Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I stumbled back into Australia, blinking.
“Can you still not fly, nerd?” Megan smiled, catching me. God, she was gorgeous.
“I still need practice,” I looked at her.
“My god,” she shook her head, kissing me. Yay, practice.
I leaned into it with a grin. I hugged her once more, then glanced at Prof, still seated on the hill. The only difference was his gaze, now focused on something in his hands instead of at the sky.
“I haven’t… I think it’d be best if you spoke to him,” Megan stepped away from me.
“Yeah. I hope I can help,” I went to join him.
I sat next to Prof, who only acknowledged my presence with a quick glance. “So…”
“You’re an Epic now?” Prof asked.
I blinked. “Y-yeah. Why?”
“Just thinking,” he opened his palms. A faded and old rocket keychain was revealed, the NASA logo nearly faded away. “She bought it on one of our first dates. It was kind of a joke, but I- I’ve always kept it with me. I don’t think she knew. I could never bring myself to get rid of it, though. And now-” he swallowed.
“I- I’m so sorry. I don’t…”
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Prof whispered. “I keep imagining she’s just back in Ildithia, or that I can call her or-” he took a shaky breath. “It’s even harder to know that it was me. I did it. I- I killed my wife,” the tears began to fall then.
“Can I…” I held my arms out.
Prof nodded, accepting the hug. I don’t think I’ve ever hugged Prof before. It’s nice, though.
“If it helps… you didn’t intend to kill Tia. You were trying to kill Megan and I,” I pointed out, letting him go.
“I know,” he sighed, putting the keychain back to wipe his tears away.
“And don’t feel guilty about that, either. Megan and I are Epics, you couldn’t have killed us anyway. Well, permanently,” I glanced back at her.
“She’s still dead, David. There’s no bringing her back. And the others… fuck, the others. I killed so many. You don’t understand,” Prof squeezed his fists together.
“I know. I’m sorry. Um… well, I know someone that might understand a bit better.”
Prof looked back up. “I’m sure the woman who I tried to trap and kill permanently when I wasn’t even corrupted will be very understanding,” he replied sarcastically.
“Megan’s not mad about that, I promise. She’s been trying just as hard as the others to bring you back,” I tell him. C’mon Prof, listen to me. Sparks, this was nearly as hard as trying to cut down a tree during a forest fire. Though, I guess the tree would already be burned down. Maybe it was as hard as trying to come up with a good metaphor.
Prof laughed. He laughed? “You’re still terrible at metaphors. Even powers can’t fix that.” he smiled.
“Hey! Also wait, I said that out loud?” I blinked.
“Yeah… wow, I missed those,” Prof sighed. “Okay, maybe I should talk to Megan. I suppose it would be good to bond with the team I still have,” he continued.
“Yay! And yeah, especially since… Well, we’re dating now,” I scratched my neck.
“That was to be expected. I had a last… moment of clarity, before the darkness set in. Before I took Val and Exel’s life. I realised that you were right about Megan after all. Especially now that I know what it’s like to be consumed by your powers. So… I’m very sorry, son. I know an apology means little now, but-”
“No, I appreciate it. Thank you,” I smiled, nodding at Megan.
She got up, approaching us. She walked confidently, but I knew how she really felt. She had no reason to be nervous, though. Well, this is the man that tried to murder her, so I guess she did.
“Hi,” Megan said awkwardly, not sitting down.
“Um… hi,” Prof looked away.
After a moment of silence, I look between the two of them. “Well? Talk!” I said.
Megan laughed a little. “Shut up, slontze,” she smiled, pushing me over to sit in between Prof and I.
“I’m- I’m glad you two are together. It’s nice to see,” Prof smiled sadly.
“You’ll be okay. You aren’t now, and…” Megan put her hand on his knee. “Well, you’re never going to be the same. But you’ll learn to live with it,” she looked at him.
Prof nodded. “Thank you,” he looked at her curiously. “And you let David lead the team?”
“Shut up!” I crossed my arms. “Oh, Cody’s calling,” I took out my mobile, accepting the video call.
“How’s it going with the Aussies? Any wee daemons spotted?”
“I see you’re doing much better,” I smiled.
“Harmsway worked like a charm. Thanks lad,” Cody tipped his hat at Prof.
Prof rolled his eyes, smiling. “I suppose I missed you too, Cody. How’s Abraham?” He asked, nervously eying the mobile.
“Okay. He’s conscious, and the wound’s closed, but… well, his arm ain’t exactly growing back. Takin’ it like a champ, though. He’s talking ‘bout getting some sorta special prosthetic for it,” the Scotsman explained. Well, he sounded more Southern there.
“Well, I’m glad he’s taking it well, at least,” Prof looked guilty.
“You shouldn’t feel guilty. Wasn’t your fault that wee nyaff was talkin’ to ya in yer brain,” Cody replied.
“Nyaff?” I questioned.
“I need to take ya to the highlands,” Cody waved his hand at me.
“Regardless, he didn’t really talk, it was more of an itch, not a voice,” Megan corrected him.
“Y'all were scratchin' yer brain?” Cody asked.
“No-”
“I think that’s a lobotomy,” Prof pointed out.
“Oh yeah, how’s Mizzy?” Megan asked Cody. “That wasn’t related to the lobotomy thing, I just realized how that sounded, oh god,” she shook her head.
Cody laughed. “Well, she’s actually doing really well. I can go get ‘er, she’s really excited about bein’ an Epic,” he started walking as he talked.
“Oh! I wonder what her powers are. She might be a High Epic, or-”
“David, please don’t study Mizzy, yer gonna scare her away,” Cody ducked underneath a curtain.
“What about me?” Mizzy said off camera.
“David’s askin’ about your powers. I warn ye, he’s excited,” Cody handed the phone to her.
“Oh, fun! I can answer,” she smiled, appearing on camera. “I have baked good powers,” she said.
“What?” Megan looked confused.
“I can make baked goods out of thin air! I’m like the David you found in another dimension back at Sharp Tower, but… as an Epic,” she demonstrated by making a cookie appear with a flick of her hand.
