"And what do we tell Pix?"

"That I went with you to the store after leaving Greg's house."

"Good." Oli grinned down at Maxine, who tried to smile back but couldn't given her current situation. "Act natural."

Yeah, natural, she thought, wanting to roll her eyes. Because everything that's happened today is totally, a hundred percent natural. Maxine sighed. "Yes, Dad."

Oli turned to unlock the door to their home, welcomed with a horrified Pix. "Hey, ba-" The blonde was pushed to the side by his husband, who rushed to Maxine, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her a bit.

"Where were you?!" he shouted, making her wince. "I have called everyone trying to find you!" He sobbed. "Why did you lie to me?"

Maxine blinked. "I didn't lie-"

"You told me you were at Gregory's," Pix said. "You were not. You lied to me!"

"I- I'm sorry-"

Pix huffed. "You're grounded for a month," he said, wiping at his eyes. "Maybe I'll make it three and a half weeks if you tell me where you actually were."

Maxine looked at Oli, who quirked a brow at her. "I... I was embarrassed because Dad took me to the store for underwear," she blurted, and Oli visibly had to restrain himself from laughing. "I'm sorry."

Pix looked confused. "You..." He turned to Oli. "You took her underwear shopping?"

"Yeah, she needed some," Oli said with a shrug. "But we didn't get any because she was insistent that she didn't need it."

"And it was really embarrassing, so I lied," Maxine admitted, and Pixl nodded. "I'm really sorry."

"Well, as long as you were safe... I guess." Pix sighed. "Oli, come help with dinner. Maxine, go clean your room."

Maxine whined. "I hate cleaning."

▪︎¤▪︎■▪︎¤▪︎

Solis stepped out of the way to reveal Jamie, and Canary glared at Shubble.

"Jamie, what are you doing here?" Shubble asked with a nervous laugh, rushing over and trying to hide her son from the other heroes. "You're not supposed to be here," she whispered to him through gritted teeth.

"I just wanted to say hi," Jamie said innocently. He turned around. "Oh, Beth..."

Shubble gasped. "You brought your girlfriend here?" she asked, swatting lightly at Jamie's arm. "Jamie, you shouldn't be here, much less Macbeth!"

"I thought it would be a nice surprise," Jamie said, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, Mom."

Shubble sighed and glanced back at the other heroes, who had gone back to their conversations. "Can you please go back home?" she asked softly. "You know I love you, but I'm already looked down upon by the other heroes because I accidentally revealed our identities. We can have some mother-son time later."

Jamie nodded sadly. "Okay," he said, then jumped when his found began to ring. He answered it when he saw it was Macbeth. "Hello?"

"James, I got Grian," she shouted into the phone, and he assumed Shubble heard because her eyes widened. "Let's get out of here!"

Shubble stared in shock at her son. "Jamie, I-"

"Gotta go, Mom," he said, then pecked a kiss on her cheek before running down the hallway.

She blinked, standing there confused for a moment before she turned to the heroes and laughed nervously. "You guys aren't going to be very happy about this," she said.

▪︎¤▪︎■▪︎¤▪︎

Grian sobbed as he lay, panting, on the cold, hard floor of his prison cell. He was so tired. Tired of the bright white everything, the cuffs binding him to the floor, Xelqua's voice in his head, the memories that weren't his own. He couldn't stand it.

"Grian?" he heard faintly, then again. "Grian?" The second time, it sounded closer. But he couldn't put his finger on who it was. He didn't have the energy to think about it. "Grian!" This time it was much closer and he could hear footsteps running toward him.

Opening his eyes and turning his head to look out the glass of the cell to see a girl with long and flowy, deep red coloured hair in a black bodysuit and baggy brown pants that had bright colours splattered all over. She had a thick belt that held several cylindrical vials of what looked like paint and a comically large paintbrush strapped to her back. Grian recognised her as the vigilante Chrome.

Grian's brows furrowed together. "What are you doing here?" he asked exhaustedly.

"Getting your ass out of prison," she said before reaching for her paintbrush. "Now watch out."

Grian shook his head as he sat upright. "Wait-"

She drew a red circle around the middle of the secured door and tapped the end of her brush on the floor when she was done, causing the red circle to flash brightly, melting away the glass. She kicked the melting glass and the circle came out, landing next to Grian. "Now for those chains," she said, stepping into the cell.

