But Jay is a little hesitant to call their future plans "evil" or even a "scheme." They haven't even gotten to the blueprints of their plot, much less formed it enough to call it a scheme...it's more of a devious daydream. So no, they don't have a plan yet. They've been a little...distracted.

"Why the fuck is this clown at my dinner table?" Texas growls.

Razzmatazz smiles smugly as she sips her coffee. "I'm having breakfast."

Jay sits beside her, his appetite picking up now that he's not being tortured by disgusting hospital food [https://img.wattpad.com/399bba5ee2e739f0d765b1c8bc7dbb4849fee6f1/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6b4551446a556e464f796c3837773d3d2d313339323137323036322e313739663930326235323462313839613838313839303539343533302e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Jay sits beside her, his appetite picking up now that he's not being tortured by disgusting hospital food. The little farmhouse kitchen is surprisingly spacious, with a table large enough for all the villains. Jay digs into his eggs as he studies the vintage-looking kitchen.

"She's part of our plans. She's going to be helping us," He explains.

"Why does that mean she has to eat my food?"

Samson swipes the centaur's hat as he enters the kitchen, revealing two horse-like ears atop his head. "No hats indoors, mi amor. And she's free to eat our food as long as she pulls her weight—she helped me collect those eggs this morning while you slept in."

Texas scowls, crossing his arms. "I don't want to add her to our group. It's already off-brand with Quickwiz over here."

"I think we have more important things to worry about," says Jay.

"I can do rodeo clown," Razzmatazz chirps. She uses her powers to manifest a comically oversized cowboy hat.

Texas laughs, slapping the table. "Now that's what I'm talkin' bout'!"

Gannet sips his coffee, judgmentally studying Razzmatazz with sleepy eyes. "Jay is right. As much as I'd love to talk fashion, we should start making our plans."

"What's there to plan? We should just pick a target and bust some heads," says Texas.

"Texas, we have a goal beyond just stirring up trouble. We need to make a change in Houston, real change."

"What do you have in mind?" Samson asks.

"We should target Massasauga," says Jay.

Gannet's eyes go bright red as he grins widely. "Alright! I'm so in. I hate that prick."

"You really are holding on to the grudge from the fan-meet, aren't you?" Jay snorts.

"Massasauga is a fine enough target, but can I ask why?" Says Samson.

"We're going to unmask him and show the world just how corrupt the Network is."

Razzmatazz tilts her head in confusion. "What do you mean by unmask?"

"I mean, we are literally going to hold him down and take his mask off."

The group of villains gawk, flabbergasted. Gannet stands abruptly, hands on the table. "Wait, we're going to out his secret identity!?"

"Yep. I've been kinda waiting for something like this to happen—I mean, it doesn't make much sense that you haven't done it already. You've literally had him at your mercy multiple times."

"Well, it never really occurred to me..."

"You're not alone. It seems to be a common flaw among supers."

"Damn Quickwiz!" Texas laughs, "you're ruthless!"

"Okay, Quickwit, but how is unmasking Massasauga going to show the Network is corrupt?" Gannet asks.

"I have a strong hunch that Massasauga's true identity is Elan Dempsey. If that's true, it likely means that the only reason they accepted him to be a hero was so Astronotech would provide funds and tech for free."

"No! Please don't say it's true! Please god don't tell me Massasauga is the richest man in the country!" Razzmatazz gasps.

"Well, I could be wrong. But I'm probably not..."

"No!" Razzmatazz wails, flopping onto the kitchen table.

Samson snorts, sipping his coffee. "You have a knack for figuring people out. Are there any other hero identities you wanna reveal to us?"

"No I—"

"Oh! Pixamena! Tell us who Pixamena is! And Delta! Oh—and that little shit Aquarikid!" Texas grins.

"I—I'm not unmasking anyone who doesn't deserve it," Jay says.

"So you do know their identities."

Jay groans at his slip up, pinching his nose. "No I—ugh, can we move on, please?"

"What else is there to discuss? We're gonna fuck up Massasauga and steal his fortune!" Razzmatazz laughs.

"That's not what's happening. The plan is to lure him out and unmask him—plus, if we're lucky, we can get our hands on some Astronotech technology..."

"I don't really need flashy gadgets," says Gannet, swirling a blade of shadow in the air.

"It's not for us to use. Astronotech has close ties with the Network. There's no telling what kind of secrets we could uncover if we could hack into one of their devices."

"Alright! Well let's go, I'm ready!" Says Texas.

"Hold your horses," huffs Jay, "we need to discuss worst-case scenarios and what to do if problems arise..."

"With Styggy there I doubt anything can go wrong," Razzmatazz says.

