Chapter Text
Roman walked down an empty path in the park, one near their property that never got any people. It was practically abandoned despite all of the beautiful growth still inside. A familiar feeling of unease washed over him as his limbs turned slightly cold. He spun around slowly, staring out at the empty space behind him.
“Virgil?” He called out softly. Only silence replied making him bob his head in the other direction.
“Virgil I know you’re there,” he sighed almost flatly, an unamused expression on his face. Soon enough the villain stepped out of seemingly thin air. His familiar black hoodie covered in purple patches from battle damage drooped around his hunched frame, his hands buried in his pockets.
“You always know when I’m around, huh?” He huffed, tossing a bored look up at the other through his dark purple bangs.
- - -
Roman clutched his fist around a stinging whip of flames in his hand, his eyes scanning the surroundings intensely.
“How’re we supposed to fight what we can’t see?” Patton cried out, a blue shield of energy encasing him. Logan was posed very similarly, his arms up and his eyes trained on every empty space.
“Just wait!” Roman grit his teeth, searching for any clue he could.
“Hey Princey,” A sultry mocking voice murmured behind him as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Phantom.
Roman spun around and lashed out his whip, but the villain had already teleported away. Instead of colliding with his target, his whip stretched out straight for Logan, blocked at the last second by Patton’s shield as he let out a yelt\p. By moving the energy in front of Logan, Patton gave up an opening where a bug rapidly sprang up and took the shape of a yellow snake, wrapping around the hero tightly. Mimic.
“Patton!” Roman exclaimed in horror, his voice suddenly amplified and bouncing off the surrounding buildings back at himself so loudly he doubled over in pain. Through wincing eyes, he could see Logan doing the same. Banshee stepped out of a shadowy alleyway, the dog muzzle that concealed his lower face glistening in the sunlight.
“I just love showing up when I’m least expected or wanted!” He sneered.
Patton let out a pained wheeze as the mimic squeezed around him tighter. Logan got a hold of a manhole cover with his telekinetic abilities and slung it towards the shapeshifter without moving more than a slight flick of his head. Focus on Phantom, we can handle the other two. Roman heard Logan’s command in his head loud and clear, rolling out his shoulders.
What had started as nothing more than an investigation with suspicion of one of the villains being in the area turned into an all-out brawl. Unfortunately, this was becoming common since said villains had arrived in Resting Willow.
“Why don’t you stop hiding, Phantom?” Roman called out, knowing his only leverage was taunting. A purple shimmer caught his eye as the villain appeared nearby in a long, baggy, black hoodie strung together with mismatched fabric and dark eye makeup. He looked unamused.
“I don’t need Ghost Walking to beat you.” Roman’s brows furrowed as he threw out his whip again. Phantom teleported out of reach, swiping at Roman who dodged.
They continued this song and dance, lashing out insults at each other as they went. Roman could feel the adrenaline coursing through him and sick satisfaction from the challenge. He knew they were both grinning sadistically as they attacked and dodged around each other.
“I think you’re getting weak, Princey,” Phantom cooed, his words wiggling into Roman’s skin like a bad chill.
“You’re paranoia and insecurity won’t work on me,” Roman huffed back, tracking the fast-moving villain expertly. He cocked his head while zipping around.
“You’re right, you’re already insecure enough.” Flames only got a millimeter away from the villain's face, the orange reflecting in his eyes, before he vanished again, reappearing somewhere else. If Roman couldn’t out-speed Phantom he’d just have to predict his movements ahead of time…
Caught up in his planning he failed to notice the long piece of scrap metal the villain had picked up until it was swinging at his head. He caught it, the force vibrating down his arm probably enough to break bones. He didn’t flinch, holding eye contact with Phantom, their grins never faltering.
“You can’t exactly hurt me, remember?” Phantom’s dark brows pushed into a frown as he tried to pull the bar away. But Roman was stronger, keeping them in place before he used his heat manipulation to burn the metal. Phantom hissed in pain staggering back a few steps as he cradled his injured hand.
