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vagrantblvrd · 5 years

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I would love for a superhero!au dusk boys prompt that features villainous Rimmy Tim? :D

Oh, wow, okay, I love this a lot?

I’m just.

I want to set this in a world where people who have superpowers aren’t viewed as being inherently dangerous.

There are obviously ones who are, but for the most part it’s just like Macy down the street can shoot lasers from her eyes and Bob in accounting can communicate with plants. Sheryl from marketing can fly and turn invisible and only uses one of those powers on a regular basis because she’s shy. (Harry in IT is just weird, but everyone knew that already.)

People with powers can tick off a box when they go in to get their driver license or ID card so if they’re in an accident EMTs and the whatnot know to take proper precautions and suchlike, but it’s not a whole Thing, just like.

Huh, interesting.

(Because I’m saving the Angst and Drama for Other Things later on. :D)

Not everyone bothers with secret identities, but the ones who do go all out, okay? Kind of high-key hilarious for the people around them who figure it out and decide not to tell them just to hear all the ridiculous explanations why their superhero/sidekick buddy was late to work or missed a meeting or whatever else.

I like to imagine there are sitcoms/reality shows built around that too? Like. They never reveal the superhero/sidekick’s alter ego but they fuck with them so hard. And other such things because the potential? Omg, so much potential for those kind of shenanigans. (And you can always tell who has a secret identity because they’re always griping about those kind of shows and it’s just another level of hilarity.)

There are specialized school and programs to help people manage their powers even if they don’t plan on going into the superhero/sidekick career field so they don’t accidentally hurt someone. (There are programs for supervillains too.

Outreach and whatnot with the hope of winning potential villains/villains over to the good side if they’re lucky. Realistically though, they’ll settle for helping them learn to control their powers to minimize casualties and such. (A few of the more level-headed villains out there may or may not be responsible for similar programs because they stand the risk of the superheros/military/whatever coming down hard on villains as a whole if they don’t help police their own?)

ANYWAY.

Trevor’s this normal(ish) enough human in this AU, right? May or may not be a master thief out Thieving and living his best life. Gallivanting around the world where rare and valuable items just happen to go missing.

Sometimes the local authorities will bring him in for questioning and discover he has something of a spotty record. Juvenile offenses and misdemeanors. (But the thing is it’s clear it’s been…altered, and while there’s some confusion as to who is behind it, there’s no denying he’s had something to do with Serious Criminal Incidents in the past. All these clues and witness accounts and all this placing him there and yet! Nothing worse on his records than those misdemeanors.)

He’s got famous parents, you see. Big shots in the supers world and love story of the ages.

One was a hero and the other was a villain who gave up their wicked ways for love and so on and so forth.

They were happy for a while there, had their loving family and played coy with the press when they came around asking how they made their relationship work and how did their children handle knowing about past villainous exploits and so on and so forth, and it was a bit of a circus some days, but it was good until it wasn’t.

(Isn’t that always the way?)

Trevor was young when the inevitable happened so of course he grew up on “Son, what would your parents say if they could see you now?> and oh, oh, Trevor doesn’t know, officer, what would they say? Oh right, there’s no way to know because they’re both dead, aren’t they?

Plenty of people who always said it would happen sooner or later. Just the kind of thing that happens when you got around making all those devil’s deals and turn your back on it all thinking just because you’re done with it, it’s done with you or however that goes. (Always, always a price to be paid.)

He’s had plenty of people try to console him with the fact they were together when it happened, protecting one another to the bitter end and it’s such a slap to the face because, you know, because.

The ones left behind to pick up the pieces and the whole world wanting answers to questions they were never entitled to.

Losing the only other person who could understand how Trevor felt to building anger and resentment and other ugly little things until Trevor had no choice but to leave. (No place for him there anymore, and really it was for the best, wasn’t it?)

Slipped away like a ghost in the night and it was just…easier to steal a thing here, another there to get by until he fell in with the wrong crowd. Got in over his head a bit and dragged along with the current until he got some kind of ground under his feet again. Tarnished reputation and all kinds of disappointment being heaped on him, but that was fine because there was no one left to care.

And then!

And then he realizes someone’s been looking out for him, clearing up the worst of his little mistakes – if you’re going to go bad, you do it well, and he hadn’t, so thank you for that oh, so mysterious benefactor. (Pays to befriend a hacker, doesn’t it? Especially one who’s kind enough to keep an eye on you for your own sake, God bless all the little hackers.)

He drifts along for a little while longer, gets better at his craft even though it’s not his passion, and then one day he gets a call. (Half expecting it because he’s been keeping tabs on everything (everyone) he left behind and there have been situations and incidents and a whole lot of Things in general.)

The call is pretty much what he expects, but there’s also some come home and please and I’m sorry.

He would have ignored it, because he’s a hard soul these days, you know. Tough as nails and cold and steel and all that, but he’s never gotten an apology and it makes him…curious.

So he goes home, wry little twist to his lips as he passes the statues of his parents in a prominent location. Monument to their legacy Trevor could never live up to and all these people who glance at him and frown like they feel they should know him and don’t know why.

There’s a fancy building in the heart of the city’s business district. All gleaming glass and the kind of place villains love to target for the spectacle of it all.

Trevor head there, flashes the doorman a little smile, tips his head at the guard in the lobby. Another smile and a wink for the receptionist at the main desk to get a look in return – she remembers him, and isn’t impressed because he’s been gone a long time, hasn’t he?

Still, she doesn’t stop him as he breezes past on his way to the elevator bank.

Presses the buttons in a pattern that lets it zip right on past the other floors and anyone who’d love to get on the elevator between the ground floor and the oh so glorious offices on the top floors. (Stops counting past the executive level because shhhh, secrets.)

He gets off the elevator in a narrow little hallway with all kinds of hidden cameras and security measures. Presses his hand flat against a scanner and presents his eyeball for another. Ridiculously outdated things, but it’s the presentation of it all, and then a pair of heavy doors disengage to reveal a long hallways, stark lighting and very cliché isn’t it?

Still, he continues down the hallway to another pair of doors and waits.

Little panel to the side slides open and he glances at it, then at the hidden camera he knows is aimed at him.

