Need to be saved by Jay, of course [https://img.wattpad.com/9017f33c71f19d3dd2647bb441f5629fb23e013c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5444416d724d5a473456515262413d3d2d313334313136363033372e313736353937303761646236626139653436313830393532313332392e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Need to be saved by Jay, of course. Rarely, if ever, do they get the benefit of the doubt from other heroes. That means since Razzmatazz has been on the loose for nearly three weeks now, it's up to Jay to figure out where she's hiding out—before someone like Massasauga does.
However, that does mean that the sidekick is working in his free time whenever he can...He's going to need caffeine and a lot of it.
Luckily, Gannet has conveniently invited Jay to a night cafe. The sidekick accepts, of course, eager to kill two birds with one stone. However, as they both walk down the secluded alleyways together, he begins to worry that maybe this was a trap...
The hero nervously fiddles with his mask as he follows the dark-haired man, ready to spring into action if things take a turn. Thankfully though, his fears are unfounded—he sighs in relief as the back entrance to the cafe soon comes into view.
Thankfully though, his fears are unfounded—he sighs in relief as the back entrance to the cafe soon comes into view [https://img.wattpad.com/df9e71074a4f2b1a49f2738499fa79644283376a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f757057597a7a6b753549784255513d3d2d313334313136363033372e313738666662356432646661333065383835373232313235373139302e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"This place is great, it's always packed," Gannet chirps, smoothing out the wrinkles in his stolen flannel.
Jay watches the villain adjust the loose fabric, wondering if Gannet realizes what he's wearing. He sidesteps a large puddle, observing the neon red signage that illuminates the damp alley. "I've heard of it before but was never able to get in, since parking is so limited. Good job finding this neat secret entrance..."
The villain flushes, holding the door open to Arete. Jay thanks him as he steps inside, taking in the decor of the historic building as he enters.
Like their last meeting place, this cafe also celebrates heroes. Unlike Café des Braves though, Arete seems to celebrate the heroes and villains of ancient Greece like Hercules, Medusa, Achilles, etcetera.
Even more decorated than the cafe covered in marble busts and paintings of chimeras, however, is the menu. Jay eyes up the extensive list of drinks nervously before turning to the cashier. "One americano, please. Hold the sugar and cream."
The man behind the counter smiles pleasantly. "Uh, sorry, but we don't do that here."
Jay glares. "You don't do black coffee?"
The guy shrugs. "Against our brand or something."
Luckily before Jay can explain how illogical it is to force customers to drink their sugary swill, Gannet intervenes. "Do you need a recommendation? The matcha rose latte is really good, especially with the angel's food cake."
The blond is a little skeptical, considering the abomination Gannet ordered last time, but relents. He just needs something to keep him awake. "Okay, that works."
The cashier types in the order before turning to Gannet. "And you?"
"One slice of devil's food cake, a frappé, and half a dozen black-and-white cookies please."
Jay pulls his wallet out to pay, but is stopped when the villain steps forward, holding up a purple credit card. He grins, waving the sparkly piece of plastic. "I've got it!"
The blond resists the urge to roll his eyes. Does Gannet think Jay was that easy to trick? Buy him some coffee, and he'll fall into the man's dark clutches? The ne'er-do-well would have to try harder than that.
After getting their order, the pair head up the stairs to the second level. From here, the hero can gaze out into the night, watching the lights of Houston twinkle enchantingly. The effect does little to soothe, however, as the sounds of the busy cafe irritate.
Gannet seems to notice his discomfort, face contorting into concern when Jay flinches at a particularly loud patron. "Are you sensitive to loud sounds?"
The sidekick grimaces. He can't let his weaknesses be known..."No, I'm just jumpy from a long week..."
The dark-haired man doesn't seem convinced, frowning as he nibbles on a bit of cake. "They have a balcony that's quieter, do you wanna move there?"
"No, that's okay. If I can handle hero work, I can handle a loud cafe..."
Gannet nods, not pushing the topic further. "How have you been lately? I heard you had a run-in with Stygian at the Psychiatric center."
