{Author's Note: Let me know what you think :) Happy reading!}
Ryan slammed his gym locker closed, grumbling foul words under his breath.
Coma, I'm gonna kill you!
His life couldn't possibly get any worse. First, some student came out of nowhere and stole Sofia's old seat. It didn't help that the student was such a math nerd that it made Ryan instantly feel stupid during class. Then Coma decided to hold afternoon practice when Ryan had specifically instructed him not to, just to try to recruit a tall kid.
It doesn't help that the kid he's trying to recruit is Fuse!
Ryan had been in a sour mood since he woke up on Monday. Lina's party and the subsequent fight with Fuse on Friday had left him feeling horrible all weekend. Combined with the scolding from Kilowatt about keeping his guard up to ensure Fuse could never get another look at his face, even with his mask on, and Ryan felt like garbage.
And his backpack was still wet from his trip to the bottom of the lake on Friday.
He'd gone to school and stared at Sofia's old desk, wishing she were back in Bandock. She had always been the one to make him smile when he was at his worst.
Imagine his utter shock when the tallest student he'd ever laid eyes on sat right in his girlfriend's old seat and began furiously taking notes.
Ryan couldn't help but stare. After everything that had gone wrong in the past few days, he now had the added grief of seeing someone stealing Sofia's seat.
Of course, the kid had to be smart too. Ryan didn't like to participate in class but just listening to the new kid rattle off answers had him seething. He was making the rest of the class look bad!
"Thank you, Henry."
Henry? The nerd's name was Henry? Ryan scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Welcome." He froze. That voice.
Ryan knew that voice.
It was softer and less aggressive than usual, but it had to be the same voice.
Ryan felt his heart rate increase and kept his eyes trained down. I'm sitting right next to my mortal enemy! He thought, eyes frantically searching for a way out. What do I do?! Kilowatt never prepared me for this!
Like a bell, Kilowatt's scolding words rang through his mind. You have to learn to adapt to your situation. You'll never be a great hero if you can't learn from your opponent.
Ryan could learn how to adapt. He was a great hero! He'd take the attack on his personal life and turn it into an attack on Repulser's sidekick! He'd destroy Fuse before he'd have the chance to react! That would prove to Kilowatt that he was a good hero and didn't have to be scolded anymore.
He knew Fuse wouldn't attack him while at school, it was far too risky. Using unregistered kinesis in a school area would send the school into lockdown and alert the police along with Captain Kilowatt. Fuse would be taken out faster than the trashcans on garbage day.
Ryan snuck a glance at the villain parading around as Henry. He didn't look all that threatening. He had his lip between his teeth, furiously taking notes again, and his shoulders were hunched up in what looked like a defensive manner. Nothing like the loud, cocky, rude idiot he would fight with Kilowatt.
Ryan hummed quietly. Maybe he'd misjudged. A lot of voices sounded similar, after all. He tried to convince himself that he was being a fool, but he couldn't help staring at the long legs that stretched out from under Henry's desk – no – Fuse's desk. It had to be him. Who else could have such outrageously long legs?!
Well, Kilowatt's just as tall. Ryan thought, shaking his head. He wanted to give the kid the benefit of the doubt.
By the time the bell rang, Ryan didn't feel any closer to figuring out if Henry was really Fuse. He wanted to say yes but he knew if he attacked the kid without proof and ended up being wrong, Kilowatt would probably fire him on the spot.
As much as he hated being bossed around by Kilowatt, he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to be a hero.
So, Ryan said nothing and continued on with his classes, desperately trying to remember details about Fuse to compare to the new kid.
He went home that night and did his best to find pictures of Fuse on the internet, but it proved more difficult than he'd anticipated. He ended up with a couple blurry images that were impossible to compare to anyone in real life.
As he lay in bed, he wondered what Fuse's plan was. If he wasn't being an inexperienced fool and attacking him the moment they locked eyes, what was his plan? Wait until Ryan was off guard and kill him? Wait until Ryan was walking home and kill him? Wait until Ryan fell asleep in class and kill him?