“Open sesame,” he says, tired of this little game, and the doors slide open.

Bit of a light show as he walks through and then -

“Trevor.”

Trevor tips his head to the side, gaze flicking over the people in the room.

The man who called him home and two others?

Around his age, give or take, and confused as to why they’re here and trying to hide it. (Fair enough, he’s had longer practice at it.)

ANYWAY.

There’s a man in a lovely little suit, all perfectly tailored and the whatnot. Looks older than Trevor remembers, but that’s what you get when you take on the task of running a multi-billion dollar business and the whatnot. (Among other things.)

“Hello, Ryan,” he says, and it has been a long time, hasn’t it? Long enough that Trevor doesn’t know if he’s still angry at Ryan or some other pesky emotion. “You like like hell.”

Ryan raises an eyebrow, but it lacks the usual arrogance. (Looks tired.)

The strangers in the room are watching curiously, aware there’s some little bit of Drama going on here but not sure what, and that’s interesting, isn’t it?

But then Ryan clears his throat and turns to them, all nice and charming and the very fine actor he’s proven himself to be as he leads them all to this little setup he’s had put together. Several chairs and a projector and Trevor has this very odd flashback to school and the terrible little films they had to watch, but that’s a bit of a digression.

“Gentlemen,” Ryan says, “I’ve invited you all here for a reason.”

Trevor glances at the strangers, notices them watching Ryan warily as he flicks the lights off and the project whirs to life. (Ryan really did gold old school with it, didn’t he?)

News footage of what looks like an attack on the city – industrial area. Warehouses with a familiar logo (same one as on the side of this very building, in fact!) - general sort of mayhem and destruction and a blurry figure behind it all.

Little flashes of purple and orange and at the end a surprisingly low body count. (One is always too many, but for the destruction they’ve just seen it’s somewhat impressive.)

Ryan tells them about this new threat – clearly someone with superpowers of some sort – that’s been targeting Ryan’s company. Hit and runs and targets of opportunity, and while the police and such are looking into the things the main superhero team in the city hasn’t been taking it seriously.

Trevor looks away from the blurry image of the villain in questions till up on the screen to see Ryan frowning, scowling, really.

“That doesn’t seem right,” one of the strangers says, British accent and dubious as hell. “Didn’t people die?”

Ryan sighs, giving the man a wry smile.

“Not enough.”

Not in this city, Trevor knows.

A superhero team as famous as theirs fields the most dangerous threats to the city and those like the one targeting Ryan’s company…well. Until they do something that makes the general public wonder why he hasn’t been dealt with, he’s not really their problem, now is he?

Plenty of smaller teams and solo heroes out there who could handle someone like that and anyways, they’ve got bigger fish to fry. (It’s happened before.)

“So you’ve brought the three of us here to handle your little problem,” Trevor says, and oh, there’s still some anger in him, isn’t there?

Ryan looks at him.

“You’d rather I let things go on as they have been?” he asks. “People have died. No doubt more will die before this is over.”

Ryan talks like he knows something about it, and Trevor -

“Okay, so there’s some kind of history between you guys, right?” one of the strangers asks, which means he must not be from here. “Because damn.”

Ryan goes all awkward and stiff as he informs the man he’s not wrong, that Trevor’s his brother -

“Step-brother,” Trevor interjects sweetly, as Ryan was so kind to point out the last time they spoke face-to-face. “Blended family, you know how it is.”

He gets the satisfaction of seeing Ryan wince at the reminder, but it’s a hollow sort of victory.

Ryan goes on to tell the three of them the plan he’s come up with. Housing and pay, all the tedious little details.

A building of their very own that’s been retrofitted with proper training facilities and the whatnot and Trevor eyes the strangers curiously.

Supers, then, but which is very interesting indeed seeing as how fond of them Ryan usually is.

It makes sense, though, doesn’t it. Better mouse trap or…something to catch this pest that’s digging the foundation out from under Ryan’s feet all this time.

Ryan tells them he understands if they choose to decline, tells them to take time to think it over and all that.

There’s this little pause like he’s debating whether or not to ask Trevor to stay behind, but Trevor doesn’t wait for him to come to a decision. Just leaves with the others Ryan picked for this meeting of his and the three of them file out the room and spend an awkward elevator ride together. Trevor’s aware of the curious looks he’s getting, which is fine. (Expected.)

Ryan’s one of the most important people in the city and Trevor is…Trevor.

He gets a question, though, just before they reach the ground floor lobby. Gets asked if Ryan’s on the up and up about this team he’s trying to put together, and honestly?

Trevor doesn’t know.

And oh, the looks he gets for that because they’re (half) brothers, aren’t they? Shouldn’t Trevor be the best qualified to know and all?

The elevator doors open with impeccable timing, and Trevor shrugs, and tells them it was a pleasure and all that as he walks out.

He fully intends to get the hell out of the city, let Ryan clean up his own mess – and it must be his, if he’s willing to involve supers in this - but.

Trevor makes a little stop first.

Quiet little neighborhood he hasn’t been to in years, but it hasn’t changed much.

Rings the doorbell to a jaunty little tune he heard on the radio a few days ago on a door and waits, and then waits some more before he hears sounds of movement. Muffled voice tinged with annoyance and when the door opens, Trevor’s already smiling.

“Hi, Matt,” he says, and laughs at the flatly unamused look on Matt’s face.

For a moment he thinks Matt’s just going to slam the door in is face - rude - but then he sighs and lets Trevor inside.

The place is as cluttered as Trevor remembers it as he follows Matt to his lair.

His computer setup has been vastly upgraded, all shiny and the like.

“What do you want?”

Trevor grins, because Matt’s just like that, isn’t he? So he brings his phone out and shows Matt the photos he took of the two men Ryan had recruited for his team while no one was paying attention.

Not the best lighting or composition, but hopefully enough for Matt to dig up information on them.

And, sure. Trevor could ask Ryan, but where would the fun be in that? (Also, Trevor may or may not have learned not to take Ryan at his word some time back, so there’s that as well.)

Matt gives him this look, and snatches Trevor’s phone out of his hand as he goes to do his technical wizardry.

(Not quite an exaggeration, given Matt’s powers.)

