~The Grubs, unknown~
"I already had it shipped to Echo's gang! I swear I did!" The man who preyed on a girl begged for his life. Kneeling under a boy years younger than him. His eyes were bloodshot, tears running down his face as men surrounded him, coming closer to his shaking form.
The boy who was younger than everyone in the room gave a soft smile, his lips curling and eyes bright. "How could I believe you?" His voice softly let out, kneeling down to peer at the man. "Those were important drugs. They are high priced, rare and something not meant to be taken by the likes of you..." The boy's voice suddenly became low, dangerous, his eyes becoming narrow. "You took the purchases without my mothers, or anyone in this gang's notice. You stole it and decided to sell it without our knowledge... Getting it into the hands of someone else who could overpower us."
The boy moved his hand to the side, a man older to his right handed him a gun. The man on the floor looked up in shock, his hands about to shoot up and plead for mercy.
The boy took the pleads. Some small satisfactory feelings grew inside him when seeing this man quiver under him. "You have done something stupid, and unforgivable. So you are not needed."
"No- No please!!-'' His shouts fell on deaf ears, a gunshot rang in the small warehouse filled with dangerous criminals. The boy put the gun down, seeing the man drop dead and blood falling from his now emotionless eyes. The men whispered along with each other, spitting and mocking the dead man on the ground.
The boy turned at the sound of his phone buzzing, pulling it up he felt a small tug of excitement at the thought of it being his brother. It ended up being his mother, she texted him a warning to "get rid of the snitch, or Pierce will find out" having him roll his eyes.
He texted back with an answer, stuffing his phone away in his pocket, the boy looked up to his men and motioned to the lifeless body. "Get this cleaned up, we're gonna invite a guest."
"Must be important since you want it clean, huh?"
"Maybe our boss got a pretty lady?"
"He never had a girlfriend, what makes you think he got one now?"
"Maybe Pierce is coming over?"
"Hey don't mention him, the boss is on alert man!"
The bickering became a distant sound for the boy. He pulled his phone back out to text someone to invite over for smokes. His men dragged the body away as he dialed the number. Rings echoed along the walls as men scattered away to do their own business, until suddenly, the caller picked up.
"Why are you calling me that this time?" Mercy asked in an annoyed tone.
"Hey, you're not busy are you?" Felix's chirpy voice said over the phone. "I have some information that I know you will wanna hear."
Silence came from the other end, the shuffling of feet sounded before Mercy spoke. "Where are you?"
Felix smiled proudly, finding a seat with his legs crossed he couldn't help the beaming thoughts and excitement. "I'm in the grubs, by the lake."
"You mean the warehouse Pierce's mother uses to store her deals?"
The sarcasm leaking from her voice made the boy stutter a little bit. He didn't expect the woman to know this place, only that Pierce had told her, or taken her here. It was a good thing now that he thought about it. It would mean he didn't have to explain everything in much detail, and Mercy would accept it easier. It would just be more time to do important stuff.
"If I'm coming all the way down there, you better get me something good."
Her voice broke Felix out of his thoughts, he looked around trying to figure out what she would want. "Does... Coke sounds good?"
"How many people died from it?" She responded, a smirk hiding in her voice.
Felix couldn't help but smirk back. "Over a thousandfor sure."
"I'll be there." With that, her voice shut off as she hung up.
~Cleoi, Oxzy's apartment~
He felt his body cool off as he stepped out of the shower, a towel hung over his neck, catching the water from his dripping hair. His body felt sore, red, and blue bruises littering his chest, where his broken ribs were slowly healing.
He made his way to his small room, his hand ruffling his hair to dry it quicker. The hero looked through his clothes, slowly so as to not disturb his healing wounds. He found some soft clothing lay down on his dresser. A big brown blazer that could hang over his body, a black pair of basketball shorts so it didn't tightly close around his waist, it was the best he could wear without causing any pain.
He sat on his messy bed, sheets spread around the bed as it was Cirilla May's most comfortable place. She messed it up and laid with her stomach to the air, beckoning her master to rub. He did so, giving a small chuckle as her purr vibrated through his body and to his heart.
The hero felt buzzing from the side of his bed. Turning, his phone had an incoming call from the sheriff. The hero couldn't help but give a soft snarl from the incoming call.
