Chapter Text
Being a villain never promised an easy life. It made stuff like worrying about bills and groceries obsolete, which you assumed was a good thing. However, it didn't come without its struggles. In a world where Superheroes solved the world’s problems- kept people safe, stopped Grandma’s from being robbed of their purses- villains were always on the run.
You couldn't stay in one place, one city for too long unless you were well established with a large group of confederates. Unless you had people to do the petty stuff for you who could dispose of as pawns in your fun little games.
Villains like the Joker, The Penguin, Mr Freeze. They were all infamous. They even had movies about them, because of how morbidly infatuated the public was with their antics. Because villains like that got to do all the flashy stuff. Big plots to bomb a city. Complicated bank heists. Taking a Mayor’s daughter captive so that one of those hunky heroes in their latex could come to the rescue. It was all very dramatic. Very purposeful. After all, the more popular a criminal got their image to be the easier it was for them to gain followers. Minions that would do whatever they said. How you longed to be like that.
You were what was referred to as a “petty criminal”. You didn't do anything that big. You stole from grocery stores- ones that wouldn't be sent into closure from you taking a stupidly expensive electric toothbrush off their shelves. You took, you sold. That was about the extent of your criminal activity. The only thing that really stopped you from just being a regular crook was the fact you had powers. And even then, they weren't anything special.
You could create forcefields around yourself. Little lame transparent ones that couldn't hold their shape for very long. They had the power to blast things back, purely a defensive thing. If someone came running at you and you summoned a forcefield around your hands to block them, you'd knock them back onto the ground, but they could still get back up. You hadn't mastered making one big enough to shield your body though, you could only do small sections. It was enough to ensure you wouldn't get caught by just regular old police. However, the downside of that was you did it all yourself. Meaning if you got caught stealing, there was no one to take the fall for you. No minions or drones to sacrifice. You had to serve the time for everything you did. And by now the list of petty thievery was pretty long.
You'd considered trying to turn things around a few times. Maybe get a job. But with the economy the way it was right now, time in jail was actually more convenient than trying to afford a house, a shitty apartment complete with thin walls and peeling wallpaper was good enough for you. The world just seemed purposeless to you. There was nothing to aspire for. You had no goals. You were just existing day by day. And after living that way for essentially your whole life, your outlook on the world was pretty bleak.
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Today was just like any other. Wake up, hear whatever morning argument your neighbours were having with each other, go out, steal, come back, sell.
The hit today was the superstore in the middle of town. The Z-Mart or M-Mart or something. Generic grocery store name. They always restocked their merchandise on the second week of every month. And that was today. You usually hit up the electronics and occasionally makeup vans coming in. Stuff that was generally overpriced anyway and that you could resell for higher than they already went for.
You didn't have a ‘disguise’ really. You did your best to hide your face but you'd become lazier with time. You wore the same dark hoodie every time you went out to steal, usually paired with some basic trousers. Looking normal though tended to work in your favour. In the cities you'd been to, authorities looked out for villains with visible scars or ridiculous clothes and makeup. You just looked like a normal person.
Pulling your hood up, you made your way to the building and spotted the vans that brought the goods to the store driving round the back. You followed them and found the memorabilia being taken into the store. There were delivery people going in and out of the building, which left about three minute intervals between them. Perfect.
Carefully and callously, you found your way to the back of one of the bigger vans. Specifically, the one holding the electronics. You'd seen a guy walk from behind it holding some wireless headphones. An armful of those things could tide you over for the month, so you picked one up.
You examined the box, checking the brand and price listed on the back. $20.00. A nice price you could rack up to about $35. You could fit about five of them in your arms right now, over $100 didn't sound that bad right now. Obviously you'd need to steal something more to keep you going for the whole month, but this could last you for now. You gave the box one last once over before turning your attention to the pile you'd taken it from. However, you suddenly felt a weight leave your hand.
