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Chaos thinks it’s odd that he and the Freedom Pals are now trusted partners (from his transition from villainy to heroism), but he still doesn’t know Mysterion’s identity.
The majority of people would probably say ‘So what?’, right? To them, knowing it would be nothing compared to the identities he does know, quantity sake, ‘What more could you want?’. Still. It’s the mystery and want that pushed him. Although he knew most of their identities, they — at least to Chaos — were nothing compared to the riddle that was Mysterion and answers he sought from him.
But, of course, he kept the thought well under wraps, locked in his own subconscious.
When they first agreed to the partnership, their leader, Doctor Timothy, assured Chaos that he or the other members wouldn’t try to figure out his secret identity. And though he was convinced, he still couldn’t help but be at least a little paranoid. Anyone would be when the leader can literally read minds. But for the time being, he let the assurance sink in.
As the news spread, the other members were weary of him, and rightfully so, but they welcomed his alliance with open arms. And Chaos couldn’t ask for anything more. He knew he hadn’t exactly atoned for his sins as “the great” Professor Chaos but the partnership brought opportunity for a new era in his life, it was a sign that he was ready to change himself for the better.
He wanted to be better. And he’s slowly getting there. But damn do old habits die hard.
The former evil Chaos had a habit of investigating the people he would associate himself with. Finding out their identities, where they work, live, etc. He couldn’t be any more careful, especially in that line of “work” and the fact that he was one of the town's most infamous villains. Chaos couldn’t risk one of his associates suddenly stabbing him in the back, either figuratively or literally. What he can proudly say about that fact, however, is that never, never did he once use their identities or their home-life/relationships against them. For him, the information was merely to calm his suspicions and ease his mind. They could have a family and kids for all Chaos cared, just as long as they didn’t plan for betrayal.
Unfortunately the bad habit unconsciously sketched out his exact and entire plan for the Freedom Pals. Like stated, he would never use their identity against them. He only wanted to make sure that-.. well.. they wouldn’t betray him, they’re the good guys after all. Maybe he was just telling himself he was being careful of who he associated with, but it most likely stemmed from his own curiosity. For years as a villain, he’d sit around wondering just what kind of people the Freedom Pals were outside of their superhero personas, wondering if they were just as annoyingly heroic out of costume. But the thought wasn’t tainted with mal intent, only pure curiosity.
The plan was ready, Chaos opted to figure them out the good ol’ fashioned way. Stalking. Okay so maybe it wasn’t exactly stalking... It was more of.. taking what he remembers from their hero personas. Like for example, random details they’ve given about their personal lives or even their outward appearance (which was very limited in some instances). With that, he set out into their growing city of South Park with the knowledge. As Leopold Stotch he kept a keen eye out for the potential members.
The first members he figured out were those of Wonder Tweek and Super Craig. And he guessed they never even cared if anyone found out their secret identities, because their actual names are literally in their hero names! It wasn’t hard to find a blond guy named Tweek who loved coffee when he owned a coffee shop named Tweek’s coffee something. And Craig wasn’t far behind, working at said shop. They co-owned a coffee shop together. A lot of things made sense at that point.
Craig didn’t even try on his hero outfit. Merely sewing on an ‘S’ on a blue sweater he probably owned a million copies of, evident by the one he wore when customers walked in. One of those copies was given to Tweek just so he could sew on an ‘WT’ and put on a headband. It was sort of comical in a way. Just the way they didn’t put in the effort to conceal their identities, prompting them to just shrug it off as ‘if someone finds out, they find out’.
As Leo, he met them. And the experience was actually decent... He went to the shop and ordered. And being the cashier, Craig was as monotone as he is as Super Craig, giving Leo a small mandatory greeting. It was something along the lines of “Welcome to Tweek’s coffee, how can I help you?” or something. It was surreal standing in front of Super Craig as just Craig. And even more when Tweek handed him his order, him being the barista. Tweek gave him a soft smile with a small “Enjoy.”
Leo was pleasantly surprised. Wonder Tweek was bold and brazen, but, out of costume, proved to also be soft spoken and calm. And seeing them interact was added even more to the strange and surreal experience.
Wonder Tweek and Super Craig acted like lovers in and out of costume, as expected. It was sort of cute in a weird way. The way they smiled each-other behind the counter, reminiscent of the way they smiled at each-other out on the field. Them holding hands and grabbing each-other’s shoulders assuringly and even kissing. It was too much. Leo felt as if he was intruding. He left as soon as he was done. Swearing to himself that he would never interfere in their personal lives ever.
The rest of the members after them were a little trickier. The next one was Captain Diabetes. All he had to look out for was a guy with brown curly hair, with a lisp, and that made his whole personality around the fact that he had diabetes. Scott Malkinson did community service at the local church. Leo didn’t interact directly with him. He felt immensely guilty after the Tweek and Craig thing. After him came The Coon. Leo didn’t want to be rude, but all he had to look for was an overweight egotistical brunet. Leo did interact with him. Accidentally.
