Heroes at Heart

Summary

Our hero, Max Owens, finally comes to trust the supervillain Vinicus Cauldwell. Whether because of his surprisingly kind and caring personality, or the fact that he saved Max' life, we cannot be too sure. But regardless, the two befriend each other.

Though Max considers Vinicus a friend, he is still apprehensive about the supervillain's past. The man did kill his sister and father. Max would never do something to hurt Clare, and he would give anything to have his dad come back.

So they discuss what happened on that fateful day: ten years earlier. And Vinicus cries. Max is caught off guard. The supervillain explains that he doesn't know how his dad died; he was shot, he assumed— but no one knew for certain. His body was removed from the scene before anyone could figure out what had happened. He explains how he watched him fall; the sounds, the shock of the moment, and his sister panicking.

"I have to take full responsibility for her death, Max. It's the right thing to do." Vinicus stared out the window. There were tears clouding his eyes, but they no longer fell. "I killed her, and I am so so sorry. I know I can't do anything to make that up to myself. To her friends. To her."

The supervillain paused for a moment, before turning toward the boy. "You know how it feels. You've got..." he looked up, trying to think. "What's her name?"

"Clare," Max whispered. He still couldn't believe that Vinicus was remorseful. It didn't make sense. Supervillains are supposed to do evil and never care. They never look back. But Vinicus...

"So you'd know how I felt. You want to protect that little girl more than anything in the world, right?"

Max nodded.

"And that's how I felt about Gina." Vinicus looked down. "Look, sisters can be annoying sometimes. They get in the way. They argue. They take your stuff. And when our father died, I just needed a moment." He tapped his foot. "I needed to breathe. But she was there, and she was crying all over me. At the time, I thought that was annoying."

"...And now?" Max asked quietly, toying with the mask he now held in his hands.

Vinicus looked toward the window again.

"And now I'd give anything to give that sweet girl a hug and tell her that nothing is going to hurt her anymore. Especially not me."

Max stops trying to fight Vinicus, and starts using his visits to him as a sort of escape (after all, Nora can't tell what's going on in the apartment, and Max isn't technically lying when he says that he went). After school, Max will swing by the penthouse and chat— playing video games, eating snacks; sometimes Vinicus even convinces Max to try tea (he doesn't like it very much, but he drinks it anyway to be polite).

The duo learns more about each other over time. Vinicus' father, for example, was actually a member of MAVL (Murkbourne Anti-Villainy League). This is why Vinicus feels so ashamed to be following the opposite path. Max' father died in an accident when Max was young. He doesn't like to talk about it, so Vinicus doesn't force him. Max tells Vinicus more about Clare, Nora, and his life at school. Vinicus listens, and gives advice to when needed.

Meanwhile, the city isn't cutting Max any slack. Nora still calls him persistently, and expects him to defeat the villain as soon as possible. Max is mostly able to blow them off; he is going to the tower. He has something to do after school. Regardless of Nora's nagging, Max is "trying". But Clare's question has never left his mind. What is he fighting Vinicus for?

And then, it happens.