Trevor pokes and prods the collectibles and other knickknacks and whatever else Matt has laying around while he waits.

Eventually Matt calls him over and hands him a little USB and Trevor thanks him, little tip of a hat he’s not wearing and Matt just sighs because yes.

Trevor goes off to that motel room he has, classy place with (almost) nary a suspicious stain to be found anywhere! :D

Plugs that USB Matt gave him into his laptop and does his homework like a good little thief.

Finds out that the British one is a young hero recently arrived in the city by way of Rooster territory.

Powers that have to do with probability manipulation that he can directly utilize in extreme circumstances and so on. Curious blank spot even Matt couldn’t fill in regarding how that was discovered, because you don’t go saying something like that without an Event, now do you? Some kind of incident for that discovery and all, but never mind that for now.

No reason listed why he left his former team to come here of all places, and Trevor is honestly baffled as to why Ryan would be interested in someone with his abilities. (Not a great believer in things like luck and so on, Ryan. Loves his sciences and hard facts and clear results, doesn’t care overmuch for anything else.)

The other one makes more sense, though. Reactive adaptation with a focus on combat – and my, my, my, what an impressive resume he has in that regard. All sorts of qualifications and certifications and rankings and so on.

Quite the list of teams he’s been on that have since disbanded, its members going on to join larger teams and so on. Only good things to be said about him and his past feats and exploits.

Nice upstanding young man with a bright future ahead of him, and he’d come here of all places.

Astounding.

Trevor sits back and stares at the photos and screen grabs Matt had included of the two of them.

The British one seems to stumble into trouble of one kind of another on a regular basis, from simple misunderstandings to God knows what. Has made headlines here and there, identity unconfirmed and all, but Matt knows what he’s about, and Trevor learned to trust his work a long time ago.

One Gavin Free who manages to pick his way clear of any trouble he finds, comes out on top with a cheeky little grin and maybe it’s down to his abilities, maybe not. (Definitely, yes, though, Trevor thinks. Too coincidental otherwise.)

Odd mix of powers Ryan has there, with these two. Mr. Diaz, yes, okay. Easy to explain away? But Mr. Free?

Most curious.

Makes no damn sense at all, but maybe Ryan’s just that desperate. (He called Trevor home, after all.)

Trevor’s phone buzzes, and when he checks it there’s a new message from Ryan asking to talk, and he has to applaud him for the timing of it.

Shuts his laptop down and heads out to this little meeting of his and isn’t at all surprised when a sleek black limo pulls up alongside him after a block.

Trevor gets in because it’s cold out, so close to winter. Ignores the look Ryan gives him as he rubs his hands together to warm them up because they aren’t kids anymore and it’s none of Ryan’s concern, now is it?

They drive along for a while without a word. Clearly no destination in mind, and Trevor starts to think maybe he should just bail before things get any more awkward?

But then Ryan starts talking. Telling Trevor that yes, alright, he’s made some missteps, Ryan has. Got too caught up in his grief over losing their parents, and there’s that little snap of anger again because understatement? (And when, oh when, was the last time Trevor heard him call them that with any kind of sincerity behind it instead of that seething resentment?)

But he doesn’t interrupt Ryan, no. Let’s him talk about his feelings and all, other mistakes he made. (The rift with his relationship with Trevor and so on.)

Trevor eyes him because Ryan sounds remorseful about it, but he’s a very good actor.

“Never thought I’d see the day you’d sponsor a team of supers,” he says.

Ryan may be smart enough not to voice his disdain for said teams and their ilk these days considering how popular they are with the public, but Trevor knows all about it, doesn’t he.

Heard the rants before he left, the way Ryan’s opinion of them did that sharp about face after their parents’ deaths, the way the city’s heroes didn’t lift a finger to help and so on and so on. How so many of them are chasing fame and glory and riches rather than out to do good. Cared more about their image, whether they’d get paid than doing what they were meant to. (Loyalty and the lack thereof.)

“Times change,” Ryan says, odd note to it as he watches the city blur by. “People change.”

Trevor snorts, but he can’t help but notice the limo driver seems to be headed somewhere now, not just driving aimlessly in circles. Glances at Ryan who is still focused on the view outside the limo and keeps his silence until they pull up to a building.

The one Ryan showed Trevor and the others in that little meeting earlier, because of course.

Ryan looks at Trevor then, head cocked, and Trevor doesn’t have a good reason not to follow him as Ryan gets out.

They go on a little tour of the building, Ryan showing him the amenities and whatnot, and they end up on one of the training areas. Obstacle course that takes up an entire floor. Must have cost a pretty penny and all -

“I could use your help,” Ryan says, sounding less like the blowhard Trevor remembers him as and more like the brother he grew up with. “Gavin and Alfredo have potential, but they need someone like you to keep them focused.”

Well that’s a bold-faced lie.

Trevor doesn’t know what Ryan’s up to with this team of his, but it’s definitely suspect.

“I doubt they’d appreciate working with someone who has a record like mine,” he says, half-hearted attempt at humor.

The Roosters aren’t as strict in their hiring practices as most teams, but even they would have thought twice about bringing someone like Trevor on board.

And Alfredo?

Well, no knowing his thoughts on the matter but his past teams were of the goody two-shoes sort.

Ryan laughs, mouth quirking as he glances at Trevor.

“You’d be surprised,” he says.

And.

Trevor stares at Ryan, all these reasons to say no in his head. Some are even valid, but truth be told Trevor’s a bit of an idiot.

“I guess we’ll see,” he says, and bites back a smile at the surprise he can just feel rolling off Ryan who was expecting more of a fight.

Anyway.

Trevor agrees to be the leader of this new team, moves what possessions he has at the motel to the team’s HQ and sets about putting things to order.

Is pleasantly surprised when Gavin and Alfredo show up a few days later. Gavin first and Alfredo a few hours behind him.

Gives them the same tour Ryan gave him and leaves them to pick out which living quarters they like as he wrangles paperwork. (Endless amounts of it involved in any sort of team.)

He gives them a few days to settle in, get comfortable with the place before he calls them together for a meeting. Tells them there’s a mandatory physical before they can begin training and then montage?

