Archive of Our Own

- 1 -

There was no way the day could get worse.

The television was on in the background, tuned to the news. The coffee table was cluttered with abandoned tools and bits and bobs. Morgan's attention was on their phone.

They were chewing their lips and cracking the knuckles of their free hand, staring at the article title like they were trying to will it change.

FAIRNESS ASSOCIATION WELCOME CHADSTER AS NEWEST COUNCIL MEMBER
-The Chastisers arrive for Inauguration Ceremony.

"Fucking perfect, just great, stupid, stupid," they growled under their breath. Chad, their brother, was not just moving to Morgan's area, but actively working as a hero. That meant that any heist or robbery or fraud that Morgan pulled now, there would be a chance that Chad would show up and find them, bringing a world of hurt with him.

They scrolled down to the picture of the Chadster- shirtless as always and wreathed in stormy lightning clouds. He had gained muscle, amazingly enough, and a fawning following in the press.

Old jealousy stirred in Morgan. It had been years since they had seen Chad and in that time Chad had achieved it all. Their parents were probably ecstatic. Chadster making it into A-Tier and one of the most illustrious hero organizations in the world meant that everything had gone entirely according to their parents' plan.

Well, not entirely according to plan. Morgan wasn't Chadster's sidekick and obedient servant, much to their parents' and Chad's chagrin. Chad had never been able to accept that Morgan didn't want to be the sidekick their parents were trying to force them into being. He had readily accepted his chosen role and had tried to get Morgan to accept theirs. The only reason Morgan wasn't his sidekick was because they had run away at sixteen.

There had been a couple close calls in the first year, when their parents caught up and tried to drag them home. They had always gone on and on about how Morgan needed to be a sidekick because that was all they could hope to be. They tried to nail it into his head that Chad was their only option.

Morgan scoffed at the memory and scrolled away to the picture of the Chastisers. They eyed the hero Magenta. She was leaning against the shoulder of Leader USA a full four inches taller than him and smiling. She was as muscled as Chad and wore a confident smile and a wild mane of curly brown hair. She was Diego- Morgan's little sister. She was a fresh member of the B-Tier hero group, only a few months into the job.

Morgan knew why the Chastisers were going to Chad's inauguration. Diego was going to be there for her brother.

They felt their heartsink as they realized she would never be able to be there for them.

"Morgan!"

"Jesus!" Morgan started.

Alex, S-Tier Villain, Bane of the World and Morgan's roommate, stood behind the couch gripping the cushions. He was wearing a wide, predatory smile. The sleeves of his red shirt were rolled up and there was something dark and wet splattered on their suit vest. The bloodlust was still bright in their slit yellow eyes.

"Morgan- Morgan- Morgan," He said, practically vibrating out of his skin with excitement. "Did you hear?"

Morgan swallowed their surprise and tried to catch their breath after the surprise. "What?"

"There's a Two for One Special at the Fairness Association. Two hero teams for the price of one attack!" His slit yellow eyes glittered with anticipation. "And I won't even have to leave the city to do it."

And the day had just managed to get worse.

"Fuck..." Morgan groaned.

"Wait- why are you upset? Oh god you're not a fan of that new tool are you?" Alex confused and grimacing like he had smelled something awful.

"Oh god no," Morgan said with equal disgust. They bit their lip before continuing. "It's worse than that."

Alex's excitement dimmed a little. "How? What could be worse than liking the Chadster?"

Morgan smiled apologetically at their best friend, aware that they were about to ruin his day. "So you remember how my family are all heroes?"

"No. Fucking. Way." Alex's eyes were wide. "Cousin?"

"Older brother," Morgan admitted through gritted teeth.
______

The Chastisers were gathered around a small briefing table, going over the details of their trip to Capital City.

"So the Fairness Association sent over a welcome packet," Dave, dressed as Leader USA, said. He waved a thick file folder before dropping it on the table. "Including some advice on where and how to operate."

"Any good tips and tricks?" Diego asked brightly.

"The biggest thing to keep in mind while in Capital City," Dave paused, taking a deep breath in and out, "is that the S-Tier lives there. Apparently."

"I'm sorry what?" demanded Brown Recluse.

"The S-Tier lives there," Dave repeated.

"We're going die," Steel Man said bluntly.

"He's going to attack the Inauguration," Diego deduced.

"Most likely yes," Dave agreed. "However, there's some good news."

"What good news is that?" Steel Man asked.

"Apparently, the S-Tier's favorite restaurants and stores are in the city so he tends to not go all out."

"Oh- oh good. That's great," Diego said sarcastically.

"Look, it's not ideal but... the Fairness Association will need our help to handle him," Dave said, his tone making clear that there was nothing good about the situation.

Diego sighed. "The things I do for family."
_____

Morgan didn't know what they were doing.

They had told themselves that they were just going on a walk to stretch their legs and clear their head.

They told themselves that they were going to visit their favorite coffee shop near the center of city- the one that sold the coffee beans were so caffeinated that they were borderline illegal.

They told themselves that this was an outing to think about something else than his family woes.

So why were they standing outside the Fairness Association Headquarters, lost in a crowd of onlookers, watching the Chastiser's god damn plane land on the roof?

The back of the plane opened and the brightly colored figures of the Chastisers walked out. The crowd around Morgan burst into cheers as the heroes approached the edge of the roof and waved in welcome. They craned their neck to catch a glimpse of their sister.

Diego was little more than a magenta stick figure at this distance. Morgan wished they were simultaneously on that roof with her and in a safehouse in Brazil. Leaving Diego behind was the only thing they regretted about running away. Being this close to her made their skin crawl in anticipation of something bad. Family had only meant conflict to Morgan and every member of their family outclassed them in a fight.

Morgan's mood darkened as Chadster came flying out of the headquarters, trailing clouds, to greet Diego. A hole opened up in the pit of their stomach. There was something so terrifying and so lonely about being this close to their siblings. They watched them hug. If Chad was going to live here, it meant that their parents would be visiting. They wouldn't be safe as long as his family were in the city.