“Oh my god. Mizzy does get a cookie. It’s perfect,” I wish I could write this down. Has there ever been an Epic like that? “Oh wait, I can write this down!” I threw an energy blast at one of the wings of the space station, breaking one off. I went to pick it up, then began carving words into it with the energy.
“David-” Megan blinked. “I could’ve just grabbed you a notebook from another dimension, you dramatic man.”
“Wait, what is he doing?” Mizzy asked.
Megan wordlessly pointed the camera at me.
“Oh my god. You guys need sleep,” Mizzy laughed.
“That’s a valid point and also where did Prof go?” Megan looked around.
I looked up from my makeshift notebook, looking around for him. “Oh, we might’ve annoyed him with all the Epic talk,” I frowned, sitting next to Megan.
“Riiight, we kinda… got the fun part of being an Epic without the bad part,” Mizzy nodded at Megan.
“Exactly,” she agreed.
“Hopefully he’ll get better with time,” I leaned against Megan. She wrapped an arm around me. I all but melted.
“You guys should also get some sleep. It’s been a long day,” Mizzy pointed out/
“Oi,” Cody walked in then. “I’ve got some family in Australia, ye can go stay with them while ya wait for Knighthawk.”
“Cody, are you sure they want three Epics staying with them?” Megan asked.
“I texted them a bit ago, they’re more than happy to host y’all. I’ll text ya their address, but it ain’t too hard to find ‘em. Just look for the house covered in Australian flags an’ kangaroos n shit,” he continued.
“No wonder they’re related to you,” I said.

After a while, we reached a house that was nearly overgrown with… some kind of plant. Cody said it's a "eucalyptus". How the fuck do you pronounce that?
“Well, this is clearly the address,” Megan looked up from her mobile.
“I don’t know why anyone listens to Cody,” Prof blinked.
“C’mon, they’re probably nice. Trust me, I’m an expert in running into the unknown,” I climbed the porch stairs.
“You’re also an expert in stupid,” Megan commented.
“A-”
“Do not,” Prof glared at me.
I closed my mouth, pouting. I also knocked on the door, with Megan and Prof standing behind me. A second later, an older man with greying hair answered the door.
“Oi, ye must be Cody’s mates! I’m Lowan. Come in!” He opened the door for us. “Watch out for the thongs. My husband leaves ‘em everywhere,” Lowan led us inside.
“Thongs?” Megan raised her eyebrows.
“Right, ye bloody Americans call ‘em somethin’ else. Sandals, maybe?” He asked.
“That makes a lot more sense,” she nodded.
“Oooh, what’s- oops,” I blinked. The vase I was holding had turned to steel.
“David!” Megan punched my arm.
“Don’t worry, mate,” another man joined us. His hair was white and thinning. “It was bloody ugly anyway,” he took Lowan’s hand.
“Oh, good,” I nodded, putting it down. My hand brushes the table, and- “Shit!” It turned to steel, too.
“Well- I reckon steel furniture ain’t so bad,” the other man replied. “Oh right, I’m Sydney,” he added.
“Like the city?” Prof asked.
“My parents really liked Australia too,” Sydney explained.
I tried to pay attention to the conversation, staring at my hands. How do I control them?
“You fellas mus’ be starvin’,” Lowan said.
“Well, fighting the Epic who controlled us for over a decade is tiring,” Megan said.
“You don’t need to feed us though, we were just looking for a place to sleep,” Prof added.
“No, it’s no wuckas! We ‘ave plenty of food for ya,” Sydney waved his hand.
Lowan led us into the dining room, which had even more Australian… decor, hung up.
“So, how are you and Cody related?” I asked, curious as to how he ended up in America.
“Ah, the larrikin is Lowan’s cousin. The relos are scattered across the globe ah this point,” Sydney explained.
“Larrikin?” Prof questioned.
“What’s that in American? A mischievous jokester, sort of,” he continued.
“Ah, that makes sense,” Prof replied.
“Is Cody actually Scottish, or is he lying?” I asked.
“‘Is mom is my mom’s sister, and she married a Scotsman, so he ain’t lying. Don’ think ‘e lived in Scotland for long though,” Lowan entered the room, setting a bowl of salad on the table. Megan followed him.
“That’s where you went,” I commented.
“I was helping,” Megan smiled, taking a bite of a cookie she got from… somewhere.
“Yer Sheila likes bikkies,” Lowan winked at me, going back into the kitchen.
Megan sat on my lap. I wasn’t complaining, but- “Megan, what if I turn you into steel?!” I exclaimed.
“You can’t turn living things into steel, and as far as I’m aware, I didn’t die again, you idiot,” she kissed my forehead.
“A good power to have ‘ere. There’s two kinds of spiders that can kill you, and just as many birds!” Sydney smiled.
“I’ll take the Epics over that, thank you,” I stared.
“David, you are an Epic,” Megan leaned against my chest.
“And we’ll still have to kill Obliteration,” I stuck my tongue out.
“Ugh, I hate that bastard,” Prof shivered. “At least I was never as bad as him.”
“If we manage to find his weakness, will it still work with the darkness being gone?” Megan asked.
“I think so. It won’t turn him good, since he’s choosing to be evil, but it should still negate his powers,” I explained.
“Okay, good,” Megan replied.
“So… what is his weakness?” Prof asked.
“No idea,” I shrugged. “And all of my notes are back in Ildithia. And… Well, from what I remember, no one’s really sure. He doesn’t seem to be scared of anything.”
“It could be a front,” Megan added. “Since, y’know, Epics tend to hide their weaknesses.”
“Well, let’s hope he’s like Megan and not me, so it’ll be easier to guess,” Prof said.
I nod. “We can use that as a basis. He’s always quoting Shakespeare, so maybe it’s- Shakespeare.”
“Shakespeare is dead, how would that be his weakness?” Prof questioned.
“Well, he also quotes religious things, but I don’t know anything about that, so how could that be his weakness?” I said.
Prof and Megan look at each other. They look… exhausted? Impressed? I’m not sure.
“David, my dear, how does you knowing nothing about religion have anything to do with- wait, you idiot, you’re a genius!” Megan responded.
“Um- thank you, I think?”
“Why is he a genius?” Prof asked.
“Religion. He’s always quoting the bible, leading us to believe that he’s religious. In reality, it could be because it’s-”
“His weakness!” I finished her sentence.
