Heroes Never Die (A NateWantsToBattle X-Reader)

Chapter 2: Reunited

You threw your arms around him and the two of you hugged for a long time. "It's so good to see you again!" said Nate happily. "I thought you were dead, to be honest." you stated with a small laugh. "Oh, thanks (Y/N)!" "No problem, Nate."

You finally detached from each other. "The funny thing is," laughed Nate, "I think I actually was dead for a while." You didn't know what to make of this statement. "What, so you're some kind of... zombie now?" you asked, smiling. "No, I'm... Oh, just come on in. I have a lot of explaining to do." he gestured for you to go first. As you walked down the narrow passage that lead to Nate's base, you found that nothing had changed much. The same damp smell. The same stains on the wood boards. The same graffiti on the walls. You remember spending days painting the walls with messages like "Down With Tholsom!" and "F*ck the Court!" The latter was a new one though.

The Court were the closest thing Tholsom had to a government. They mostly took part in illegal arms trades. And their so-called 'Police Force' just beat up those who were already beaten up because they had taken part in fighting. And as for the weapons they get from the arms trades? They're just given out to whoever bids the highest. The Court came into being a few years ago, around the same time you were found in the wreckage of a skyscraper with no memory.

You got to the end of the passage and found a door with a keypad beside it. Nate pushed gently past you and keyed in the passcode. Surely enough, the door opened, revealing the room you used to spend so much of your time in. "How's your memory these days, (Y/N)?" questioned Nate as he took a blade off a rack on the wall and started polishing it. "It's... improving slightly, I guess," you answered, "I remember you, this place and how I got this scar on my shoulder." "Hey, AmaLee!" Nate shouted, clearly calling someone other than you.

"What is it?" said a girl who just came into the main room. She had blonde hair, was clad in black and white and had one of those dazzlingly white smiles. She walked over to stand beside Nate. "That's the fifth time you've polished that thing today." she stated. "Do you remember AmaLee, (Y/N)?" Nate changed the topic of discussion. "The name's a bit familiar." you shrugged. AmaLee seemed to jump when she heard your voice. "She really is here! God, (Y/N), we were so worried about you!" she came over and embraced you, "Why didn't you come back?" You were confused. "What do you mean?" you asked.

"AmaLee, maybe just leave her alone for now." suggested Nate quietly. "But how does she not remember us?!" AmaLee raised her voice. "She could've died, Amanda!" Nate shouted, "We're lucky to have her here at all!" Something was coming back to you. "Wasn't there another guy that hung out with us?" you doubted your corrupted memory. "Oh my God!" exclaimed Brett, who had stayed silent until now, "She remembers MandoPony!" "(Y/N)," said Nate softly, "MandoPony sacrificed himself for us. I'll help you improve your memory over time..." A loud voice interrupted him, "Nate! Where'd you hide the cookies?!" A guy with floppy black hair now stomped to join the gathering.

"Where the f*ck did you put my--" the guy stopped mid-sentence, "Who's this?" This lightened the mood significantly. "Mark, this is (Y/N)." Nate introduced, "(Y/N), this is Markiplier." Markiplier's eyes widened. "That's (Y/N)?!" he said, awestruck. "After the battle with Mangled, we got some new members for our team." explained Nate, "Where are the others, Mark?" "In the kitchen." he replied, pointing behind him, still staring at you. "Can you get them, please?" "Yeah. Sure." Mark slowly turned and went back the way he came.

He came back with two people trailing behind him. "They want the cookies too." he tried to persuade Nate to give them the cookies. "Matpat, Jack, this is (Y/N)." Nate dodged the attempt for the cookies, "(Y/N), this is Jacksepticeye," he gestured at a green haired man, "and Matpat." Matpat looked normal enough. He was pretty good looking, actually. "Top of de mornin to ya!" said Jack. Loudly. He had a thick Irish accent. "Hey." Matpat greeted calmly. He stuck out a hand and you shook it. "It's a real honour to meet you. We've heard about what you did. We feel like we know you already!" fanboyed Matt.

"That's funny, 'cause I don't seem to remember exactly what I did." you laughed, "I only remember seeing Nate die, my scar and Mangled." The room went silent. "So anyway," you continued, "Brett tells me that Mangled is back too. How are you sure of this?" "Well," Nate started up a laptop on the table in front of him, "We've found multiple corpses throughout Tholsom with these on them." He swivelled the laptop around to show you. On the screen were a few pictures of unrecognisable lumps of flesh, blood and muscle with the letter M burned into them clearly.

You put your hand over your mouth. "Branded first, mangled second." he laughed maniacally as he picked up the iron out of the hot coals. You gazed at the M as it came closer to your face, able to feel the haze of heat already.
The flashback came out of nowhere. You backed away from the laptop, stumbling over your own feet.

"Woah, there!" Matpat caught you as your fell. He smiled broadly. You smiled back. "Thanks." you thanked, "You can let go of me now." "Oh! Sorry!" he apologised, blushing bright pink. "Matpat and (Y/N), sitting in a tree." you heard Brett singing quietly. Matpat whipped out a knife and slashed at Brett's arm. "What'd you do that for?!" you cried. "It's alright! He can heal 10 times quicker than average, remember?" assured AmaLee.
"What? No, I don't!" you replied. You looked at Brett's arm. It seemed perfectly fine.

"Is he the only one with an ability?" you enquired. "Nope." Matpat said, "Mark can calm anyone down, Jack can deafen people easily, AmaLee never misses her target, Lacrymosa can... do that thing with minds, I have super fast reflexes and I'm sure you already know Nate's ability." "Wait! Lacrymosa is part of the Ignited?!" you asked, shocked. The Ignited was the name of the group you and Nate ran together. This is evidently the new lineup.

"You know Mosa?" Nate seemed surprised. "Yeah. She tried to kill me!" you yelled. You showed them the L scar on your shin. "Ouch! That's from her alright!" winced Mark. You only vaguely remember Nate's ability. It had something to do with his hands. My ability must be chronic memory loss! you joked to yourself. Sometimes you wish you could actually recall your past instead of relying on others to piece it together for you.

Are you enjoying it so far? It'll get better. I hope. I'll explain a few things in the next chapter. But here's one thing for you to think about: why does Lacrymosa wear that mask? I'll add the picture when I finish it.

See you soon ~ Fall Out Escence