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They were running along the rooftops of New Fork city, the wind whipping past them and the cold nipping at their jaw and cheeks, left exposed from under the mask and already dusted a faint pink. Their clothes billowed in the early morning air as they took a leap across to the next building, feeling their adrenaline spike as that sense of weightlessness that only ever lasts a second in the air overcame them, before gravity pulled them back down onto the gravel roof.
Doing this was dangerous, for so many different reasons, and Cole is sure that if anyone in their private life knew what they did under the cover of night they would probably never let them out of their sight again. But even though they knew their loved ones would be worried sick if they ever found out, they just couldn't bring themself to stop. This feeling, that weightlessness in their stomach, the freedom of it all, being able to help those in need; it was all worth it. Being a vigilante was more than worth all the risks and broken bones, the bruises and cuts, the close calls. It was worth it.
Although they couldn't really bask in all of that right now, their focus trained solely on getting back home before she did.
Because while Cole didn't live with their parents anymore, they did have a roommate. And they know that Lisa would be pissed if they came home this late again, and an angry Lisa is not something Cole particularly wants to deal with tonight.
Or, rather, morning? Oh, my sleep schedule is so fucked up.
Due to the nature of their... extracurricular activities, they were out almost every single night, running around and stopping crime, having to avoid the police who were not the biggest fans of this behaviour, but they hadn't managed to stop them yet! Although running for your life almost every single night, whether it be from armed criminals or cops with a vendetta (seriously, what is up with that one guy?), it messed you up in more ways than one.
Fucking up your sleep schedule was one of those ways. Luckily Cole only worked afternoons nowadays, so they got all the sleep they needed, even if it did still give them the darkest eye bags imaginable. It had been an actual nightmare back when they were working three part time jobs and could still barely afford rent. Or better yet, back when they had still been in highschool! Having to show up to classes and actually pay attention while practically dead on their feet, every bone in their body screaming with exhaustion, had not been fun! Every single day they are thankful for not having to deal with that hell anymore. They've been doing this vigilante business for a few years now, Blackout had practically become a household name amongst the locals at this point, and yet they would still point to their highschool years as the most exhausting time of their life.
Which is entirely their own fault, going out like this while still a kid, barely fifteen, with a very loose grasp on their power, still sparking and cropping up at the most inopportune times.
It sometimes still did that, but now they had much finer control over it, more experience, and much more trust in themself.
They continued their running, going as fast as they could, jumping from building to building, going on the ground where they couldn't go above, sprinting as though their life depended on it. It might as well have. They garnered a few strange looks that way from the people going about their day, walking to and from work, the world slowly waking up around them. To those people they probably looked like nothing more than a black and yellow blur, zipping past, but they paid it all no mind. They only had a few more blocks left until they reached their shared apartment, and only about five more minutes to get there.
But something stopped them in their tracks.
During that moment of weightlessness, while jumping between one roof and the next, they heard something from down below. A sound, almost like a pained gasp, something shocked and hurt, and then a thud barely a second later.
They considered ignoring it; Lisa was definitely going to kill them when she came back from her night shift only to find an empty apartment again.
But they are a vigilante for a reason. And that's worth a hundred lectures.
As soon as they landed on the other side they turned around, looking down into the alley beneath their feet, their mask just barely peeking over the edge of the building. Down in the grimey crevice of the city, fallen to the ground and looking up at her attacker was a woman, almost 26 years old, with a face that was bruised and that Cole recognized very well.
Fuck.
Lisa was getting mugged again. The guy standing over her was big, broad shoulders and back, with muscles that could not have been natural. He was holding a knife in one hand, rifling through Lisa's bag with the other.
Without a second thought Cole jumped down from the roof, aiming for the big guy. They readied an electrical charge in their right hand, keeping it outstretched towards the mugger, ready to release upon contact and fry him, just enough for him to lose consciousness, but not enough to cause any real, lasting damage. Maybe if they had been younger, less experienced, then it wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Maybe the guy would have heard them jumping down and managed to doge in time, or maybe the charge wouldn't have been enough, or maybe It would have been too much. But none of that happened. Cole's control over their power was precise, and they knew how to keep their footsteps light. They landed on the giant, holding them in place as the electricity passed from their veins and into his, and he fell to the ground only a few moments later.
Cole only scoffed standing over the knocked out criminal, quickly kneeling down next to them to tie them up; make the job a bit easier for the cops when they eventually show up, y'know?
They pick up Lisa's bag off of the ground, where it had been discarded when the giant fell, and turn to face their roommate, still on the dirty and wet ground, breathing heavily and looking up at them.
"Here." They give her back the bag, but when she takes it they don't retract their hand, offering to help her up, sending a little smile her way. She takes it almost immediately, standing up and dusting herself off to the best of her ability.
"Are you alright?" They ask. "He didn't rough you up too badly, did he?" Cole really didn't want this to end in a hospital visit, for multiple reasons.