"Chrome, stop," Grian ordered, and she stopped in her tracks. "As much as I want to get out of here- I shouldn't. So just leave and save yourself from being caught, okay? I'm in here for a reason."

Sighing, Chrome rolled her eyes. "Nuh uh."

"What the fuck do you mean, 'nuh uh'?" Grian said, irked.

"I mean, I'm not leaving you in here," she said, walking over to slash at the chains that kept him close to the floor. The metal melted away and the cuffs fell off. "No matter the reason you're stuck in here, you're coming with me. We can hide you at the base."

"No!" Grian shouted, but Chrome grabbed him to help him up anyway. "Stop! Chrome!" He thrashed in her hold as she broke open the wall to the outside the same way she opened up the cell. He gulped at how high off the ground they were.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "James, I got Grian," she said, struggling to keep the boy still. "Let's get out of here!" She hung up and jumped out of the hole in the wall. "Do your thing, Avi!"

Grian, though panicked, focused hard on bringing his wings out. It was always difficult for him to transition between having his wings and not. Usually he was able to do it pretty quickly.

Except it wasn't working this time.

"Avi?!"

"It's not working!" Grian shouted, clinging onto Chrome like he was about to die. Which... he probably was.

Chrome's eyes widened and a look of pure terror shone in her eyes. "What?!"

"Chrome, we're about to hit the ground!" Grian screamed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Do something!"

"I can't reach my brush!" she screamed back.

They both began to scream for what felt like an endless amount of time before Grian finally opened his eyes. He looked around. They weren't falling anymore, instead hovering above the sidewalk. He looked at Chrome, who'd stopped screaming as well, and noticed she was glowing purple. He let out a shocked yelp and they both fell to the sidewalk.

"What was that?" Chrome asked, furrowing her brows when she noticed Grian staring down at his shaking hands. "G?"

"They're stronger than I thought they were," he mumbled under his breath, and his eyes widened, tears forming. "Oh god," he whispered shakily.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, then shook her head as she dusted herself off and stood up. "Never mind that for now. We need to go before the heroes find out you're missing. Let's get out of here."

Grian didn't move from his spot on the ground.

"Grian." She sighed when he still didn't move. "We can figure out what just happened later. We need to move. Now."

Grian shook his head. "Just leave, Macbeth."

"Not without you."

"Please-"

"No!"

"What are you two babies fighting about?"

Chrome followed the sound of the unnamed voice to find Jamie standing with his hands in his pockets. "Can you tell Grian that he needs to come with us? He's acting like he wants to be locked up again."

Jamie lifted an eyebrow and turned to look at Grian, who was still sitting on the ground. "Why?" he asked incredulously, sounding more perplexed than as if he was trying to be rude.

"I don't know," Chrome said, "but we need to get moving before- Shit." Her expression turned dark and irritated when she noticed Canary, all decked out in his hero suit and gear, walking over. "Here comes trouble," she grumbled.

Jamie looked over his shoulder, then smiled and waved with his hand way up in the air. "Hey, Mr. Canary!" he shouted, shocking Chrome.

"Jamie!"

He turned back to her. "What?"

Grian looked up at Canary, who glared at the boy with narrowed eyes. Grian felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over him at the way Canary looked at him. He looked down, then felt heat around his wrist. He didn't have time to notice that Canary had wrapped a ribbon of light around his wrist before he was yanked over toward the hero.

Canary didn't say anything before shoving Grian in the direction of Tectus, who nobody had noticed was standing behind Canary. "I suggest you two leave," he said to Chrome and Jamie. "I'm feeling generous today so I'll let you go if you're out of my sight by the time Grian's back inside."

Chrome reached for her brush. "I don't think so, birdie," she said, getting herself into a combative stance. "Grian's coming with us."

Canary rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her. "I don't think you understand what kind of situation you're in," he said, looming over her menacingly. "You're at my mercy right now. I could take you in and interrogate you - even arrest you - and make sure you're never able to fight villains again."

A grin formed on her face. "Is that a threat?"

Canary reciprocated the smile. "It's a promise."