He had nothing against the sheriff for the most part, the only reason the man would be calling him could be that to scold him. To tell him what to do, that's the only reason he asked the hero for his "number" or what Oxzy lets others believe was his number.
The hero had another phone, he used the one he had on for calling and a little bit of personal business, he would give it to girls that would ask from his number. Got called and politely turned them down.
Now Milo was calling him, Oxzy couldn't help but dread what he was about to hear. Picking the phone up while his other hand was still softly rubbing his kitten's stomach, Oxzy accepted the call.
"Sir?"
"Hey.." The uncertain voice from the sheriff came from the other end. Oxzy stayed still, giving a few seconds for the sheriff to respond. For a second he thought the man wouldn't, until his voice came back. "Sorry, I just wanted to call and.. Check in.. How are you doing?"
The hero was caught off guard for a second. The sheriff called for a.. Check up?
Oxzy cleared his throat, feeling uneasy. "I am healing," he replied shortly. "Is that the only reason you called?"
"Well..! Yeah, it's good that you are healing. Are you feeling better?" His voice almost came off in a shy tone. Uneasy and feeling insecure.
The hero caught the feeling dripping from his phone and into his ear, Oxzy couldn't help but ask, "are you okay sheriff?"
Milo was caught off guard, his small exchange of breath heard through the phone, Oxzy couldn't understand if he was actually okay. "I'm okay. I wanted to call... To see if you were, Oxzy."
Hearing the man say his name made a pit in the hero's stomach fall. The sheriff never called him that, it was a weird feeling having someone higher in position call him by his name.
Swallowing his breath, the hero felt confusion and uneasiness run through him. His hand stopped above Cirilla's tummy, earning a head tilt from her. "I am. Like I mentioned, I am healing quickly and could come back out by Tomorrow."
The sheriff let out a sigh of relief, shuffling around what the hero assumed was papers. "Th-That's good to hear.." He let out, sighing to himself, with a slight desperation in his voice. "Well, I was hoping you could meet me at the station? I have some information to discuss about the villain."
"Information?" The hero repeated, he didn't expect the officer wanted to manually see him. He never did after any fight, any interaction with Milo was only on the villain or how to solve bad problems from the town. So it felt unnatural once again. The hero calmed down at the thought, letting his hand rub the kitten's belly in a repetitive fashion. "Alright."
The sheriff let out an excited breath, much to the hero's confusion on the other end. "Great, we could meet at 2:00." With that, he said goodbye before hanging up.
The hero took the phone away from his ear, looking at the caller's number fade away in black. His emotions were somewhat jumble by the interaction that just happened. He put the phone down, pulling his knee up from the ground to put it comfortably under him. He heard a small chirp coming from below him.
The small fuzzy rodent decided to join the two, climbing up the black sheets and running over to the kitten. The cat turned on her side, facing the rat and her master, her nose fell over to nuzzle her friend. The two cuddled closer to each other, earning an 'awe' from the hero. He gave a soft smile, moving slowly so he was comfortable on his bed.
He let himself rest, ignoring the small pain coming from his chest, he listened to the sound of his pets snoring before drifting off.
~The Grubs, Pierce's home~
The ringing began to dim, Pierce held out his phone looking at his contacts from the call he just had from his friend. The girl hung up abruptly after saying she was out of smokes, she told him she was gonna get some while beckoning the villain to stay home.
He didn't care, nor mind. Even if Mercy was lying, she wouldn't do anything against him, so he let it fall. He entered his home with a grunt, looking around his small living space, he noticed his father on the couch with a few beer bottles under him. The villain sneered, rolling his eyes and kicking the bottles that littered his floor. His father was still knocked out, Pierce gave the man who barged in his home a look.
He picked up a cup from his cupboard, putting water inside before traveling back to the sleeping man. He did this once as a child to test his powers, now he just does it for fun.
The villain grew flames from his palms, putting it next to the glass cup that held the water, once it grew hot and boiling, bubbles blew up, hitting Pierce's bare skin. The villain gave a small smirk, pushing the boiling water close to the sleeping man. Slowly, he lifted the man's arm before dropping it above the large cup.
A scream filled the small room, the man once sleeping, jumped up in a haze, clutching his now red and stemming hand close to his chest. He whimpered, tears falling down his face while he heard the laugh of his son. Looking up, the villain gave him an evil smirk, a small warning coming out.