“You’re faster, but you’re still hurtable.” The menacing words must have gotten to the villain because his eyes widened in what looked like a rare look of fear. Before Roman could strike again Patton was calling out to him.
“They’re retreating!” Phantom whipped his head around to see Banshee flipping the heroes off and cackling while riding on the back of a very large “dog”. His frantic eyes shot back to Roman before he fizzled out of sight, escaping into his invisibility. Roman cursed under his breath despite the delight that he’d finally made some form of contact with the nuisance of a villain.
Phantom only fled when the older villains did despite seeming more capable in his abilities. Only this time did Roman feel like he’d actually earned the flight. He stood in place, panting heavily while staring at the open space, picturing the villain scampering away. His thoughts were interrupted by footsteps.
“How many times must I tell you to be careful,” Logan scolded sharply. Irritation was marked all over the older hero’s face, but Roman rolled his eyes.
“I am!” He argued, sounding far too much like a whiney teenager. To be fair he was only nineteen—twenty next month. Logan had a good six years on him.
“You almost attacked your own team and Patton got hurt correcting your mistake!” Logan shot back.
“Really I’m fine,” Patton dismissed shyly, but it was evident he was in pain. Roman softened only out of concern for his friend.
“I… I’m sorry,” he sighed. Logan shook his head with a ‘tsk’, turning to trek back to their house.
Three years ago the two older heroes had found Roman after a series of fire accidents. Unlike them, Roman wasn’t born with his abilities. At least not active ones. They developed over time slowly and when he was seventeen they got fairly out of control. Logan, who had already read his mind, introduced himself and Patton, explaining that they also had inhuman abilities and wanted to help him. Despite the age gap they actually became good friends.
Roman spent the rest of high school balancing a “normal teen life” and training before he moved in with them at eighteen. It took his parents some convincing at first, but once they realized nothing weird was going on they came around to really liking the two. Roman made up a lie that he’d met them through the theater department at the local college. Thankfully Logan actually did work at said college so it checked out.
Now they were practically a family! In an…odd way. Most families didn’t have superhuman abilities and fight crime at night. But hey Batman did it or whatever.
Roman puffed out air, crossing his arms as he followed Logan. It wasn’t easy being the youngest. Logan treated him like a rash child and their extreme differences were highlighted each day.
“Good job at fending off Phantom,” Patton chimed quietly next to him. Roman’s mood lightened just a bit.
“He is such a pain.” Mimic and Banshee were annoying no doubt, but they were fairly easy to counter at least. The worst part about them was Mimic’s “influence” power. His words were enticing and hard not to follow without Logan using telepathy to coach them through fights. Thank God the brainiac was immune to mental attacks. That was 90% of the villain's “stick”.
Phantom had “paranoia”, his whispers making victims afraid, insecure, or weak. Banshee’s words were loud and distracting, most of the time amplified with his sound manipulation, and got stuck in your head on a loop. It was a unique similarity they all shared, unfortunately.
“We’ll figure out how to deal with him eventually,” Patton offered, trying to sound assuring. Roman just nodded along, the image of the villain's mocha eyes smeared with black undereye makeup sticking in his mind.
The next morning he woke up to a blaring alarm sound, looking around with bleary eyes and messy hair in confusion.
“Wha-” Then he noticed Logan standing in his doorway unamused. Roman’s face fell into annoyance.
“Cut it out will you?” He grumbled, thankful to hear the noise in his head stop as he rolled over only for his blankets to then be pulled into the air.
“Training today,” Logan said firmly, pushing his leaning body off the doorframe. Roman let out a low groan.
“What time is it?” He questioned exasperatedly.
“Nearly eleven!” Logan called back, already trailing down the stairs. Roman exhaled to himself with an ‘ugh’ sound, sitting back up to rake his hands down his face. Despite having abilities that made him extra strong and nearly invincible his body was aching this morning. He was lucky to face no injuries but exhaustion was the real enemy.