SNAP

Morgan started. They looked down at their hand. They had snapped their fingers without even thinking about it. Who were they trying to call? It didn't matter. They had all ready used their power this month, so they couldn't call anyone to them.

They were alone in this. At least for now.

They turned and left.

- 2 -

"He's a lot," said Dave gently.

All Diego could do was smile knowingly. "That is an accurate way to describe Chad."

The Fairness Association had given the Chastiser's the visitor's condo to stay in. With night setting in, the B-Tier hero team were winding down and settling in. Dave had sought out Diego, joining her in the corner of the empty living room. He came bearing two glasses of whiskey- her spirit of choice.

Dave sat. "I had always assumed the voice was something he put on for the cameras."

"He's been practicing it since he was nine," Diego said with a sigh. She took the offered glass. "He and Dad would spend hours working on that voice so he could 'properly command a battlefield'."

"Did your father work on a hero voice with you?" her teammate asked.

Diego laughed a little. "Yes, but I grew out of it."

"Can I hear it?" he asked playfully.

"Over my dead body," she said with mock gravity.

Dave sighed with exaggerated disappointment and tutted.

Diego looked out over the one-sided window to the city skyline. "You know, Chad didn't even have the best hero voice."

"I imagine your dad put him to shame. He was a notorious blowhard," Dave said.

"No. It was Morgan," Diego said. She felt her shoulders sag a bit. She took a sip of the drink.

"Morgan," the other hero repeated the name softly. He knew that Diego's family liked to pretend that the middle child hadn't existed and knew that Diego struggled to open up about them.

"It wasn't like Dad's or Chad's. It was quieter. Not boisterous. They could make anything they were saying sound like the most interesting or important thing in the world. They had been so confident," she said fondly and sadly.

Dave stayed quiet. Patiently waiting for her to find the words.

"I don't know when they stopped listening," Diego admitted quietly.

"Who stopped?" Dave asked.

"Our parents." Diego took another drink and looked thoughtfully around the building. "You know this was their plan, right? Get Chad to be an A-tier in the Fairness Association to carry on the family legacy. All the training as kids, every choice they made was to get us here. And I'm proud of Chad. He wanted it as badly as they did."

She paused working up the courage to actually say what she was thinking. "But it cost us Morgan."

Dave reached out and squeezed her wrist in support.

"I hope they're safe," she breathed.
_____

"Oh wow," Morgan said looking over at Alex. The S-Tier villain had just teleported into their kitchen looking relaxed and happy. "Is that paint?"

Alex looked down at their suit, torn in places and splattered with brightly glowing green liquid.

"Oh no- that's radioactive mutant blood," he said.

Morgan raised an eyebrow at them pointedly.

"What? Oh shit, radiation is harmful to normal humans. Here," Alex snapped. The glow dimmed. "There. No more radiation and no more damage."

"Thanks. Was it a cool fight?"

"Eh, so-so. The mutant was a little underwhelming, but the venue was great. I got to pile-drive it through the Chernobyl cooling towers."

"Sick," Morgan said imagining it. A smooth-looking Alex driving some monstrous tumor of a monster through ancient radioactive brick and concrete, glowing blood and dust spraying around them. Butterflies flitted in their stomach. Alex fighting was a thing of beauty.

"Anyway. Heroes broke into my lair during reconstruction and stole some of my trophies. I'm going to go hunt them down and dismantle their lives and sanity before killing them. I'll be back to crash the Inauguration on Friday," Alex said, a cruel smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It faded as they pointed to Morgan. "But snap if you need me. And I will have my phone on me the entire time so if you need to talk about stuff, just give me a ring."

Morgan nodded, understanding. "Thanks."

"I mean it."

"I know."

"Family stuff. If you need to talk about family stuff," Alex clarified.

Morgan chuckled a little. "Stop blabbering and go make those heroes regret messing with you."

- 3 -

"Ah there you are! It's me, the Chadster. I must say, Leader USA, it truly is wonderful to have you here," Chad boasted.

"Hello Chadster. And I appreciate that. I'm a firm believer that heroes look out for each other," Dave said in what Diego knew as the tone he reserved for politely talking to people he didn't want to talk to.

"Perhaps we will get the chance to foil some dastardly deeds together. There's nothing quite like bonding over stopping villainous scum," Chad continued talking.

Diego wandered around the Fairness Association Crime Watch Center, walking up and down the rows and rows of computer screens and vaguely listening to Dave try to avoid spending time with Chad. She looked from monitor to monitor, taking it all in.

She paused, eyeing the screen showing a familiar face from her childhood. It was Physician Calamity--wearing a metal mask with slowly slit eyes. She remembered the face appearing on the news taunting her father and fighting their parents with an army of metal robots and enchanted weapons. Calamity had been her parents' consistent nemesis. He had even crashed their ten year wedding anniversary. The Fairness Association was monitoring his activity but there wasn't much information. The only thing displayed on the screen was flight information for planes that had arrived from Physician's home country and landed in a private airstrip north of the city.

The screen next to it displayed an image that sent a chill down her spine. The S-Tier, smiling with fangs, blood splattered on their face, blonde hair slicked back. He was a gorgeous mass murdering sociopath with an impeccable sense of style, all blood and beauty, and according to the screen, out of town. Intelligence suggested he was hunting down another group of heroes.

Diego crossed her fingers behind her back. With any luck, the S-Tier would be busy until after Friday and they would be able to get through this without any bloodshed.
_____

Morgan was definitely being followed. Or watched. Was paranoia a side effect of too much caffeine? Or lack of sleep?

He scanned the other patrons of the coffee shop. When they didn't see anything out of place, they shrugged to themselves and cracked open a Red Bull. The other patrons watched in horror as they poured it into a cup with chocolate milk and three shots of espresso. One of the baristas behind the counter, with dark bags under their eyes, was taking notes.