“How… Do we kill him that way, then?” Prof questioned.
“Lead him into a church. Douse him in holy water. We can try a few things,” I explained.
“How do you know what holy water is?” Megan turned to look at me, wrapping her legs around the chair. Pretty woman. Pretty dense woman.
“...how do you?” I asked, ignoring my warm cheeks.
Megan raised her eyebrows. “My father was an insane Christian preparing for the apocalypse.”
“Fair point. I know because of Roy. He was Christian, and he would always ramble about stuff to me. I didn’t understand most of it, but it was very cute,” I explained.
“David, did you have a crush on this Roy kid?” Sydney looked up from the crossword he was doing while we talked.
“...maybe,” I blinked. I liked men? I guess that made sense. Abraham and his guns weren’t just impressive.
“David, you’re an idiot. But you’re my idiot, so it’s okay,” Megan kissed me.
“Oh God, did I find Cody hot? No… fuck, wait,” I continued.
“David-”
I was about to answer, but Lowan walked in with more food. “David, yer bisexual like me,” he set all the food down. “Babe, yer missing an e there,” he pointed something out on the crossword book before kissing Sydney on his head.
Prof stared at the food. "Um…" he said quietly.
“Oh, are ye a vegetarian? The curry is vegetarian, and so is the salad,” Lowan pointed them out.
“Thank you,” Prof smiled, taking some of the food.
“Would anyone like a drink? I know ye Americans like soda,” Sydney offered, getting up. He came back a second later with six different kinds of soda.
Prof froze. One of them was the brand of cola Tia had liked the most.
“I… um,” Prof blinked. “Tia- she-” he started crying. “Sorry, I just-” he left the room then.
“Uh…” I looked at Sydney and Lowan, who looked confused and concerned. “There- someone died. She liked cola,” I tried to explain.
“I’m so sorry,” Lowan frowned. “Should we…”
“I think he needs space,” Megan answered.
“Fair enough,” he nodded. “Well, if ‘e needs help, one of ye can go after ‘im.”

Later, Megan and I are getting ready for bed in one of the spare rooms. Prof had eventually returned, but went to sleep rather quickly. It had been a long day for him.
Megan and I, though…
Well, we haven’t had a lot of time for alone time. Or, y’know, privacy. Our hideouts were always small. Except for that one in Babilar. That was nice.
“Hey, Megan…” I watched my pretty girlfriend get undressed.
“You’re staring, slontze,” she smiled, tossing her shirt at me.
It hits me in the face. “Right, you’re supposed to catch things,” I said, muffled.
“My god. You’re adorable. And stupid,” she crawled on top of me. Wearing nothing.
“Uh- um, uh… pretty. Hot lady. Fuck me. Please,” I felt my face turn red.
“Whore,” she grabbed my face, kissing me roughly.
“Your whore,” I nodded.
“Good bitch,” Megan took my shirt off, her fingers tracing down my chest.
“Sex me,” I said, my brain only slightly functioning.
“Impatient little slut, aren’t you?” Megan grabbed my waistband, pulling the rest of my clothes off.
“Yes mistress,” I stared.
“Oh yeah, condoms,” Megan said.
“Oh, right,” I replied, disappointed. Wait- disappointed? I like kids?? “Hey, Megan, what do you think about kids?” I asked.
“David! You’re not even twenty,” Megan scolded me.
“I am next month!” I told her.
Megan sighed. “Not yet, but in the future, okay? For now, I need to find a condom,” she got off. I frowned. Come back hot lady.
“Do you guys have any condoms?” Megan had left the room… still naked. Well, Lowan is bisexual. Maybe he’ll appreciate the view. Hot girlfriend.
“‘Ere ye go, mate. Throw the sheets in the washer when yer done!” I heard Lowan’s voice.
“Thank you,” Megan returned a moment later. “Ready, pretty boy?” She smirked.
“I- uh, um- I- please,” I nodded eagerly.
“Good little slut,” Megan grabbed my legs, spreading them further apart. She pushed her dick in, not giving me time to adjust. I moaned. God, I would never get sick of this.
“Oh, I have an idea for you, my pet,” Megan traced my vulva slowly, intentionally avoiding my clit. Fuck.
She pulled out, and I whined. Until I saw her reach for her handgun. Oh. So maybe I do like handguns.
“Looks like someone likes this idea,” Megan smirked, shoving two fingers in me. Yeah, she didn’t need lube.
Then, she shoved the gun barrel in me and oh fuck. I groaned loudly.
After a minute, she pulled it out of me. “Nooo!” I pouted.
“You want me to fuck you some more?” Megan asked.
“Please!” I begged.
“On your knees, whore,” Megan pointed the gun at me.
I stared. Just when I thought she couldn’t get any hotter. I got on the floor, obeying the pretty lady.
“Good little bitch,” Megan grinned, putting the gun down. “Now, do you want to suck my dick?” She asked me, still sounding dominant, but her eyes were gentle.
“I do, mistress,” I nodded.
Megan smiled. “Such a pretty pet, aren’t you?” She grabbed my face, pushing her dick into my mouth. I clenched my thumb in my fist. Megan was… gifted.
Then, she somehow grew longer. “I found a reality where… well,” Megan smirked, thrusting into me.
I nodded, eyes wide. Hot lady.
After a few minutes, Megan pulled out. She flipped me onto my hands and knees.
“Oh, fuck,” I nearly fell over. Her new length was fuuuck. It was nearly hitting my cervix. I’m glad it wasn’t because ow, but fuck she was big and fuck.
Megan reached around and started rubbing my clit. I did fall over that time, an array of noises coming from my mouth. She thrust one more time before finishing inside me.
After a minute, Megan pulled out. She tied the condom up and got up to throw it out.
“Well… we didn’t really get anything on the sheets, huh?” She sat back on the floor next to me.
“Yeah,” I replied, still trying to catch my breath.
“That really tired you out,” she laughed softly, running her fingers through my hair.
I nodded. “Good tired, though,” I smiled.
“Good,” Megan nodded, leaning down to kiss me.
“I need to pee, help me up,” I held my arms out.