It was actually a big part of “super’s” lives. Your powers are pulled from your energy and following that logic- could be exhausting to use. He could remember several nights when Patton had to isolate and rest up after using too much empathy or “surge”. He had it the worst considering his powers were alll about energy. Emotions must be taxing.
Roman’s body always ached after long fights and he felt awfully heavy. Logan seemed the most unaffected. Granted he’d been using his abilities since he was a small child so he must be more used to it than most. The hero, who named himself “Apollo”, knew he was “special” since five years old at least, using his powers to read classmates’ thoughts in attempts to fit in. It never worked.
Patton, whose powers also developed young, didn’t understand them until he was about a pre-teen. For a long time, he didn’t know why he was always so aware of everyone else’s emotions or why some people would cry when he touched them while he himself was sad. By the time he connected the dots there, he learned he could also manipulate energy in order to create shields.
Roman was less fortunate than them, discovering his destructive powers at sixteen. As a child, he’d never been injury-prone, but he thought that just made him “tough” like his dad said. Fifteen was when his strength started coming in, accidentally breaking things or hurting people via handshakes and such. He just thought he was…growing?
Sixteen was when the fires started. He was terrified of himself and out of control. If Logan hadn’t found him when he did who knows what could’ve happened… His parents still didn’t know. They likely never would.
The first thing any superhero movie or book would tell you is that you absolutely cannot tell your loved ones. Especially not when they hated those books and movies because if they were real all those “heroes” were idiots.
Roman was eighteen when he’d gained good control and understanding of his abilities. That was when he decided he wanted to become a hero. Logan thought it was foolish, but Patton was on board. So “The Blazing Prince” and “Morality” were born. They spent their nights taking care of petty crimes for a long time. Patton rehabilitated bad people by surging them full of guilt, hence his name, and Roman beat up the other ones.
Then the villains showed up. Where there is light there must be darkness, right? That was when Logan got involved. Roman and Patton still took care of petty crimes as much as they could, but more often than not these days they got caught up with the villains.
The hero scowled to himself as he tugged on clothes for training. Phantom was his first real challenge since he started all of this. Well, all the villains were an upgrade from average criminals here, but compared to him? Mimic and Banshee were easy. Sure they made a threatening team and they were good at targeting the hero’s weak spots, but all in all they were decent opponents at best. Phantom was everything and more.
He was the only villain they never landed a blow on and never “beat”. He retreated with his friends but never out of genuine loss. It frustrated the hell out of Roman and at the same time each fight was a rush. All he wanted was to finally put him in his place.
Roman, are you coming? Logan’s “voice” intruded into his mind making his other thoughts scatter apart. With an irritable exhale he made his way out of his room, tabling thoughts in there for another time. It was a given he would brood about the villain again anyway.
“Ah, you’re finally ready?” Logan chimed as Roman entered their training room. They’d built it onto the property years ago with Logan’s crazy yet secretive inheritance. Family was a short topic with him. Meaning he always dismissed the topic altogether.
Roman gave a disgruntled tired look to the brainy hero before noticing Patton who was sitting on a crate in the corner, perking up at his arrival. He passed a kind smile to the other, only allowing his soreness to seep out on Logan. The two had always been opposites to each other in nearly every way, butting heads whenever they got the chance. “Brains and Brawn”. Only Patton, the true natural held them together at times.
Unfortunately, they were both incredibly stubborn. Logan was pretentious, an attitude developed from being the smartest in the room and having responsibility shoved onto his shoulders from a young age. Roman was a bit brash and quick to stand his ground when he was challenged simply because he felt he had to. Whenever they truly believed something it usually conflicted and neither of them would budge.
It didn’t help that being older and what Roman considered a killjoy but others considered “responsible”, Logan had a strict idea for how things should be done. Roman could never manage to be as serious as him.
“What’re we working on today?” Patton questioned. Roman considered himself energetic, but even he didn’t understand how the other was so vibrant and cheery all the time. Especially the morning after a fight. With a pang of guilt, he noticed by the way Patton held himself that his injuries from yesterday were still bothering him.