He couldn't let that happen. It would be far too embarrassing.
His best chance at proving Henry was Fuse and getting him captured all at once was to make 'Henry' use his kinesis. From what Ryan had learned from Kilowatt, Fuse wasn't much of a skilled fighter and was more suited to creating cover fire for Repulser. Ryan guessed that Fuse wasn't great at controlling his kinesis so it could most likely be drawn out if he pissed 'Henry' off enough. It wouldn't be difficult as Ryan considered himself the master at pissing people off.
So, the next day, Ryan got to school and sat down, propping his feet up on Sofia's old chair. He would be avenging Sofia and exposing 'Henry' at the same time.
However, no matter how passive aggressive he was and despite the number of times he'd kicked the kid's chair, 'Henry' didn't break. He looked ready to snap at any moment, but he simply wouldn't.
Ryan was trying to think of a good way to push 'Henry' over the edge without accidentally revealing that he was the Angler in the process when the bell rang and 'Henry' was gone.
So, he resolved to finish the job the next day. He went from class to class, imagining the praise he'd receive from Kilowatt for taking down the last thing standing between the town hero and Repulser. It probably wouldn't be much praise, but it would be more than he currently received.
His good mood disappeared when he remembered that Coma had called a practice after school.
"Didn't I say I was done with after school stuff?!" Ryan exclaimed as he waltzed into the locker room.
"Don't be a baby, Ryan." Coma snickered, tugging on his shorts and bending to tie his shoes. "You haven't been in a fight today, anyway, right? I didn't get any alerts about Repulser or-"
Ryan perked up, grabbing Coma's shirt, nearly knocking him over. "Oh! Dude! I've gotta tell you this! You know that sidekick Repulser's got?"
Coma stumbled back, raising his brow in confusion. "Uh, yeah?"
"He's here!" Ryan exclaimed. Coma's eyes widened and Ryan nodded excitedly. "I know! In the school! And I'm gonna catch him!"
"What?" Coma shook his head. "Ryan-"
"I'm gonna show Kilowatt that I can be a real hero!" He grinned, pumping his fist. "Fuse won't know what hit him!" Ryan closed his eyes to bask in the glory of Coma's awe but was shocked out of his revelry by Coma's laughter. Ryan's eyes snapped open and he glared at his brother. "What? What?"
Coma wiped a tear from his eye. "You think Fuse... is here?"
Well, now I'm beginning to doubt myself. "Yeah?" Ryan mumbled.
Coma stifled another fit of laughter. "Dude, that sidekick is, like, twenty years old."
Ryan blinked in disbelief. "No way, he's... He's in my math class!"
Coma snorted, holding out his hand. "Here, lemme show you the picture."
"I've already looked everywhere for pictures of him, they don't exist-"
"Gimme your phone." He made a grabbing gesture. "Come on."
Ryan glared but surrendered his phone. It took Coma no more than a minute before he was holding up the phone triumphantly. Ryan snatched it, staring at the screen in disbelief. "No way."
"Believe it, bro." Coma teased. "The man's in his twenties."
Ryan's face fell. The picture was a little blurry but there was no mistaking it. Fuse stood in the photo, peace sign up, ski mask barely covering his facial features. He wasn't in his classic black and red costume, but the figure and facial structure was unmistakable.
"But..." Ryan shook his head. "I'm telling you..."
"You want to impress Kilowatt. I get it." Coma patted Ryan's back before giving his nose a flick. "But you can't go accusing innocents of being supervillains, Ryan."
"He's barely even a regular villain!" Ryan argued as Coma waved over his shoulder, leaving the locker room without a backwards glance. "He's just a sidekick..."
Ryan stared at the photo some more, shaking his head. There was no way. Henry had to be Fuse. He'd fought him so many times, he knew what Fuse sounded like! He knew what Fuse looked like! Henry had to be Fuse!