Trevor putting them through their paces starting with a standard obstacle course and moving on to the ones designed for supers to test their reflexes and response times and whatever else. Standard training exercises and Alfredo’s powers are super impressive, right?

Has Gavin all :DDDDDDDDDDD because it’s just real cool and Alfredo is aw, shucks about it because it’s just this thing he does?

Doesn’t even have conscious control of it half the time because ingrained training and instincts and reflexes and all that, but hey, thanks?

And Gavin is like, no, no, it’s really cool!

Trevor is just hmm because it’s nice to see them getting along, but most of the time Alfredo’s powers kick in because Gavin’s go a little haywire?

Sudden accidents and general bad luck, and Gavin deflates because yeah, okay.

There’s this whole thing where he may or may not have annoyed someone who has the sort of powers that could affect his when he was still with the Roosters?

Snap of their fingers when Gavin pushed them a little too much and Gavin’s good luck turns to shit. And since his powers extend to those nearby Things Happened around him.

It was supposed to be a temporary thing, just a few days and hopefully Gavin would have learned his less, but his former teammate got sucked into a long-term mission somewhere and it slipped their mind to fix Gavin’s powers before they left, and just.

There’s only so many times your luck can turn on you and those around you until it becomes a Problem. (Before someone gets hurt.)

Gavin felt he was being a bit of a burden on his team with his bad luck and all interfering in their heroing and was all :DDDDDDDDD as he told them he wanted to try working solo for a bit. Change of pace and all and somehow Ryan scooped up him for this team of theirs? (Guilt heavy in his chest for all the close calls his run of bad luck caused and lesson learned but that’s not enough to break that little jinx, is it?)

Trevor and Alfredo share a look because Gavin puts up a good front, but it’s clear the whole situation is affecting him, so.

“Well, we’ll just have to find a way to make that work in our favor then,” Trevor says, and Alfredo is totally on board and just.

Team Bonding?

Alfredo brings up the whole thing about being tired of working with all those gung-ho goody-good types?

Just.

Strict and close-minded and sometimes a little too religious about following the rules, and after his last team disbanded thought he’d try the solo thing for a while? See how that worked for him, and then Ryan popped up and hey, someone has to do something, right?

And Trevor is just.

Huh.

A little uncomfortable to admitting the whole Master Thief thing? But since they opened up he can’t do any less.

Mentions the fact his parents were heroes – big names as that kind of thing goes – but he doesn’t name names. (Knows they’ll figure it out eventually if they stay in the city because hey, the press loves dragging their names up every now and then. Talking about the family drama that followed and so on and so forth., but figures that’s a Future Problem.)

There are more montage scenes where they continue to train, teamwork coming along nicely and friendships developing and such, and then!

One day Trevor’s out on a jog or walk and runs into this odd little figure.

Literally. (Well, almost literally.)

Glances down at his team communicator gadget on his wrist when it buzzes – Gavin with another of his bizarre hypotheticals – and has to do this awkward little stop-stumble-shuffle to keep from running into this guy.

On the short side of things and this look on his face as Trevor comes to a flailing stop. Also -

“You’re being lied to.”

???

Trevor stares down at this stranger because cryptic much? And of course he has to follow him after that because clearly that’s the smart thing to do in such a situation?

They go over to a park bench where the guy brings out this bag of frozen peas and feeds the ducks that come over curiously hoping for food – and slides Trevor this look.

“Bread’s bad for them,” he says, defensive note to his voice.

(Because yes he is playing out a spy movie cliché while carrying a bag of frozen peas in your coat pocket, but at least he’s being conscientious about things.)

The guy tells Trevor he’s being lied to about Ryan’s little team, all these little stories and secrets about what’s really been happening and Trevor listens because of course he does. Files everything he’s being told away to double and triple check later with Matt and other contacts he still (hopefully) has around the city because he’s not stupid.

Still, what he’s being told does sound an awful lot like the Ryan he remembers, and it’s -

It doesn’t hurt, not that much anymore. Not like it did at the start of it all. Now it’s just this dull little pain, like a bruise you didn’t know you had until you put pressure on it or knock it against something. (Quiet, lingering thing.)

The guy ran out of peas a while back, but there are still a few ducks hanging around, occasional little quacks and other sounds out of them hoping the idiot humans will feed them again.

But no, no, because the guy tucks the empty bag into a coat pocket and wipes his hands on his pants before he gets up to leave. Gives Trevor this look – sympathetic and walks away.

Trevor looks down at one particularly persistent duck, greedy little fiend and tells it he might bring something for it the next day if the weather’s good and goes back to the base Ryan gave him and his odd little team.

Sits on all the information he was given for a few days until he heads over to see Matt, who is just this side of Done with Trevor’s nonsense regarding the doorbell ringing serenades.

“A gift to that shrine you seem to be building!” Trevor chirps, bright and cheerful as he shoves a bag of collectibles and soon-to-be knickknacks that he couldn’t help notice Matt was missing on his earlier visit.

Matt sighs, because that’s what Matt does sometimes and Trevor doesn’t ask because he wouldn’t want to pry.

And then he asks Matt if he would mind looking into a few things for him?

Matt grumbles but hey, it’s almost impossible to find the collectibles Trevor brought him and it is Trevor, so.

“Fine, not like I had my hands full with other shit, but why not?”

Trevor beams at him and goes off to visit his other contacts around the city.

Gets back to HQ to find Alfredo and Gavin fucking around in one of the training rooms, Gavin laughing like an idiot as he snipes Alfredo with a Nerf gun? There are other similar weapons littering the area, and Trevor realizes they don’t know hes there, so he just.

Watches for a while.

Gavin coming up with ridiculous test scenarios and Alfredo agreeing or letting Gavin talk him into them and while it’s hardly scientific, there is some kind of method to their madness?

Sure, it’s mostly them goofing around, but it’s also weirdly productive? (Besides team bonding and the whatnot.)

And then Alfredo starts chasing Gavin for Revenge and Gavin almost runs into Trevor and it’s this oh, shit moment because the boss/team leader caught them goofing off?

(Trevor’s hardly been a terrible team leader to them, but there’s definite Distance between the three of them, feeling like the two of them have been forced on him and he’s not super duper keen about things, so. Yeah. Not sure how to read him and all that. Trust, sure, don’t really know which way he’d jump if things got rough.)