“You’re being cute and manipulative and fuck it’s working,” she scrunched her face up, standing up and taking my hands.
“Hehe. Pretty lady,” I smiled.
“Shut up, slontze,” she stuck her tongue out, but couldn’t hide her red face.
God, I love her so much.

Chapter Text

A day later, we’re packing up the final items in our Ildithia base to move back to Newcago, permanently. Thank God. I’ve had enough salt and spray paint. Well, we need to go to Toronto. The Epic that had ruled Toronto was… well, lazy. Almost like Larcener, but less whiny. Her name was - is? I have to check if she’s dead - Sonar. Her main power is muting sounds, which she can do in a far range. She can also hear others’ thoughts, but her sound waves are visible, so it’s… not very discreet. She can also make her voice loud. Like, the entire city can hear her from anywhere. No wonder her minions wear earplugs at all times.
Anyway, lazy. She… well, took over is a strong word. She “took over” Toronto by walking into the city and announcing that, so long as she was taken care of with resources, she would rule the city and protect the inhabitants.
Yeah, that doesn’t make sense with her powers, until you learn that she’s friends with Obliteration. Or, was?? Again, have to check that, considering he’s planning on blowing it up.

“And Toronto’s population now is-”
“David, I love you, but you have been rambling for four hours,” Megan put her hand on my knee.
“But it’s so cool! There’s so many people and-” I’m cut off by Megan moving her hand up to my thigh.
“That’s what I thought, dear,” Megan smiled knowingly. My face turned bright red.
“Megan, lass, there are four other people in this helicopter,” Cody commented from the passenger’s seat.
“I know,” she replied.
“I hope there are cute women in Toronto,” Mizzy glanced at us, looking jealous.
“Oh, there are,” Prof replied, not looking away from the window.
“Prof, is there something you’d like to tell us?” Abraham asked.
“No,” he smiled.
“Oh god, what city is that?” I looked out my window. It was crowded, the sidewalks being shoulder to shoulder. The buildings were so close together. There was barely an alleyway or park in sight. And the trash… the streets were covered in litter.
“David,” Megan sighed. “That’s Toronto.”
I stared at her, and not in the ‘fuck I’m so attracted to you oh my fucking god’ type of way.
“Yeah… it’s gone downhill since Calamity rose. Though uh, not by much,” Prof commented.
“I’m sure the people are nice, though!” Mizzy replied cheerfully.
“I can confirm their leader is alive, I just texted one of the Lorists that Tia knew,” I typed out an answer on my mobile.
“Aye, it’s nothing like the Highlands,” Cody shook his head.
“Cody, you do realize that Sydney and Lowan told us you didn’t live there for long, right?” I told him.
“The wee bastards know nothing about me, lad,” he winked at me.
“Back to the point,” Prof glanced at us. “We need to figure out where Obliteration is set up.”
“Based off of the other cities, likely somewhere with lots of people, but…” I looked down at the city again.
“Downtown, maybe? That’ll have lots of people,” Megan suggested.
“This is an interesting mission to have our leader back for,” Abraham commented.
“Well, at least it’s a morally correct one,” Prof sighed.
“It’s good to have ye back for it,” Cody patted his shoulder.
“Mizzy, what are you doing?” Megan glanced at the pretty dark-skinned woman.
“Playing Crossy Road. Knighthawk installed games on all of our mobiles,” Mizzy explained, not looking up from her game.
“Oh, fun! I wanna play,” Megan smiled, and suddenly, there was a baby duck in her lap.
“Megan-” Prof shook his head. “You know what- I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Now, how do we make this helicopter go downtown?” Prof asked, staring at the control panel.
“Ye ask the daemons nicely,” Cody said unhelpfully.
“Anyone else know how?” Prof looked at us.
“I’ll ask Knighthawk to bring us down,” Abraham muttered to himself in French, texting Knighthawk.
The baby duck chirped, hopping onto my lap. “You’re a dad now,” Megan told me.
“I- thank you?” I stared at it. There were never animals in Newcago. Maybe the occasional dog or cat, but never… this.
“Knighthawk’s sending us downtown,” Abraham told us.
“Ya see, just have to ask the wee daemons,” Cody replied.
“He also said he doesn’t appreciate being called a wee daemon, nor does he know what that is,” Abraham read from his mobile.
“Baby duck,” Mizzy took the duckling from me, feeding it a cookie. It chirped in approval.
“Mizzy, no! Ducks don’t eat cookies!” Megan took the duck from her.
“Well, I don’t have bread powers-“
“Actually, there’s an Epic in Mosc-“
“David, enough.” Prof said, sounding tired. I frowned. Epics are cool.
“Megan, the duckling is adorable, but I don’t believe it’ll be safe on this mission,” Abraham glanced at the duck.
“He’ll be okay. David can protect him,” Megan handed the duck to me. It chirped again, sitting in my lap.
“I don’t know anything about ducks, why are you giving him to me?!” I stared at the duck.
“‘Don’t feed ducks bread or junk food. Foods like bread and crackers have no nutritional value to ducks… do feed ducks cracked corn, oats, rice, birdseed, frozen peas, chopped lettuce, or sliced grapes,’” Abraham read from his mobile.
“Why are you all turning me into a duck dad?” I sighed. The baby duck waddled up my arm, and settled in my sweater’s hood.
“The duck chose ye, lad,” Cody smiled.
“We’re here now!” Prof told us as the helicopter landed.
“Do they have grocery stores here? I suppose we should find food for the duck,” I asked.
“Mhm, not at all wanting to be a dad,” Megan smirked.
“Shut up,” I mumbled, crossing my arms.
“Okay, so the plan,” Prof opened the helicopter door.
“Don’t worry, I have one,” I told everyone, following Prof. “It’s top secret, but we need to find Obliteration first.”
Megan glanced at me. “Well, you do know a lot about Epics, so I guess we should trust you.”
“Fine,” Prof nodded. “Do we know where he would be?”
“He’s friends with Sonar. We should find her first,” I continued.
“She got a lair or somethin’?” Cody asked.
“Yeah, it’s that penthouse apartment up there,” I pointed at the tallest apartment in Toronto, less than a block from us.
“Are- are you sure?” Abraham seemed skeptical.