"Some hero you are," Jamie said with a yawn, stretching his arms over his head. "Threatening a teenage girl like that isn't very, uh, what's the word... admirable?" He shoved his hands back in his pockets. "People look up to you, you know."

Canary sighed. "I don't have time for this. I'll let you off the hook this once," he said, turning back to the HTHS building. "But don't you two show your faces here again or there will be consequences." He walked away without saying another word and Jamie sighed.

"I heard he used to be a fun guy."

Chrome scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

▪︎¤▪︎■▪︎¤▪︎

Tectus watched awkwardly as Canary lashed out at Grian again, shoving the boy to the floor of the cell. Grian yelped when he hit his head on the wall.

"Would you quit it?!" Grian shouted as he rubbed the back of his head, angry now with how he was being treated. "That fucking hurts!"

Canary didn't say anything for a moment as he used the light from one of the wall lamps to bind Grian's hands behind his back. "I would be quiet if I were you," he warned. "The voice of a villain isn't one I can tolerate very well."

Grian froze, staring at the floor as he let the words sink in. "What did you just call me?" he said quietly.

"You said you had Xelqua under control."

Grian didn't respond at first, tears filling his eyes at how Canary - how Jimmy - had just called him a villain. "You can't just can people that, Tim," he mumbled.

Canary sighed, dismissing Tectus with a wave of his hand before taking off his mask. "I'm disappointed in you," Jimmy said, kneeling in front of Grian. "I expected you to become a hero-"

"That's what I am!" Grian defended himself, lifting his head to look at Jimmy. "I work just as hard as you do to protect this city! I am a hero!"

"You're not a hero," Jimmy said with a tinge of digust in his voice, scoffing. "You just used Xelqua's power when you gave an oath that you wouldn't."

"I didn't mean to!" Grian wailed. "I was going to fall to my death! What did you want to happen?!" He sniffled, then spoke quieter. "Would you rather me die? And how does that make me a villain?"

Jimmy shook his head. "Grian, you have to understand that all vigilantes are villains," he said. "They cause chaos and confusion and, ultimately, destruction. That is everything a villain does-"

"Vigilantes are heroes, Timmy," Grian said angrily. "They protect people and save people."

"They spy on private police and hero communications to operate!" Jimmy shouted, making Grian wince. "All of you have committed several crimes on several accounts!"

"So have you!"

Jimmy stood up. "I'm done having this conversation." He turned around and started for door of the cell.

"Well I'm not," Grian said, struggling to stand up off the floor without the use of his hands. He followed Jimmy out of the cell. "Come back here, I'm not- Ack!" He grunted when a wall of yellow light hit him and pushed him back into the cell. "Timmy!" The cell door slammed closed, the door to the room following suit. "Asshole!"

▪︎¤▪︎■▪︎¤▪︎

Being in commons was awkward for the heroes as they listened to Canary's raging outbursts inside his office, the sound of things being thrown around and glass shattering making the heroes wince. Clearly he was not having a good day.

Gambit checked the clock. "Oh, good, it's five o'clock," he said, relieved, as he hopped down out of the chair he was sitting in. "Time for me to go home. See ya!"

Shubble fidgeted nervously from her spot on ths sofa. "I... I should get going, too," she said. "I have a kid to ground. Bye."

HotGuy waved goodbye to her, earning odd glances from the other heroes. He awkwardly put his hand down, looking at the floor to avoid making eye contact with anyone. He didn't know when being in the hero industry became so... tense.

A few of the other heroes, Solis, Blaze, Sparrow, and Pirate Joe, left quietly whilst the rest of the heroes working the evening stayed and sat in silence.

"So, uh... who wants to do the evening rounds?" LeVerre asked, breaking the silence.

Aphelion nodded toward LeVerre. "You do it, rookie," he said, then took a drink from his iced lemonade.

Letting out a small laugh, LeVerre nodded. "Alright." He got up and blew HotGuy a kiss before leaving commons.

Flowers blossomed all over HotGuy's skin exposed outside of his hero suit, making the other heroes laugh. Embarrassed, he brushed them off and pouted. "Not funny," he said before laughing a bit himself.

▪︎¤▪︎■▪︎¤▪︎

This got out a little later than I expected, but I hope you guys enjoyed anyway!!! All of you have a wonderful day, platonic kisses to everyone <33