Leo bumped into him in the street. It was a total accident, but the way Eric Cartman yelled at him was unmistakable. He worked for some obscure insurance company. Then after that followed FastPass, Mosquito, and Toolshed. The reasons ranged from them either bragging that they’re a superhero or they weren’t careful with the way they spoke about hero work. Jimmy Valmer worked for the newspaper. Clyde Donovan was heir to some shoe company. And Stan Marsh worked part-time at an animal hospital.
Then there were the ones he couldn’t quite get. Tupperware, Call Girl, and Human Kite. (He kept Doctor Timothy off limits) They were careful with the way they spoke of their personal lives, their outward appearances were limited due to masks and helmets.
Out of his continued curious state, Chaos went into the files to see what was going on. Said files being the ones he was given access to — after being let into the base and allowed to use their technology — via the profile folder. It was a folder that all the Freedom Pals shared, and the name was quite literal. It simply has the names of each of the Freedom Pal members and their profiles. It steered clear of personal info or of the intricacies of how their individual powers worked, but it provided info of their strengths and weaknesses (or what they called ‘Kryptonite’ funnily enough) in the field of battle; other data was hidden beneath. Of course Chaos wasn’t in the folder or anything, but Doctor Timothy stated that he would be able to observe how they used the information to their advantage. It also was probably the ultimate show of trust on his part.
He wasn’t going to try anything, merely doing a surface sweep of the info.
The hidden data surrounding Tupperware’s info was encrypted, even his base level info was vague. Chaos’ simple signal interrupters and rewiring skills wouldn’t have been able to crack that. The same goes for Call Girl’s and Human Kite’s. All the encryptions were made differently, as if each one of them went and made the code themselves. They must be the most tech savvy of the bunch. Not that the other members weren’t securely protected by Freedom Pals default codes, it’s just that they weren't as complex as the ones who made the encryptions themselves. If Chaos wasn’t a good guy he’d have a field day trying to crack everyone’s codes. But they trusted him to have access to the profile folder in the first place, and he wasn’t going to break it for some deep rooted curiosity.
So he gave up on them. But what caught his eye was Mysterion, the one and only, didn’t even have anything in the folder. The only thing being his name, everything else was left blank. Chaos offhandedly asked Doctor Timothy about it one day. Doctor Timothy simply told him that Mysterion chose not to have any of his data or info in the system at all, even saying that none of the other members knew his identity. That blew Chaos’ mind. “Can’t you read minds? You know who he is, don't you?” he asked. Timothy nodded solemnly stating “He trusted me enough to even let me into his mind.” whatever the hell that meant.
He still wondered about how no one else knew him. Chaos figured at least some of the members knew each-other personally. Call Girl, Toolshed, and even Human Kite talked closely and with familiarity, as if they’re all old friends. The same with Mosquito, Super Craig, and FastPass. Even Human Kite and The Coon bickered back and forth.
But…
No one knew Mysterion?
Mysterion was a loner, sure. Only going to meetings when necessary and/or mandatory. Doing missions that he wants to do and doing them alone. Though, the other members spoke fondly of him, saying things like: “He’s kind of like an older brother” or “He’s mysterious, but obviously it adds to his whole character”, of course they knew nothing personal. The most being what he had for lunch that day. Chaos again tried to ignore the deep and cutting feeling.
Mysterion was allowed to shroud himself in secrecy. But. Every time Chaos saw him, it gnawed at his brain. With time, he grew more and more restless, the thought having broken out of the chains of his subconscious.
Chaos didn’t see him a lot. Not as much as he used to, and not as much as he wanted to. When he was a villain, he and Mysterion were basically having battles every-other-day. So by that logic Chaos felt he should at least get to know the identity of the man he’s been fighting for years. And out of respect, he knew it would only be fair for him if he also knew Chaos’ identity.
He knew there was a part of him that was willing to give up that information, if the exchange were ever to occur. Leopold Stotch would be at the mercy of Mysterion.
That would be an honor, considering that even Chaos’ old partner in crime, General Disarray, didn't even know his identity. Of course the General respected it. As Chaos respected his. But what he didn’t respect was Chaos’ decision to become a good guy and partner with the Freedom Pals. He didn’t understand, he always found villainy to be quite entertaining, never getting tired of doing the same thing over and over. And he tried to reason “They would never see you as a hero.” “They would never trust you.” then there was the denial stage “You’re just joining them to gain intel right? You’re joining just so you can stab them in the back?” Chaos assured he would never stab them in the back, and that he would never return to villainy.
“Just in case you do, I’ll be waiting, boss.” That was the last thing he said to Chaos. Having had the last word, Chaos told the General to not bother waiting, that he could finally do whatever he wanted with his life. Maybe even reform like him.
Being good paid off. Chaos figured. Morally and (his favorite part) financially. Did anyone know they get paid to do this? He certainly didn’t. It was almost like a part-time job. When he was a villain he assumed they were chumps who did good for nothing in return. Turned out they truly are just people doing good just because, and they get paid. They don’t get paid to do good, they just do. But obviously the leader thought they should at least get something for their time.