“Yeah. She’s never been secretive about things,” I shrugged. “No one has a clue about her weakness, but uh, no one’s really bothered checking. Why kill an Epic who isn’t doing anything but ruling a city?”
“Fair enough,” Abraham nodded.
“Should we… go knock on her door?” Mizzy asked, still playing Crossy Road.
“I mean… she won’t kill us, so yeah,” I nodded.
Prof shook his head. “The old Reckoners would have never done this.”
“Well, Epics have changed, so let’s go,” I looked at Prof. “Sorry, I don’t mean to impose on your leadership.”
“No, it’s okay. You’re being a better leader than me anyway,” Prof waved his hand.
“Well… the apartment’s this way, so uh-”
“Let us go that way, then,” Abraham started walking. We all followed the calm man.
I trailed near the back of the group, fascinated by the city. There were so many people. And so much trash. Did anyone ever bother cleaning up after themselves here?
“Hi,” Mizzy slowed down, walking next to me. “Do you know any Epics with therapy powers? Because uhhh,” she nodded at Prof, who was walking farther from the group.
“Yeah… Well, there is an Epic in Chad who has healing powers, but only for mental problems. So, that’s kind of a therapist Epic,” I told her.
“Wow,” Mizzy raised her eyebrows. “That would be really useful. Are they still alive?”
“As far as I’m aware, yeah. Her name is Psych Out. She might’ve been captured, though. That’s her only power, so…”
“That’s such a cool name!” Mizzy smiled.
“You know David, you don’t have an Epic name,” Megan joined us. “I’m Firefight, Prof’s Limelight, and you’re-”
“David,” I told her.
“That’s so boring though!” Megan sighed, turning to Mizzy. “What’s your Epic name?”
“Missouri!” She grinned.
“That’s- your full name. And a state,” I commented.
“Yeah. I am the state,” Mizzy nodded excitedly.
“You’re cute,” Megan smiled at her.
Mizzy squeaked in response.
“But… you’re not actually Firefight. You’re just Megan,” I continued.
Megan turned away from Mizzy, looking… slightly annoyed. And hot. “Do you want me to bring him here?”
“Well, he’s hot both literally and figuratively so…”
“Idiot,” she smiled, punching my arm.
“Ow,” I pouted.
“Mizzy dear, what are you doing?” Megan asked.
“Feeding Walnut!” She smiled.
I then noticed my hood felt oddly heavier. Right, there was a duck in there, apparently named Walnut. And… looking at Mizzy, probably about ten cookies, too.
“What are ye eejits doin’ back here?” Cody asked us.
“Being a duck incubator, apparently,” I replied.
“Is this the place, David?” Abraham stopped in front of a building.
“Yeah! She should be on the eighth floor, and-” I was cut off by a chirp from my hood. Ah, Walnut was awake.
“Let’s go inside. I doubt she can kill us, right?” Prof looked at me.
“No offensive powers, yeah. Just the sound related ones. The worst she could do is deafen us, and I’m hoping that with the darkness being gone, she won’t be evil,” I walked into the lobby, with no one else wanting to go first.
It looked… abandoned. Dust covered the furniture. The desk hadn’t been sat at in years, there was still garbage everywhere… like no one cared anymore.
“What are you all doing here?” A tall woman walked out of the elevator then. She had dark skin, with her frizzy and long Afro hair sticking up in all directions. She was also wearing pajamas, and holding… some sort of food. Yeah, this was Sonar.
“Um… hi, Sonar,” I said.
“Ugh, please just call me Kehinde, I’m not some kind of God,” she waved her hand at us.
“Ha!” I pointed at Megan.
“Fuck you!” She frowned. Pretty lady.
“Still haven’t answered my question,” Kehinde rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the… food.
“We were looking for Obliteration, and wondering if you could help,” I explained.
“You woke me up from a nap for this shit?” She sighed.
“When did you make poutine if you were asleep?” Abraham questioned.
“I didn’t make it, one of my roommates did. I don’t have the energy for that,” Kehinde replied.
“Roommates?” Prof asked.
“What do y’all call them? ‘Minions’? I don’t need y’all’s worship,” she ate more of her… poutine? Was this a Canadian thing?
“Well, sorry for waking you up, but could you tell us about Obliteration, please?” Mizzy asked.
“Fuck if I know! We were friends, he got annoyed with my way of leading, and he fucked off to God knows where,” Kehinde scoffed. “Can I go back to bed now?”
“Did he come to Toronto yet, then?” I asked.
“Yeah, he argued with me yesterday. Then I went to sleep, like I am now,” she turned back to the elevator.
“Alright, thank you for your help!” Mizzy smiled.
Kehinde glanced back at Mizzy. “I like you. No one else here,” she pushed the close button.
“Hey, that’s my job,” Megan crossed her arms.
“Oh no, pretty women fighting over me, how awfuuul,” Mizzy grinned.
“Wow, I’m glad they’re becoming such good friends!” I said to Abraham.
“Idiot inconscient,” Abraham mumbled in French.
“Well, we know he’s in Toronto now, that’s something,” Prof told us.
“Should we ask around and see if anyone’s seen a glowing man?” I asked.
“David, we have a helicopter. If we fly at night, we’ll be able to spot him easily,” Prof replied.
“Oooh, smart!”
“Yeah, never mind, I’m glad I’m the leader,” Prof sighed.
“We can set up our base while we wait for nightfall,” Abraham added.
“Then we go glowing man huntin’,” Cody smiled.
“Good plan!” I replied.

Chapter Text

After setting up our base in a vacant apartment, we waited for nightfall. Mizzy set up a home for Walnut in the kitchen sink. He was happy there.
“So, will Obliteration’s weakness be important for your plan, David?” Prof asked.
“Possibly. I think Megan’s theory makes sense though, so we can go with it,” I replied.
“It has to be religion. There’s no way this insane murderer actually cares about the Bible,” Megan said, leaning against the kitchen table.
“We could lure him into a church if it comes to it,” I suggested.
“Or stab ‘im with a cross,” Cody added, putting his feet on the table again.
“Is that plan B, or plan A?” Mizzy sat on the counter next to the sink.
