Villainous Us

Rain, Rain

Iron Crisis

The sound of my shoes slapping across wet concrete combined with the gentle shush of rainfall filled my ears. With every step, water soaked further into my clothes, bringing a biting chill to my bones.

I tried to sink further into the recesses of my hoodie, but the moisture had already found me. I shivered involuntarily as a gust of wind swept past me, pulling me slightly to the side.

Today was one of the rare days I was neither of my identities. Not quite Alex and not quite Iron Crisis.

Instead I was somewhere in between. Dressed in civilian clothes, a black sweatshirt and dark jeans, I blended in effortlessly with my surroundings. My hair was a mess, plastered to my forehead in wet strings, while my eyes glinted with the dark green of my contacts. My hood was up in an attempt to fight off the weather, though it didn't do much good at this point.

I'd realized quite a while ago that both my identities were far too recognizable. The psychotic rich boy and the infamous supervillain attracted too much attention to get any undercover work done, so, I created this.

In this form, I called myself Roy. Nobody knew who I was, and that's the way it would stay. Roy was like the wind. He would come and go, stealing whispers of information as he went.

I ducked into a nearby café. It was still open, surprisingly, though no one but me seemed to be out in this weather. The bell overhead jingled as I stepped in and I removed my hood as water streamed down the bridge of my nose.

I ran a hand over my face and through my hair as I looked around.

"Get caught in the weather?" A voice asked. My eyes drifted to the source, a blonde girl around my age behind the counter. She looked bored, like she'd been here all day and I was the first person to walk in.

"Yeah," I breathed as I scratched the back of my neck and scanned the empty tables again.

Hesitantly, I took a few steps towards the girl. My eyes drifted to the chalkboard menu behind her. I needed something warm to draw out the chill.

"The Caramel Mocha Latte is pretty good, if you're into that sort of thing," she spoke as she glanced lazily over her shoulder then back at me.

"As long as it's warm, I'll take it," I chuckled a little as I reached into my pocket and retrieved a few damp dollar bills.

She nodded and turned to the machine behind her. I watched as she assembled my drink. The smell of coffee helped to relax me.

"It's on the house," she spoke as she set the drink before me. A light trail of steam drifted out of the lid.

My lips twitched a bit, "Thanks."

"So what's someone like you doing out in a shit storm like this?" she asked lazily as she sat back down on the stool behind the register. Her elbows rested on the counter, lazily propping up her head.

"Oh, you know, just enjoying the weather," I responded nonchalantly as I leaned against the counter. I held the latte in both hands, letting its warmth seep into my fingers. It was still too hot to drink at this point, but I didn't mind.

The girl smiled a bit at my sarcasm, "I'm Allison."

"Roy," I stuck out my hand for her to shake. Her hand was cold in comparison to the coffee.

I wondered momentarily if she could be the Hauntress, but immediately dismissed the idea. Her hair was a few shades too dark and too short to belong to H. And her eyes were green. Not that she couldn't wear contacts like I did, this girl just didn't feel like Hauntress material to me.

I sighed as I lazily watched the rain through the window. It was coming down hard now, the wind blowing it around in nearly horizontal streaks.  I was glad to be in here and not out there at the moment.

The noise of static sounded behind me, and I turned to see the girl messing with an old radio. She turned the knob, searching for a clear station.

She stopped momentarily on one filled with half crackles and half news reporter. It didn't take long to figure out they were talking about the battle from a few days ago. It listed off the casualties while also mentioning that all the villains involved were still at large. Before the reporter could continue, she flipped the channel again.

"What do you think about all this superhero stuff?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I think it's bad for business. People are too afraid to come out of their homes anymore."

"And you?" I asked.

"I've gotta pay rent."

I smirked, "Have you ever met any of them?"

"Me?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, "Meet a Super? You're a funny guy Roy."

I shrugged, "It's not such an impossible thing. I've met a few," I told her. I've killed a few too, but that was beside the point. I wonder what she'd think if she knew she was talking to Iron Crisis right now.

"Really?" she asked skeptically.

I shrugged and took a sip of my drink, "Absolutely. I have to tell you though, they're not all what they're cracked up to be."

"Hm," she hummed as she gave up on her radio search. With the instrument turned off, all that could be heard was the rain outside.

My head turned to the side when the overhead bell jingled. I caught sight of a light haired man folding his umbrella as he backed inside. I watched with curiosity as he turned around, shaking water off his jacket.

I was surprised to find I recognized him, even without his uniform. He was a cop, one I'd seen around quite often during my rampages.

I stepped aside as he moved to order. At this angle, I couldn't help but feel he looked far too familiar. When he turned his head and I met familiar blues eyes, it clicked.

"Are you related to Shea?"

His eyes widened in surprise before he caught himself. Clearing his throat, he confirmed my suspicions, "Yes, I am. She's my little sister. How do you know her?"

"She's a friend," I said, noticing how he seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"Shea doesn't have many friends."

"Neither do I," I said without missing a heartbeat. I held out my hand, "The name's Roy."

"Sawyer," he said, not acknowledging my hand in the slightest, "Deputy Sawyer Waters, and if you come near my sister again, I will personally kill you."

"Isn't that a little counterproductive, Deputy?" I asked just to goad him, "If you kill me, you'll have to arrest yourself."

"Trust me. It's better for everyone to stay away from her right now."

I cocked my head to the side and smirked, "Well now you've intrigued me."

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A/N

Yo. Megan here. This was a bit of a filler, but it leads to something important. Hope you enjoyed it! Up next is another chap from Stevie! Stay tuned!

-Megan