[DANGER DAYS] doesn't have to all be destruction

chapter 1: When We Were Young

Author's Note: This fic was originally posted on Ao3! I'll be posting it here as it was there, including original or slightly edited author's notes. I hope you'll enjoy! :)

So, this is an AU in which superpowers are A Thing. The Killjoys are NOT MCR, and I've given them names. Hopefully you'll be able to tell who's who from context clues, but if you have trouble, head to the notes at the end of the chapter for a cheat sheet.
The names are only used during this chapter and small parts of later chapters. Otherwise, the characters go by their Killjoy names.
BIG thank you to my wonderful fiance ace (funkobraofficial on tumblr) for beta-reading this and giving me tons of inspiration. Ace is also the artist who drew the cover art!

WARNINGS for this chapter: brief mentions of child abuse/neglect, brief offscreen deaths of unnamed characters.

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When Stef and Marco Campbell first realized they had superpowers, they immediately began devising a plan to get themselves as far away from Battery City as possible, and as fast as they could.

They were seventeen and fifteen when their powers first manifested, within a few days of each other, and they'd spent their entire lives cowering from Better Living Industries and their small army of "superheroes." These so-called heroes kept Battery City's civilians in line, making sure no one tried anything that might be construed as going against BL/ind and their goals. They could do almost anything they wanted, to anyone they wanted, as long as it didn't disrupt BL/ind.

People had been captured, tortured, killed , and worse, at the whims of these "heroes," just because they had superpowers, just because they didn't go against BL/ind's orders.

Neither Stef nor Marco ever wanted to become a part of that "elite team," and they knew that if they stayed in the city, it would be only a matter of time before they were discovered and forced to join their ranks.

Stef Campbell, who would later be known by an entirely different name, was gifted with telekinesis. They could move objects at a distance, without touching them, which proved to be quite helpful in unlocking doors and gates as they made their way through the city one night with their brother at their side. Their other ability wasn't useful in this part of their escape, but it would come in handy later.

Marco Campbell, who would also choose a new name later on, was able to use his own abilities to aid in their escape. His ability to manipulate and absorb sound allowed him to silence their footsteps, as well as the loud noises of metal scraping and grating against metal as his sibling led him through tunnel after tunnel. His second ability, telepathy, allowed the two of them to communicate without having to speak.

Working together this way, they managed to escape the city without drawing attention to themselves, and made it out into the wide, open desert beyond the city walls.

It was an alien sight to them, two kids from the poorer side of Battery City, who'd never been outside the walls, who'd never seen sand, who'd never seen trees, not in real life. Even without the sun to light up the view, it was...breathtaking.

Still, they didn't have time to ogle. Once they were out of the city, they had to move quickly, get away before they were spotted. They had to find the rebels, who spent their lives outside of the city.

Luckily, this was where Stef's second ability came in handy.

They hid themselves away, tucking themselves into an old, rat-eaten car situated in a pile of scrap metal about a mile from the city. It was cold, the sun having disappeared hours ago and the heat of the day rapidly melting away in the moonlight.