Alfredo rounding the corner all a-ha! Gotcha! And his oh shit moment when he sees Trevor.

Little standoff, Gavin backing up until he bumps into Alfredo who’s eyeing Trevor warily. (Wants to trust the asshole, right? But - )

Trevor smirks and pegs Gavin with one of the Nerf guns he picked up earlier and while Gavin and Alfredo are processing all that he pops Alfredo too.

Smirks, because he’s totally laughing at these two dorks, and challenges to best out of whatever, right?

Gavin and Alfredo share this look because ??? and Trevor feels guilty for not giving the two of them- his team – his all the way they deserved and hopes they’ll give him another chance and all that.

The three of them “train” for a while longer and Trevor realizes that yes, okay, they make for an odd team but Gavin and Alfredo aren’t that bad as people go and he puts more of himself into this Team thing.

Keeps running into the guy he met (not quite so literally) and getting cryptic bits of information from him about goings on and so forth.

And then there’s an attack on one of the company facilities the team gets called out to stop and things go about as you’d expect because they’re still not a team-team yet. Haven’t worked out the kinks in regards to teamwork and get in each other’s way. Come out of with minor injuries and property damage and nothing much to show for it.

Ryan isn’t pleased with the whole mess and Trevor steps up to shoulder the blame because he knows he’s not been the best team leader and so on and so forth. (Gets this look from Ryan who backs down easily enough and tells Trevor he hopes they’ll do better the next time there’s an attack and leaves to deal with the mess.)

Gavin and Alfredo just watching and realizing Trevor’s doing his best to do right by them so of course there’s bonding going on and all that.

Also, more training which means ~montage sequence~ and so on.

Trevor and meeting with Matt and his contacts and Mystery Duck-feeding Guy and all that.

And then!

Another attack, larger in scope and the Dusk Boys are holding their own for a while until some bruiser comes along and just. Flings them aside like annoying little flies.

Trevor getting back up in time to see Gavin about to get flattened, but then!

Then another hero type appears out of nowhere and takes care of the bruiser for them. Just bulls on in and takes all these hits before knocking the bastard out, and Trevor is just staring because its Mystery Duck-feeding Man. (Of course it is.)

The guy disappears before the authorities get there to clean up the mess from the fight, leaving Trevor and his team to deal with all of that, but Trevor is like HMM.

Lies about knowing who the guy that saved them was – this little pause from Gavin and Fredo because they know he’s lying, but they follow his lead when they’re questioned about it.

Things are quiet for a bit after that, Gavin and Fredo wanting to know what the deal is with their mystery savior and Trevor, but don’t want to alienate Trevor when they were just becoming a real team.

Ryan coming down to Talk to Trevor privately, seems troubled by the whole thing but Trevor lies to him too and Ryan -

Sighs and lets Trevor have his secrets and goes back to running the company and such.

And then!

More attacks and Trevor’s friend popping in to save them from time to time. Ryan popping in every so often and warning Trevor that things aren’t always what they seem and be careful who he trusts, which is a bit ironic, given the everything.

Matt and Trevor’s contacts get back to Trevor with the information he sent them hunting for and it’s enlightening, to say the least.

Goes to his suite at their little HQ and reads all about the shady things Ryan was rumored to be involved in before and after Trevor left to wander about willy-nilly.

Noted coolness towards the supers teams in the city, particularly towards the one their parents were once part of.

The way he had this focus on not quite replacing the hero teams in the city as being an auxiliary group for them? Providing support alternatives – so many villains and all that, teams can’t be everywhere.

Training programs for non-supers, gadgets they could use to suppress various powers and all this legal red-tape to wade through because talk about potential complications? (Whispers he might have take too much after his mother – first born and some never believed her heel-face turn was genuine. Just a ploy, and they’ve seen supervillains fake their deaths before. And, and, he’s always been a bit odd.)

Makes Trevor feel a little sick because it makes a terrible sort of sense – Ryan was so angry when their parents died. Even if the rumors about their mother faking her death are bullshit, Ryan’s feelings about that were never in doubt.

All this new information has him looking at Gavin and Alfredo in a new light. He doesn’t think they’re in on it, if Ryan’s up to something Nefarious, but maybe???

Before he can do anything about it, there’s another attack.

There have been so many, building up to something big, and this one takes place at the opening of one of those training facilities of Ryan’s for a private security force kind of thing. Most meant to look after the company’s interests, but contracts available to the city at large and all that.

City and law officials in attendance, instructors and investors, all that.

Ryan in a lovely little suit, and they get attacked.

Trevor was watching from a nearby roof, and Gavin and Alfredo are off…somewhere. (Day off and shenanigans to be had, you know.)

Trevor running before he knows it because they may not see eye-to-eye, but Ryan’s still Ryan.

Gets there in time to see the instructors and whatnot bundling the officials and reporters and whatnot off to safety. Realize that Ryan’s the target this time, and oh, what a time to be so unprepared.

No powers, just the training he’s got under his belt and all these dirty little tricks and this bastard of a supervillain who takes a hit like it’s nothing.

Full-face mask and something familiar to him – but he doesn’t get a lot of time to dwell on that because of all the fighting???

Anyway.

They keep fighting, Trevor doing his best to keep the bastard away from Ryan and the others who have sought shelter inside the facility, trying to reach the security center to put out a call for help and all. (In case people watching the live broadcast and all missed the commotion?)

The two of them are playing this cat and mouse game, Trevor ignoring the taunts being flung his way – bastard’s using a voice modulator so it’s extra creepy?

Uses little throwing knives and shuriken and the like because yes, and realizes after he ducks into hiding that the supervillain isn’t impervious because there’s some blood splattered around. Not enough to constitute a serious injury, but nice to know he’s not up against someone who isn’t even feeling any of Trevor’s attacks.

And then when the guy rushes him realizes he’s not just shaking off Trevor’s attacks, that he’s letting Trevor get hits on him so he can use his own blood to create armor???