“Teamwork,” Logan replied dryly, not giving more than an annoyed glance at Roman’s bored fidgeting. “It is the only advantage the villains have and we cannot let them keep it.
The heroes were an okay team, but it was true that the villains took advantage of their lack of coordination. It wasn’t that they were a better team, it was clear they didn’t look out for each other. Looking back on yesterday they left Phantom without a word, only expecting he’d catch up. That was if they even cared.
But they did know how to work together when it came to coordinating attacks and how to prey on the hero’s sloppy spots. Logan was right to be upset and want more training after Roman’s slip-up. It wasn’t the first time.
- - -
“Roman!” Logan snapped, losing his concentration. The metal beam he’d been manipulating slipped from his control before he twisted around to glare at his younger companion harshly. Roman’s instincts kicked into gear easily, tossing out his fire whip to sling the metal into place.
“Sorry sorry,” he tossed back without much care in his voice. Patton watched him from a separate corner of the training area where he was practicing his reflexes with his shields, a certain expression that could only be described as paternal pressed into his features.
“You’re supposed to be taking this seriously,” Logan scolded, his brows pinched together tightly as he continued to use his telekinetic powers on various things. Roman rolled his eyes, his slacked body practically dancing around the training ring. Logan was always uptight about training, insisting they needed to at least keep their skills sharp and be prepared if they were going to trudge on as self-proclaimed heroes.
Training wasn’t new, they’d been training Roman for years at this point, but that had only been the basics. The stuff he needed to know so he didn’t burn the city down by accident or reveal himself as someone with powers. Genuine “battle” training and teamwork was new.
This entire time the two had riskily been jumping out into the world in effort to help people while Logan tried to ignore it. Patton was good at staying out of trouble, he always targeted people who didn’t really want to hurt anyone in the first place. It was Roman who dove headfirst into danger and dealt with the consequences at home later.
Yet now that there were serious threats out there, big enough to pull a resistant Logan into their mess, they had to be more serious.
The villains always traveled together and never held back. Becoming a proper team was their only choice if they wanted to stand a chance. So, Logan upgraded their training “arena” and took charge of preparing them.
Only, Roman did not like listening to Logan.
“I am taking this seriously, specs!” He drawled with over-dramatic mannerisms. “Did you forget I’ve been on the field longer than you?” His voice held a challenge and it was clear from a mile away that another argument was brewing. Patton instantly disengaged from his own training and padded over to the two who had stopped to scowl at each other.
“Roman, you never take any of this seriously! Just because you’re resistant doesn’t mean you’re indestructible and it certainly doesn’t mean your teammates are!” The older hero's tone was cold and his voice was collected even when it raised in irritation. Patton was quick to make his way between them.
“Maybe we’re all just a little tired..” he tried, reaching his hands out to both. The other two flinched away, not taking their gazes off each other.
“Oh I’m sorry, would you rather me sit around and do nothing like you?” Roman fought back, his easily lit temper bubbling already. A deep frown was setting in Patton's face as his gaze bounced back and forth.
“It is better to be calculated and careful than sloppy and dead.” Logan’s words were sharp and Roman tried not to flinch at that last one.
“Hesitating can be just as bad!” The youngest hero could never understand it. They had the ability to help people! To change the world but Logan was never satisfied with that.
“We have no idea what we’re up against these days. Roman, I know you’re young-“
“Oh don’t pull the age thing on me.” Roman rolled his eyes, his entire head moving with it. “Six years doesn’t mean you know everything!”
“I certainly know more than you!”
“Guys,” Patton tried to interject quietly but was ultimately ignored.
“All you know is your books! You hardly spend a day in the real world!” Roman’s voice was growing to an agitated shout while Logan’s posture turned rigid.
“Perhaps you could use some reading, it might correct your attitude.” Logan’s face was annoyingly unemotional as he replied, his words digging into Roman’s hot head.
