smiling as approaches.

"Did you see my Quickwit collection? I'm still mad they won't make any merch..."

The blond nods warily. "Yeah, where did you get the glove...?"

Gannet grins, a little mania seeping into the edges of his eyes. "Oh man, that was such a lucky find. You lost it when you faced off with Razzmatazz, remember? Someone listed it online for only 200 dollars. It was a steal!"

"You paid 200 dollars for a dirty glove?!"

The villain only grins wider. "It's my prized possession! But if you think that's bad, you should see how much Delta's glove was going for..."

Jay is about to rant about how insane that is when the Tv flicks on.

"Attention citizens of Neo Houston. A weather advisory has gone into effect. A category two hurricane has formed over the city as supervillain Hurrikate and her sidekick, Goosezilla, unleash chaos across the city."

The Tv flashes to a live recording of the young villain and her sidekick facing off with Pixamena and Aquarikid, her lavender curls dancing in the wind as she directs a blast of wind at the heroes.

The Tv flashes to a live recording of the young villain and her sidekick facing off with Pixamena and Aquarikid, her lavender curls dancing in the wind as she directs a blast of wind at the heroes [https://img.wattpad.com/2786a94f6608213080d0389cbf4548f9ce546794/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5a697364734477304949557455413d3d2d313334313136363031302e3137363733343737306264363739366537343830393430323737372e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

[https://img.wattpad.com/6536216940f18f322d02499e6d40e9e4c929a5ba/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f354b67707756746338694b4a5f513d3d2d313334313136363031302e313738613666306334323363346331353831393030313432343539332e706e67]

Luckily, Pixamena seems to be faring well, wrangling the neon green goose as she attempts to convince the raincoat-clad super to stand down [https://img.wattpad.com/740bf414b3af3981d7b646bbfa46b02d273382d7/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f32696d4663486c4e7557717849773d3d2d313334313136363031302e313736373334373934626131366261363433313832383838303233332e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Luckily, Pixamena seems to be faring well, wrangling the neon green goose as she attempts to convince the raincoat-clad super to stand down.

Jay is glad they chose Pixamena to deal with Hurrikate—such a young villain surely would be swayed by a Hero adored by girls everywhere. But mostly he's just glad it's his day off and he doesn't have to deal with this mess.

Gannet whistles, watching the battle intently. "Damn. I hope she doesn't flood the city again. Last time my carpet had to be ripped out...Houston floods enough without her intervention, does she really have to throw another tantrum?"

The hero nods. "H-town or drown..."

The villain giggles. "I'm going to get some snacks. Feel free to change the channel."

Jay picks up the remote sitting on a squat coffee table, flicking through the channels before settling on a documentary on Greek myths. Right now, a British narrator is droning on about chimeras, a hybrid creature of lore.

He sits on the couch, nervously fiddling with the soft fabric before Gannet pads back into the living room—holding not just a bag of cheddar puffs, but also Jay's dried undershirt and a large fluffy black cat.

The man sets the cat on the couch gently before plopping down beside Jay, tossing the shirt to him. The feline immediately begins to rub its face against the hero, sharp nails digging into his jeans. Nervous, the blond carefully pets the fluffy cat as he pulls his arms through the shirt holes.

The villain smiles crookedly at the overabundance of fear. "Java just wants to show you some love, you don't have to be so afraid."

Emboldened, Jay pets a little more firmly, stroking down the dark expanse of silky fur. The cat purrs like a roaring engine, seeming to soak in the attention like a sponge.

They weather the storm together like that for the next few hours, chatting and petting the sociable feline. Jay keeps waiting for his foe to ask some incriminating question that reveals his true intentions—but Gannet's mind seems to be far away from superheroes at the moment.

Actually, the villain seems to favor small talk instead, discussing life in Houston, his cat, and even his plans with Faye next week. It seems so...normal that Jay forgets for a moment who he's here with.

The hero is so committed to his job that he doesn't really use his time off to socialize. What was the point in trying to make connections when he can't understand anyone? He preferred to study the enemy, that was a practical use of time.

But being here with Gannet, getting away from all that for a moment—it makes him wonder if this is what it's like for his partners when they leave him behind during their breaks. However, as the storm outside clears, so does Jay's mind. They weren't friends...no matter how isolated he feels, he can't forget that this is Stygian, and he must have a dark agenda.

He heads towards the door, suddenly anxious to be alone. "Thanks a ton for letting me stay, the roads should be clear now..."

The villain smiles sunnily, walking the hero to the door. "Of course! This is like a dream come true for me!"

Just before Jay's hand is on the doorknob though, he's interrupted by Gannet. "Oh wait here for a moment!"

The villain scurries into the living room, returning a moment later with something in his hands. "Here, I saw you checking it out so I thought you should have a cutting."

Jay looks down at what he's been gifted—it's a slim green vine, poking out of an empty vanilla bottle. At the tip, he notices a few tiny heart-shaped leaves. "You're giving me a plant?"

"Yes, one of my favorites! It's called a chain of hearts plant. You can just put it in a sunny spot and give it some water. Then, in a few days, it will grow roots!"

The hero nods, heading towards the door. "Thank you Gannet, I'll cherish it..."

Gannet's grin grows even wider, holding the door open for Jay as he leaves. "Bye Quickwit!"

Jay waves as he pulls out of the apartment parking spot. He floors the gas, nearly breaking the speed limit as he speeds off.

Even though this was a day of rest and respite, he feels exhausted, like he just fought off a class S villain. He can't wait for the quiet solitude of his apartment.

As he drives though, he keeps his eye on the fragile vine...

Keeping it safe.

Keeping it safe [https://img.wattpad.com/9dfafed905f8e16140c3e5e343c7ed5964b87e39/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f74517164516b4646624b46475f673d3d2d313334313136363031302e313736336132356131313033623831653937333235333830353833312e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]