"No, no, I'm okay. Just a bit of bruising, but nothing serious." She assured them right away, sending them a smile of her own. "You can handle him on your own, right? Or do you want me to call the cops for you this time?" Lisa asked the vigilante. Her voice still sounded out of breath, although her tone was much lighter than one might expect after just getting mugged. That's probably because this unfortunately is not the first time Cole has had to save their roommate from trouble like this. It's the fifth. This month.
Safe to say, Lisa was pretty familiar with how this whole vigilante thing works by now.
"Y'know..." they started slowly, still unsure of the words that were leaving their mouth, "I might just take you up on that this once." Usually Cole would stay behind themself, not wanting to put innocent people in danger, but they're pretty sure if they did that they'd most definitely get home late. And besides, the guy wouldn't be much of a danger to anyone for at least the next three hours so they figured it was probably fine to leave him with their roommate.
She looked at them with surprise but didn't say anything about it, just silently pulled out her phone and began typing in the number. "You should probably get out of here then, before they come and decide to arrest you too."
Cole didn't need to be told twice; they jumped on a nearby dumpster and, rather ungracefully, climbed up the side of a fire escape onto the rooftop of the building they had just jumped down from moments prior. They looked over their shoulder once, making sure they could leave Lisa alone; she already had her phone pressed up to her ear, talking to whoever was on the other side. Cole turned away from her and continued along their initial route towards their apartment.
In a way, they were kind of lucky to run into Lisa like that. Obviously they weren't happy about her getting mugged, they would take being a little late and getting a stern talking to over their roommate falling victim to a criminal like this any day. But they were glad to know that she wasn't already waiting for them, that they still had some time before they would officially be late.
Cole did not resume their previous sprint once they were on their way again, slowing down a little now that they knew they had a bit more time on their hands. They were still running, just not at neck breaking speed anymore. They could actually look around them now, not needing to put all their focus into keeping pace and not tripping on a loose rock or something, instead they watched as the city passed them by, the people down below slowly going about their lives, shops opening up for the day and kids on their way to school. They noticed one of the kids from their daycare, Rosalie, waiting at a traffic light, and gave her a little wave as they passed. They weren't expecting to get a wave back; after all, the little girl only knew them as Cole, not Blackout. To their surprise they got a tiny little wave back anyway, before the light turned green and Rosalie's mother pulled her forwards.
They kept on running, the buildings rushing past them as they made their way back home. The sky was blue overhead, the last hints of pink and orange slowly getting washed away by the clouds, and Cole knew their dark clothes stood out against the light backdrop. They couldn't afford to safely stay out for much longer. Luckily, they could already see their apartment building, only a few streets down.
They slowed their pace significantly, going down onto street level, looking for one specific alleyway nearby. They knew the way by heart by now, but they still looked for a specific piece of graffiti; a small, pink bird, one of those stick ones that everyone used to draw that weren't really birds but just two arches. They spotted it immediately, to the right of the entrance, right below an air conditioning unit, high above all the other pieces of art staining the old brick wall. The bright neon paint was still clearly visible, even after all these years.
Cole ducked their head as they went into the old alley, dashing behind a piece of plywood propped up against a doorway- which probably had an actual door at some point in time- and entering a tiny dusty room; probably used as storage once upon a time, now it served as one of Cole's little hideouts. They had a few throughout the city, just a little nook somewhere hiding a messenger bag filled with spare clothes and bandages and such, things that might be useful in a pinch while running across the city. This one was hidden away inside a dirty rolled up carpet standing in the corner.
Cole only had one recognizable piece of clothing as Blackout; a black cropped hoodie with bright yellow accents and stripes along the sleeves. However the hoodie could be rolled inside out to reveal an alternate colour scheme; still black, with neon pink colouring instead, hence the colour of the painted bird outside. They always had their hoodie with them; not only was it one of their favourite pieces of clothing, but they also kinda needed it for their nightly strolls, so to say. But the rest of Blackout's wardrobe was known to be very inconsistent, vastly changing day to day. Due to being an illegal vigilante it would be rather difficult for them to get an actual costume, all kitted out and themed, like the heroes. Instead, they just have to settle for what they have.
After quickly changing into different clothes, replacing the ones previously inside the bag with the ones they had on that night, making a quick mental note to pick up and wash those at some point, they rolled out the hoodie onto its pink side, stuffing their mask into the right pocket and zipping it securely shut.
Cole slipped out from behind the old plywood, hands casually in their pockets, and made their way towards their own apartment, just down the street. They walked past the little convenience store both roommates frequented, passing by the small fast food restaurant which they were pretty sure was actually a front for a money laundering operation, but their food was really good so Cole left them alone, and finally they stepped up to a small staircase leading into a tall building. The only thing standing between them and home was the old and heavy wooden door, locked by an electric lock, which wasn't an issue for Cole, and not just because they knew the code.
They punched in the code and pushed into the building, quickly slipping inside before letting the heavy door fall closed behind them with a loud thud.
They then proceeded to nearly have a heart attack as the next thing they saw was Lisa's face right in front of them, looking very disappointed.
