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The lukewarm spring air felt good on his skin, short copper curls blowing across his forehead with each fresh breeze. Winter was finally over and that meant a great many things for a city dubbed Winterfell. It meant all the produce stands from Highgarden would be rushing to sell their wares once more, Mayor Stark, his mother would be campaigning for some new exciting change to downtown, and of course on a more adrenaline-fueled note the supervillains that prefer to not do crime with snow on the ground would be returning full stop. All in all it just meant that he'd be wearing his costume a lot more often.
Not today though, today was spent drifting along the sidewalk, his arm interlocked with his sister's as she jabber jawed on and on about her girlfriend's latest business ventures, or rather her civilian business ventures. Sansa and Margaery's wedding and event planning had taken off last year and the two women had became strong partners both in and out of the tights. Robb could still see his mother's grimace when she had to admit that it was Margaery's plans last year that made the kids Christmas event last year such a success. It paired well with the absolute fury she had unleashed upon him when they returned home and her absolute disgust with his public display of affection for a known supervillain.
Robb could understand her disdain, Theon Greyjoy was a villain, the property damage he had caused in the past could probably build their family a second manor-size home, but she didn't know Theon beyond the news and police reports. All she saw was the nefarious Kraken, and if she couldn't see the part that was good hidden beneath the false sense of villainy by watching Theon interact with the kids or even Rickon himself last Christmas then maybe she was just in denial. Or better yet she was forcefully not seeing the positives just to spite him. He may be the eldest and her darling son and the city's golden hero, but she had never been quite on board with his sexuality, a realization that still stung. Sansa could be a big ass lesbian, but gods forbid if her eldest boy was gay.
This was why his walks with Sansa were so important, time out of the spandex and away from his civilian life of high expectations of becoming the second Eddard Stark. He missed his father just as much as his mother did, but he was never going to become him. If anything she should hope he was different than father in some aspects based on how cruelly she had treated Jon when they were boys. Learning that the brother you had loved forever since he was only six months younger was the product of an affair should make you distrust your father, but all it did was make Robb somewhat grateful it happened. He couldn't imagine not having Jon in his life, and he knew it completely soured his mother every day knowing Jon got powers while two of her sons didn't. Father really did carry the gene.
He wasn't going to let his growing frustrations with mother ruin his day though, today he was going to get coffee and enjoy the city with Sansa, maybe discuss his growing feelings for his nemesis. Sansa was always a sucker for the classic star-crossed lovers trope, she'd absolutely go ape shit if she found out he was starting to fall in love with The Kraken himself. Corny as it sounded, but he missed him, as much as he loved how quiet it had become for Theon's crime rate he wished he could bust him more often. Steal a few kisses, maybe finally drag him to some seedy motel and do things that would make his mother go absolutely berserk.
"Your mind seems to be elsewhere." Sansa's tone is concerned, she could always read him like a book and her reassuring squeeze of his arm made him immediately feel guilty.
"It is. I have a lot on my mind, which I believe is the point to our little get togethers."
"Drop the snark. I'm worried about you. Jon and Arya too. Mom sent me a very... detailed email about her suspicions. Suspicions that I admittedly found quite juicy and I immediately wanted to call and grill you and talk all about them, but I knew it was better to wait until we both could talk in person without the masks on."
Robb doesn't bother hiding the annoyance on his face. Leave it to his mother to try to turn Sansa against him. "I applaud your restraint. Mom loves to stick her nose in my business because everything I do also effects her job as mayor. So yeah, I got a thing for my nemesis, I'm sure the tabloids are going to go crazy the next time they snap a photo of me shamelessly flirting with him."
"You're sure he's not using you?" The concern was back in her tone and the thought made him nearly stumble over his feet. Every step he had taken to make sure Theon wasn't captured by the police had led to him to commit fewer crimes until eventually he accepted an invitation and did something good for the people of the city. None of that screamed manipulation to him, the only manipulating at play was the flirting banter and the touching of their hands together and if that was truly manipulation than he was just as guilty.
"I'm positive. I believe in him I truly think he just needs someone to see the good in him. He has it I have seen it... maybe since our first battle. The way he purposely doesn't attack people? All those waves of water that for some reason never quite drown anyone. He has such control over his powers that it has to be on purpose. He doesn't want to hurt people and that alone makes him different than the rest of his family."
He could see the wheels turning in Sansa's head, a mind that wasn't unlike their mother's. "Alright Robb. I trust you. If you truly believe-"
Robb could feel the drop in the temperature immediately thanks to his powers, and the sound of glass breaking and people screaming tipped him off that the villains were back in play for the spring season. The intense cackle that followed suit brought fear upon the civilians of Winterfell, but all it did was annoy him. Asha Greyjoy decided to finally come out of hiding, her own hydrokinetic powers on full display, cruel swirls of water jetting in and out of buildings as she cockily walked down the street, pirate-esque trench coat fluttering behind her. For a moment he was dreading seeing a second figure beside Asha, but after a few long moments of a steady and worried heartbeat in his ears the dread faded into relief. Theon wasn't working with his sister, at least not today.
She has more power behind her abilities than Theon, but she lacked his control. It was a fact Robb had picked up on after their third or fourth fight. Every move Theon made was intricate and precise, perhaps having to deal with his wishes to not harm anyone. Asha was all rage and dominance, it was her talent as well as her fatal flaw. She could be worn out easily.