Although Chaos felt more sure about his decision and his stance in it all, there was still a sick part of his brain. The selfish part. Even if it was now the size of a peanut, he selfishly hoped that Mysterion would want to be acquaintances (or even friends) if he became good. Close was never close enough; it was almost greedy. But, he knew Mysterion better than that, and though a tiny part of him would have liked to believe it, it seemed to have the opposite effect either way. Whenever Chaos was at base for a meeting, Mysterion walked in and immediately walked out upon noticing Chaos’ presence. It bummed him out, for obvious reasons. Doctor Timothy assured that he does that to everyone. But Chaos wasn’t so sure.
The conversation from that day still echoed endlessly through his head. Even now, a few days later.
With the night wind pushing a nice breeze through him. His dark green cape flowing behind him as he stood around the edge of a rooftop watching the streets below. His metal helmet and gloves illuminated by the moon. Chaos always liked nights like these, where it was quiet, there was a slight breeze, and of course accompanied by a full moon above. Chaos liked it when it was either bright white or yellow, thinly blanketed by grey clouds on an otherwise clear night. It was peaceful. He found himself closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in.
For some nights Doctor Timothy recommended going out to patrol, something about making sure the streets were safe at night and putting out a good name for himself if he did find trouble. He also mentioned that Mysterion was the only other hero that did night patrol, everyone else was asleep working as day heroes. Chaos did always make schemes at night, and Mysterion always fought him at night, so he figured.
“There’s- no rising signs- of trouble tonight.” the walkie-talkie on Chaos’ belt garbled. It was the voice of Tupperware signing off for the night talking with Doctor Timothy. It should be made clear that they didn’t give Chaos access to this channel. He hacked their coms — but obviously not with malicious intent! He just wanted to make sure everything was fine, and for them to tell him it was and not lie about it. He did a particularly shitty job with interrupting this one’s signal, afraid that they might find out and get mad at him, possibly distrusting him again. But at least it worked!
“Excellent- One- final thing-” the radio began to static. Chaos hit it with his palm to make it work, wanting to hear what he was going to say next. “Have you got Mysterion’s location?” asked Doctor Timothy. His voice much clearer. Chaos sighed relieved but also perked up with interest. Mysterion’s location. Wait.. They put trackers on everyone? “Nah. He’s off-grid again. I’m sure he’s fine, he’ll come online when he feels necessary.” Tupperware answered smoothly, as if they’d dealt with the situation before. Chaos still wondered about the trackers.
“Good. Have you also got intel on Professor Chaos? He informed me he was going to be patrolling tonight.” Chaos stiffened and listened closer at the sound of his own name. “I mean.. There’s no reports. And since you didn’t let me put a tracker on him, we can’t tell exactly where he is. We’ll just have to trust he’s a man of his word.” Chaos listened, stunned. He was going to put a tracker on me.. but Doctor Timothy stopped him? He trusts me that much?? “Oh he is. Anyways, that was all. Have a good night, Tupperware.” “Yeah you too, Doc. See you tomorrow.”
The transmission ended. Chaos smiled “Wow.. They trust me..” It felt good to have someone trust him for once. And he would never break it, he thought determined. Chaos jumped over to the next building, having stood in one spot for too long. And true to Tupperware’s word, it was a silent night, no trouble in sight.
Going from building to building, he watched the street lamps below flicker a dim yellow, with moths and bugs swirling around the light source. The only noises being of cars rarely driving by, his soft breathing, and the sound of his cape flowing behind him. Chaos would travel on the sidewalk instead, but he realized that rooftops are way faster and more efficient (having learned that from Mysterion). He looked up at the rest of the rooftops, they spread across town to the tall mountain surrounding them and the horizon.
The buildings all wove into a maze of sorts all surrounding their park and mayor's office. In the distance, Chaos caught a glimpse of a dimly lit billboard displaying ‘U-Stor-It’. He smiled a bit with the familiarity, but then frowned at the unpleasant things he’s planned and brought to fruition there. Yet it was a nice feeling, seeing such a familiar place with a different mind set. Without a second thought, Chaos began jumping from roof to roof heading to the storage facility. It wouldn’t hurt to look at his old container, plus who knows what others could be doing there. Chaos definitely wasn’t the only villain to think of renting a container to plan his schemes.
The closer he got to the place, the darker the town became, with less and less street lamps to light the sidewalk and alleyways. He sped up. But then something made him screech to a halt, literally, the momentum sent him falling to his face. His face was protected by his helmet, but it still hurt. Chaos slightly groaned and sat up rubbing the exposed part of his head, he looked at the thing that made him halt.
Just a few buildings ahead was a strange black mass atop and on the edge of the roof. Chaos began to sweat. What if it was a villain? Or some weirdo who liked sitting on the roof? How was he going to deal with that? Is he going to tell them: “Excuse me, sir. You can’t be out here at night, on the roof especially, it’s dangerous.” Who is Chaos to tell them what they can and can’t do? He doesn’t even have the authority to just tell them to go away for the night.