Morgan was probably paranoid because Chad was patrolling the city in the sky. Fucking Chad- cruel, dumb, ignorant, arrogant Chad. They knew the moment Chad spotted them, things would go bad. Their parents would try to kidnap them. Chad might help their parents. Morgan would have to keep Alex from murdering everyone.

They left the shop, crossing the street and approaching the Capital City Museum. They needed something else to think about then the hero storm cloud flying over head and they loved thinking about heists. There was a new exhibit in the museum on Egyptian artifacts- a private collection owned by the family of the English archeologist that dug up a tomb. It was the kind of thing that would get Ohio James angry. It had been awhile since Morgan had spent time with their sociologist nemesis. Liberating some stolen heritage was the exact kind of the thing they could bond over.

And Morgan could always hit the gemstone exhibit at the same time to ensure a payday.

Wandering through the familiar building, Morgan took note of the cameras and guards while admiring the jars and jewelry and scrolls from the ancient tomb.

As they perused their future loot, they couldn't help but notice that the crowds of people were peppered with tall individuals wearing heavy coats and wide brimmed hats. All were of identical build and had identical clothes. Morgan sighed. They had lived in Capital City long enough to recognize the signs of an upcoming supervillain attack.

They ducked into the less traveled parts of the museum, slipping out of sight of the strange tall figures.

Within minutes the Chastisers and Fairness Association arrived and a fight broke out.

Why couldn't anything be easy? They just wanted to case the joint and go home and eat ice cream but noooooo- old family nemesis Physician Calamity had to come out of retirement and fuck up their favorite museum to rob. Now a bunch of heroes were fighting a bunch of Calamity Bots practically on top of them. Worse still, it was the 30th. They would have to wait until tomorrow when it was the 1st to summon Alex to save them. So they were on their own for now.

It took everything Morgan had to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. They stuck with the crowds of civilians and tried to keep from panicking every time they caught a glimpse of a brightly colored costume. The last thing Morgan wanted was to run into their siblings here.

They maneuvered into the middle of a crowd in the dinosaur exhibit, following the flow of people towards the emergency exit.

Morgan almost made it before a blast of force threw them into a wall. One of the Calamity Bots had thrown itself into the crowd, scattering them. The cold metal mask- the face of Morgan's father's nemesis- scanned the crowd and found Morgan.

Before anything else could happen, a heavy metal shield slammed into the bot's head. Leader USA closed the distance. The idiot punched the robot a few times before figuring out he needed to get around the armor. He wedged the shield into the robot's neck and then yanked, popping its head off.

"Move!" the hero ordered.

Morgan was all ready on their feet, scrambling for the open emergency exit. They burst out into the daylight in a flock of screaming people.

Diego was beating one of the Calamity Bots with head of a lion statue. She looked powerful and strong and good and capable, so different than the quiet, insecure, awkward tomboyish fourteen year old that Morgan had left.

When the robot stopped twitching, she turned faced the crowd.

And met Morgan's eyes.

They both froze, staring at each other for a split second. Morgan felt like a deer in headlights.

A Calamity Bot tackled Diego.

Morgan bolted.

They didn't stop running until they got back to their apartment.
______

It had been Morgan. It had to have been Morgan. Looking like a feral coyote, lean and small with their brown hair in a shaggy spiky mess and green eyes sharp with fear. Their nose was crooked and there was a scar on their chin. They had looked at Diego like they had seen a ghost.

But could it actually have been Morgan? What were the chances it was her long lost sibling? She had to be sure. As soon as they returned to the FA Headquarters, she found a computer and began combing through the security footage from the museum.

"You okay?" Dave asked, hovering over her shoulder.

"Yeah..." she breathed. She paused, thinking through the timeline. "You ran out of the emergency exit, right?"

Dave nodded.

"Do you remember seeing someone with green eyes? Military jacket? Shaggy hair?" she asked.

He frowned, thinking. "I think- there were a bunch of civilians heading towards an emergency exit that got cut off by one of the robots," he motioned to the screen, picking out the feed he recognized.

Diego gulped clicking on the feed. She scanned through the video and Dave motioned when to stop.

"Here, you can see the death robot," he said pointing.

But Diego's eyes were on the figure thrown into the wall. She paused the video and leaned forward to look at the image.

"Who is it?" Dave asked.

She took a deep breath in and whispered. "It looks like Morgan."
_____

Morgan flopped onto their bed all their muscles burning and still struggling to catch their breath.

Man, they would love it if the past would just stop dragging itself onto their doorstep where it wasn't welcome.

They took a shower to get the sweat off, banging their head against the tile while the water washed over them and regretting their entire life. Clean, they dressed for comfort, resigning themselves to an afternoon and night of eating ice cream and scamming Fairness Association employees into openings virus-laden links for entertainment.

Morgan shuffled out of the bedroom, rubbing their eyes and yawning. They needed more coffee.

They stopped, noticing a Calamity Bot standing in their kitchen.

They let out an exasperated sigh. "Could we just not?"

The robot didn't listen to his request and lunged.

- 4 -

Alex was supposed to be having fun. Chasing down heroes and their little side character support networks was usually mildly interesting, but it wasn't doing anything at the moment. Even as he massacred his way through the plucky rag-tag group of scientists, reporters and mentors that propped up a bland, supposedly witty dude in a mask, his mind wandered away from the bloodshed.

To Morgan.

They had no idea how to help Morgan. He really wished Morgan would just let him kill off their family or at least their parents. His blood still boiled when he thought of the last time Morgan had seen their parents. They had lured their child into a trap with the promise of reconciliation and understanding. When Morgan returned a week after the supposed family reunion, they had bruises on their wrists and were in a bad mood that lasted a month. Alex had to plan a heist with Ohio and Barnaby just to cheer them back up to their old shelf.

Maybe that's what they needed to do. Another heist. But that was so much work and he had so much going on.

He frowned, absentmindedly crushing a head under his foot while waving away a wave of bullets.

A gift maybe. He could find the perfect gift to distract Morgan. Maybe something to show how much the D-Tier villain meant to him.

He nodded, having made up his mind.