"Jesus Christ!" They clutch their hand to their chest, making a show of how much their roommate spooked them. "You scared the shit out of me!"
Lisa only narrows her eyes. "Why? Got something on your mind?"
Cole's head snaps up to her, eyes wide as, for just a moment, they think they can see something in her eyes, hear something in her voice. That steadiness, sureness, almost like she already knows the answer to her own question, and for just a moment, Cole panics. Their mind swirls with what she could possibly know, how she could possibly know it; all the places where they might have messed up, or slipped, or let show something they shouldn't have. They panic, because she can't know, because that answer is a dangerous thing to know, and they couldn't live with themself if they ever put Lisa- their roommate, their friend- into any kind of danger.
But then they remember who they're talking to, and the panic starts to fade. This is Lisa Brown, the best liar Cole has ever met. They once saw her bluff her way into some secretive meeting at a high-end hotel with no prep time, no forged paperwork, not even a bribe, only her voice and her wits, and she walked out of there a few hours later with zero repercussions or consequences following her. They still, to this day, have no idea why she did that (not that they don't have theories), but the fact remains that she did. So, it doesn't matter what Cole thinks it is that they can hear in the tune of her voice, or see in the way she looks through them, because the most likely explanation is that it's all fake anyway. And the most likely explanation is often the correct one.
And so they ignore their gut feeling, laughing off their roommate's question after less than a second. "Pfft- what? No- noooo, who? Me?" They act as ignorant as ever, trying to stay nonchalant, and maybe it's not their best performance, but hopefully it'll get Lisa to back off a little. "Nah, what would I even-"
"You're late. Again." She does not back off, not even a little bit. If anything, her voice hardens, and it's that awful brand of disappointment it always takes on whenever they're about to get a lecture. She crosses her arms too, for good measure. "I even stayed out later than usual today, and you're still five whole minutes late." And that sentence suddenly makes Cole remember something very important.
"Wait." They interrupt right before Lisa can open her mouth again. They properly look up at her now, taking note of all the bruises they already knew would be there as if they're only just seeing them for the first time. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?!" They fretted, letting their hands do half the talking as they flailed around in worry.
Lisa still looked pissed, but they could see her jaw unclench ever so slightly. Her eyes darted off to the side, like she didn't want to admit what happened, although her arms stayed crossed and she kept Cole a distance away. "That's not important right now, you-"
"The fuck you mean it's not important?! You're hurt!" They interrupted her, half out of real concern and half hoping that this conversation would distract her enough to avoid a lecture. "As your roommate I want to know what happened!"
Lisa seemed to soften a little, just the slightest bit, at that. She stayed silent for a while as Cole practically stared holes into her, waiting for her to speak and knowing that they'd already won. Eventually, she sighed. "I got mugged." She mumbled out.
Cole stared at her for a moment in faux bewilderment. "Again?" And then, after a moment; "Wait- wait, you got mugged, and you still made it here five minutes before I did?!" Their tone was indignant, and they didn't have to fake anything about the irritation boiling in their gut.
Lisa nodded slowly. "Yeah?"
"Wh- wha- " They sputtered for a moment. "W-well, how?!"
Lisa shrugged as she said; "Public transport."
Cole stared at her in silence for a moment, and their bafflement and frustration must have shown through on their face, judging by the way Lisa's lip quirked up ever so slightly.
"...I hate you."
"Wha- okay, so you're getting upset at me because you're being an idiot?" She asked, looking them straight in the eyes and pointing between the two of them. "Besides, I keep telling you to finally start using it. Maybe if you had listened to me for once you wouldn't be in this situation right now."
Cole sighed. "Yeah, sure, whatever." They said, and any fight they might have had in them evaporated immediately. "Can we stop standing around and actually go home now?" They tried, already tugging her by the sleeve towards the stairs, to distract her by appealing to her desire to never leave their house. From the way she was looking at them, she knew exactly what they were doing.
But Lisa only kept up her glaring for a short moment, before also sighing. "Yeah, alright. Let's go home." And she let herself be tugged up the stairs to their dingy little apartment.
Cole had to practically force her into taking care of her bruises, pushing multiple ice packs into her hands and helping her hold them up, laying her down on the couch. They had, fortunately, more than enough experience from healing their own wounds to know exactly what to do.
They had, unfortunately, been unsuccessful in avoiding Lisa's lecture, having to sit there and nod their head as their roommate scolded them for worrying her. After that they made some food (instant ramen, because neither could be bothered to make anything fancier), ate in relative peace (only one argument had started; does the ocean technically count as soup?), and then they both retreated into their rooms to sleep.
Cole shut their blinders, stopping the blinding light of the sun from entering the small room, took off their hoodie and hung it up in its place; on the door of their wardrobe, and promptly face planted into their bed. They threw the blanket over themself, burying their head under a pillow, and finally let their eyes fall shut. A day full of dealing with little kids and their imaginative problems followed by a night of running around the city and jumping across rooftops always left their marks, and It didn't take long for the exhaustion to finally catch up with them and drag them into a deep and well deserved sleep.