Darknesss united

Chapter 8: Am I Enough?

Ren

Ren was walking back to his room in the villains' headquarters. It was a long day at the coffee shop, getting yelled at by customers while trying to cover for Grian. Spare employees are hard to come by, and he ended up having to pay two full salaries for half an hour's work. If he weren't a villain with money to spend, it may have brought his business down. Even then, he might not be a villain for long. Grian had his powers but better. What use was he when instead of spending 15 seconds writing, Grian just had to speak? Ren can't fly!

He stood outside the alleyway he had travelled down since the dawn of the Hermits. At this point, it was second nature for him to duck down and put in the code. In the half a second he waited for the door to swing open, he wondered.

How much longer will this be my home?

At this realisation, he took a look around. This might be the last time he saw the plush purple sofas of the main area or the armour stands for a surprise attack in the hallway. Those are False's favourite. He thought to himself.

He was in front of his room when he heard something crash. His dog ears swivelled towards the sound. It came from his room.

Are they getting rid of my stuff? He wonders. Do they just want to get rid of me? I'm useless now that picture-perfect Grian's here.

Laughter sounded out from his room. "This party is the best!" he heard Tango call out to whoever started this.

So it's a party. Still, can't be good. That's my room! Grian must be using this as an excuse to tour his future room.

He heard the clang that only could have been made by the panel protecting his diary falling off.

"Look what I found!" Grian calls out excitedly. "I think it's Ren's diary!"

"Good reading!" Impulse jokes.

Ren started to panic. They couldn't read the last week and a half of entries that were just him worrying about whether or not he would be kicked out of the Hermits. It would expose how he felt about the newest addition to their team. That would get him kicked out for sure.

Not bothering to knock, he ran at the door. He had checked earlier, but gone undetected that the door was locked. He ran at the door and busted it open.

"Why are you having a party in my privatest of areas?!"

Everyone's heads turned towards him. He looked around the room and saw False clutching his diary in her left hand. He stormed up to her and ripped it out of her grasp. He saw that it was turned open to the page before the first Grian-related one. Luckily, up to that point it was just a log of his crimes. Nothing that could get him kicked out of the Hermits. Still, he was grasping at nothing. Grian was still better than him.

He stormed off, locked the door, and lay down on his bed.

What am I going to do now that my life is over?

Doc knocked on his door in the Octagon code only they knew. His ear twitched in annoyance. Reluctantly, he opened the door.

Doc was standing there with a peanut butter cookie in his hand. He always had a soft spot for them. Probably his wolf instincts.

"Sorry, Ren." Doc said in his German accent. "We didn't mean to upset you."

Ren invited Doc in with a wave of his hand. They sat down on his bed and Ren took a bite of the cookie. He loved cookies.

Doc gave Ren a scratch behind the ear with his robotic arm. His wolf instincts got the better of him again and Ren felt better already.

Ren asked the dreaded question.

"Are you here to tell me I have to leave?"

Doc looked at him in shock. "Who told you you had to leave?"

Ren looked down at the ground. "So it's true, then?"

Doc grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes. "No. we need you. I understand how you feel. Tango stressed me out when he came."

Ren recalled Doc's reaction to the other redstoner.

"Still, we found our own places on the team. You and Grian will be no different. I promise."

Looking into Doc's eyes, Ren couldn't help but believe him.