"Just like all the other times he won? I've personally defeated him, and I'm a sidekick!"

"I let you win!" Gannet pouts

"I'm being serious, guys. We can lose, especially if they send Alphaman"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"They're not gonna send Alphaman, they never deploy him anymore," says Samson.

"I heard he refuses to make public appearances," Razzmatazz adds.

"We still can't ignore the possibility. So if he confronts us, we need to abandon the plan immediately and focus on escape, okay? Do not engage. The last thing we need is to fight an S-Class."

"That sounds fine with me. I don't really feel like fighting a nuclear bomb of a human," Razzmatazz huffs.

"Also, Stygian, you shouldn't try fighting Pixamena. I have a feeling she's going to show up now that she's taken me back as her partner."

Gannet's brow crinkles in confusion. "Pixamena? She's like, Class-B. I can handle her just fine."

Jay bites his lip. He's been putting off this conversation knowing how hard it will be. Not to mention, a bubbling pit of guilt was rising in Jay at the thought of revealing Faye's identity. She was part of the Network, but she was also one of the few genuine heroes left...even if Jay didn't always see eye to eye with her, he can admit this.

He takes a deep breath, making his choice. "I just need you to trust me on this. She's dead set on taking you in...let the others handle it."

Gannet smiles, taking Jay's hand under the table. "Okay...I trust you.

Jay flushes, enjoying the fact that he's actually being appreciated and listened to for once. Razzmatazz cuts the moment short, making a gagging sound. "Hey, some of us are unwillingly single, so wrap it up!"

Texas laughs, slamming his coffee down on the table harshly. "I can handle Pixamena. She's my nemesis after all—it'll be a pleasure."

Jay stands, picking up his empty plate. "All right I—"

His words are cut short as he's hit with another migraine. He holds his head in pain, the sounds of alarm from the other villains distant in his mind. A whisper rings about his mind; are you a Villain now, Jay?

The sidekick holds his head, anger brewing as pain radiates in his temples. "Yes, obviously! How am I supposed to be a hero when the Network is so fucked!?"

"Jay, who are you talking to...?" Gannet asks, resting a hand on Jay's back.

The sidekick tenses. Shit.

"Nobody. I'm fine I just—"

"You're not fine," Razzmatazz growls, "what just happened?"

"Drop it, okay? This is a waste of time..."

Razzmatazz narrows her eyes, hair oscillating between colors of red and blue. "Jay, are you hearing things?"

Jay grits his teeth, glaring. "I told you not to read my mind, Razz."

"I didn't, I just know what it's like."

"So Quickwiz is off his rocker? Great, just what we need, another crazy villain," Texas scoffs.

An array of sharp shadows dart to float above Texas menacingly, causing the centaur to startle as Gannet glares. "Shut. Up. Now."

Samson grabs his husband by the arm, leading him out of the room. "Sorry about him. We'll let you three discuss this, ah, situation."

Jay sits back down, raking a hand down his face. Gannet sits as well, scooting close. "Jay, c'mon, tell us what's going on."

"I—I've been hearing voices."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Not too long..."

"Jay, tell me."

"Around the time we got here."

Gannet groans, covering his face. "So it's definitely a side effect. I did something to your brain and now you're hallucinating."

"We can't be sure about that..."

"Bullshit," Gannet growls, "we need to call this all off, you need to go back to the hospital."

"I'm not doing that. It's not necessary..."

"Are you kidding me? Did you lose your common sense too? You're literally hallucinating and you don't think it's necessary to get treatment?"

Jay grits his teeth, balling his hands into fists. "I've waited too long, been through too much shit, to stop now. I'm fine."

"Plus, are we sure you're actually hallucinating?" Razzmatazz adds.

"What do you mean? He's hearing voices, of course he's hallucinating!" Gannet says.

"I just think it's interesting that after getting a donation from a class-S he suddenly starts hearing things. Are we sure this isn't a new power?"

Jay pauses. He hadn't thought of that...

"He developed invulnerability, that makes sense since I'm invulnerable. I don't hear voices though. Why would that suddenly start happening?"

"Maybe it was a dormant power? Stranger things have caused people to get new ones. Jay, what are they saying?" Razzmatazz asks.

Jay rubs his neck anxiously, wishing this was over already. "They, uh, they say a few different things. One just now was asking me if I was a villain. Other times they were...telling me how in love I am, or telling me I needed to treat other people better, or even giving me encouragement..."

"Damn, I'm jealous. Your voices are way nicer than mine," Razzmatazz pouts.

"I still don't see how it's a power," says Gannet.

"Well maybe he's hearing ghosts, or like, psychically connecting with people. I think we should hold off sending him to the loony bin, and see if we can use this."