"Maybe they're related..." Ryan mumbled, examining the face in the photo closer. "They look so..." Ryan groaned, shoving his phone in his pocket. "Ugh! It's just Henry with a better jawline! Come on! It's gotta be him."
Maybe it's his kid... Ryan thought as he searched his backpack for his shorts. Weird. He could've sworn he'd put them in there.
"Coma!" He called towards the door. He didn't hear a response, so he poked his head out of the locker room. "Did you take my shorts-?" He froze when he saw the figure standing next to Coma.
'Henry' stood like a deer in the headlights before his eyes narrowed. "Him?" Ryan blurted. He hadn't meant to say it out loud and it came out much harsher than he'd thought it.
"You?" 'Henry' seemed shocked. Ryan was sure it was all an act. This had to be Repulser's sidekick! It had to be! Ryan could pinpoint that voice anywhere! It was the annoying voice that taunted him during fights and shrieked like a scared child when Ryan threw him into the lake. It was him. This was Fuse.
"Ryan, Henry's cool, so can it." Coma shot him a look and Ryan scoffed. He knew that look. The 'Don't mess this up for me' look. The look Coma gave him around pretty girls and new friends and especially when report cards went home. As Ryan's tutor, Coma went down if Ryan's grades did.
"Coma, he may be tall but it doesn't mean we're gonna make finals this year." Ryan knew what was going on in Coma's mind. They'd missed finals last year on account of a harsh loss. Ryan didn't take it to heart, but Coma had taken the loss hard, nearly driving himself insane with drills afterward.
Coma desperately wanted to make finals and he had dragged Repulser's sidekick in to do it. 'Henry' may have been the tallest black kid Ryan had ever seen but judging purely on his abilities during their fights, Ryan assumed the most 'Henry' could do was dodge the other players and comment on their haircuts. Coma was probably assuming that because he was tall and dark skinned he'd be the best player on the team.
"There are things more important than basketball!" Ryan threw his hands down, glaring down his brother. Normally he could shut Coma down with a glare but this time he was resisting. He always did when it came to basketball.
'Henry' was about to leave but Coma stopped him, insulting Ryan in the process. "Ryan's just being stupid, he's delusional."
Ryan gritted his teeth, taking the briefest glance at 'Henry'. He had the voice, the physique, the insane height. It was impossible to mistake. Coma wanted to let a villain's sidekick join their basketball team.
"How can you not see it?" He said, shaking his head. That was Fuse. It had to be Fuse.
"Come on, Henry, I'll teach you how to shoot." Coma grabbed 'Henry' and dragged him to the court. Ryan watched them closely. 'Henry' didn't seem to be attempting murder or even attempting to resist. He followed Coma, allowing the short boy to pull him by the elbow, not making a fuss.
It was the same Fuse, wasn't it? The same one who couldn't shut his mouth during a fight and never stopped jumping around on his long legs? That Fuse?
Ryan marched back to the locker room, anger and confusion making his head spin. Even if the mannerisms didn't quite match up, he knew 'Henry' was Fuse. It simply had to be him. There was no other explanation that didn't sound far-fetched.
But Coma didn't believe him. Laughed right in his face at the suggestion. Was it really that crazy to think a villain would stoop to such lows as hiding out in a school to catch the Angler? Why didn't Coma trust his judgement? Just because of that photo he saw? It could've easily been fake.
Ryan figured it was because basketball was involved. Coma would probably happily let a villain join the team if it meant they could make finals.
Coma was going to get himself killed.
Ryan glanced back towards the gym door, biting his lip. There was no way it was safe to leave Coma alone with 'Henry'. Maybe Fuse already knew he was the Angler and was going to take Coma hostage. Maybe he was going to force Coma to give up all of Ryan's secrets. Maybe he'd torture Coma for more information!
"Oh man! He'd better appreciate me for this!" Ryan grumbled as he marched back out of the locker room. He expected to see 'Henry' with Coma in a headlock and lightning flickering across his hands, inches from frying Coma's face.