Azeral, whimpered, looking down and nodding his head in fear. The son looked back down at him like a pile of garbage, getting bored before traveling up the stairs to his open roofed-room.
The villain dropped onto the mattress, looking up into the deep dark, star-filled sky. His thoughts turned into memories, he kept thinking back to Roasmee. How he would sit with her in this spot, how they would look into the sky, talk for hours about their life.
How they would fight over things that never mattered.
Pierce's hand tightened, closing into a fist as fire began to run up his arm. It almost could burn his black shirt, only he breathed in a breath. He thought about Oxzy, he wondered how the hero was keeping up with his wounds. He was probably healed already. The villain smiled, thinking about how he soon could fight him once again.
The villain subconsciously pulled his phone out, and began to scroll through his gallery. He didn't know what he was looking for, but his hand apparently did.
The villain stopped scrolling once his eyes landed on a picture of him and his deceased girlfriend. The picture was of him and her leaning on the tree outside his high school, the man snoozing peacefully under the tree, unaware of his girlfriend taking a photo. Her smile was big, bright, and filled with joy.
A feeling fell in the pit of his chest. It squeezed in on itself, his eyes became hot. The villain knew this feeling all too well, sadness was burning a hole in his heart. The man didn't want to cry, he knew that his girl was gone.
There was no point in crying for her now. Nothing would change.
Even while telling himself that, Pierce went to his contacts, touching the number with the girl's smiling face. A sudden sound emerged from the device.
It was Rosamee's bright laugh. Her giggling was filled with mischief, her voice coming out as it was meant for the man holding onto the memory of that day.
"I know- I know you're gonna be mad, but it was Mercy's idea!" Her giggles came alive again. "Be mad at her! Not me babe- Not me!"
Her laughing was cut short by the sound of shuffling of the phone being pulled away. "Don't blame me, asshole!" Mercy's younger voice came to his ears. "I'm not scared of youuu! I'd like to see you come at me fucker!"
It was clear as day that she was drunk and high. Rosamee laughed out loud, saying something in the background that made Mercy offended.
The villain found himself smiling. His eyes wet, his heart filled with an empty hole. He stayed with his eyes closed, feeling cold air and letting the sound of happy memories run through his mind. Traveling back in time when he was happy.
Could he be happy like that once again? Without his Rosamee?
He doubted it deeply. No one could make him feel that way again. At least, that is what he believed. What he told himself anyways.
Without notice, the night went by. The villain stayed in the same position, his mind completely focused on his voice recording. It was until the sun hit his closed eyelids, the man opened up to the bright light.
The wind was cold and harsh, the villain forced his eyes open, looking up at the cloudy sky with the sun dripping onto his open roof. The man sat up, pulling up his phone that was now dead, he had used it all night to listen to voice calls. He couldn't help but feel irritated, rubbing his head with his hand, the man groaned out.
Boredom took over his mind, making him itch to do something. To do anything. He thought for a while, standing up in his roofed room. The man paced to his wardrobe, pulling out an outfit Mercy had stolen for him a few weeks ago. The black jeans with stretchy rips on the knees fit perfectly on the villains long legs, pulling apart his closest he just paired it with a black tank top.
The cold never bothered him, he could just warm himself up whenever he felt like it. Even after dressing rather quickly, the villain still didn't know what he wanted to do to beat this boredom. He thought more as he stepped down his wooden steps, making his way into his empty living room and his rather clean kitchen.
Guess this is an "apology", the villain thought, a smirk rolling on his lips.
He looked through his fridge, seeing small amounts of food, nothing to drink. He then pulled open his freezer, only packed gross raw foods. He gave an annoyed sigh, guess he knew what he can do now.
The villain made his way outside, feeling the cold breeze hit his bare tattooed arms, it wasn't enough for him to ignite his fire for warmth, so he just ignored it. Feeling rubble and litter hit his feet as he walked, the villain let out a breath with white smoke steaming out. He hit the trash that blocked his path as he made his way to the marketing circle.
~Daylight, the end of the mall~
There, the villain found himself at the end of the mall where all the expensive things in the town live. He looked around the small markets that litter the outside of the mall. Looking around, he could tell that some were open late. His eyes landed on a stall that housed liquor.