“Plan B. My plan is plan A,” I explained, sitting in a chair next to Megan. She put her elbow on my shoulder. Pretty lady. She can use me all she wants.
“Is it still a secret?” Abraham asked.
“Top secret. You’ll see,” I smirked in what I hoped looked badass and mysterious.
“You’re a nerd,” Megan told me. Okay, maybe not badass. Still.
“Well, it’s getting dark out, so I guess that’s all the planning we need,” Prof sighed.
“It’s enough of a plan,” Abraham glanced at Prof. "I trust that David knows what he’s doing. He’s worked closely with Obliteration before.”
Prof nodded. “Alright. Let’s go, then,” he got up, and we followed him to the roof where we parked the helicopter. Or, Knighthawk parked it. Tia was the only one who knew how to fly a helicopter.

A few minutes later, we’re in the helicopter again, flying closer to the city. Far enough to be inconspicuous, but close enough to see a glowing man. The lights from the buildings were still very bright, but Obliteration always looked brighter. He should be easy to spot.
“Should we move higher? I don’t see him on the ground anywhere. He may be on the roof of a building,” I asked.
“Well, where the fuck is he?" Mizzy asked.
“Mizzy!” I looked at her.
“Sorry, I’m impatient. Why isn’t he being obvious like in Babilar?” She replied.
“Pretty lady,” Megan stared at Mizzy.
“Let’s keep going. Toronto’s a big city,” Abraham told us.

We kept going, but after almost two hours of going back and forth over the city, we still didn’t see him.
“Did Son- Kehinde lie to us?” Prof sighed.
“Not sure. We could try talking to her again, or… try again tomorrow?” I shrugged.
“Yeah,” Abraham nodded. “What do- oh,” he smiled.
I followed his gaze, and Mizzy was asleep in Megan’s arms. She was also asleep. It was adorable. They’re such good friends now!
“Well then, we can go back to the base for now,” Prof pulled out his mobile, texting Knighthawk.
“We still got six days ‘til the bastard said he would blow it to hell, so we got time,” Cody said.
“Where could he be? It doesn’t make any sense,” I leaned against the seat, trying to think.
“You’ll figure it out lad. I believe in ya,” Cody tapped my knee.

The next day, I have all my notebooks spread across the kitchen table. Did Obliteration really mean a week? Was he using a different time measuring scale? Was he talking about a different Toronto?
Okay, that one wasn’t true. Toronto, Canada, had so many people that it had to be here. But the rest… he would’ve already been charging by now, based on his patterns.
It didn’t make sense. None of it did. I threw the notebook I was holding down in frustration.
“David? You okay, love?” Megan stood in the doorway.
“Yes. No. Maybe,” I laid my head on the table.
I heard her walk over to me, and she sat down, kissing the back of my head.
“Do you want to take a break, maybe? You’ve been working on this since you woke up,” Megan asked, taking my hand in hers.
“What if we don’t have time, though? I don’t trust Obliteration. He could be planning something,” I sit up, leaning against her.
“And what if he isn’t? You need to take a break, you know,” Megan continued.
“But-”
Megan sighed. She took her shirt off. Oh. She wasn’t wearing a bra. “Oh no, my shirt is gone, whatever shall I do?” she grinned at me.
“Uh- um- well- maybe I will take a break,” I stared.
“Good,” Megan kissed me, pulling me into her lap.
“Hi guys!” Mizzy walked into the kitchen then.
“Hi Mizzy,” Megan pulled away briefly to answer.
“Here you go, Walnut,” she walked up to the sink, setting a bowl of food next to it. Walnut chirped happily, hopping out of the water to eat.
“See you later,” Mizzy winked at us before leaving.
“Mizzy and you are getting really close now!” I smiled.
Megan laughed. She laughed? Well, it was a beautiful sound, so I wasn’t complaining. “Well, I guess this is a good time to talk about this. Um, Mizzy and I haven’t been being friendly, we’re flirting,” she explained.
“Oh! Oh-” I blinked. “So that means…”
“I still love you! That hasn’t changed. It’s entirely separate from you. I just… I don’t know how it happened, but… yeah,” Megan shrugged.
“No, I get it. Mizzy’s really cool. And pretty,” I agreed.
“Oh, so I’m not the only one with a crush,” she smirked.
“Hey!” I pouted. “Well, I was gonna say you can date Mizzy, but now you can’t,” I stuck my tongue out.
“Mhm. Sure babe,” Megan kissed me, biting my tongue. My brain melted like a caramel apple in the sun. Except, those don’t really melt, the caramel just does. Point is, pretty lady makes brain no work.
After a moment, Megan let me go. “Wow, you’re getting a lot less pale now,” she commented, still close to my face.
I blinked, looking at my hands. “Wait, what happened to me? Why is my skin so dark? What are these…” I looked at my arm. “Strange dots?”
“David- the fact that you grew up in a city with no sun is really showing right now,” Megan grabbed her shirt, putting it back on.
“What do the dots mean? Am I a connect-the-dots book?” I continued examining my arm, confused. What do they mean?
Megan sighed. “They’re freckles, David. You get them from being in the sun more often.”
“Oh! That makes sense,” I nodded. “Anyway, you can actually date Mizzy, if you want. I won’t mind, just please continue giving me attention I need it,” I tapped on her leg.
Megan laughed. “You’re adorable, Knees. And I promise I will always give you attention.”
“Yay! I love you,” I kissed her excitedly, nearly missing her lips.
“You’re so cute. I love you too,” she kissed me again.
“You don’t have to eat each other just because you’re in the kitchen, you know,” Cody walked in then.
“You missed the real show, I had my shirt off a second ago,” Megan pulled away.
“Tragic I’m not into women, otherwise I would ‘ave loved that,” Cody grabbed something from the fridge before leaving.
“Megan, you can’t flirt with everyone, you know. I know everyone thinks you’re hot, but still,” I teased her.
“Oh, is someone jealous?” She smirked.
“No- shut up!” I crossed my arms.
“Cute,” Megan kissed my cheek.

Later, Megan is preparing to send me to the other universe to see my dad. She’s talking to Prof before she does, though.
“Well, it’s not the same Tia, obviously, but it would still give you a chance to talk to her. And you don’t have to right now, we can do it later too,” she explained.