"I don't want him to use it. What if it gets worse?"

"I think Razz is right," Jay interjects, "I think we should experiment..."

"No! I don't care about any potential benefits! You aren't a fucking lab rat to experiment on, to torture, to, cut open and—" Gannet puts a hand over his mouth. He looks nauseous, eyes a solid red. He abruptly stands up and storms off.

"Wait, come back—"

Razzmatazz stops Jay in his tracks, holding him by the shoulder. "Jay, let him go. He just needs a moment to cool off."

Jay frowns, watching Gannet stomp off into the guest room. He sighs, trying to calm down as he stirs his coffee. Razzmatazz scoots closer, straddling her chair backward and setting her chin on the backrest. They sit in silence for a moment, both nursing their drinks contemplatively. However, as Jay reaches the bottom of his cup, his emotions start to bubble over.

"Why does it even matter? It's happening to me! It's not like it's going to affect anyone else!" Jay growls.

Razzmatazz looks up, an unimpressed expression on her face. "C'mon, you can't be that emotionally unintelligent. You hid this from us, he's worried about you."

"Nobody cared before. All that people cared about was that I did my job, which was never enough..."

Razzmatazz stands from her chair, going to the kitchen counter. The coffee maker bubbles as she pours in more water. "Things are going to be different now that you're a villain. You don't have to prove anything to us, Jay. At least, not to me and Gannet. I mean, Gannet especially; you're his hero."

Jay closes his eyes, listening to the sound of the machine rumble. He slumps in his seat, looking down at his cup. "I know."

"And I think...I think he wants to protect you from the same experience he had as a kid."

"Homelessness?"

"No, Jay. Experimentation. The Network put him through a living hell, and he doesn't even know why. I wouldn't be surprised if they took an interest in you now that you've got that thing in your chest."

Jay's brow creases. "I think you're right. They were trying to get me to work for NetScie."

Razzmatazz refills Jay's cup, smiling softly. "We care about you, okay? I know it's a lot to adjust to, but you have to unlearn this dumbass complex you have with doing it all yourself. You can rely on us as much as we rely on you, Jay."

Jay nods, smiling. He can't believe how ironic it is that only now, as a villain, does he get such affirmations. Razzmatazz pulls away, giving him a pat on the back that knocks his breath out.

"Now go apologize. The only thing more annoying than a lovey-dovey couple is an angry one."

Jay nods, sitting up from the table. He exits the kitchen before entering the guest room timidly, finding Gannet hugging himself with several ribbons of shadow darting about agitatedly. The villain flinches as Jay enters, the dark shapes darting away to hide.

"Sorry I—I didn't hear you come in," Gannet says.

Jay sits on the bed beside his boyfriend. "Why are you apologizing?"

"When I'm agitated enough my powers react. Don't worry, they won't hurt you..."

"I know, It's okay if you wanna let them out. You don't scare me, Gannet."

Gannet smiles, looking down at his entwined hands. "I know."

Jay leans into Gannet's side, squeezing his shoulder. Gannet closes his eyes, enjoying the quiet moment.

"I'm sorry," Jay whispers, "I should've told you."

Gannet huffs, glaring again. "You should be. You gave that grand speech about how we're in this together, and then you tried to hide something so major."

"I know. I just—I feel like things are finally going my way. I have a mission I believe in, A team who takes me seriously, and—and someone who loves me. I didn't want anything to get in the way of that, I guess."

The sour look on Gannet's face breaks as a flush rises to his cheeks. "Do you really think this is a new superpower, Jay? Please don't lie to me..."

Jay rubs his neck, eyes darting away. "I don't know yet. I need to do more research to rule out mental health issues. The only thing we can do is monitor it and see what happens next."

"Have you tried asking them?"

"What...like, asking the voices?"

Gannet nods. "Yeah. If the voices are coming from somewhere besides yourself, you should be able to ask who they are, right?"

"Ugh, I'm going to feel crazy doing this..."

"Just try it!"

Jay frowns, heart racing. "Um, hello, voices in my head...who are you?"

Both supers are quiet in the room as they wait. Jay strains his ears, trying to ignore the faint tinnitus that constantly rings in his head.

"What are they saying?" Gannet whispers.

"Nothing, I don't hear anything."

"Maybe they won't come back."

"It doesn't matter, let's just focus on the plan, okay?"

Gannet frowns, anxious eyes darting to the ground. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You know you're worth more than your powers, right?"

Jay smiles, kissing Gannet on the forehead. "I'll be fine. I have you to protect me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then it'll be okay. I know it will."

Gannet hugs Jay tightly. He sighs, feeling his worries melt away with the embrace.