Chaos bit his lip in consideration. He could hold off on checking the place out for the night and turn around. Or he could see what the strange person is up to and to see if they’re alright. It was clearly the correct thing to do. Even if it did turn out to be a villain, Chaos was perfectly capable of defending himself. So with that, he pressed forward. Albeit more quietly this time.
His breath caught in his throat. When he got closer, the mass became a familiar silhouette. The cape, the small question mark on his head that Chaos has flicked playfully so many times. Mysterion. His insides started twisting with excitement and confusion. Chaos continued forward. He wanted to see if Mysterion was willing to talk. Maybe he didn’t want to before because they weren’t alone. And it’s not everyday Chaos got an opportunity like this. It’s the first time they’re going to talk as… ex-rivals/enemies..? It was exciting.
Am I really going to sneak up on the one who calls himself the shadows? It was sort of humorous. This time Chaos was the one sneaking up on him. Chaos silently landed on the roof that Mysterion has perched himself on, as he creeped behind him he wondered. Why is Mysterion here in the first place? It’s a weird coincidence-“I know you’re there.” his deep gravelly voice spoke up into the night. Chaos froze, panicking a bit. He knows it’s me?! As in me?! He stood still, stunned. Mysterion got up from his crouch position, his back still turned to him. His dark cape flowed in the wind much like Chaos’.
Although Chaos’ mind swirled with anticipation and slight fear, he couldn’t help but admire the man in front of him. Seeing Mysterion in daylight was a treat, sure, but nothing could ever beat him being shrouded by shadow. The way he intended. The light from the billboard softly illuminated the green and purple of his costume, darkness radiated. There was just something so scary yet alluring about him.
Mysterion slowly turned, his supernatural violet eyes caught Chaos’ own ice blue. That’s when Mysterion immediately flinched into a defensive pose “Chaos..” he said, the slightest sliver of genuine surprise can be found in his tone. Chaos gulped, taking a step back, putting his hands up as if surrendering. “Y-Yeah.” he squeaked, eyes widening, not expecting the immediate jump to defensiveness. Clearing his throat, he continued in a sort of panicked voice “I-I just saw you from the dis-distance-“ God, why was he stuttering so much?! He only stuttered like this when he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. It seemed like it stuck from when he was a kid. The fact didn’t make it any less mortifyingly embarrassing.
Mysterion stared, his wide gaze filled with apprehension and hatred. “- And I-I was just wondering what you were.. doing…” he managed to let out. Remind me to never talk again. Mysterion simply stared, his lip twisted “None of your business.” he turned his back to Chaos, looking back at the storage facility. Chaos relaxed a bit at those glaring eyes no longer being on him, the tension lowering, he slowly let out a breath “W-Well I was just patrolling and Doctor Timothy mentioned you’d be out patrolling, too.. But what are you doing here?”, he provoked. At the place that I was going to check out. He just had to ask.
Mysterion didn’t say anything, nor did he move. Chaos waited for a reply, but it never came. It was really awkward. It was never awkward when Chaos was a villain. Mysterion would let Chaos ramble on and on about his own genius and how evil his plan was going to be. He filled their silence with evil cackling and witty insults of Mysterion’s character and ability (meaning none of it in the process). Mysterion would always tell him to shut up or that he wouldn’t get away with whatever he planned, swiftly shooting back insults. Chaos was happy with the way they talked.
But now it was just different. Chaos couldn’t talk to Mysterion like he was an old friend, because even if he used to, they were never friends. Chaos’ thing was greeting him with a smile and familiar tone, Mysterion hated it. That was the fun of it. Now, if he greeted Mysterion like a friend — as if he’d even have the guts to — no doubt he’d probably blow up on him. “Why are you still here?” Mysterion asked, his voice laced with annoyance. Chaos flinched at the sudden talking pulling him from his thoughts “Well.. I was waiting for you to answer-” “Look,” Mysterion interrupted.
His movements so fast Chaos couldn’t keep up. Mysterion turned to him and started walking towards him, Chaos took a couple steps back as Mysterion inched closer. “I don’t care that you’re all buddy-buddy with the Freedom Pals now, I don’t. I don’t care that you’re some ‘reformed’ villain. And I don’t care that they trust you.” he poked a finger at Chaos’ chest “Because no matter what you do or say, I’ll never trust you like they do.” Chaos couldn’t do anything but stare wide-eyed, stare at the way Mysterion’s violet eyes flared and burned intensely with so much.. hatred. “So leave.”
Even though every word felt like a stab in the chest, his mask remained intact. Chaos’ eyebrows furrowed “Er- No?” he slightly huffed. Even if Chaos lovedadmired and respected Mysterion, he couldn’t just tell him to leave. His attitude was reminiscent of his villain days, bouncing off of Mysterion’s serious attitude. Mysterion even reacted the same way he used to, seeming even further annoyed. He huffed, walking back to the edge of the roof. Maybe because he knew he couldn’t be violent with Chaos without getting in trouble with the Freedom Pals; Chaos would love to know the fact, he was stuck expecting violence at any moment with him. “I just wanted to talk..” Chaos said, fiddling with his fingers out of personal habit. “Plus, you still haven’t answered my question from before.”