Prof paused for a moment. “I do want to go right now. I need to talk to her, any version of her, and… I want to do it now,” he replied.
“Alright, I’ll send you both. Uh, fair warning though, you might meet a version of yourself. You’re still alive in that dimension,” Megan continued.
“As long as it doesn’t cause any problems in time, that’s fine,” Prof said.
“It won’t, don’t worry,” she said. A second later, we were in Newcago again. Well, other Newcago.
“David! Welcome back,” Firefight approached us, the fire around him rapidly depleting. “And you brought Prof!”
“Um… hello,” Prof stared.
“Right, I’m not me over in your dimension, sorry. I’m Firefight, or Aaron, either works,” he held a hand out.
Prof hesitantly shook it. “I’m sorry I tried to kill the other you,” he said.
Firefight laughed. “Right, Megan told me about that. Don’t worry about it,” he glanced behind him. “Blain! Your son’s here!”
“Dad!” I saw him flying towards us and got excited and tried to fly off the building, but stumbled and nearly fell. He caught me.
“Careful, kid,” he set me down, smiling. “Ah, other Prof. Nice to meet you,” Blain smiled.
“You too,” Prof smiled. “Um… is Tia around?”
“She’s back in the base. We just finished this mission, so we can head back there now,” Blain replied, wrapping an arm around me.
“Alright,” Prof said.
We walked downstairs through the building. It looked… normal. Like the buildings in Toronto, but… not. Did Newcago really used to look like this?
“I don’t like this. Where’s all the steel?” I looked around.
“What do you mean?” Firefight asked.
“Oh, in our dimension Steelheart - not my dad - turned the entire city into steel. There’s not all this weird shit on the walls,” I touched it hesitantly.
“David, that’s paint,” Blain smiled, ruffling my hair.
“It’s wrong,” I pouted, touching it again. I turned the entire building into steel in an awesome display of power-
Except that I didn’t. My steel power fizzled out and only turned a tiny bit of the wall grey.
“Do you… want to practice later?” My dad asked me.
“No! I can do it myself,” I crossed my arms. “This is nothing like the tensors,” I mumbled.
“David, you realize our powers are different, right?” Prof told me as we continued walking.
“Yeah, because you have two defensive abilities and class A healing and I only have one defensive ability and much less useful powers than your cool ones!” I rambled.
Prof paused for a second. “Do you… also want my autograph?”
I looked at the ground and ignored my completely fine and not red cheeks. “Shut up.”
Blain laughed. “You’re such a nerd,” he grinned.
“We’re here!” Firefight opened the door of another apartment building, and led us down a hallway. He unlocked the door, and we heard an excited squeal from inside.
“Aaron! You’re home!!” Tavi ran up to Firefight, leaning down to kiss him.
“Oh! You’re-”
“Yeah, we’re dating. I love her,” Firefight grinned, taking her hand.
“David, I love you, but how do you think that happened?” Blain gestured at Firefight’s stomach. Yeah, he looked at least eight months pregnant, but how was I supposed to know that?
“Baby!” Tavi tapped her hands together.
“Oh yeah, I’m pregnant. I forgot,” he replied.
I glanced at Prof, who looked… frozen.
“You’re… you look-”
Tavi nodded. “Yeah. you’re the other version of my dad,” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was blue and green now, not red like Tia’s.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I- I tried to kill you and Tia, she-” Prof backed himself against a wall, tears forming in his eyes.
“Um… I’m not mad about you trying to kill me?” She took a step towards Prof.
“Tia, she’s-” Prof took a breath.
“I’m what?” Tia joined us in the entryway.
It was Tia! And she looked… So much younger? But the time wasn’t different in this universe, so why- oh.
No Calamity, less fighting, less death. She looked happier, and not like a woman who’s seen the tragedies of war.
Prof stared at her. He looked relieved, guilty, and broken all at once.
“Oh! You’re the other Prof. Wow, I have two husbands,” she smiled, taking a sip of her cola.
“You’re alive,” Prof blinked.
Tia blinked too. “Y-yeah?”
“No… I-” Prof stumbled towards her.
“Do you want to go sit down and talk? You look like you need it,” Tia asked.
He nodded, and Tia led us to the living room. It was… lived in. It looked so nice and… comforting. Not like something I’d seen in years. It felt like home.
We all sat down. I sat next to my dad, holding his arm tightly. I never wanted to let go. I felt like a little kid again.
Tia sat next to Tavi, who sat next to Firefight. Prof sat on an armchair, alone.
“So… Do you want to explain what’s up?” Tavi asked.
“I… um,” Prof got choked up again. He glanced at me.
“Oh, I can explain. Well, in our universe Calamity was still there until… about three days ago? So the darkness took Prof over and well… It didn't end well. That’s why Megan brought Tavi through. We thought his weakness was his own powers, and we were trying to bring him back. It obviously didn’t work, and then Tia got caught in the crossfire and-”
“Oh, shit. You killed me, like Blain killed David,” Tia raised her eyebrows.
Prof just nodded. He looked so guilty.
“Well,” Tia paused. “I don’t blame you for feeling guilty, but…”
“It isn’t good to let it consume you. I can tell you that much,” Blain finished her sentence.
“Exactly. And we have the powers of different dimensions, so I’m not completely gone,” Tia smiled.
Prof looked like he was going to talk, but the front door opened then.
“Hey guys, I’m home!” An oddly familiar voice said. It sounded… no, it wasn’t rough enough to be Prof’s voice, right?
Oh wait, it was Prof. With less grey hair, and… covered in paint? And dirt? “Oh! What did I miss?”
“There’s two of you,” Tia smiled. “And what happened at school? Where did all that paint come from?”
“Oh, from the other dimension, right. And the fifth-graders wanted to experiment on me, what can I say?” He shrugged.
“My god,” Tia got up, wiping a bit of paint off of his cheek to kiss him.
“How did that happen at school? School isn’t fun,” I laughed.
No one else laughed, staring at me. “Where did you go to school?” Blain asked.
“A… gun factory?” I blinked. Right, that wasn’t normal.
“A gun factory?! School is supposed to be fun, who taught you!” My dad ranted in his soft voice.