“My attitude!? You’re the one who's always so- so controlling!”
“Guys…” Patton’s distressed gaze matched his pleading tone as he worked his hands together nervously.
“I am not controlling,” Logan scoffed, “I’m trying to guide you-“
“You’re not my dad!”
“Guys!” A burst of blue energy pushed the two apart, Patton’s shields acting as a separation tool.
Both blinked several times in surprise, collecting themselves and finally turning their attention to Patton.
“Arguing about all of this doesn’t solve any of our issues. Roman, Logan’s right, we’re a team and need to act like it.” Roman’s jaw slacked before he threw his hands up.
“But-“ Patton cut him off quickly.
“Logan, Roman is also right,” he added, softening Roman’s expression and hardening Logan’s. “There are serious threats in Resting Willow now, we can’t do whatever we want anymore. We have a responsibility to help.”
Logan curtly adjusted his glasses, his head jerking sharply as he did. It was a small habit the other two had learned meant he was biting his tongue and swallowing his feelings.
Roman shook away the memories of their last training session, rolling out his stiff shoulders. Arguing gets us nowhere. He reminded himself. He watched Logan closely as he made his way to some new device, likely made for today's session.
“Ready to begin?” He beckoned. We’ve got a long day ahead…
- - -
The night air was cold, pressing into Roman’s thin costume. A relatively skin-tight red suit with golden accents underneath a long open white tail coat of sorts, also complete with golden accents. Logan had called it “incredibly impractical” but Roman called it “flare”. He did want to look the part after all. A pristine white masquerade mask that flared out on each side and had a long point down his nose concealed his face. It was complete with glittering red diamond shapes and two gold chains hanging off of either side with crystal beads.
The bustling nightlife of the city served as a familiar comfort despite being along the empty back roads. Patton was wandering at his side, with no leads for either hero to follow yet.
“Don’t you ever find it - how different your two appearances are?” Logan hummed in both the hero’s heads. Like usual he didn’t tag along for civil duties but still kept an “eye” on them anyway. You never knew with the villains lurking around.
Patton had the usual pep in his step, his grey cloak bouncing around him slightly. It was true that the two had starkly different costumes. Patton’s face was entirely concealed by a soft blue metal mask in the shape of a robotic cat with grey accents along the nose and ears. The eyes were concealed by a vibrant white cover. On his forehead, there were two dark blue swirls in the vague shape of a disconnected heart and his head was framed by the baggy hood of his cloak.
“Nope!” He chimed brightly. Roman pressed his lips into a contained smile. Being a strict pacifist they decided it was beneficial to design a more intimidating costume. Patton’s powers were not exactly suited for attacking and the hero would never be capable of hurting someone so to ward off potential threats they made him appear otherwise. It still had a touch of his friendly personality designed into it and he seemed content with the results.
Roman, who worked in cosuming at a local theater, had designed them both himself. He begged Logan to let him make a third but the eldest declined with no room for negotiation. He did not consider himself a hero. He did not want to use his powers in any “grand schemes”. As far as Logan was concerned he was just another person who only stepped up to protect his friends.
“I still don’t understand why you insist on going out,” Logan “muttered”. He had always been outspoken about his opinions against the two’s endeavors, but he was also aware he could not stop them. The best he could do was use his telepathy at a strenuous range to communicate with them and take peaks through their eyes. Just in case. He valued looking out for them, especially Patton.
“Hey specs, mind giving us some privacy? I’ll send out the bat signal if we need you,” Roman teased with a playfully annoyed expression. There was a stretch of silence beside Patton chuckling next to him quietly.
“Very well, I will leave you be. Just remember your pager,” the older reminded dryly.
“Yeah yeah got it calculator watch,” Roman dismissed with an exasperated exhale. When it returned to another long stretch of silence he turned to his unsuspecting companion.
“So… when are you two gonna make it official?” He drawled out innocently. Patton’s head startled in his direction, his whole body tensing up nervously.
