Chapter Text
The storm outside rages louder, thunder cracking like gunfire as the neon glow of L’manburg’s skyline flickers through rain-smeared windows. In Southend, a shadow peels itself from an alleyway, Electro, his jagged mask glinting with reflected lightning.
Tommy whirls around mid-fight against the gang thugs he was sent to deter for training, blue eyes widening behind his hero goggles. "The fuck are you doing here?!"
Electro doesn’t answer. Instead, he lunges forward, not at Tommy but past him, slamming his fist into a thug’s face hard enough to send him flying into the dumpsters. The other villains freeze in sheer terror.
"...Move." His voice is static-laced and cold under the mask as he steps between them and their target: Tommy.
Electro looked like some fucked-up guardian demon returned from hell itself. The storm bangs like pots and pans, as Electro’s gloved fingers twitch, purple-blue sparks crackling between his knuckles, reflecting in the puddles on the pavement. Tommy’s breath hitches, recognizing that stance.
Tommy whispered in slight horror and disbelief, "...You bastard. You stalked me just to play hero?!"
Crack. A lightning bolt splits the sky as Electro whirls on him, mask tilting just enough for Tommy to see one glowing eye behind jagged metal.
"Shut up," his voice is all sharp edges and old grief. "You don’t get to call me that after what I did."
Okay pissy pants, 'hero' is obviously a trigger...
The gang members try to bolt. One gets yanked back by an invisible force, crashing into brickwork before sliding down into a heap of groans. The rest freeze mid-step when another spark fizzles out from Electro's clenched fist— the air smells like ozone and bloodstained memories. The scent of iron floods Electro’s senses, his pupils dilate, a low growl rattling from his chest as he stares at the bleeding thug. His mask tilts slightly, tracking their movement.
Tommy hissed sharply, "Don't you fucking dare Electro—"
Electro’s head jerks back toward him, blue lightning arcing wildly around his fists. The voices in his skull scream louder than the storm.
"...I can control it." His voice is barely human anymore—glitching between static and something raw. "But if anyone esle comes, I won't stop," the static voice changer is barely being able to pick up the mumble.
A drop of rain hits the blood on Electro's glove. It sizzles where it touches skin.
Electro blinks, some clarity returning. His mask hides his face; the gang thugs are motionless, too dead to run.
Crack. The air shifts like something dangerous is approaching.
Crack. A bolt of lightning strikes outside, so close the windows vibrates and the building shakes. Tommy watches him flee into the storm with wide eyes. But then he shakes his head, turning his attention to the gang members who finally manage to recover from the surprise attack. He raises his fists, but... they sprint away, disappearing into alleys and side streets.
"...Huh. Guess even the bad guys are scared shitless..." Tommy mumbles under his breath.
He shivers, pulling his hood up as the storm rages on around him.
Before Tommy can turn back to his old friend, Electro disappears into an abandoned building, panting heavily as he yanks his mask off, his breaths echoing in the empty chamber. Indigo eyes flicker around the darkness as if expecting the whole hero force to descend at any moment.
Thunder rumbles menacingly outside, blue light slicing through the storm. His hands tremble, still sparking with unspent lightning as he slumps against the wall.
Electro groans to himself in annoyance and exhaustion as he picks his phone from his pant pocket, checking the time-
"Oh for fuck sake," the masked vigilante muttered, seeing that it was in fact 2am already.
Reclipping his stupid mask back on. He took the flight of stairs behind him, up to the roof of the abandoned building he took refugee in.
He was hit with the powerful fuel of the lightning storm happening around him... the power almost to much, as a spilting headache cuts through his one peaceful moment.
"Oh Come on..." his voice wavers, his gaze distant as he clutches his head. Before whipping it around at the tingling feeling of lighting, crouching down, before launching up like a volleyball player to grab onto the lighting. He lets out a low breath, letting the lightning carry him high above the city. It feels familiar, power coursing through him like a drug, and the wind ripping away his thoughts.
Lightning crackles along Electro’s spine, his veins aglow as he soars through the darkened skyline. The city looks tiny from up here, its countless lights a blur in the rain—he can almost forget everything.
Almost.