He'd wrap up here early and go shopping for the perfect gift for Morgan.
_____

The briefing room of the FA headquarters was full of voices arguing with each other. The heroes were deep in a debate over what Physician Calamity was trying to steal from the museum. Diego couldn't pay attention to it. She was still stuck on glimpsing her lost sibling. With Chad bellowing nonsense too loudly for the room, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh to calm herself.

It was interrupted by a dramatic screeching pouring through the speakers.

A massive screen on the wall glitched and a metal mask- a familiar one that Diego had seen many times during her youth- appeared.

"Hello, Spawn of my Enemies," The deep, dark voice of Physician Calamity sent chills down her spine.

"Vile fiend! Come out of retirement I see!" Chad boomed.

"Well, I wanted to celebrate your achievements, Chadster. I know your father is so proud of his precious son following in his footsteps," the villian said in mock friendliness. "So I got you a gift."

"Ha! I doubt this is truly a sign of generosity!" Chadster shot back.

"Oh but it is," hissed Physician Calamity. "I spent quite a lot of time and effort tracking down the perfect present."

The image of Physician Calamity's face was replaced with a video feed showing an empty chair with open shackles for wrists and ankles.

"Wait," Physician Calamity's voice trailed off into barely intelligible mumbles- as though he was leaning away from the microphone.

Then they heard, "Where the fuck is that little--" and Physician Calamity's voice was cut off and the screen changed to a 'Technical Difficulties' card accompanied by an annoying tone.

Diego chanced a glance over to Dave, confused on how to feel. "Was someone supposed to be in that chair?" She asked in a hushed whisper.

He only shrugged.

After several agonizing moment, the 'Technical Difficulties' card disappeared and the live feed of the chair came back on.

Latched onto the back of a Calamity Bot, yanking its head to the side with one hand and digging around in the robot's neck with the other, was Morgan. Their green eyes were bright and there was a fierce smile on their face as they ripped a bunch of brightly colored wires free. The robot stumbled, the lights in its eyes flickered and then it froze in place having shut down.

"HA!" they laughed triumphantly.

Two more Calamity Bots appeared behind them. Diego watched helpless as her short, vicious sibling dressed in baggy pajamas was overwhelmed and wrestled back into the chair and secured there.

Morgan sulked as the death robots stepped away, sliding down into the chair. "Man, and I made it so far," they grumbled to themselves.

Diego bit her lip to stifle a relieved laugh. Of course Morgan could handle a kidnapping in stride. They were were able to take most of the absurdity that came with being from an A-Tier family in stride.

"Morgan- Morgan can you hear me?" Chad spoke up approaching the screen.

Morgan's eyes widened. "Oh god- you're ransoming me to Chad," they breathed, horrified.

"Indeed! I wanted to celebrate this momentous occasion by engineering a family reunion of sorts," the supervillain began to taunt.

"Morgan! My faithful sidekick- don't worry, I'll free you from the clutches of this vile villain and return you to your rightful place at my side!" Chad projected confident and boisterous.

The more Chad talked, the more Morgan's expression morphed into one of exhaustion and distaste.

"Mr. Physician Calamity, or whatever, I will pay you money not to give me back to Chad and my parents," the middle child said bluntly. "I don't have much, but I do have a really good replica of the Mona Lisa that I stole out of the Louvre. Fucking Alex beat me to stealing the original, but its nearly identical so you could totally tell everyone it's the real deal."

Diego blinked, trying to process what had just been said with her older sibling's voice.

Chadster took it in stride. "Ah Physician Calamity- I see you've mind controlled my sidekick into telling lies. Don't worry Sidekick, we'll get you back and you'll be part of our family once again. Quick, teleport me to your side so I can help you!"

"Chad, for once in your life, listen to the words I am saying- I am not your sidekick. I do not want to be your sidekick. I will never be your sidekick," Morgan was practically hissing.

Chad shook his head. "What vile mind games you play, Calamity."

Diego had to swallow a exasperated sigh. She glanced over to Dave who looked a little aghast.

Morgan's closed their eyes and started hitting their head head against the back of the chair in frustration.

"Morgan?" Diego finally spoke up.

At her words, Morgan's eyes snapped open. Their expression was still suspicious and uncertain, but they were listening.

"We'll get you out of there. Don't worry, and we won't make you do anything you don't want to," she said diplomatically.

Morgan's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you."

"Well- as much as I would love for you to continue catching up," Physician Calamity cut the feed off from Morgan, their metal mask returning to fill the screen. "I have to prepare a proper reunion. And don't worry, Morgan will play a very special part it in- wait."

The mask turned, as though noticing something out of view of the camera.

"Wait! How'd you do that?"

"They're single tumbler locks, asshole," Morgan's voice came from off screen. "They're joke locks. I'm actually insulted you think they'd hold me."

The feed cut and Diego was left reeling.

- 4 -

Physician Calamity was out of practice and working with out of date tech.

The tech-savvy heroes of the Fairness Association and Chastisers had tracked his signal almost immediately. It led to an old base in the underground of the industrial district. Apparently it had been last used in a fight against Diego's parents in the early nineties. A plan coalesced quickly. The Fairness Association and several of the heavier hitters in the Chastisers were going to attack the base head-on, distracting Calamity and his robots while Diego and Brown Recluse broke into the lower levels and rescued Morgan.

Diego tried to ignore Chad's sulking when he realized there wouldn't be a large showy confrontation. Chad had always loved the semi-scripted banter that happened between villains and heroes and performing for the news cameras, but keeping Morgan safe was more important.

While the other heroes went to the warehouse that was the official entrance of the lair, Diego and Brown Recluse went in through a side door in the old subway system. The metal blast door was little more than tin foil to Diego.

The halls were dusty and empty. There were ancient pre-millennium cameras and computers built into the walls. Brown Recluse led the way through the maze-like lair, following the directions on a holographic map projected on their wrist.

"The holding cells are just through here. We just have to get through this door," Brown Recluse explained.

Diego felt butterflies in her stomach as she forced her fingers through the seam where the heavy blast doors met and threw them open, shattering any internal mechanism and jamming them open.

