Chapter Text
Morgan really didn't know what the hell he was doing here… He slipped by several more burly and mean-looking henchmen, or well he figured they were, and continued to move along the outer wall of this dark warehouse. It was starting to fill up quickly and he wanted to find a spot where he could actually see. A big spot was being left clear in the middle for… whatever this was. His 'contact' said it was an announcement but as Morgan looked around and only saw thugs and nobody villains he was afraid this whole stupid thing was a trap for gullible wannabes.
Morgan adjusted his fur trimmed collar again, and hoped it was obscuring his face enough to keep him from being noticed as he found a clear spot along the wall to wait. Not being noticed was something Morgan felt like he wasn't half bad at, it helped that his looks were nothing to write home about and he had brown hair, brown eyes, and was average height. He could be anybody or… he was nobody.
It was something he'd figured out was the best gift- well next best thing, he could have asked for as a pickpocket. Living on the street for the last two years really hadn't given him much of a choice. It was either steal or starve. Turns out the people of Capitol City weren't as generous as they advertised. So he stole. And he learned fast that if he was gonna take something he better damn well not get caught. It had sucked. And was hard. And it still didn't make him want to go back home. Not even when the winter got rough.
But the moment he turned 18 and could actually talk someone into renting him a room he pulled the money he'd been hoarding together and got a shitty studio apartment. Morgan was actually pretty sure the windowless hovel wasn't an apartment, not since the owner wanted him to pay in cash only, but the heat worked sometimes and it wasn't outside finally. So he made do.
But once he got an address he could finally do shit like, have a job. Turns out that's pretty fucking important to get paid. So he got hired down at this little Italian place down on 5th, the bad side of 5th. And was a nobody waiter, at a place that Morgan was like 85% sure was a front for the mob, and his bosses thought he was a "funny kid." It was just exactly the sort of place he needed. So he worked his ass off and smiled and played the nobody and took home shitty leftovers and he listened . He learned the right names to say to the right people to meet the right guys who knew the people Morgan wanted to talk to. And by doing petty crime… well he was a petty crook. But crooks were often the lackeys for villains. Morgan wasn't going to be anyone's lackey but he did worm his way into… Well he didn't want to call it a newsletter but it basically was. The villains of Capitol City had a rumor mill and Morgan had found the gossip column. And plastered all over it for the last three days was this meeting.
So that's where Morgan was. He might be a nobody but this was something. Something big. The word was that some new villain was making waves in Capitol City and no one was happy about it, villains or heroes. And this meeting was to discuss them. Morgan just hoped he hadn't pissed off his bosses by calling in sick.
By now the room was starting to full up and Morgan actually relaxed a little when he saw B and C tier villains elbow their way to the front for a better view. It meant this probably wasn't a set up, but that did mean it could prove a lot more dangerous to his health.
And then some idiot stepped in front of him. Some taller idiot in a hood and Morgan's small sliver of view was cut off. Well… you want to be a villain. Act like one.
"Hey, move over pal." Morgan snapped.
And then the figure turned to look at him. Retrospectively, it occurred to Morgan just how completely stupid that had been. He could have been killed instantly by any villain in that room. Including the figure, who couldn't have been much older than he was, but that's not what Morgan noticed first about the other man. No, it was the golden glowing cat's eyes.
It was a physical manifestation of this dude's power, that meant this kid was playing with some serious juice. And Morgan was fucking dead. But his brain hadn't developed any sort of survival skills when he was a child because he kept talking.
"I said move, man. I can't see past you."
And the guy in the hoodie just… smirked. With actually fucking fangs, Jesus christ Morgan! You moron! And then he said in a smooth smoky tone, " My bad ." And he turned back around and shifted out of Morgan's way.
Morgan didn't melt. He didn't turn into a puddle on the floor. He just cleared his throat manfully and crossed his arms over his chest. Yup. That's totally what happened.
But before his brain could malfunction any further, the A tiers started to show up. As if Morgan was already scared spitless, he began to count off the number of villains he recognized. When he hit 30 he just… stopped. This wasn't just a big deal, this was the fucking biggest of all deals. When the hulking twisted form of the titanous villain, Judgment Event staggered in close behind the Jokester and his goons, Morgan almost slid to the floor. In his old life this would have been the literal worst case scenario.
But now… this is my side. That seemed to help strengthen his resolve a little. He still knew they'd absolutely smear him into paste if he sneezed wrong but that's just what it means to be a villain. That was the life he wanted to live now. So he stood a little straighter just as a shrill whistle echoed out from the center of the warehouse.
Morgan was glad he wasn't the only one grabbing his ears in pain as Harpy finished her shriek. "Shut up your punk ass motherfuckers! The boss wants to speak."
And the A tier villain stepped to the side as a mountain of a woman in all black stepped forward. It was none other than Queenclasp herself.
"Thank you… Harpy. Now. We are here to discuss… these rumors that have been floating around… The ones regarding a new class of villian… It hasn't been confirmed… but the hero's have been making noises that… this new villain is… S-tier."
Whispers broke out all through the room. No one. Absolutely no one ever got listed as an S-tier villain or even hero for that matter. It was- was only in the list to serve as a margin for error. It was a hypothetical. It couldn't actually happen… Until now, apparently.
"I said shut up!" Harpy nearly shrieked again. The noise died down again.
"It is…" Queenclasp went on, "Nothing but a rumor-"
And then the world changed forever.
And Morgan watched in absolutely terror as the dude in front of him began to laugh. It wasn't quiet either, it was loud and echo-y and sinister. " You see… that's where you're wrong."
And then he began to shove his way forward, his hoodie dissolving into smoke and revealing a well-tailored black vest and pants ensemble with a red button down, the sleeves rolled stylishly up. The outfit had golden accents and chains that made this dude look like he just walked off some villainous runway. Dusty blond hair just a little windswept and everything. And the people he walked past were literally being shoved out of his way by some kind of invisible force as he strolled to the center of the room.
" It's not just a rumor. I am S-tier." The man said in a normal tone and yet every person in the building could hear him perfectly. " And I'm very grateful you put this little meeting together. It means I only have to say this once. I'm not here to mess with your petty little gangs or drug rings or whatever else you people care about. I am only here because I want to make it perfectly clear just who is at the top of this food chain now. You have all been bumped down a wrung. So Stay The Hell Out Of My Way."
The room was dead silent for almost a minute as everyone let that threat sink in…. And then all hell broke loose.
Three A tier villains leapt at the newcomer and sickening cracks and crunches of bone echoed around the room as the S-tier villain caved their skulls or chests in with single blows. Gore splattered across the center ring and across this villain's face. Idly he swept a finger over the blood on his face and tasted it. Morgan hadn't even seen the bastard move. The A-tier villains had been shouting and running and then they were dead on the floor. " Who's next? "
And then people started fleeing. And Morgan went with them. He slipped out just as unobtrusively as he had entered and then he ran like hell. Despite the blood and the screaming and the horrible mangled bodies he'd just seen, his only thought was, I should wear a mask to the next one of these things.