Hopelessly Heroic (Rewritten)

seventeen

(Republished this chap bc somehow this part got unpublished idk man)

There was absolutely no way Willow could sit at home waiting for June to return. She was way too anxious. She wanted to know what happened as soon as it was done, not a minute later, so she was sitting on a bench across the street from the police station, out of costume, sunglasses on, pretending to be reading a book.

She didn't tell June she was coming. She made the decision a couple minutes after she left, when she realised she was just staring at the station on one of the screens in her security room, and that she'd much rather actually be there.

Worst case scenario: Willow's parents truly hated her. They'd demand security and reveal her identity. Mind Mania would tell the police that June knew all along and was complicit. The SWAT team would suddenly surround Willow and put her in a power-proof cell for the rest of her life. June would be locked up somewhere else and they'd never see each other again. Nobody would ever come visit willow. 

Best case scenario: Willow's parents truly loved her. They regretted how they treated her and wanted to reach out but didn't know how. They express their love and concern to June, who takes them to see her. They rebuild their relationship. Willow lights the fireplace in the winter and warms their coffee in the morning and finally uses her fire for something good. June and Willow get together. Mind Mania fucks herself. Happily ever after.

Honestly, neither situation seemed very realistic to Willow. Her life was way too shitty for a perfect ending, but at the same time it didn't suck so much that everything that could possibly go wrong would go wrong. 

June was in there, trying her best. Not just for herself, but for Willow. Probably even more so for Willow. She was a hero through and through, Willow was convinced. She didn't have a bad bone in her body. 

While Willow was waiting, it seemed like absolutely nothing happened. As she watched, nobody came in or out of the station. Barely any cars passed. Willow figured she was so focused on seeing a familiar face that she just wasn't paying attention to the world around her. 

And then, finally, she saw one. 

Mind Mania threw the door open and stormed out, stomping her way down the stairs. She looked straight at Willow, knowing she was there by her thoughts, and rolled her eyes as she got in a car with no license plate and drove away. Seconds later, the doors opened again. 

Willow was suddenly standing up, book falling to the ground as she did, hands too numb to notice. She saw her parents leaving. Her dad had his arm around her mom, and they were leaning in close, whispering to each other. June came out a couple seconds after them, but Willow didn't even see her.

As if they knew she was there, her mom turned her head and they locked eyes. Willow pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head, lips parting as she sucked in a deep breath. Her parents stopped at the bottom of the stairs, just looking at her. It had been years since they'd last seen each other, but Willow knew they recognised her. 

She could see her dad say something, but couldn't make it out. Her mom said something back, nodding, but didn't look away from Willow. Then, he started to pull her away, nodding casually at Willow before he completely turned his back and started walking again. Her mom let herself be moved. She didn't wave or smile - she just went. They both did. 

It was so underwhelming, but it filled Willow with a sad peace. They didn't scream at her, or force the police to come and arrest her. It felt like a truce. Like they extended an olive branch. Somehow, despite not getting an apology from them, she felt like she was allowed to move on. 

Maybe her parents didn't love her unconditionally like they promised when she was a kid, but they didn't hate her, either. It made Willow realise that that was all she wanted. To be honest, she didn't need them to love her. She didn't love them anymore, either. They were officially strangers. She felt like she could pass them in a grocery store and feel nothing. It was so relieving. 

She'd been living with so much stress regarding her parents. It felt wrong to hate the people who made you, and now she felt like she didn't have to. They could be nothing to each other, and it would be better than it was when they were a perfect little family, because that was all fake. This was real. And it felt right. Now that she had this, her Best Case Scenario sounded awful.

June started walking toward her now, finally grabbing her attention, and Willow smiled. June looked upset. She probably thought Willow would be sad seeing her parents walk away from her like that, but she wasn't. 

They were leaving, which meant they didn't request protection, which meant they said they weren't scared of her, which meant her identity didn't get revealed, which meant everything worked out perfectly. 

June looked both ways before stepping into the street, but Willow didn't even bother glancing around her before she was running to meet her, so so happy June's mask wasn't as protective as hers so she didn't have to rip it off before kissing her.