Jay sighs, sipping his latte. He's surprised to find rather than the sugary mess of flavor he was expecting, the drink is pleasantly floral with subtle notes of rose and green tea. "He got the jump on me...it won't happen again, trust me."
The villain smiles brightly, dunking a chunk of cake into his coffee. "I believe in you!"
Despite knowing better, the sidekick can't subdue the little flush of warmth in his cheeks at that statement. What would he do to hear those words spoken genuinely...?
The hero withholds a sigh. Maybe in his dreams.
"Thank you, Gannet. Your support means a lot."
"Of course! I am your number one fan after all!" The villain purrs.
Jay stabs his cake with his fork, taking his irritation out on the fluffy confection. "About that...why exactly are you such a big fan? There are so many heroes with much more...mainstream appeal."
Gannet averts his eyes, bangs falling over his face. "The details are a little embarrassing..."
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"Oh?"
"Well...when you were still a vigilante, I was keeping tabs on you from a fan account that documented heroes. But it was—well—" the dark-haired man smiles sheepishly. "It was a hate account I used to trash on heroes I didn't like."
Jay sets his fork down slowly. He definitely wasn't expecting that...just what is Gannet's goal here? "A hate account?"
"I changed my opinion, obviously," Gannet rushes to explain. "I think seeing you take down Razzmatazz...that made me rethink everything."
The blond snorts. "You were impressed that such a low-level super was able to take down an A-Class by himself?"
"No...it's more like..."
Gannet brings his gaze to the hero's, eyes suddenly intense with hidden depths. "It made me feel seen. Witnessing someone care so much about a person who was so...dismissed, hated, and feared. You wanted to help her when nobody else did."
Jay's mouth goes dry, unsure how to respond to that.
Luckily, he doesn't need to. His phone buzzes with a news alert; villain Razzmatazz sighted downtown attacking pharmacy - Brighteyes en route.
The sidekick abruptly pushes away from the table. "I'm sorry Gannet, I have to go—hero duty."
Gannet is unperturbed, smiling sunnily. "Bye Quickwit, good luck!"
Jay dashes out of the cafe, sprinting towards his destination. Normally, he'd drive, but Houston traffic was more villainous than any ne'er-do-well in the city—it was best to just go by foot, considering how close the action is.
He hears the fight before he sees it, a roaring sound interrupting the usual hum of automobiles. As the sidekick gets closer to the scene, Razzmatazz comes into view. Only, instead of the cheery young woman she usually appears as, she's transformed into a grotesque monster. Her clownish features have been pushed to the limit, turning her into a freakish abomination of bulging eyes, claws, and needle-like fangs.
Brighteyes is on the scene already, dashing about as she attempts to avoid the arrangement of tentacles, claws, and oddly enough, crab pinchers. Unfortunately, The heroine seems to be having a hard time as Razzmatazz bats her about ruthlessly, dodging the electric green laser blasts with ease.
[https://img.wattpad.com/4ae1811e78ee939defc7e8a88d6905cf63ed7cdb/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6d35417537655442435f31504b773d3d2d313334313136363033372e313739303865333633303739663532353134353031333030343035332e706e67]
Jay clenches his jaw [https://img.wattpad.com/3a4d92c6adf7e7b04f02d2221693b2fbb73f8dcd/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f44704b50614851434c77446938513d3d2d313334313136363033372e313736373333393333373034313632303135393835343532363732362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Jay clenches his jaw. Why would they send a B-Class hero to face off with an A-class villain? alone? He tries to shake off his anger—what was important right now was keeping everyone safe.
Jay jumps into the fray just in time to pull Brighteyes away from a slash of red claws, using his staff to daze Razzmatazz with a swift hit. The heroine attempts to take the opportunity to deliver a vicious blast of radioactive laser vision but is halted when Jay yanks her away.
"Stop attacking! Just try to stay calm, she senses your fears!"
Brighteyes turns her bewildered gaze to the sidekick. "Quickwit?! Why are you here? Why are you intervening?!"
Jay grimaces. "She's sick, Brighteyes. She needs our help!"
"I'm not sick!" Razz groans, form devolving into a formless blob of color and eyeballs. "They're trying to make me sick! They're tampering with my pills and spying on me from the sky!"