"AH!" Morgan yelped, scampering over to the wall next to the door.

Diego jumped out her skin. "Oh my god! Morgan! Morgan are you okay!" She couldn't contain herself, jumping forward and dragging her sibling into her arms.

As she held her sibling for the first time in years, Diego noticed that they had been busy. A panel next to the door had been ripped from the wall. Morgan was holding a pair of wire cutters in one hand and had a roll of electrical tape in between their teeth. They had been in the middle of the rewiring the key pad.

Morgan let out a strangled noise past the roll of tape in their mouth. Diego pulled them out of the hug, holding onto their shoulders and about a foot off the ground so they were face to face.

"Morgan!" Tears were in her eyes. "God its good to see you, I'm glad you're okay!"

Morgan's green eyes were wide and nervous. They gulped visibly before spitting out the roll of tape. "Hey Diego..." their voice caught in their throat. "I- um- you look great. I love the color."

Diego tried not to be hurt by Morgan's hesitation. She sniffed. "You know it was always my favorite. I just- it's so good to see you. I'm glad you're alive and I understand why you had to leave home and I never blamed you," the words spilled out of her mouth.

Morgan's jaw clenched and they looked into her eyes, searching for something, suspicious. After a tense moment, it seemed that Morgan was satisfied and their expression softened just a little bit. "I missed you, Diego. So much," they admitted.

The entire lair shook and the lights above them flickered.

"Oh- it looks like the fighting has started. We should get moving," Diego said.

"We should," Morgan agreed. "You can put me down now."

Diego realized that she was still holding Morgan off the ground. She put them down gently.

Morgan brushed off their shoulders. "You're- you're not going to take me back to Mom and Dad, are you?" they asked seriously.

"Why? Is there- have they hurt you?" she asked growing concerned.

"I mean the last time I tried to talk to them, they kidnapped me," her sibling admitted raising an eyebrow.

Diego felt her stomach clench with anger. "What. Why would they do that?"

"You don't know anything, do you?" Morgan asked, looking her over.

"No! They haven't told me anything about you. I didn't even know you were alive until I saw you at the museum," she said exasperated. "Why- why would Mom and Dad kidnap you? I know they were mad when you left but why would they do that?"

The lair shook again, dust flying everywhere.

"We really should save this for later- " Brown Recluse tried to cut the conversation short.

"Because I'm a villain, Diego," Morgan challenged. "And I have been since the day I ran away."
_____

Alex stared at the painting in front of him, ignoring the sounds of heroes mobilizing outside of the gallery. He couldn't make up his mind between the Van Gogh and the Rembrandt. He also couldn't figure out if paintings were the right gift to begin with.

He knew Morgan had a collection of paintings they stole. There were a few they were never planning on selling because it would be too difficult without getting caught. Alex also suspected that Morgan liked keeping trophies from their heists.

So it wasn't the paintings that Morgan liked, it was the reminder of a heist. He cursed under his breath and put his hands on his hips.

What he needed was something unique, something one-of-a-kind that was meaningful to Morgan in a personal way.

But what could possibly fit that bill?

A hero came crashing through the glass ceiling of the ultra-modern art gallery. He landed in the standard hero pose, and stood ready to fight.

"Go away, I'm shopping," Alex said waving dismissively.
_____

"What time is it?" asked Morgan, curious.

"Almost midnight," Brown Recluse answered. She was leading Morgan and Diego through the hallways.

Morgan nodded. That was good. Once it was the 1st, they would be able to call Alex.

"What kind of villain?" Diego asked hesitant.

"Bank robbery, museum heists, the odd globe-trotting adventure," Morgan answered proudly. "I'm happily D-Tier, by the way. No kills, just steals."

Their sister frowned, narrowing her eyes at them.

Morgan raised an eyebrow in return. "What?"

"That wall of bank robbers in your room makes a whole lot more sense now," she admitted.

They laughed. "I can't believe Mom and Dad let me get away with that."

"Didn't you tell them you were trying to get better at catching criminals?"

"I told them I was trying to figure out where they had gone wrong," corrected Morgan with a sly smile. "They heard what they wanted to hear, just like always."

Diego seemed caught between a smile and a frown, struggling with how to feel about what Morgan was saying.

"So, Chastisers, huh?" Morgan changed the subject.

"Oh, yeah. Few months now," she said proudly. She got a worried look in her eye.

"You like it?" they asked.

"Yeah," she said, her smile broadening. "Good team, great people."

"I'm happy for you," Morgan said earnestly.

Diego beamed.

The family moment was interrupted by the sound of rushing metal feet. Calamity Bots came rushing into view on both ends of the hallway, surrounding the three trespassers.

"Oh that's not good," Morgan breathed.

The Calamity Bots rushed them. Diego and Brown Recluse were able to hold their own against the tide, but Morgan was not prepared to take down multiple robots. They managed to slip their grasps several times, but there were too many of them. Morgan was separated from their sister, grabbed and dragged away.

"Morgan!" they could hear Diego calling after them.

Morgan hadn't had enough caffeine to deal with this shit.

_ 5 -

"So I need something meaningful to Morgan," Alex explained. He held a phone to his ear with one hand while holding the neck of a thrashing hero with the other.

"This is not my area of expertise," Ohio James's voice came through the phone sounding exasperated. There were jungle sounds in the background, and he was grunting as thought exerting himself.

"Like, I can steal the sign of the Bank they did their first heist at. That's a good gift, right?" Alex plowed on with his line of questioning.

"Look," Ohio said finally. There was the sound of something heavy and sharp and metal being lodged into a tree trunk. "If you want to make Morgan feel better about their family being in town, you need to make them feel supported."

"What?" Alex asked. "What do you know about Morgan's family?"

"I don't know details but I've hung out with Morgan and sometimes they say shit in passing that blows my god damn mind. Do you know why he doesn't respond to gun shots? Because their parents would fire them randomly through the day and night since he was seven," Ohio sounded furious and shocked at the same time.