He was mildly confused when he saw the two sitting in a corner of the gym, staring at Coma's phone. The two were smiling and Fuse was pointing to the screen. Ryan got closer and became even more confused. "-found them on the hero blogs, they're amazing!"
"Dude, you've gotta check out this one, it's a hero tracker for the heroes who work in the city! I've been following this one guy, Nightshade- oh man, look, he's in a fight right now; they've got the live feed!"
"Live feed?!" 'Henry' practically jumped into Coma's lap, moving towards the phone like a dog let off the leash for the first time. "No way!"
"Yeah! Oh my God, I've never caught one live!" The two had their heads crammed together, watching the small screen with wide eyes.
This is supposed to be Fuse? Ryan thought. He was truly beginning to doubt himself.
"What are you-?" Ryan jumped when the two shushed him, not taking their eyes off the screen. Ryan wanted to ask again but he clamped his lips shut, crossing his arms as he watched the two.
Suddenly, the two boys jumped, gasping and slapping each other. "Did you see that?!" Coma shouted.
"Yeah, yeah, I saw, I saw!" 'Henry' clapped. "That was amazing!"
The two were laughing as they watched the screen and Ryan finally decided he had to know what the fuss was and inched closer to them. Coma was pressed against the wall and 'Henry' was pressed right up next to him, so Ryan decided to get up close and personal with 'Henry' and let him know he wasn't going to let his brother be kidnapped so easily.
Ryan plopped himself next to 'Henry' and instantly felt dwarfed. The guy was huge. Ryan glanced down at his short legs and huffed, silently wishing he'd hurry up and hit his growth spurt. He leaned into the screen, tensing his arms as he pressed against 'Henry' just to let the giant kid know who was the tough one here.
'Henry' didn't seem to notice and took the phone from Coma's grasp, holding it in the middle so Ryan could see as well.
It was a fight between a hero and a villain; that was obvious. The feed came from a camera that must've been planted somewhere on the hero. The angle changed rapidly and the feed was blurred but it was easy to see the balls of fire being hurled towards the camera by a blurry figure dressed in orange.
"What is this?" Ryan asked quietly, afraid to break whatever trance the two boys were in.
"It's the hero tracking website I told you about." Coma said, eyes never leaving the screen. "Nightshade's in a fight right now!"
"I can see that." Ryan rolled his eyes, letting his gaze drift to 'Henry'. The kid seemed mesmerized, watching the screen in awe. It was the look you'd expect from someone without kinesis, not the sidekick to the supervillain of Bandock.
Ryan shook his head, returning his gaze to the screen. No. It had to be Fuse.
Suddenly, a ball of fire went sailing towards the screen, cutting the feed. Coma jumped high before dropping to his knees, shaking his fists in the air. "NO!"
'Henry' clenched his jaw, hissing under his breath. "No!"
"What happened?" Ryan mumbled, staring at the phone clutched in Fuse's grip. The feed was playing static and he figured it wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"The camera died!" Coma hollered, holding his arms high. "The one time I get to see the live feed!"
"You know, the crime rates spike around Christmas. So if you wanna catch it live, stay up late during the winter. That's what I did last winter." 'Henry' held out Coma's phone. "Gets boring but worth it to see the cool fights."
"Who've you seen?" Coma sounded giddy and it made Ryan sick. He was associating with the enemy!
'Henry' sounded just as excited, leaning in towards Coma. "I saw Budget Man fight Jackal once. It was insane. Went on for hours."
"No way!" Coma knelt in front of Henry, eyes wide with excitement. "The one that happened in the center of the city?!"
"That's the one!" 'Henry' nodded frantically. "Coolest thing I've ever seen! My mom got mad because I didn't wake her up to watch!"
Mom? Fuse had a mom?
He shook his head. Duh, Ryan.
"Oh man!" Coma threw his arms up, flopping to the ground as though he'd been shot. "I've gotta start staying up around Christmas!"