Calls it up on his forearm to block or encases his hands with it when he attacks, sharp spikes that cut through Trevor’s clothes and the thin armor undersuit he always wears as a matter of habit? (Dangerous world out there, and even more so for someone in his line of work without powers of his own to speak of. The fact that the only armor undersuits Trevor trusts are made by the company Ryan’s run is just a coincidence, really.)

It’s kind of gross and impressive as hell – rare too, because (haha, not a joke) bloodlines and so on and this whole stigma of powers like that being mainly supervillainish?

And then!

The guy knocks him aside, tosses him through a display case or something and goes after Ryan and the others. Trevor struggling to get up, which is when Gavin and Alfredo show up – Dramatic Timing! - and he waves them on ahead because he’s not seriously hurt, okay.

Staggers after the two of them because can’t sit this one out and he’ll be fine in a bit, just needs to let his brain settle.

He follows the sound of fighting, gets to where the commotion is long enough to see Gavin’s bad luck kick in, see the little idiot get pinned under something and Alfredo rushing to his rescue and the supervillain go in for the kill.

Tosses out a normal little flashbang followed by a smoke grenade. (Has a pair of his special little goggles on because he’s no idiot and same principle behind the body armor and all? Like Batman only slightly less emotionally constipated.)

Turns out the supervillain’s face mask might have similar tech because he lunges out of the smoke at Trevor who grabs a bit of broken wood or something along those lines and swings out. Manages to crack the supervillain across the side of the face just so to dislodge the face mask. Twist it, bend it, whatever it’s broken/uncomfortable the bastard has to rip it off as he throws himself backwards just out of range.

Chest heaving and utterly furious and Trevor can’t do anything but stare, because he fucking well knows the asshole.

It’s Mystery Duck-feeding Guy!!!

This little stare-down until someone makes a noise – Gavin while Alfredo’s trying to pull him free – and Mystery Duck-feeding Guy looks at them.

At Trevor.

Wipes one of his hands through the blood on his face thanks to the blow to the head from Trevor and Trevor watches as he forms this deadly little dagger out of it.

Sleek, elegant. Deadly looking.

Does the whole slow Evil Smile bit and goes for Trevor’s idiots like oh hey, not going to get Ryan today? Why not take out of the idiots he’s hired instead?

Trevor reacts without thinking because no, his idiots, and finds out first-hand that hey, wow, a blood-knife (ugh, gross) will go through the armor undersuit as easily as those damn blood spikes.

Also, he’s kind of stabbed. A lot? A lot.

He gets Mystery Duck-feeding Guy all up in his personal space and glaring down at him like he didn’t want to do this, look what you made him do Trevor.

“I tried to warn you,” he says, and then he’s snarling again as Gavin and Alfredo double-team him, Trevor watching as they chase him off.

(Too much of a hassle to try for Ryan now, what with the sirens they can hear incoming and a pair of riled up supers. Missed opportunity and he’ll succeed next time.)

And then it’s Gavin and Alfredo rushing over to him, Ryan and the others who took shelter filtering out now the threat’s gone.

Ryan dropping down beside him and Trevor swears, swears, Ryan looks concerned. None of that careful distance, bland little smile he gives the media and just about everyone else to see now.

Might be the way he’s bleeding out, Alfredo doing his best to stop the bleeding and Gavin looking a little paler than normal trying to get him to focus, stay with them, c’mon you bastard.

All of Trevor’s blood insisting it wants out and he feels cold. (Winter’s coming on, though, so that’s probably it.)

Ryan makes this noise, awful to hear, and then he’s pushing Gavin out of the way – not angry, just like he’s in the way.

Says something to Alfredo Trevor doesn’t catch, and then he’s pressing down over the stab wound with those goddamned mitts of his, all these callouses he shouldn’t have anymore Trevor can feel, and cold.

Colder than the air outside, the chill in his bones seeping in as his blood goes out.

Something Trevor remembers from when they were kids, when their - Ryan’s - mom would tut over skinned knees and other small hurts.

Rest one of her hands over the injury and use her powers – dark, wrong everyone said, and only supervillains had powers like that – and made them go away. (This song she’d hum to distract from the sting of it, tissue and skin knitting back together.)

“Oh,” Trevor says, because it’s been a long, long time since Ryan’s used those powers he inherited, turned his back on the whole deal after their parents died. “Huh.”

…and then he passes the fuck out because he might not be actively dying, but he lost a lot of blood and also shock and the whatnot. (And y’know, Plot Reasons.)

Trevor wakes up in a hospital some time later and there’s this weight against his legs. Looks down and sees Gavin asleep in a chair with his head pillowed on his arms, elbows just brushing Trevor’s legs. (Can’t be in any way comfortable or good for his back, and Trevor totally doesn’t smile at the sight of it, no.)

He looks to his right when he hearts this little snorty-snore thing he definitely remembers fro way back when and Ryan’s in a chair beside his bed. Dozing off and looking awful the way he used to when he pushed himself too far.

It’s.

He doesn’t know what to make of that at the moment, or the odd chill he can still feel where he was stabbed - lingering almost tingly feeling of Ryan’s powers. (Ryan’s mother’s powers.)

“Hey,” Trevor hears, quiet enough not to wake Gavin or Ryan. “Congratulations on not being dead.”

Trevor blinks, because okay, yes. That is quite the accomplishment, and looks to the other side of the bed where Alfredo’s sitting.

Closer to the door, back straight and even with the lights turned down the way they are he can tell Alfredo looks tired.

“Thanks,” Trevor says, croaky little thing because his throat is dry and everything is kind of terrible. “I try.”

Alfredo hmms as though he’d very much like to dispute that but since Trevor probably looks as pathetic as he feels he lets him have that for the time being.

Alfredo fills him in on everything that happened after the whole passing out thing Trevor did. The police showing up along with the usual crowd of paramedics and all that, Ryan dealing with things and sending Alfredo and Gavin with Trevor while he dealt with the press.

Trevor side-eyeing the idiot in question because hey, yes.

Might be seen as a bit cold on his part, but he knows Ryan. How exhausted he would have been, “useless” if there was another attack and getting the three of them out of there while he did his best to appear in control of things.

Ryan wakes up just as Alfredo finishes catching Trevor up on things, has this look on his face like Trevor doesn’t even know, okay. (Some guilt to it, regret. Worry and concern, all sorts of things.)