“Huh?” You exclaimed, clasping the air where you'd sworn that headphones box used to be. You looked at your hand like you were unsure if anything was even there at all in the first place. That's when you turned back to the pile and saw them back where they were before. “The heck?”
Not quite understanding what had just happened, you picked them up again. In all honesty, you could completely be hallucinating. You weren't above denying that at this point. Hallucinations? Sure. Whatever, you'd get over it. But it happened again. This time in front of your eyes. “What the hell!?” You yelped in disbelief. “Am I really going that crazy?”
In one last ditch attempt to save your sanity, you picked up the box again, but this time you created a small forcefield around your hands where you held it. If it was your mind, it'd just disappear again. But if it was something else, that field would blast them back.
Which is exactly what happened.
“Woah!” A random guy appeared in a flash of yellow and orange. His hands were initially hovering over yours but with the forcefield you'd made he pulled them back. Oddly the blast didn't seem as impactful as it usually did on people. He was still standing on two feet, albeit a little surprised at what had just happened.
You gasped and stepped back, dropping the headphones to the ground with a clash of them against the metal floor of the van. You didn’t know who this guy was but he was clearly a hero. But one you'd never face before. He had a mop of unruly, fiery red hair on his head and his costume was an obnoxious colour of yellow. All which added to the factor of you wanting to punch him.
“Guess the games over, huh?” He gave you a toothy grin, like he was proud of himself.
“Wha-?” Was all you could say. He'd been taking those boxes you? You could believe it, but you couldn't figure out how he'd done it without you seeing him or some sort of magical otherworldly powers of his. “Who the hell are you, clownsuite?”
“Hey!-” He looked like he was about to comment back on your insult to his outfit until his mind seemingly processed exactly what you'd said. “Wha-? You don't know me?” He pointed two fingers to himself, with a dumbfounded expression. Like this was the most important matter at hand.
You just stared at him blankly, unsure whether you should humour him or not.
“Come on. My power is super speed? Lighting bolt on the chest?” He pointed to said lightning bolt on his chest. “You really got no idea?”
Super speed. Well that explained how he kept managing to take your loot off you. Although he must've been insanely fast for you to have not even perceived him to be there.
“Mn hnm.” You hummed, perusing your lips, making the universal sound for ‘I dunno’.
“Kid Flash! Successor to THE Flash?” He was very expressive, making big movements with his arms while talking to accentuate his point.
“*Kid* Flash?” You looked him up and down. He was most certainly not a kid. He did have a boyish air to him- but you had learnt that immaturity was a quality of most men. “Don't you think you've outgrown that title a bit?”
“Well I can't be called The Flash, can I? Kinda already taken.” He huffed.
“You couldn't have come up with something that doesn't suggest you're a 7 year old playing fancy dress?” You went on. “Like what are people supposed to think when they hear ‘Don't worry! Kid Flash is going to come and save us!’.” You imitated the sound of an average civilian’s voice, high pitched and obnoxiously. “I don't know about the general public but I certainly wouldn't feel safe.”
Kid Flash in front of you scoffed. “Well I'm not concerned with whether you feel safe around me or not. What matters here is, you're a villain” He gestured to you with both hands, using an infantile tone that pissed you off right under your skin. “And it's my job to stop you from doing villain things.”
You rolled your eyes, looking about the van. “Well I didn't get to do any ‘villian things’ now did I?” You glowered at him. “You took them all outta my hands.”
“Yes, and I'm glad you saw what a good job I-”
Before this ginger guy had a chance to gloat to you about his own job, you were interrupted by a voice outside the van.
“Just what on earth is going on here!?” A gruff looking man exclaimed- complete with bushy eyebrows and a mustache. He was the guy you'd seen taking the stuff out of the van and into the store earlier.
You wanted to respond but the Kid guy behind you did first. “Don't worry Sir, I stopped a thief from stealing from your van.”
The man did not look impressed. He folded his arms and scrutinised the Flash guy. “Then what are they still doing in my van?” He grumbled.