The blob quivers, multicolored eyeballs searching the sky. "The drones—there's so many of them everywhere! Look, look!"
Jay glances upwards. There's a single drone in the sky—a news drone, likely broadcasting the event live. Razzmatazz is hallucinating...
"Razz, I know you're scared, but I'm here to help you. I'm your friend, remember?"
The villainess's form trembles, becoming slightly more humanoid. "You can't be my friend. That's not how it works...villains and heroes don't mix..."
Razzmatazz swings her arm, throwing something that lands at Jay's feet with a clatter. The hero's eyes dart to it—an orange prescription bottle.
Jay picks it up, face grim. "Razzmatazz, your meds—"
"They don't work! They never work—ever since you convinced me to go to that damned hospital...you said they would help me! Now they just follow me, watch me, poison me!"
"Razz—" Jay's mind races, trying to think of a way to convince her to stand down. "Razz, you need help...you're hallucinating again."
The villain gurgles, losing her humanoid shape even more as the enraged eyeballs float around the surface of her skin. She lunges with an extended pitch-black claw, gripping the hero by his suit and pulling him forward.
Brighteyes tenses, eyes glowing an unsettling neon green. But Jay gives her a meaningful glance, holding his hand up to prevent her attack as his face is brought unnervingly close to Razzmatazz's. He averts his eyes as the many irises of the villain bore into him.
"You're lying," she rasps, sharp teeth dangerously close to his face.
"Do you have a phone, Razz?"
Razzmatazz tenses, eyes narrowing. "Yeah...so what"
"Look through the camera. If you aren't hallucinating, all of those drones should show up on video..."
The villainess growls, untrusting, but does as she's told. A striped tentacle sprouts from the amorphous mass, pointing the camera skyward. Her eyes study the screen intensely, darting about anxiously.
"They did something to my phone..." she warbles.
"No, Razz...it's just the news drone...it's here because you started attacking, not because it's following you. Please, someone will get hurt if this continues..."
Jay lifts his arms around the villain, moving slowly so she has an opportunity to pull away. He brings her into a gentle embrace, holding her against his body. The feeling is unpleasant, like hugging a blob of warm goo—but slowly Razzmatazz returns to her normal shape as she sobs, face buried into his shoulder. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I just want it to stop..."
The hero pats her back awkwardly, attempting to comfort the distraught woman. Soon, the authorities arrive, having no trouble handcuffing the now docile villainess. Jay gives her one last hug before she steps into the transport shuttle. "I'll visit you soon, okay? Just hang in there."
Razzmatazz nods, eyes watery and braids a dull blue-gray.
Exhausted and relieved that it's finally over, Jay orders transportation on his phone—he's way too tired to walk all the way back to his car. As he sits in the back of the self-driving taxi, he gazes out at the blur of traffic and street lights.
He thinks of what Gannet had said in the cafe; the man must be way more skilled at manipulation than previously thought. What he'd said...it was like he knew all of Jay's thoughts and desires, acknowledging him in a way that everyone else had neglected to...
The hero sighs wearily, looking into his hand to realize he's still got Razzmatazz's medication tightly held in his fist. He glances down, observing the label; Alana Fane, AEBIZIFY, 50 mg. Take one capsule with food and water daily.
Later, as he places the bottle on his nightstand next to his slow-growing chain of hearts, Jay makes a mental note to dispose of the prescription properly at a pharmacy soon. Right now though, he just wants to lay down and forget all his worries—especially the ones that are swirling about his mind telling him that the Network will not appreciate his interference today.
Common sense dictates that they would be pleased that the sidekick took down a rampaging villain peacefully...but Jay is the only one with common sense in this world. So he can only imagine what will be said in the meeting he's been summoned to tomorrow...
So he can only imagine what will be said in the meeting he's been summoned to tomorrow [https://img.wattpad.com/b4f3d21d2d4fc0e3b59b833e70211df2d46ebe7f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f33635071366e74624249475465413d3d2d313334313136363033372e313736353937306135383337356436323938353739333036303638362e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]