“We’re, uh. Gonna leave you two to it, grab something to eat and all that” Alfredo says, shaking Gavin awake and pulling him out of the room so it’s Trevor and Ryan and their issues and all that.

Ryan clearing his throat because talk about subtle on Alfredo’s part, and then it’s Ryan’s turn to talk.

“I may not have been entirely…forthcoming with certain matters,” he says, which is an understatement.

Trevor is like “Oh? Do tell.”

So Ryan does.

This whole Thing that started after their parents died, all that anger and resentment he felt because he knew something was off about the explanation they were given?Their parents were members of the main hero team in the city and there was always this rift between the others members and them. They didn’t trust her after she gave up her villainous ways, resented her for ensnaring their leader’s affections and all, blinding him to “what she truly was” and all that.

So he stepped down as leader, let one of the others take over since they obviously felt his judgment was flawed. Stayed with the team for a while, few years, but it never got better.

They had Ryan and Trevor to think of, happy little blended family, (Ryan from his mother’s previous relationship and Trevor from his father’s) and the strain with the team had them considering retiring from the hero business altogether to raise their kids and all that?

Focus on using the company to good via charities and programs and so forth and so on to help others where possible.

But then the Incident with their mother’s former allies and a call for backup that went unanswered – too many conflicting accounts as to why.

An attack the rest of the team was dealing with elsewhere and no chance to send someone to help them.

Equipment jammed by baddies so they just never got the call. Other things along the same lines and this sense he got those were all lies - feigned remorse and guilt and so on in news releases, at their parents’ funeral and everything after no one else seemed to notice? (Not even Trevor.)

And then he started looking into things, found indiscrepancies and such and thought there was something bigger to this. Loose end of a conspiracy he started working to untangle and when he realized the scope of it – hazy glimpse – he realized he needed to Get Trevor out of the line of fire?

(Typical kind of conspiracy, self-interest and greed. Deals made with the wrong people for the wrong reasons and blackmail? Worry that Ryan’s mom knew, might Do Something about it and better get her out of the picture before they were exposed. And her husband too, because he’d never rest if he thought she was murdered for reasons other than the usual villainy.)

So he turned himself into a bastard, drove Trevor away and threw himself into taking over their parents’ projects with the company and untangling the conspiracy.

Didn’t like doing it of course, but better Trevor be far away from the mess instead of smack in the middle of it like Ryan was.

There were a few incidents here and there. Attempted assassinations and so on because the wrong people knew he was looking into things and the people close to Ryan insisting on a bodyguard, so in comes this bodyguard, right?

Bright, cheerful little asshole who sees right through Ryan’s cold bastard faced and befriends him, wins him over. Becomes a good friend, trusted confidante.

(Jeremy insisting on teaching Ryan to fight in case Jeremy’s not around or down for the count and Ryan being amused because look, okay.

His mother was a supervillain (reformed), and his father (step-father) was a superhero, and Ryan knows how to fight, but yeah, okay. Sure.

All these sparring matches with the usual shenanigans and Jeremy being all :DDDDDDDD at finding out Ryan can keep up with him and Ryan all >:D because vice versa)

“You would have liked him, I think,” Ryan says, sad little smile and all this hurt to it Trevor doesn’t quite understand.

But then Ryan keeps talking.

Tells Trevor about this one attempt on his life involving a super, and Jeremy – because of course it’s Jeremy – being forced to use his powers to save Ryan’s life and how scared he was afterwards.

Because, look.

That whole stigma about the blood armor/blood weapons thing he could do? Only villains have those kinds of powers and on and on and on because people are real, real dumb?

Jeremy lying and telling people he had some kind of kinetic energy absorption powers and all that when what he was creative use of his powers to protect/defend himself. (Took a lot of training to fool people like that, be so precise with it no one had noticed or realized.)

And Ryan okay.

He inherited is mother’s powers, ability to heal using darkness and all that. Their parents had kept it quiet because they knew how people were about that kind of thing, didn’t want him to be ostracized as a kid.

Told Ryan he could do what he wanted about it when he was older and his mother made sure he had control of his powers because it’s as easy to use them for harm. (And when he started on exposing this conspiracy decided it was best to act as though he didn’t have powers to speak of because reasons.)

Jeremy being all “Oh,” about it, and the two of them growing closer after that. (Trevor being ah at that part because he gets what that sad little smile was about now.)

And then!

Ryan bringing Jeremy in on the conspiracy thing of his and the two of them running across something big, something major.

Something that made someone panic, go after Ryan with intent, and Jeremy there to stop it.

Got grabbed, and the baddies knew he was important to Ryan, right? Were looking into Ryan as much as he was looking into them and oh, what a terrible thing to have a weakness like that, you know.

Because one of the baddies is a genius when it comes to brainwashing and they turn Jeremy against Ryan.

Take him and convince him Ryan’s the real enemy here, and Jeremy should do something about it.

So he does.

Goes after Ryan and this company he’s so proud of.

The two of them fight once or twice, Ryan reluctant to hurt Jeremy because he has this vague hope he can get through to him somehow and Jeremy using everything he can to hurt Ryan. (Scraps of memory of their friendship and almost something more they never quite got around to putting into words because idiots. Wore him down, broke his heart.)

And then people got hurt and Ryan -

He didn’t know what to do. Knew Jeremy needed to be stopped – for the innocents being pulled into this mess. For Jeremy himself, even if he never knows why.

But he doesn’t know who to trust, can’t trust the main hero team. Isn’t sure about the others in the city or the cops.

Looks into independents, and finds out about Gavin. Alfredo.

Thinks hmm, and maybe, and realizes they need a leader. Only really one person he’d trust, and all this time spent trying to come up with an alternative because he doesn’t want Trevor anywhere near this mess, you know? Went to extremes to make sure he wasn’t involved in the first place, and now with the Jeremy Thing -

But he doesn’t have a lot of choice in the end. (Trevor’s the only one he can trust to do what needs to be done because Ryan is well and truly compromised, and wow, wow. Don’t think he doesn’t feel guilty about putting that on Trevor without telling him why, but he’s at the end of his rope.)

