Chapter Text
It had been a few months since both hero and villains appeared in the Parisian city. The self dubbed “Lady Wifi” quickly switched sides with little convincing from Stormy Weather. Regardless of which side they were on both groups did their best to avoid harming innocents (too much anyway) and cleaning up their messes (which was mostly put on Illustrator who had the power to do so). They fought in a cheesy style where the two vilenesses would hijack, steal, or break something and He would come and fight them off while fixing the problem afterwards.
Nathaniel thought about those things and his alternate life as he laid in bed, staring at his still empty ceiling. He had meant to put a mural up there at some point but never could seem to find the time. Between hero work and school he had little time for anything else, though he certainly enjoyed the former. Some part of him felt bad that he never told his parents, but a secret identity was a secret for a reason.
He thought about his alter ego, the way he deliberately designed it to both match his style and throw suspicion off of him. Nathaniel certainly loved the way it turned out, though Stormy would always tease him about the way he style his hair. Regardless he didn’t care, she could tease him all she wanted about his hair, being Illustrator certainly made him more confident.
Outside he heard something crash, it sounded suspiciously like a large building as well. He quickly checked to make sure his mothers were busy, there were watching the tv downstairs. Relieved he grabbed his costume out of the box in his closet and got dressed quickly. Running out he found his two favorite villains standing atop the broken spire of the eiffel tower. Creating himself a jetpack to reach them, he lands beside the two, who look surprised.
“What did you do?” The question hangs in the air a moment before they respond.
“We don’t know, this wasn’t us.” Stormy rolls her eyes before leaning on her umbrella in a relaxed stance. She didn’t even need the thing but she liked it enough to be part of her costume.
“If it wasn’t you then who is it?”
“It was me!” Looking up, the three see a shadowy figure. The person (He? She? They?) laugh again, Illustrator guessed that the figure would be smirking if they could be seen.
“I am the destroyer… and I will remove you three. You are not supposed to be here.” He bellows to them, well more the crowd standing below, watching the scene go on. Wifi steps up and seems pretty confident, stopping in a demanding stance.
“Ha! You really think you’re that great? You’re just trying to look scary by standing in the shadows, I bet you don’t even really have powers.” Her bold words worry Illustrator a little, he does not want the situation to get worse, especially if the person up there has powers. Moments later it was proved he did, by throwing dark masses at her. She teleported just in time, appearing back next to the other two.
“That’s typical villain projectiles, real uncreative.” Wifi tries to taunt him again but she lost some of her confidence and her voice wavered slightly. Stormy goes next, this time Illustrator tried to tell her to stop to no avail. He watches her run towards the figure, already summoning storm clouds. It doesn’t take long for her to get hit and sent back in their direction.
The shadow person then turns their focus towards the ground, where the citizens are standing and watching. They then begin firing the dark spheres at the crowd, taking delight in watching them scatter.
“Save them!” Illustrator yells at the other two, both immediately reacting. He watches Wifi teleport people with her to a presumably safe place before coming back. Stormy has taken to blowing the attacks off course to allow for the civilians to get to safety. He himself is drawing blockades against the attacks while trying to simultaneously distract the figure still hovering above the whole scene.
“What do you want?” Illustrator yells above the wind at the figure. They look down and grin, now he can see their face it is twisted.
“You won’t know, you’ll be long gone!” His vision is obscured as the darkness surrounds him, suffocating and disorienting. The screams below are muffled, as if he is hearing them through water. The so-called destroyer’s voice echoes in his head, “Give up child, there is no winning, your friends are already failing.” Images of destruction and death burn into his mind of the street below.
“You don’t get to leave us now” He hears Wifi’s voice in his ear, seeing a glimmer of purple beside him. A hand grabs his arm, his body dissolves with hers. Suddenly the two are standing in the Mayor’s hotel, likely where Wifi had been taking the people. His strength goes, Wifi holding him up on one side and Stormy showing up to support him on the other.
“I can’t believe you sugar.” He hears Stormies voice but does not register it. He hears something about getting a medic before passing out.
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Nathaniel's nightmares included reliving the fight over and over, and seeing the city of Paris in ruins. In the later he sees the carnage and the flames, with the figure standing over all of it. He sees Lady Wifi and Stormy Weather at their feet, broken and lifeless. They look into his soul, tearing him apart from the inside. In the dream he has lost, he knows it, to fight is to die.
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His eyes shoot open to see the face of a doctor standing over him. Stormy and Wifi are standing to the side, looking strangely worried.
“He’ll be fine, just will need some rest is all.” The doctor moves back, then on to another injured person.
“What are you two still doing here?” His voice still weak and a little scratchy. The duo move closer to where he was on the makeshift bed.
“We were worried.” Wifi almost looks… ashamed?
“Gosh sugar, we thought you were dead.” And Stormies words are just masking fear and sadness in her voice. “I know we are enemies, but I can still worry about your health right?” He grin at them and whispers a weak thank you. They nod and say their goodbyes before leaving and he gives them a half hearted smile.
He lays there for a moment before pushing himself up. He was mostly better and could walk just fine. Looking around to make sure everyone is alright he turns to leave… and fix the damage that was caused. He accidentally runs into someone, turning, wide eyed, he immediately apologizes. The boy standing there turns to him as well, surprise evident in his green eyes when he recognized Illustrator. The boy’s cheeks flushed and he hurried off, head down. Illustrator himself left, a part of him concerned with the boy who ran off.
Nathaniel snuck into his house, making sure no one else is around while he is still in his superhero getup. He lucks out and manages to get into his room and change before anyone walks in.
“Dude, you alright?” It’s Alix outside the door, she must have come in while he was changing. His parents love her and she’s one of his closest friends.
“Yeah.” He knows he sounds panicked and he is trying to shove the costume back into his closet. Alix pushes the door open and he does his best to look natural. She knows something is up right off the bat.
“Really Nath? What are you doing.” She flops on his bed, “There’s a new super villain in town have you heard?” He does his best to look surprised, but again manages to fail. It is then he can tell her eyes land on his haphazardly hidden costume.
‘I can explain!” He swallowed nervously, secret identities are supposed to stay that way for a reason. She simply rolled her eyes in response.
“I should have known, who else would give themselves such a tacky costume?”
“You’re not surprised?”
“Nah, It was dumb telling you about that super villain though, huh.” A part of Nathaniel is relieved, he knows he can trust Alix, regardless of how she can be sometimes. “Anyway, I just came to check up on you, I gotta go, my dad wants me home for dinner tonight.” Her words are laced with the typical teenage rebellion but he knows that somewhere she does care for her family.
“See you Alix.”
“See ya Nath.”