Even though Pierce knew he should get food instead, he couldn't help but walk over to the intoxicating stall. The man who runs the stall lives in Hallway side, the man was big and overweight. He stayed situated on his device while chugging a drink from his own stall.
Pierce ended up in front of the stall looking at the drinks and their overly expensive prices, the villain began to grab at least four bottles before the man could notice him. When the man did notice his drinks being swiped, he began to shout something only to stop when seeing Pierce stand before him.
The villain gave an evil smirk at the baffled man. "I'm taking some, I'll pay you back later, I don't have money on me." He knew the old man wouldn't try to stop or say anything to stop him, so once Pierce grabbed all he wanted, he turned away.
It was true, the chubby man stayed silent, sweat dripping from his face that was red with embarrassment. The villain ignored the beaten man, looking around for something. His eyes landed on another stall that was closed, it had bags. Some decorated, some with plain words.
A smile grew on his face, he moved close to it before thinking twice. Grabbing a plain gray bag and putting his goods in it, when he traveled more down the stalls, he knew he now needed to get food. The food he gets is only for one person, sometimes for a high girl, but mostly for him.
A few more minutes of traveling and the villain began to talk. He felt carefree, didn't care about the cameras that caught him stealing, the looks of open stall owners never bothered him.
But still, he was bored.
His boredom was soon crushed by a blazing, swiping sound coming from behind him. He moved to the side, just in time for a flying old pole to swipe at his cheek. It missed him, only leaving the sound of it being pulled away. The villain looked behind him, confusion running through him by the assault.
A man about in his 40s stood with a pole in his hand, the sharp end threatening the villain. His eyes glaring and face red, the older man must have been the owner of the bag stall as he started to shout and call the villain a thief.
All Pierce could do was look back at him. Unknowingly, his lips began to curl up, turning his frown into a smirk. He felt like bursting out in laughter, and he did. Right into the angered and dangerous man.
But he wasn't dangerous for the villain. The man standing a foot taller than the villain, only it didn't threaten Pierce. His smile never fading even when the man began to run at him.
The positions changed within a split second. The villain had wavered himself away, a step closer to the older man, his arms up, grabbing the pole that almost pierced right through him. The villain had a stronger hole on the pole, winding it back and yanking the older man with it, the villain then swung it straight into the man's head.
The blow knocked the man out, making him topple to the ground and letting the pole go for the villain to hold onto. Now holding onto it, the villain peered at the sharp end, he then looked at the other end, blood began to pool at the stub.
Pierce thought for a second. He had a few choices to go for, being how he was bored, he went for the best choice in his mind.
~The Gurbs, Pierces home~
The villain found himself stalking his fridge, putting the frozen foods and mostly his drinks away. Blood fell from his hands, dripping onto the floor of his kitchen, the man rolled his eyes, he forgot that his hands got messy. He stood up after putting things away, washing his hands and drying them off.
The villain went for a bottle of liquor, opening it and chugging the drink almost all the way. He let out an exasperated sigh, feeling once again. Bored.
The man chuckled to himself, feeling a pit form in his chest. He had a little bit of fun this morning, now he was alone and bored out of his mind. The man laid on the couch, drinking his liquor and looking up onto his house's roof. Thinking about what he wanted to do now. He could get his phone that was charging and call Mercy to hang out and steal with her.
But he wasn't feeling it.
What he was feeling was a rush of excitement at the thought of the hero. He knew that Oxzy would be healed by now, meaning he could play with him.
Smirking with a new found means of entertainment, the villain stood from the sofa. Giving one last swing of the toxic drink, the man threw the drink away and made his way to the door. The weather had cooled down, even with that the villain still changed his shirt because of the mess of blood.
Now wearing a red V-neck T-shirt, the man strolled onto the streets as the sun peered down on him and the gross littered grubs. The man thought for a while, thinking about where the hero could be.
In honesty, the villain had no clue where the hero lived. He tried following Oxzy a few times, but the curly haired hero was too suspicious. He would catch the villain within minutes, sparking a fight. That did sound good to the villain, only he had to catch the hero for that.
He didn't know where the hero was, so he had to draw him out.
Pierce could go about that a few ways. His favorite was to spark a flame.