“A nice lady who gave me guns!” I smiled.
“You’re still a teacher…” other Prof stared.
“Yeah? What happened in your universe?” Prof 2 asked him, sitting on Tia’s lap.
“Oh come on, you got paint on me,” she sighed with a smile.
“I…” Prof 1 swallowed. “An Epic… murdered my fifth-grade class. And that Epic was me.” He looked at the ground, his face drowned in grief.
“Oh, fuck,” Prof 2 frowned. “The darkness was bad at first, but you learned about the gifting, and it was okay?”
“Yeah… and then it came back years later. I… in our universe, I murdered Val and Exel and- and Tia,” Prof 1 took a breath.
“I’m so sorry,” Prof 2 replied. “I mean… we can share this Tia, if she wants two husbands,” he offered.
“And our baby gets two grandpas,” Tavi brought up.
“Oh my god, I’m gonna be a grandpa,” Prof 1’s eyes widened.
“You’ll be a great grandpa, don’t worry,” I told Prof 1.
“But-”
“No one’s perfect, you know,” Tavi interrupted. “I mean, you’ve done some bad things, obviously, and you shouldn’t overlook those, but you’ve done great things too. Only focusing on the negative won’t be good for you.”
“And I’m sure the other Tia would’ve wanted you to move on,” Tia added.
“Well, she called me a bastard just before she died, but she used to do that lovingly, so I suppose you’re right,” Prof 1 smiled a little.
Tia looked at Prof 2. “Bastard,” she smirked.
“Hey! I didn’t ask to be involved in this!” He turned to look at her, paint flying from his hair.
“You’re cute. And should probably take a shower,” Tia kissed him.
Prof 2 sighed. “Fine,” he got off her lap, waving goodbye to the rest of us.
“I’m… gonna change,” Tia sighed, looking at her paint stained skirt.
“So, when is the baby due?” Prof asked Firefight.
“In… less than two weeks,” he replied.
“Ten days today,” Tavi added.
“Yeah, that,” he kissed her cheek.
“Why do I know these things and you don’t?” She smiled.
“Baby makes me forget,” Firefight shrugged.
“You can’t blame everything on the baby, you know,” Tavi told him.
“Hehe. Baby,” he grinned.
“Do you have a name for the baby?” I asked.
“We’ve just been calling them baby, so no,” she replied.
“More importantly, do you think the baby will be an Epic?” I grabbed the notebook I brought.
“David, no,” Prof took it, setting it on the coffee table.
“Hey! There are so many Epics here, I need to write everything down,” I crossed my arms.
“It seems like it always runs in the family, so,” My dad pointed out.
“But who’s will they inherit then? Because for Tavi and Firefight, they’re both Epics. What if they get both? And-” I grabbed the notebook again.
“It’s honestly a fair question, so I’ll allow this,” Firefight smiled.
“Oh god, I didn’t have control over my powers until I was five or six, what would a double Epic baby be like?” Tavi laughed.
“We might need fireproof gloves to handle them,” Firefight joked.
I laughed, writing that down. “What if they inherit parts of both of your powers? Or what if the powers combine into new powers?” I continued writing.
“Well when you were five, you were flying all over the-” my dad stopped. “Right, you died in this universe,” he took a breath.
I hugged him, not knowing how else to respond. “I’m sorry. Also wait was I an Epic from birth in this universe?” I stared.
“Oh, yeah. Also forgot you just got those powers in your universe,” he smiled, hugging me closer.
“You’ve been teaching me how to fly!” I laughed.
“Well, that further proves the baby will probably be an Epic,” Tavi smiled.
A second later, Megan appeared. “Hi I got bored,” she sat on me, moving my dad’s arm to be around both of us.
“Hello daughter-in-law,” my dad smiled.
“We aren’t married,” I joked.
“Yet,” Megan kissed my cheek.
I squeaked, mumbling incoherently.

Later, Prof 1 and Tia were sitting outside, alone.
“So… what happened in your universe?” Tia asked, leaning against him. “I’m assuming a lot of it was different, considering how much older you look than Jon 2.”
“I mean, I killed you, obviously,” he sighed. “I don’t know. I had to kill Amala, she let her powers get the best of her, and-”
“Wait, Amala’s alive in this universe! And she’s… nonbinary,” Tia glanced at me.
“Tia, I’m trans. I know what that is,” Prof replied.
“Oh, wow. So a lot’s different in your universe,” she blinked.
“Wait, I’m- other Prof is cis? Are you cis?” He questioned.
“I’m not cis, but yeah, Jon 2 is,” she laughed.
“Okay, at least you being trans is the same,” Prof said, relieved. “Anyway, Amala. She- what are her pronouns?”
“She/her still, though she also said she doesn’t care what pronouns people use, so,” Tia shrugged.
“Right, okay. But she’s alive. That means… so much is different. She died so long ago, and her death is what led to Knighthawk not joining Tia and I in forming the Reckoners and eventually led Regalia to succumbing to the darkness and-”
“Okay, slow down. First off, Knighthawk isn’t a part of the Reckoners in your universe?” Tia asked.
“Not really. He’s more neutral. He helps us a bit, but mostly stays out of it.”
“Oh, wow. He’s a full part of our team here, mostly helping with technology and guns,” she said. “Anyway, Regalia? That’s Abigail. What happened to her? She’s still a judge here, though she does use her powers occasionally. People only ever call her Regalia when she’s in her Epic form.”
“Oh… she killed her followers and began her reign in what used to be New York City. She flooded the streets and killed… thousands of people. And then she was trying to become Calamity himself, using Obliteration. But then she got cancer and… she tried to make me be her successor. I had to stop Obliteration’s bomb and… using too much of my power led me to being evil,” he looked down.
“Oh, shit. So it was… because of Abigail that you killed me. And Val and Exel and-”
“Yeah. So a lot is different here,” Prof sighed.
“Well, I’m glad we have Megan. It’s nice to have this connection. And I’m happy to have two husbands,” Tia smiled, taking Prof’s hand.
He nodded, smiling shyly. “I’m glad too. You’re obviously a bit different than my Tia, but it’s still really nice,” he rested his head on her.
“Exactly,” she nodded.