"No," Ryan said, "Dad says bedtime's ten."
"Ten thirty!" Coma raised a finger.
"Ten for you, you're younger." Ryan spat. "You can't stay up and nerd out all night, I need to sleep."
"Oh, shut up, Ryan, you don't get it."
Ryan groaned, glaring at 'Henry'. "Thanks for encouraging him."
He almost looked scared but stuttered out a response. "Welcome..."
"I was being sarcastic."
"I know." Henry muttered. "I was too. Anyway, what does it matter if he stays up?"
"We share a room." Ryan spat. "If he's up late, I won't be able to sleep."
"Such a baby..." Coma said under his breath. Ryan shot him a look before standing and marching towards the exit.
"Fine! Have fun with Henry, you stupid geek!" He didn't look back until he stomped out of the school when he suddenly remembered that he'd left his backpack inside.
Oh well. Coma will bring it home.
Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling his phone in one of them. He couldn't help but wonder how his brother found all these hidden websites about heroes but couldn't seem to tutor him in simple algebra.
"I'm home!" Ryan hollered when he stepped inside the door. He sat on the floor and tugged his shoes off.
Ryan's father poked his head into the hall. His gruff voice was oddly comforting to the boy. "Hey, Ryan, I thought you had basketball."
Ryan huffed, tossing his shoe onto the floor. "Coma's being a jerk again."
"Is he?"
"He keeps telling me to shut up and he's trying to get this one other jerk to join the basketball team just because he's tall." Ryan crossed his legs on the floor, glaring at his shoes.
"You know Kuma. He loves his basketball. I'm sure he wasn't trying to be mean to you." His father sat on the floor across from Ryan, smiling softly. "Cut your brother some slack, okay?"
"Why didn't you pick one of the quiet Asians to adopt?" He grumbled.
"Ryan..." His father brought out his warning tone and Ryan knew not to venture any further.
"Kidding, kidding." He said, waving his hands. "I'm just sick of him treating me like this. I'm the older brother, I'm supposed to treat him like garbage and he's supposed to love me for it."
"He does love you, Ryan."
"He's got a pretty cruddy way of showing it."
"Well, why don't you tell him how you feel and-"
"Grow up, Dad! That's stupid! He'll just make fun of me. Besides, he doesn't care."
"He does."
"He even made me forget my backpack at school."
His father laughed. "At least your suit isn't in it."
Ryan's jaw locked. "Yeah, lucky for that." It was at that moment that Ryan's phone began ringing and he fished it out of his pocket, knowing who was on the line but nevertheless praying otherwise.
Please don't be her, please don't be her.
He checked the display and groaned, answering quickly. "Hey, Boss."
"Repulser's out on the lake."
"What?" Ryan squeaked. That was very, very bad.
"Repulser's on a boat in the middle of the lake and I need you there now!"
"Uh, Boss-"
"She's smashing boats; there could be people on them! I'm on the south side, I can't see Fuse but if he shows up and I'm in the water, it'll be bad. Get down there now!"
"Boss, my mask is-"
"What!" Kilowatt barked.
"N-Nothing, never mind. I'll be right there!" Ryan hung up the phone and looked to his father in panic. "Dad-!"
"Your mask is in the backpack, isn't it?" His father said.
"I took it from the shop yesterday; I was gonna bring it home to wash because it smells like fish. I totally forgot about it!"
"Well, I guess you're gonna have to come up with something." His father shrugged.
"Dad, can you please go get it?" Ryan begged, tugging his shoes back on. "I can't take the lake, Repulser's out there! She'll spot me for sure!"
"No, that's not my job. You forgot it, you-"
"Dad, you're the fastest man in Bandock, please! Just use your affinity for once!"
"Sorry, kiddo, I'm retired."
Ryan let out a frustrated scream as he threw the door open and ran from the house towards his family's boat rental shop. "You suck!" He could hear his father's laughter as he ran across the street.
It was so annoying being the child of a retired hero.