Mysterion grumbled something to himself, reaching to his side for.. something? Chaos guessed. “Because it’s still none of your business.” his voice rose a bit, he still kept his back to him. Chaos walked closer, making sure to take small steps. Just in case Mysterion suddenly wanted to try something. “Well..” Chaos started. By the way Mysterion flinched, he definitely didn't expect Chaos to get closer. “Can you at least admit that you’re patrolling like I am?” it really was the least he could do. Mysterion huffed again, this time sounding more amused “As if I’d lump myself in with you.”
Chaos felt a familiar frustration creeping up. As stubborn as always. Chaos crouched next to him, just so Mysterion would at least look at him, or so that he could look at Mysterion, he wasn’t sure which one. “Well then, I'm going to take that as a yes.. And I’m still waiting for an answer.” Chaos looked at the upturned curve of Mysterion’s nose and the shape of his lips. “..It’s just weird, because I was planning to watch this place, too.” almost a lie, he was possibly planning on breaking in. Mysterion’s lips curled to a scowl, displeased by a certain thought “Just admit you were following me.” he avoided the question yet again.
Chaos gasped dramatically “What?! How dare you assume my whole life revolves around you, you- narcissist! I was just being a good guy and patrolling, and since this place gave me nostalgia I wanted to check it out.” Mysterion finally looked at him, his eyes challenging and gleaming with something “I thought you said you saw me and came over to see what I was doing.” Chaos stared back, momentarially mesmerized by his eyes. Can you blame him?! They’re fucking purple! What’s not cool and mesmerizing about that!? Chaos huffed “Yeah I did.” he looked away, back at the chain link fence surrounding the facility. “But I really did just want to come here to see it, you just happened to be here. Speaking of which..”
He looked back at Mysterion. Only to see he was still staring at him, Chaos tried not to flush or freak out over the insane amount of non-hostile staring. “..Why?” Mysterion looked away “Same reason..” he reluctantly muttered out, resting his chin on his arm which sat on his knee. Chaos almost didn’t catch that. What?? He was feeling nostalgic too?! “You-” he got interrupted by a static noise on his waist.
“Mysterion’s location updated.” The voice of Tupperware stated. Chaos and Mysterion froze. Isn’t he supposed to be asleep?! Chaos thought, panicked. He looked between his belt and Mysterion. Mysterion’s eyes burned with returning hatred. Chaos immediately jumped away from the ledge and Mysterion just as he was going to grab him. He fell on his butt and then dragged himself backwards using his legs, his hands holding him up as support. Mysterion got up, stomping towards him. “I should have known.”
Chaos finds himself against the building’s AC system. Mysterion cornered him “You hacked the channel.” he crouched to eye level “And have been secretly listening to Tupperware and Doctor Timothy the whole time. I should have known you haven’t changed.” Chaos’ eyes widened panicked “I have! L-Look! I can explain!” Mysterion pushed him against the AC so he had no chance of escaping “Go ahead.”
Chaos gulped. He wouldn’t understand! “O-Okay! Look. I just hacked into the channel just to make sure everything was fine!” Mysterion’s grip tightened on Chaos’ shoulder “They’ll tell you if everything is fine.” Chaos looked down “It’s not that simple! You wouldn’t get it.. I know they’ll tell me everything's fine, but I don’t want them to lie to me. I want them to be able to rely on me to be there if everything is not fine..” Chaos’ own explanation didn’t even make any sense to himself. But there was no other way he could have put it into words.
Mysterion’s grip slightly loosened “That doesn’t justify you hacking into the channel. What else have you found out?” returned the tight grip. Chaos started sweating bullets “N-Nothing!” he was afraid of what Mysterion might do if he found out, it could have been anything at this point. “Bullshit.” he grabbed the collar of Chaos’ shirt so he’d look him in the eyes “You know their identities, don’t you.” his eyes bored holes through Chaos’.
Even now, after everything, Mysterion still managed to read him like an open book.
Keeping eye contact, Chaos squirmed lowering, as if he could melt into the roof. He feels his stomach twisting with word vomit, or maybe actual vomit “Okay! Fine! Let me be clear, Tweek and Craig were asking for it!” Mysterion let go of him. Chaos’ head thunked against the AC, he winced in slight pain. Mysterion turned “I knew it.” he began to walk away. Chaos panicked, losing control “Wait!” he grabbed Mysterion’s cape before he got out of reach and left him. Mysterion actually waited. “I just wanted to know who I was associating with, you know!? For all I know, any of them could have been villains!” Mysterion turned to him, his face left unconvinced of the fake and desperate explanation.
“I would never hurt them! I swear!” Mysterion suddenly pulled Chaos up by his arm. Chaos crashed into his chest from the momentum “If I ever find out you did hurt them in any way, I’ll make your life a living hell.” Chaos backed up, quickly nodding “I won’t ever hurt them. I won’t ever hurt any of them.” Mysterion looked away from him, looking at the city stretched out in front of him “..Who else do you know?”