Alex clenched his jaw. That wasn't even the worst story of Morgan's 'hero-training'. "Yeah I heard that one."

"Look, they've got to be feeling uncertain, man. Nothing would help Morgan more than proof you have their back," the F-Tier hero said definitively. "I know that Barnaby really appreciates it when I support him during tough times."

Alex nodded gravely. "How do you support someone?"

"I'm not teaching you about the power of friendship," Ohio snapped. "Figure it out yourself."

He hung up.

Alex tsked and put his phone away. He turned his attention back to the hero still struggling in his grasp. "Back to you."

He threw the hero on the ground and planted a foot on their chest, pressing down.
_____

Morgan was dropped unceremoniously on a hard concrete floor and then wrenched to their feet.

Calamity gripped their shoulder with a hard metal glove and held a long glowing blade to their neck. Morgan could feel the light warmth of the metal on their skin.

They squeaked in surprise.

"Now that I have your undivided attention," growled Physician Calamity, addressing the heroes ranged around him.

The warehouse was in disarray. Pieces of Calamity Bots were ranged about on top of old abandoned merchandise and forklifts. There were still swarms of the robots operational, facing off against the Chastisers and Fairness Association. The action had apparently stopped for the moment, with all eyes on Morgan.

Morgan felt his mood darken when they saw the Chadster flying above it all, holding a limp Calamity Bot in one hand and wreathed in lightning.

"If you dare hurt my sidekick, Calamity, I'll be forced to take grievous action!" he proclaimed.

"Not your sidekick!" Morgan called back bitterly.

Chad was undeterred. "Quiet, sidekick, the important people are talking!"

Morgan felt that like punch in the stomach.

There was the sound of rushing feet. Diego and Brown Recluse arrived, looking harried. Diego's eyes widened in fear when she saw Morgan at Calamity's mercy.

"Vile villain," Chadster continued. "You will release my sidekick from your control or face the consequences... of justice."

"I think the only consequences you should be concerned about right now, Chadster, are the consequences of ruining my surprise," Calamity shot back.

"Your consequences pale in comparison to the consequences you will face for besmirching-" Chad began blabbering nonsense.

The last of Morgan's patient evaporated. "Is it the first yet or what?" Morgan yelled.

"It is," Chadster said brightly. "Good thinking, Sidekick! Call me to your side and I'll make sure to get you back home safely. Our parents will straighten all of this out!"

Morgan snapped their fingers.

Alex, naked, beautiful and prepared to strike at something that was no longer beneath one of his heels, popped into existence in front of Morgan.

"--interrupting my shop--" Alex's stopped.

The entire room froze.

The S-Tier villian straightened surprised. Slit yellow eyes quickly found Morgan and the villain holding the blade to his neck.

"Hey man, sorry to interrupt," Morgan apologized.

Alex cracked his neck- instantly dressed in his best suit with silver buttons and a dangling dagger earring. "No problem. I was getting bored anyway," he said glaring at Calamity.

Calamity immediately removed the blade and took several steps back hands up in surrender.

With Morgan out of immediate danger, Alex glanced around the room and found the Chastisers and the Fairness Association, standing frozen in fear before him.

Alex gasped and rushed to Morgan. "Wait, wait, wait," he slapped Morgan's shoulder playfully. "The Chastisers, Fairness Association and Physician Calamity? All at once!"

"Yep," Morgan said nodding.

The S-Tier villain smiled broad and toothy, practically glowing with gratitude. "Oh, this might not be boring!"

"I thought you'd like it," Morgan said genuinely. "But would you mind getting me back to the apartment before you start? I'd rather not have to dodge falling rubble."

"Of course- wait you're not hurt are you?" Alex watching Morgan as they favored their right arm. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"I just got yanked around during an escape attempt," Morgan said. They rotated their arm to show that it was fine. "I'm fine."

"Actually fine or Morgan fine?"

"I don't understand the difference."

"We'll deal with that later. You mind ordering Chinese? I haven't had dinner yet," Alex said preparing to snap his fingers.

"Sure thing. The usual?"

"Yes and add crab rangoon," Alex said brightly. "I've been in the mood for crab rangoon."

"I'm not ordering crab rangoon," Morgan said.

"What? Why not! I'm saving you, Morgan. Don't I deserve crab rangoon?" Alex spoke in mock hurt.

"But you never eat it. I end up eating it and I'm the one, out of the two of us, that actually has to work off the calories. So no. I'm not ordering it," Morgan shot back.

"You want to be teleported back to the apartment or not?" Alex lightly threatened.

Morgan only smiled at his friend. "Fine. But I will force feed you that crab rangoon if you don't eat it on your own."

"Perfect!" Alex snapped and Morgan disappeared.

"What just happened?" Dave breathed, confused.

Physician Calamity started staggering back, clearly terrified and holding up their hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, I didn't know they were one of yours-"

"That's because you weren't smart enough to check," Alex's voice turned dark and low and husky. His eyes locked on the other villain as he began rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "A mistake you won't repeat."

The S-Tier villian cracked his knuckles hard enough to crack the concrete under his feet. "Now, let's get this started, shall we?"

- 6 -

This was FUN.

Physician Calamity being a little bit of a disappointment. Alex was half-way tempted to restore the man to his youth to actually get a fight out of him, but he wasn't fighting Calamity for the fun of it. He was toying with Calamity, breaking a few bones and letting him slip his grasp only to catch him again. This was about teaching him a lesson. The Fairness Association and Chastisers were what made the fight interesting.

Alex's nemesis--the jerk leader of the FA that Alex refused to learn the name of--had, for some reason, ordered the other heroes to try to keep Calamity alive. Probably out of some misplaced idea of honor. Or because heroes preferred to cage their enemies and not kill them. Whatever the reason, in between slowly crushing Calamity's hope of escaping with his life, Alex got to throw punches with some of the stronger heroes in existence.

The swarming Calamity Bots were a nuisance, at least until Alex found a use for them. The metal robots made excellent ammunition. Alex enjoyed banking them off walls and floors to hit the B-Tier heroes taking cover and attacking from afar.