So he calls Trevor home, and lies to him about things. (Nothing new there, and the guilt about that cuts the way it usually does, because he cares about his idiot of a brother that much.)

And then!

And then he thinks there’s a chance it won’t end in disaster when he gets Trevor’s reports about the team working well together. About their training and settling in to things. The way Trevor seems not to hate him as much as he used to. (It’s what Ryan wanted, after all, right? To keep him safe, and Jesus Christ, that’s a fucked up kind of reasoning.)

But then he hears about Trevor meeting with this strange little man – Matt and other contacts – and he Worries.

Tries to talk to Trevor about it but Ryan’s not the only one who learned to guard their secrets.

And then the latest attack and Trevor and Ryan not giving a fuck about keeping his powers a secret. (Also, you know, explanations long overdue.)

Trevor just stares at Ryan who’s looking down at his hands waiting for his reaction.

“My God,” Trevor says. “You really are just that stupid, aren’t you?”

Ryan flinching because look, harsh if not untrue.

Trevor hugging the idiot with this ache in his chest because goddamn is Ryan stupid trying to take all that on by himself.

(Angry too, because he didn’t need to do any of that on his own. Sure, Trevor doesn’t have powers, but he’s hardly helpless. And the lies, good God the lies. Gonna be a long way to good between the two of them with all that, but at least there’s a chance there now that Trevor knows what the hell has been going on with Ryan all this time.)

Alfredo and Gavin come back and Ryan fills them in too, tells them they understand if they want to quit the team after that. (Lies being no way to base any kind of relationship on and all, even a working one.)

Trevor stays quiet, lets them make their own decisions, which you know.

They’re shaken by the Conspiracy Thing, but of course they’re going to stay, because friendship. (And Doing the Right Thing.)

And then, you know.

Long, long fight ahead of them trying to pin Jeremy down.

That time he and Ryan end up trapped together somewhere and forced to work together to get out of the situation?

Ryan trying to get through to him even though Jeremy thinks he’s the literal worst?

The time Trevor, Gavin, and Alfredo end up stranded somewhere with one of them seriously injured and are forced to realize oh, no FEELINGS. (Ryan laughing at them because he saw that one coming a mile away, and happy because Trevor’s happy???)

Baddies getting tired of Jeremy just not killing Ryan (there was this one time he kind of did, but Ryan got better, and Jeremy’s brainwashing cracking before Ryan got better because what is this emotion he’s feeling as he stares at Ryan’s body???) so they take matters into their own hands and Jeremy forced to work with the Dusk Boys to protect Ryan.

And then you know, Climactic Battle where Jeremy’s given the choice to kill Ryan or turn on the baddies and decides to save Ryan. (Hasn’t broken the brainwashing, but over time he’s come to realize the baddies aren’t telling him everything? And in spite of their many battles and the whatnot Ryan and the Dusk Boys never tried to kill him, okay. Stop him, sure. Kill? No.)

After the dust clears and the Conspiracy exposed, all guilty parties behind bars or whatever, Jeremy’s still not back to himself, but he doesn’t have reason to be a villain anymore.

(Also, they find out there’s no way to reverse the brainwashing, so there’s that little bombshell.)

But he also needs to Think, so he disappears for a while. Gets bits and pieces of memory back, enough to know his head’s all fucked up and wanders for a bit more coming to terms with that. (The feelings he has for Ryan – conflicting and confusing as hell and he doesn’t know what he wants there either, so even more wandering because of course.)

Eventually he heads back home because he’s tired and still confused, but he’s not going to find his answers wherever he’s been roaming around.

Stays under the radar for a bit, long enough to find out the Dusk Boys are making a name for themselves in the city. That Ryan’s company is going strong, all these programs and such doing a lot of good for the people here.

The main hero team has disbanded, a new one taking their place and new faces. New villains too.

Kind of laughs at himself when he goes to help the Dusk Boys out in a fight, and sees their surprise, hesitation – not sure what he’s doing back or helping them? - but they shake off any concerns they have about that because civilians in danger!!1!

Afterwards they drag him back to their base (he doesn’t put up much of a fight on that one) and call Ryan up and it’s this.

Thing.

Because Ryan’s surprise at seeing him again. And this. Jeremy won’t call it hope at seeing him with the others, because Ryan locks it down so fucking fast, but it’s something that makes him think he made the right call in coming back?

After that Jeremy sticks to himself – still working things out, trying to shake the brainwashing that’s more of a curtain between Now Him and Before Him instead of what it was in the beginning. (This burning jagged thing in his head, wrong, but he could never understand how or why.)

Trevor hints that Ryan could use a bodyguard – with the main baddies gone you wouldn’t think he needs one? But he’s a super duper tempting target and he’s got business enemies too. (Also, also, known supporter/creator of the Dusk Boys so their enemies will be going after him, which lol.)

Jeremy isn’t so sure about it what with doing his best to kill Ryan all those times? And Ryan is like. He doesn’t want to put Jeremy in a difficult spot, but!

There’s an attempt on Ryan’s life and Jeremy protects him without a second thought and oh, hey, okay. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst possible thing?

Jeremy chips away at the brainwashing the longer he’s around Ryan, remembers how things used to be between them in little glimpses and so on. (No way to break it, but without the person responsible for it reinforcing/refreshing it/whatevering it around, it weakens over time.)

They fall into old habits that has Ryan all ow, my heart at how familiar it is, and Jeremy all feelings???

Ryan doesn’t push, doesn’t want to hope, but Now Jeremy is so similar to Before Jeremy and he forgets sometimes.

Brings up in-jokes and so on that feel so familiar to Jeremy and he’s not sure why? (He is, he just doesn’t get the context.)

Ryan always apologizes and Jeremy always tells him he doesn’t need to and it’s awkward between them.

But then ~FEELINGS and the start of something new between them because Ryan isn’t expecting anything from Jeremy and Jeremy comes to respect Ryan – to like him.

And just.

Angsty hurty bittersweet feels for them as they fall in love a second time, because I’m That Person.

And then, you know.

Happily(ish) ever afters for everyone???

#jeremwood #dusk boys superhero au #ragehappy #prompt fills #captainkaysno #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #this really really got away from me???#hopefully this is somewhat what you wanted?#XD

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