Chaos gulped and stood still behind him, he rubbed his knuckles together. “Captain Diabetes.. The Coon.. FastPass.. Mosquito.. Toolshed..” Mysterion ran a hand down his face “That’s way more than I’m comfortable with.” He looked at Chaos “Let me guess. You’re trying to figure out who I am.” he sneered, letting the bitter amusement be clear in his tone. As if a switch flipped, Chaos’ nervous demeanor melted away as he smirked. His control having slipped away in an instant. “Was I too obvious?”
Mysterion’s eyes narrowed “Painfully.”
Chaos groaned “It wouldn’t hurt to know.” “It would actually.” Mysterion glowered. Chaos tapped his foot “Well what do you want for it? I can tell you mine! Then we’ll know each-other’s!” Mysterion looked horrified at the idea “You’re willing to give up your identity to me..?” he sounded genuinely appalled. “Sure! My real name is-” Mysterion quickly covered his mouth. He looked at Chaos furiously “Don’t ever give up your identity. Not even to me, not to anyone. I can’t believe you actually thought that we’d exchange names as if we were.. friends.” the word was spit out, as if it was sour “It’s pathetic. Don’t ever tell me your name; because I don’t care for it.” he hissed, turning away.
Chaos didn’t stop him. Because he himself couldn’t believe he was about to say it, too. It was in the heat of the moment! He became way too unpredictable just then, and he hated that. How control of himself and his words got lost so easily in the hands of the man walking away from him.
The churning feeling of fear twists in his stomach at the thought of Mysterion knowing Leopold, yet it twisted more at another thought, and it felt good.
Chaos, in a dazed state, watched him jump off the side of the roof. Snapping out of it, he ran over to the edge to see Mysterion walking down the alleyway away from the U-Stor-It. He sighed relieved, then bit the inside of his lip. He wanted to keep following Mysterion, he wanted to help him if the time ever came; completely forgetting his original plan for the night. Plus he left their atmosphere off super awkwardly, Mysterion was totally going to avoid him like the plague and he’ll probably never see him again.
Chaos used the gutter to slide down the alleyway “Wait!” he yelled, watching Mysterion disappear around a corner. Turning the corner, he bumped into his back. “Why are you following me?” Mysterion asked, exasperated. Chaos walked beside him “Because I made things awkward and I’m sorry. I won’t tell you who I am.” Mysterion grunted “Okay. You’re sorry. That doesn’t mean you have to follow me.” he walked faster. Chaos sped up with him “Well if I’m being frank with you, I’d just like to get to know you a bit better.” Mysterion actually huffed a laugh “As if I’d let you.”
Chaos felt himself snap for a moment at the blatant insensitivity and attitude being used with him (he couldn’t tell if he deserved it). “It was just a thought. You don’t have to be an- an asshole about it. I just figured it would be nice to get to know ya a bit better since, oh I don’t know, we’re not sworn enemies anymore and every word won’t lead to violence.” his lip jutted out as he crossed his arms. One of Mysterion’s flaws was his stubbornness. He’s stubborn to a fault. And it was honestly getting annoying, especially under these circumstances. Mysterion got quiet. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but then a scream filled the city. It bounced off of the brick walls and pounded in Chaos’ eardrums.
Without hesitation, Mysterion ran towards the screaming, his cape violently thrashing behind him at his speed and sharp moments. Chaos quickly followed behind. Adrenaline quickly pumped throughout his whole body, his hands started sparking with yellow electricity, Chaos couldn’t control it. And as if he would wipe electricity, he tried to wipe it off on his pants. Mysterion made his way to an alleyway in a secluded part of town. There were barely any lights around, there was junk and trash everywhere. Chaos didn’t even get to see what happened, all he saw was Mysterion punch the shit out of someone and a woman crying face down on the floor.
Chaos ran to the scene just as a second guy came out of the shadows trying to corner Mysterion. As the guy was about to connect his fist with the back of Mysterion’s head, Chaos caught the guy's wrist glaring at him murderously “I don’t think so.” he said in a dark tone. He twisted the guy’s arm around with a crack, the guy screamed and retaliated by punching Chaos in the stomach with his other hand. With a small grunt Chaos let him go and punched back.
For a moment Chaos forgot that he was fighting these dudes with Mysterion. For that moment he was just neutralizing evil, being a… hero. His fists crackled with power, it overflowed and he had to release it (should there be consequences). So he took hold of the man’s shoulders and electrocuted the guy to a comatose state. He knows it wasn’t really fair to use his powers in a fist fight, but since when do men like him deserve a fair fight when they themselves were in an unfair battle just moments before. Just as Chaos beat the guy, Mysterion threw the other one's unconscious body on top of the first one. They both were heavily breathing at that point. Chaos’ power diminished, leaving remnants of light smoke to rise into the air.
The woman who seemed to be in shock looked up to see who saved her. She screamed again “Mysterion!” she wobbly got up, backing away “Please.. don’t hurt me..” Chaos frowned a bit. Mysterion didn’t hurt innocent people. But he was notorious for his rough and vulgar way of defeating bad guys and villains, leaving them almost unrecognizable to the police. Mysterion himself just sighed as if he was used to it. The woman looked over at Chaos, and screamed in terror once again “Professor Chaos?! And Mysterion!? This can’t be happening!” She started running the other way.