It was engaging and fun and creative and he felt alive and he loved it.

It was all going so great before the heroes retreated and someone dropped a city's worth of electricity onto his head in the form of a lightning bolt.

The resulting explosion and concussive wave shattered the ceiling and leveled the walls. Alex was left standing in the epicenter of the rubble, noting that the lightning had burnt through the front of his shirt and vest.

He looked up to the hero responsible, floating above it all, hands still crackling with electricity.

He teleported in front of the Chadster.

"So you're the brother," Alex purred, curiosity getting the best of him.

Chad started and jerked back from Alex before squaring his shoulders and facing him with determination. "You've--You've stolen Morgan, haven't you? They're your sidekick now!" Chadster accused.

Alex made a face, annoyed by Chad's voice. Was he really going to do this the entire time? "Sidekick? No, they're not my sidekick. What are you--If anything I'm their sidekick."

Chad didn't appear to hear what Alex was saying. "Morgan's always been weak. It only makes sense that you'd use him to get to me!"

The S-Tier villain felt his curiosity turn to fury. A small voice in his head reminded him of the promise he had made to Morgan to not kill their siblings. So, he wasn't going to kill him.

"Quick question," Alex asked, slit yellow eyes boring into Chad's clueless face. "Are you left or right handed?"
_____

Chad, the big dumb idiot, had answered honestly.

Diego didn't pay attention to the dumb one-liner Chad said--something about his right hand being dominant and a tool for justice. The moment she saw the S-Tier's face darken, she knew he was fucked.

The S-Tier moved fast and brutal, grabbing Chad's right shoulder with one hand and Chad's right wrist with the other, and twisted the arm off the body at the socket.

Chad fell from the sky in shock, landing in the rubble.

Diego navigated through the concrete remnants of the building to get to his prone form, trying to stay out of sight of the S-Tier and the heroes still trading blows in the air. In the back of her mind, questions were racing. Why would Morgan summon the S-Tier? Why would the S-Tier help Morgan?

Was Morgan really going to force feed the more powerful mass murderer in the universe crab rangoon?

She circled around a large chunk of concrete to get to Chad on the other side while staying out of the S-Tier's sight.

As she moved the thunderous sounds of punching stalled. She froze for a second and then chanced a peek around the corner of the block.

The S-Tier had his back to her, standing next to Chadster's breathing, bleeding body. He had leaned down to pick up Chadster's severed arm. He inspected it for a moment, his eyes brightening and a smile tugging at his lips. Despite being splattered in blood, his clothing burnt, and covered in dust, he looked like he was shopping and had found a particularly cute trinket to take with him.

Seeing him holding her brother's arm made her see red. She lunged, throwing herself into a flying kick straight at the S-Tier's face. He didn't see her coming.

Diego was strong. She could punch through concrete, metal, and stone with ease.

She had never hit anything more unyielding than the side of the S-Tier's face. She felt the fractures in her shin form on impact and she yelped scrambling back while the S-Tier blinked in surprise.

"Oh you actually managed to sneak up on me!" The S-Tier- Alex, Morgan had called him- said clearly impressed. He snapped his fingers and Chad's arm disappeared.

Diego hopped around the cracked concrete floor, unable to put weight on her hurt foot. She grit her teeth through the pain. Alex didn't move to attack, just looked her up and down like she was a vaguely interesting vase.

"You weren't able to do anything with it, but points for stealth!" The S-Tier shrugged with a smirk.

She stared at him trying to make sense of everything she had seen. Despite her fury at what happened to Chad, something in Alex's demeanor made her hesitate before continuing the fight.

He was relaxed. He wasn't looking to fight her. He was impossibly powerful, untouchable, evil incarnate and- somehow, clearly- someone Morgan trusted.

"How the fuck are you Morgan's sidekick?" was the only question Diego could think to ask.

In an instant, Alex closed the distance between them. He was an inch from her face and terrifying.

But his smile was fond.

"I hold the flashlight during their heists. It's my official position," he said conspiratorially.

Diego squared her shoulders, refusing to back up even in the face of doom. "And what would Morgan think about you tearing Chad's arm off?"

"We'll find out when I bring it to them," Alex said. He eyed her and then tilted his head. "You're a lot like them, aren't you?"

She gulped and opened her mouth to say something but the S-Tier cut her off.

"So stubborn," The S-Tier said with a soft expression Diego didn't think he was capable of.

He reached out a hand and the concrete he pointed at exploded. In the center of it was a very beaten-up looking Physician Calamity, held by some invisible force floating in the air.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, half-purr, half-challenge. "But I have other business to attend to and I would hate to have to kill you. It would upset Morgan."

Alex didn't wait for an answer. He took off, grabbing Calamity by the face and then smashing him through the rubble downwards, through the floor, the first level of the liar, then the next and the next and the next.

Diego hopped over to Chad to check on him.

Alex had cauterized the shoulder. Diego had never heard of the S-Tier being that merciful to someone he attacked.

"Magenta!" Dave's tired voice echoed across the rubble.

She turned and looked. Leader USA was helping several hurt and struggling Fair Association members from where they had been beaten into the ground.

He looked a little harried, and mostly confused as he yelled, "What the fuck?!"
_____

Morgan had expected a few things when Alex arrived back in the apartment. They expected him to be covered in blood, ash and dust, which he was. They even expected his suit to be torn in a few places, which it was.

What they hadn't expected was Alex slamming his brother's arm on his kitchen counter- cauterized and bandaged so that it wouldn't make a mess.

"I brought a present," Alex said with all the cool confidence of a cat presenting a dead bird to its owner.

Morgan could only stare at it. It was unmistakably Chad's. It had that obnoxious sleeve of Lady Justice.

"I-- I don't..." they started to say.

"I know that he was causing you stress. Him moving to the city wasn't comfortable for you. So I wanted to make it clear, both to him and you, that I had your back. Not that I want to fight your battles, but... y'know, fuck that guy," Alex said with a confident smirk. "He called you my sidekick and weak. He doesn't get to say that shit about you."