“Never fear, Sir! I was just about to deal with this crook for you.” You flinched when you felt his hands on your arms.
“Get the fuck off me!” you instantly pulled away from his grip. He hadn't grabbed you hard, but you didn't like his hands on you at all. You couldn't be taken to prison. Not for something you hadn't even done yet. Instinctively, you summoned your forcefields around your forearms, blasting him backwards and off you. He reacted a little more than last time, actually being taken back a few steps.
“Ah!” He exclaimed.
The man outside the van grumbled. “Well you're clearly not doing a very good job at it are you?”
While the two of them were preoccupied with the aftermath of you using your powers you decided you'd have to make a run for it. The cash didn't seem worth it anymore. So within the small gap you had, you ran towards the exit of the van, shoving past the moustache, van guy and out of the maze of vans bringing in shipments. It looked like today wasn't going to be one with many fruits to bear.
You weaved through the vans and away from the store. You couldn't run in the main street. Too many witnesses. And it was a fast way for that superspeed guy to catch up to you. So you opted for the small forest to the side of the store.
It had a path that had been walked into the ground by multiple people passing by but it was secluded enough for you to feel less exposed to the city. You kept running, kept finding your way through trees and bushes and- Bam.
Your face sounded like meat being slapped onto a chopping board as you collided with something oddly fleshy. Your nose had taken the brunt of it, colliding with something harder than the rest of your face did. “Ow!” You yelped, pulling back and holding it.
“Ooh..” you heard a sympathetic sounding ‘oh’ in front of you.
If it hadn't already hit you (literally) then it had now. Of course it was that guy. Kid Flash. Yet again. In hindsight, trying to outrun someone with superspeed probably wasn't your brightest idea.
“Sorry about that, I guess I didn't account for where in my chest you'd face-plant.” He shrugged off casually.
You looked up to him, still holding your throbbing nose in disdain. “I despise you.”
He sighed. “Aw. Already?” He was sarcastic- which only made your burning anger for him grow in your chest. “Alright, I don't blame you. But I hope you despise me a little less with this.” He held up the box of headphones you were trying to steal up to you, smiling like he was proud of himself.
You looked from him to the box and then from the box to him. “You stole?” You were surprised, shocked even. This guy was a hero, right? A proper one? Not someone who thought that because they had their heart in the right place they could go against the law? Why on earth would he go to these lengths for your benefit?
He trilled his lips. “Pssh, nooo. I just happened to bring this pair with me by accident as I heroically went to chase a villain. And I ‘accidently’ dropped them on my way to catch said villain like a good superhero. And then that same villain just so happened to take them before I managed to pick them back up again.” He concocted his tale, shaking the box at you as an offering.
You did take them from his hands, but you didn't trust him or this whole interaction. “What do you want?”
He looked genuinely surprised when you asked that, like he was expecting you to just accept the fact that he'd taken from a superstore to help you out. “I don't want anything.” He put his hands up to show his transparency. “Take it as a peace offering. I don't take you to jail today, you don't steal anything today.”
You narrowed your gaze at him. Your life of crime instincts told you not to trust him but there was as something, a small nagging voice in the back of your head telling you to hear him out.
You breathed through your nose before straightening your posture. “Fine. But I'm going to hate you just as much as I did when I first met you tomorrow, Kid Flash.”
He grinned. “I look forward to it. I'm starting to enjoy your loathing.” That made you grit your teeth. You hated his demeanour. Almost toxic positivity but with a boyish twist to it. It was infuriating because it meant you didn't know what he was thinking and if he was sincere in anything he was saying.
“Whatever.” You expressed flatly. You needed to get back home, this was enough of an escapade for one day. “Im leaving.”
“See ya around” Kid Flash gave you a small salute before he turned into a blur of the yellow and red on his costume. He was like no other hero you'd come across before. Something was different about him. Something that felt more human. And frankly it made him off putting. Why was he acting like that? What did he want? He can't just be nice. Can he?