Chaos huffed. He’d expected people to act like that if they saw him. “Wait! Your purse!” Mysterion yelled out to her, holding her red leather purse that he picked up off the ground. She quickly came back and snatched the purse before running again. Impressively in high heels of all shoes. Mysterion simply turned and began walking down the street again. Chaos gaped “Uh? What about them??” he frantically gestured to the alley with the bodies. Mysterion kept walking “What about them?” he responded flatly. Chaos ran up to catch up to him “We’re just going to leave them there??”
Mysterion groaned looking at Chaos “First, there’s no ‘we’. Second, that woman will most likely call the cops. So they’re dealt with.” Chaos puffed looking down the street “Fine.” he’d almost forgotten about what they were talking about before. Maybe Mysterion was hoping he’d forgotten. “Do you mind if I ask you something?” Chaos asked, a little more timid sounding than he would have liked. “Yes.” He ignored that. “Okay so.. what’s your favorite color?” he figured he was going to have to get to know him one way or another. His first entry point into Mysterion being a simple and childish question with no true meaning or other intentions behind it.
Mysterion blinked confused at him “Uh- What?” he asked. So Chaos repeated “What’s your favorite color?” the silence continued. Chaos is pretty sure it consisted of Mysterion trying to figure out if he was serious or not and wondering ‘what the hell is up with the weird ass question’. “Why would you ask me that? Why do you need to know that?” Chaos hummed, growing increasingly amused at the tone used, he gained a small skip in his step “So what I’m hearing is that you don’t have a favorite color. Am I hearing correctly?”
“You- What- No. Look, I’m not going to answer any questions from you. It’s obvious you’re trying to gain info on me.” The confusion and defensive tone was definitely a spectacle. Chaos hummed again “Maybe I am.” he lightly shrugged in a way that infuriated Mysterion. “But in what world would I be able to figure out your secret identity simply by knowing your favorite color.” He tapped a finger to his chin “Unless I was right, and you don’t have a favorite color and you just said that so you wouldn’t have to answer.” “-You’re very annoying.” “-I know.” Mysterion puffed a breath, he begrudgingly mumbled “..Orange.” gazing up at the sky.
Chaos was fairly shocked he actually answered. Also.. orange? He’d expected green and purple. Maybe even black. But “Orange??” Chaos gawked. “I answered your question. So shut up already.” Mysterion replied, irritated. “Okay, okay. But.. wow. Orange. You know, weirdly enough..” He let a small smile etch across his face “..I think it suits you.” In some strange way. Maybe outside of the costume Mysterion was a cheerful guy. But honestly, imagining anything other than dark and quiet was a foreign (and sort of silly) concept. Mysterion got quiet at that comment. “I know you didn’t ask, but my favorite color is blue.”
Mysterion huffed “Clearly.” he said with his eyes scanning Chaos’ outfit. He didn’t know if he should be offended or not. “Yeah. But not like regular blue, more of like, a sky blue or.. a super light blue.” Mysterion hummed “Like your eyes, maybe.” he mused. Chaos nodded “Yeah like-” Wait. Mysterion has paid attention to his eye color?? He… He looked long enough to see what color it was and memorized it? Chaos coughed into his fist, feeling a flush creeping up on his face “Yeah, like that. A-Anyways.. If you had to choose between the numbers eight or three, what would you choose?”
Mysterion looked utterly baffled. The silence stretched as if he was trying to find some deeper meaning behind the question. But there truly wasn’t. The questions are made to make you think there was more to it. Realistically speaking, what would he even do with this info anyways? “Eight, I guess..?” Chaos hummed in intrigue. “Why eight?” Mysterion huffed “I don’t know..? Eight looks like an infinity symbol sideways.” Chaos smirked playfully “And what does a three look like sideways?”
Mysterion rolled his eyes “Next question.” He’s actually willing to answer questions‽ Chaos’ chest bubbled with excitement. He kept his cool “Okay. Would you rather die or have someone you love killed?” Chaos was asked that question an unfortunate amount of times when he was younger, of course he’d rather die than live with the guilt. He was curious to see what Mysterion would say. “Die.” he answered without hesitation. Chaos knew he would.
The answer reminded him of an old rumor spread about Mysterion a few years ago, something about his true power being immortality and not enhanced abilities (as if anything could be confirmed anyways). As cool as it sounded, there obviously wasn’t any proof to the rumor. So over time the rumor became nothing but a tall-tale. Chaos hadn’t thought of it in a long time. The conversation brought the memory forward, but it lacked relevance, so he ignored it, continuing. “What do you think the meaning of life is?” Maybe he can send Mysterion into an existential spiral. Chaos himself doesn’t know the answer, and he doesn’t care to know it either. “Everyone finds different answers to that question. There’s no true answer, not one that I can give, at least.”