Sansa and himself went into heroic civilian duty immediately, ushering people away from the fight. Neither of them could exactly sneak away to slip their costumes on nor could they risk using their powers openly with all the eyes surrounding them. They weren't worried though, they were calm and steady with their words to the people and in that calmness the white wolven beast erupted from the crowd, Needle upon his back, teeth and claws already swiping at Asha whilst Needle leaped around her, sword at the ready for their double assault. The chants of Needle and Ghost from the crowd sang down the street, Arya and Jon were on the job in record time.
He knew he wasn't going to be much help, so with a quick exchanged hug with Sansa he began leading a group of people away from the fight and towards the paramedics down the road. Sansa would no doubt stay close, she may not be able to help with the battle, but a few discreet hand gestures could create safe and invisible barriers for any civilization that may get caught in the crossfire. Robb couldn't rush off and become Grey Wind today, but he could help in the way that would only paint Mayor Stark as a good mother. The sweet son showing off his bravery by helping first responders with the damage control.
He wasn't going to admit that the praise was starting to make him sick.
Asha Greyjoy had gotten away, a quick appearance from her uncles had allowed an easy escape between the three, but with no casualties and minimal property damage the super heroics of two of his siblings had been a success, and yet Robb didn't exactly care at the moment. His mind was far too focused on the Greyjoy that wasn't present. In fact Theon hadn't left his thoughts for the remainder of the day, and when the moon was finally glowing its silver shine down on the city he finally took to his spandex, the tiresome hood pulled over his curls.
How many years now has he argued the retirement of the hood? Mayor Stark wouldn't allow it. Do you want them to connect the blue eyed curly red hared young men of the city? Think of your brothers Robb! They don't have powers. That usually shut his argument down immediately, he'd never want to endanger Bran or Rickon and even with the jab at Jon he wasn't going to argue with his mother longer than necessary. Even though Sansa didn't have an issue hiding her identity when her own red hair was constantly flowing behind her.
The Kraken's hideout wasn't hard to find, it changed a lot, but it was always by the docks and all it took was a few frosted windows for Theon to emerge onto the rooftops and wave him in with just a nod of his head. It was cute even if he meant it to come off as serious and villainy.
"Your friends failed to catch Asha. Pretty embarrassing. Bet you think it's because you weren't around to help." He jabs, throwing himself onto a plush sofa whilst Robb glanced around the surprisingly tidy hideout that looked more like a standard apartment.
"Something like that. Couldn't help but notice you weren't there beside her." He doesn't bother hiding the satisfaction in his tone, nor does he mask the grin that slides onto his face, a grin that only grows when Theon blushes.
"Asha is an idiot. Attacking the city during the day? That's a King's Landing thing. My next plot will be all nighttime."
"And here I thought my words at Christmas were finally getting to you." Robb teases, plopping down on the sofa beside his nemesis.
"As if. You're way too annoying and smug. Those are not good looks for a hero, Iceboy. Might want to reign it in before someone gets the wrong impression."
He ignored any and all deflections expertly. Theon wasn't winning this. "Not seeing you on my TV today just made me think of our little kisses in the igloo. When I watched you do all those cool things with your powers for the people. It made me proud, and today all three of your relatives were out and about doing villainy and yet you weren't. I'm not rewarding your one absence or anything, but I figured you deserved a kiss or two."
The blush was at Theon's ears now and his smug grin was as wide as ever.
"Get over yourself! Your mouth isn't some prize. I prefer money... from banks! Maybe even mayhem from flooding a shopping complex or the construction site for the new building the mayor greenlit this morning!"
The mention of his mother could have soured the mood, but Robb wasn't going to allow it, instead he was going to grasp at what little identity and freedom he had when dawning the spandex and with a tug of two fingers he pulls the hood down his head, short copper ringlets catching the light, smug smirk long gone in favor of a stare that he hoped captured how serious this moment was for him.
Theon responded in silence, a response Robb hadn't expected, there was actual surprise in the villain's gaze as he took in... everything? The red of his hair? The mask he was damn familiar with by now and the eyes beneath it? After a few seconds he was worried Theon hated his hair until finally he smiled in a satisfying manner once no insults were thrown his way.
"I always wondered if your hair was as red as the stubble on your jaw." It almost sounded like a joke, but the statement came out so sincere that Robb didn't know how to respond. He'd come to expect jokes and sarcasm with 95 percent of his interactions with Theon outside of the rare moments when Theon doesn't think he's watching him, such as the Christmas spectacle. Those soft moments were rare indeed, and were his prime evidence of the goodness that resided in the man he longed for.
"No jokes about me being a ginger?"
"No, but it does raise a new question. Does the carpet match the drapes?"
There it was, the humor was back and now it was his turn to blush, a scarlet hue that sadly didn't hide beneath the mask that only covered the skin around his eyes and eyebrows. It was infuriating that he came here to gauge if Theon was truly turning over a new leaf and instead he got veiled threats against the city and an innuendo that may or may not have sent jolts down his body and straight to his crotch. But everything Theon did made him fall harder and his growing disdain for the pressure he felt with his mother blended right in with his infatuation and longing and was it any surprise that he aggressively grabbed Theon by the collar of his shirt and kissed him as hard as he could?
It was all wandering hands and needy noises and the distinct sound of a zipper being pulled on his costume by his own hand while Theon watched with a look of absolute confusion. Of course he had to meet his teasing with some of his own... right? "Did you not want your question answered or not? Take off your damn clothes."
He fell even harder when Theon frantically began unbuttoning his pants, but before the villain could pull them past his calves the hero gently lifts his chin with a single digit. The trademark charming grin of Grey Wind returning in a glorious fashion. "My mask stays on, Squidy." Theon's equally flirtatious response is muted with a kiss and the distinct shove of his body down into the cushions of the sofa, Robb's shirtless form blanketing him once skin finally met skin.