You can tell a lot about a villain by examining where they plot their evil plans [https://img.wattpad.com/035654122089123992736f85d9a6115d9708e7e3/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f43475170574774746b52696448513d3d2d313339313931373934362e313739303561643939333733343136373639343238393939343630312e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

You can tell a lot about a villain by examining where they plot their evil plans. Texas has his farmhouse, where he proves himself a man by working his herd of longhorns, Techtra had her hovership, where the cold steel complemented her cold heart, and even Massasauga (though not technically a villain) has his gaudy golden skyscraper, where plans his idiotic new inventions.

But Stygian, well...Stygian's lair used to be his modest little apartment. After his identity was leaked, however, the villain's home was no longer a safe space. Now he was forced to take shelter here, in the home of Texas and Taurrage. Despite the circumstances It's not too bad. At least they're safe and comfortable for now, even if the prospect of seeing Texas every morning until Jay is recovered is a bit daunting.

But that prospect is far from the blond's mind as he slumbers peacefully. He only awakens deep in the night to the sound of hard rain against the farmhouse roof, finding himself spooning a pajama-clad Gannet. He snuggles in more, burying his nose in violet hair.

"Are you awake?" Gannet whispers.

"No," Jay grumbles, voice deep from sleep.

The villain giggles, turning around. "Are you feeling okay?"

"M'fine. The storm woke me up."

"It seems pretty rough out there. Do you think Hurrikate is responsible?"

"Nah. It's just because it's October. Gonna have rain."

Gannet hums in agreement, and they both lapse into a comfortable silence. A large boom of thunder shakes the little farmhouse, causing Jay to hug tighter, eyes cracking open to watch the following lightning zing outside. The flash of light illuminates the room, revealing several dark shapes floating about in the air.

"Are you trying to protect us with that? Or do you just manifest them without trying?" Jay asks.

"A little of both."

The blond lifts his hand into the air, causing the shadows to come closer. They begin to swirl around his arm, glowing dimly with otherworldly purples and blues.

The amazing sight conjures a hazy memory from the past. Jay recalls visiting the aquarium with his parents as a child. Even back then the world had seemed so complicated, but he'd forgotten for a moment watching the peaceful jellyfish glow vibrantly under the blacklight.

"Do you think I'll be able to manifest powers like this?"

Gannet is quiet for a moment, the shadows jolting in agitation.

"Gannet?"

"You should stop thinking about superpowers and just focus on recovering. "

"I've been waiting my whole life to be useful. Forgive me for asking if I finally got a power-up," Jay huffs.

"i already told you, you've always had good powers. It's everyone else who sucked."

"Right..."

"I'm serious. You were fine before, and at least before, you knew what to expect. I don't even—I don't even know if I did the right thing, using my powers like that.

Jay's brow creases in concern. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't know what's going to happen to you. This could...this could really hurt you. What if there's side effects?"

"I can't say it won't happen, but there's no point in worrying about it now."

"I can't help but worry, Jay. These powers—they plagued me for years until I finally got some measure of control over them. Even now, I worry that I'll lose it. You remember what I told you about my teen years, right?"

"You were using drugs because of that?"

"Yes...it was like—like I was constantly fighting with myself. I couldn't suppress it unless I was high out of my mind..."

"So your powers, they have a mind of their own?"

"Well—kinda—it's not like I have a split personality. I mean—not technically."

"Not technically?"

"Well it's! It's not like a Jekyll and Hyde situation or anything!"

"Then what is it like?"

Gannet bites his lip, averting his eyes. "I've always just felt that—that there were two distinct sides to my personality. I mean, you're Jay but you're also Quickwit, right? Even though you have these two parts of who you are, you don't consider them separate."

"I guess..."

"It's just like that, but I've always known I was both Gannet and Stygian. They're both parts of who I am, two sides of the same coin. Eventually I accepted that, but..." Gannet turns his head toward Jay, red eyes blazing, "...Stygian has always been the stronger one."

Jay Is quiet for a moment, digesting the new information. He glances at his lover, who seems apprehensive as he awaits the sidekick's response. The blond climbs atop the lithe man gazing down at him in the dark. Gannet flushes as the sidekick twines their hands together, smiling as he softly bumps their foreheads against each other.

"That kinda sounds exactly like Jekyll and Hyde," says Jay.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Wuh—no it doesn't! Jekyll and Hyde were two different people and they hated each other!"

"No they weren't. The point of the book was they were both Jekyll."

"I didn't read the book."

"Clearly."

Gannet squirms beneath Jay, pushing weakly at his chest. "Augh! Get off me!"

"Don't you mean us?"

"No, I don't! I'm not pulling a Techtra!"

The blond silences the villain's protests with a kiss, chuckling. He grins as he pulls away, flopping onto his side. "Okay, I believe you."

Gannet fiddles with his hands, flush growing stronger. "How are you so...okay with this?"

"Which part?"

"All of it. The lies, the near death experiences, the...freaky mutations."

Jay reaches over, caressing the villain's cheek. Gannet leans into the touch, covering Jay's hand with his own.

"My whole life has been filled with superhuman nonsense. This is nothing compared to that. All I care about now is how you feel about me."

"I...love you. All of me does, Jay," Gannet warbles.

"Then you have your answer. As long as that remains true, I'll be there for you."

Gannet sniffs, covering his eyes. "I don't understand how that's possible. I'm a monster, I really am—"

Jay grabs the villain's wrist, pressing Gannet's hand to his chest. Warmth suffuses his body at the touch. "Do you feel that?"

"Yes..."

"You're not alone anymore. If you're a monster, so am I. We're in this together, no matter what happens."