Chaos smiled, satisfied by the answer given. “Ah~ So profound. Let me guess, you write poetry?” he teased, his smirk returning. Mysterion lightly shook his head unamused and gestured his hand forward, bidding Chaos to continue. “What made you decide to become a hero?” Mysterion didn’t answer for a while, he then crossed his arms “I’m not going to answer anything personal. If anything, I should be asking you this question.”
Chaos paused for a moment, seeing no point in avoiding it. “..I guess I was tired of being the bad guy..” That was one way to put it. Mysterion narrowed his eyes at Chaos unconvinced “Are you lying?” Chaos looked at him seriously “I could never lie to you, Mysterion.” he could try and fail, however. Mysterion looked away first “I… I just don’t understand. Why the sudden change of heart? What made you suddenly grow tired of it?” Chaos sighed. “It’s not easy to explain, but trust me, it wasn’t sudden. I’ve felt that way for a while, I just never really entertained the thought until recently, I guess.”
Mysterion didn’t say anything else. Chaos figured he’d continue “What would you do if you found out my identity?” maybe he cut it close with that one. Mysterion already seemed apprehensive at the thought of even knowing Chaos’ identity, and now he looked at Chaos with the same alarmed look he gave him earlier. “It’s purely hypothetical. In the hypothetical, I'm not the one who told you it, but you found out somehow. What would you do?” Mysterion looked down the street, maybe in deliberation.
“I don’t know, honestly. What would I do?” the last part being directed to himself. Chaos doesn’t know what he expected, possibly for Mysterion to say something like: “I’d arrest you for your crimes on the spot.” but he didn’t. It seemed like he was seriously considering the question. In reality, what would he do if he ever met Leopold Stotch?
“I don’t know,” he repeated, sounding more sure. “What did you want me to say?” he asked Chaos now. Chaos stared “I don’t know either.. Maybe just some dumb part of me thought you’d want to talk to me, considering maybe you’d be out of costume too. And we’d chat like...” Friends. It goes unsaid. He trailed off. “Maybe.” Mysterion stated after a long pause. Chaos looked over confused. “Maybe.. I’d want to talk to you. But only if I didn’t know who you were.” Chaos smiled a bit, touching a hand to his chest “Really?”
“I said maybe.” Mysterion quickly added, a bit defensively. Chaos smiled warmly to himself, looking down at his boots “You know what I would do if I found out who you were?” Mysterion quickly and silently looked over interested. “I’d do nothing.”
He smiled bitterly “It would be the same situation as the other members. I would see you out of costume and revel at how crazy it is. Then I’d feel so guilty for even looking at your face.. Like for them, I felt as if I was an intruder, breaking into their lives and they didn’t even know it. I’d hate to do that to you.” he chuckled humorlessly.
Mysterion sighed “You know.. your optimism reminds me of someone.” he suddenly changed the heavy subject. Chaos tensed a bit, their tranquil mood shattered. What? It was a strange comment, considering the last thing he said conveyed the exact opposite. There’s no way they’ve already met out of costume right..?
He knew exactly the type of person he’d crafted Leopold Stotch to be, after all.
Was Chaos mixing the two up in his head? Behaving one way, when he was supposed to be acting another?
He internally shook his head. No. He was just being paranoid with the thought, he told himself. “Is that so?”
Mysterion simply shrugged “Yeah. But it doesn't matter.” Chaos gulped “What if it does?” Mysterion shook his head “It really doesn’t; I was just thinking out loud. And if you’re afraid I know who you are, you’re mistaken. I’ve never met anyone like you. And I mean that in a bad way.” he added as if he read Chaos’ mind. Gee, what a way to reassure me. He deflated “Yeah. I figured since obviously, I've never met anyone like you either.” Mysterion looked away, “That’s a good thing.”
Chaos stopped walking, looking down at the floor before looking back up at Mysterion “Is it bad that I want to meet the real you?” Mysterion turned and stared back, his eyes always scorching with such intensity, making Chaos’ knees feel like jelly. “Maybe.”
“Do you want to meet the real me?”
“Maybe.”
So difficult. Chaos whined “So then what do we do?” he waved his hands around as if it enunciated his words, he said ‘we’. Mysterion didn’t correct him this time.
Mysterion’s lip twitched “Nothing. Anything outside of, whatever this is, won’t go anywhere.” the hope that bloomed in Chaos’ chest was quickly fizzled out by the weight of the words. The hope being that Mysterion in fact admitted to there being.. something between them. (Neither of them had a clue to what it was.) But he was right, no matter which way Chaos looked at it… He sighed, trying not to let the tone of deep disappointment be clear. “It‘s probably for the best, isn’t it?” Even if his heart yearned to know, to have all of his questions answered. “Yeah.” Mysterion replied in the same sigh as well.
Chaos looked at the sky, morosely. It gleamed in twilight. The sun will rise soon. That meant the end of his night with Mysterion. “Am I going to see you again after this?” he turned to look at Mysterion, but staggered to see he was already gone like the wind.
Chaos’ heart ached. He’s afraid that what has been said in the night will be lost in the night, with only the bright moon above to have witnessed it.