Morgan looked from Alex down to the arm. An odd feeling was rising in their stomach. It wasn't disgust. It should be disgust, but it wasn't.

They took a deep breath in searching for something to say, but all he could do was stare at the arm and what it meant.

"This shouldn't be hot," Morgan said, running a hand down their face.

Alex looked a little shocked before brightening hopefully. "But it is hot, right? You think it's hot."

Morgan let out a chuckle. "I mean... Yeah." He shrugged sheepishly. There was heat in their cheeks. "Thanks, Alex. For being there for me."

Alex looked ecstatic, tapping his fingers together like he did when he was particularly pleased. "I'm here to support you, Morgan."

"Can I get a hug?" asked Morgan.

Alex obliged and Morgan pressed their forehead into his chest.

"We can't keep that here," they said motioning to the arm.

"I have a display case at the base that will perfectly preserve it," Alex said brightly. "So that every time the Fairness Association shows up at my base, he will reminded about what happens when he says shit about you."

Tension left Morgan's shoulders and they sank deeper into the hug. They needed to do some serious reflection on why having a severed arm presented to them was so attractive but also, they needed to not think about it. They needed to not think about the fact they, somewhere along the line, had fallen in love with the S-Tier mass murderer who was their best friend.

But right now, they got to relax, safe, in the arms of their best friend who would do anything for them.

_____

Alex smiled his biggest, toothiest smile as he held Morgan in their arms and they relaxed into the hug. He looked down at the arm, appreciating it. It really was the perfect gift.

And the best part was, Chad had another arm to spare. So if push came to shove, Alex knew exactly how to cheer their best friend and crush back up.

- Epilogue -

Diego sat in the diner, fingers tapping nervously on the table. A waiter sat at the counter, reading a textbook with tired eyes, below a clock that read 11:30pm. It was a cramped place with stains so old they had seeped into the tile. There was only one other person in the diner, lingering in a far booth with a wide-brimmed hat on and heavy five o'clock shadow.

She let out a long breath, trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

A chime rang out, drawing her attention to the door.

Morgan stood in the door, chewing their lip and watching Diego. They waved nervously as they walked forward.

"Hey there, little sis, sorry I'm late. It's good to see you--"

Morgan was cut off when Diego shot to her feet and pulled them into a powerful hug. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" she asked, terrified.

"What? No! Calamity just yanked me around a little bit. Nothing that some ibuprofen couldn't fix," Morgan hugging her back.

She pulled away, taken back. "No--I mean yes--I'm glad Calamity didn't really hurt you but the S-Tier! He didn't..."

Morgan cut her off with a laugh. "No. Alex didn't," they patted her arm and sat in the booth opposite to her. "He wouldn't hurt me."

"Morgan, he's a serial killer," Diego felt like she was going crazy. How could Morgan be so calm?

"He prefers serial mass murderer, and I know. Believe me, I know," Morgan sighed. Some sort of conflict flashed in their eyes and swallowed a little bit. They nervously ran their hand along the edge of the table. "But we aren't... I'm not that to him, y'know? Someone to challenge and kill. We're roommates. We play video games together and hangout."

Diego blinked at them confused. She had so many questions. She wanted to rage against Morgan's calm. She wanted to grab their shoulders and shake sense into them. But mostly she just had questions.

"He holds flashlights for you?" she blurted out.

Morgan let out a bark of laughter. It was bright and exuberant. Diego straightened in her chair, surprised at how infectious it was. A smile tugged at the corner of her own mouth. The mental image of Alex holding a flashlight in some corner bank while Morgan cracked a safe flashed in her head.

"I mean, yeah. He filled in for another guy who flaked out and he's not allowed to be the getaway driver anymore," Morgan said. Their eyes glittered with memory. "He's really a great sport all things considered."

"He could kill you with a thought," Diego reminded him, remembering the sheer terror Alex had inspired in their fight.

"That describes more than half our family, Diego," Morgan lightly slapping the table to emphasize their point.

She didn't remember her sibling being so expressive. She remembered them muted, tired and frustrated. But this Morgan, enthusiastic, charming and unrestrained, felt right.

"That's a good point actually," she said with a frown. She thought back to memories of their parents and of Chad, throwing energy blasts and lightning around like it was nothing. She had gotten some level of invulnerability when her superpowers came in, but Morgan hadn't. Morgan had been around life-threatening danger their entire childhood, she realized. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Our parents kind of sucked..."

"Suck," Morgan corrected, emphasizing the 'k'. "Present tense."

Diego sighed in agreement.

"So... what's going on with you and Leader USA?" Morgan asked.

Diego immediately turned a little red. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said defensively.

"I've read the gossip forums, Diego. I've see the photographs and read the accounts about stolen dinners and dates," Morgan teased. "He likes a partner who's taller than him, huh?"

Diego gave Morgan unimpressed look. "Do you force feed all your gang members crab rangoon, or is Alex just special?" she asked pointedly.

Morgan cleared his throat nervously and nodded several times. "Okay, we don't have to talk about that if you don't want to, I'm fine not talking about it, let's not talk about it."

Diego leaned forward on the table looking at her sibling with begging eyes. "Him? Really? Him?" she hissed, taken back.

Morgan let out a groan. "He's really hot," they said through gritted teeth. "You should see him when loses at Mario Kart."

"Oh my god, Morgan," breathed Diego. She put her face in her hands. "And I thought Chad and Rex Roofer was the worst it could be."

"Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait-wait," Morgan drummed their hands on the table in excitement.

Diego looked at her sibling through her fingers.

"Chad and Rex?" they had a wide mischievous smile on their face. "You can't be serious."

"Alex- Morgan--you and the S-Tier!" Diego tried to redirect their attention back to the subject at hand.

It was useless. "I am going to fuck with Rex so much at our next poker name," Morgan flopped back in the bench, their eyes bright with new ideas. "It's going to be so fun!"