The blond pulls his lover closer as the dark-haired man sniffs again, attempting calming breaths. Jay smooths his hand down Gannet's back attempting to soothe his lover. They stay like that for a while, just holding each other to the soundtrack of wind and distant thunder.

However, the sweet moment is soon interrupted by the shrill ring of a phone. Gannet sits up, wiping his eyes before answering. Suddenly, his irises eyes go crimson, his glowing tail and horns materializing as he listens to the voice on the other end.

"What's wrong?" Jay asks.

"It's Razz—the place she's been sheltering has flooded. I need to go help her."

Jay frowns. "Okay, be careful..."

Stygian nods and stands from the bed. He pulls up the window, dark wings opening as he jumps out and into the stormy night. Jay watches for a moment, watching how the wind and rain immediately obscures his lover.

The blond sighs, laying back down. He listens to the storm for what must be at least an hour before he gives up completely on sleep. There's no way he will be able to go back to bed until Gannet gets back.

Jay throws the blanket off, heading toward the bathroom. Not wanting to strain his eyes, he doesn't bother with the lights. In the dark, he splashes cool water on his face, trying to wash away his stress.

He looks up into the mirror. His reflection shows the hectic nature of his week clearly; he's still in his hospital gown, hair tousled and bruises still mottling his skin.

As he stares, he thinks of Gannet's words; you're Jay but you're also Quickwit, right? Even though you have these two parts of who you are, you don't consider them separate.

He recalls all his past interactions with his lover—now that it was brought to his attention, he could definitely see the differences between the two halves; Gannet was quirky, reserved, and sweet, while Stygian was aggressive, flamboyant, and righteous.

Though, it was puzzling that Gannet claimed Stygian was "stronger." What, did that make Stygian the "dominant" part of the personality? It did make sense, as Jay remembers the few times Gannet's demeanor had taken a sudden sharp shift toward villainous. Though interestingly, the trigger seemed often to be Jay being disrespected or hurt. The blond smiles as he dries his face off, extremely pleased by that fact. He's never felt so loved in his life.

He returns his gaze back to the mirror, intending to straighten himself out before returning to bed. But he freezes in shock at what he sees reflected back at him.

What the fuck? What is this, some strange, messed up hallucination? [https://img.wattpad.com/04b9cdcd96aae15fe8213c0c5a43dbe13d7ffb71/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f436c566b753353345a6e433663413d3d2d313339313931373934362e313739303561656630316566383166373739303438383838333737382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

What the fuck? What is this, some strange, messed up hallucination?

He turns around, trying to study the shape. But as he does so, he sees nothing. Turning back, the reflected object reappears. It wavers and twists in his vision like a mirage. The blond stares harder, willing the strange shape to give him an answer. Suddenly though, he hears a cacophany of whispers—like a crowd of people all speaking from behind a thin window.

...you are so in love. Even if he's almost unstoppable...

...can't treat people like they're all like you...

...he's just in love with you...

The sidekick grunts in pain, holding his head and chest. "Who's there? Hello!?"

He whips around the bathroom, attempting to see where the sounds are coming from, but the mysterious crowd doesn't appear. The voices increase in volume, ringing in his ears deafeningly.

"I can hear you! Hello? Hello!?"

When the pain finally becomes too much, the blond falls to his knees. He clutches his head, attempting to block out the sound.Suddenly, the voices stop. Jay looks up hesitantly—the box is gone. Shakily, he stands, touching the mirror cautiously.

What was that? Is this a side-effect? Visual and auditory Hallucinations? Gannet never mentioned having that problem—if this is a side-effect, shouldn't he be manifesting powers like Stygian instead of whatever this is?

He's about to try one more time to call out for the strange voices when the sound of the window opening pulls him from his thoughts. Entering back into the bedroom, the blond is greeted with the sight of a shivering Alana being gently set down onto the carpet.

"He-he-hey," the villainess greets.

"Razz! Are you okay?"

"I'm—" the villainess sneezes cutely, sniffing, "I'm fine. My place just completely flooded."

Stygian looks between the two of them, a confused expression on his face as he hands the petite woman a towel from the bathroom. "Wait, do you recognize her out of disguise, or was that just a guess?"

"I recognized her. You brought her to Baddies, remember?"

Alana nods. "Dude, he knew who I was instantly. It was creepy. I'm pretty sure the Network missclassed him, he's definitely Class-A."

"No it's—I—I'm not..." Jay croaks, head throbbing.

...you got this Jay you got this...

Jay whips his around, trying to locate the voice, but the source is unable to be found anywhere.

"Are you okay?" Alana asks.

The blond looks back at his companions. They both are watching him, clearly concerned with his erratic behavior.

Jay swallows thickly, debating telling them what had just occurred. But it can wait—all telling them will do is make them worry when they already have so much on their plates.

"Ah—yeah I'm—fine. I just need to get back to bed..."

"Alright, I'm gonna crash on the couch," Alana yawns, "I don't really want to hear you two snogging all night long."

Stygian huffs, watching her go as he absorbs his horns and tail. "Not even a thank you..."

Jay just nods absently, feeling spent. He groans as he faceplants into the quilt, head spinning with this new symptom. His lover sits on the edge of the bed, a hand rubbing Jay's back with a chuckle at the blond's dramatics. He sighs, focusing on the sensation. His head feels fuzzy at the villain's touch, causing him to drift off as his exhaustion catches up with him.

It was fine, he could deal with this. All he needs to do is focus on their goals, everything else will fall into place.

Author's Note: I already wrote a post about this, but the chapters I have been adding to the story are being changed without my input, even before I publish them [https://img.wattpad.com/a76a08a7a52625a6c4cd8c70196c8fb0d8f6569b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f49544241683538665067734650673d3d2d313339313931373934362e313739303562336364363230353466613139343538363531313535392e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]