“What!?” He yelped in surprise. Roman smiled to himself smugly. He couldn’t see it, but he knew his friend was burning up under the mask.
“Well, you two have been dancing around each other for years.” Roman made dramatic gestures with his body as he spoke which was quite typical for him. “It’s clear you have feelings for each other.”
Patton quickly wrapped his arms around himself and shook his head. If they hadn’t been friends for so long now Roman might miss the small nervous act as him pulling his emotions in defensively.
“I do not like Logan,” he sputtered out unconvincingly. Roman tilted his head doubtfully to make up for a suspicious eyebrow raise.
“Really! We’re just friends!” Patton’s hands shot out, his own dramatic gestures becoming present when he got frantic. All the little tells.
“Right, friends who already lived together before all of,” he gestured between them and their surroundings, “this started.” Patton exhaled curtly. Roman loved everything love and it had been clear almost the entire time that he knew his two friends that there was something underneath their platonic relationship. Even if they didn’t realize it themselves.
“Did you forget I’m practically dirt poor and Logan is like- a millionaire!” Patton exclaimed dramatically. Roman snorted in return. “Working at the library doesn’t exactly make a perfect living salary.” His voice trailed away to a mumble.
“Okay fair, but still,” Roman went on, a disgruntled noise bubbling out of the other hero’s throat. “Have either of you even dated anyone since you’ve known each other?” The question was innocent, but he could tell he’d accidentally wounded his friend's pride.
“Well…” Patton scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “No,” he answered more under his breath.
“But that is not because I am ‘infatuated’,” he made air quotes in front of his face as he said it, “with Logan!” Roman shook his head, not believing him for a second.
“Whatever you say ‘Pop Star’.”
“Aw, what a touching scene,” A disembodied voice cooed eerily. Both heroes spun around, and their defenses raised quickly. Phantom stepped out of the shadows with a cold smirk on his face.
“What are you doing here you fiend,” Roman demanded with a clenched jaw, disgust pooling in his stomach upon seeing the villain. How could anyone throw away life-changing abilities by being nothing but a dirty crook?
“Ouch, cool the fire Princey,” Phantom sucked in through his teeth. “Can’t I just stop in to say hi to my favorite heroes?” Every word was dripping in sarcasm, his voice alone making uncomfortable prickles work down Roman’s skin.
“Only if you came looking for a fight,” he warned in return, flames igniting around his hands. A blue glow surrounded Patton’s own hands, ready to throw up a defense for them. Phatom’s head bobbed back as he pursed his lips “thoughtfully”.
“Well I was hoping for an easy day, but…” A disturbing grin spread out across his lips, “I guess fighting you is easy.”
Roman had heard enough, tossing out his fire. The alleyways lit up brilliant orange as heat cascaded around them. Patton covered himself in his shields, leaving Roman and Phantom toe to toe.
“Should I page L- Apollo?” Patton questioned frantically as Phantom dodged around each one of Roman’s attacks.
“No! I’ve got this!” Frustration set like cement in his stomach, hardening quickly. He didn’t need Logan to protect him. Logan wasn’t a hero- he was a hero! He was the hero! The hero who was going to take down Phantom.
“Boo,” Phantom said, appearing inside Patton’s energy bubble just in front of his face. Patton yelped, the barrier going down as he scrambled back. The villain just laughed. Of course, he could just ghost-walk through it.
While he was busy staring at the scared hero Roman took a chance to slam into his side. Phantom’s eyes widened as they both went tumbling toward the rough ground before he teleported out from under Roman. The hero cursed under his breath, searching for his next sign of the other.
“Still couldn’t get me there, Princey?” He mocked, looking down at him from a barely unreachable distance. Roman launched up with a fierce glare.
“Face it, you’ll never be a good hero.” A cold feeling settled into his stomach as doubt started to wrap around his mind. Heroes are nothing but idiots playing dress-up. He remembered the words his parents used to say whenever he was excitedly watching a movie with any kind of “hero” in it. His demeanor fell.
“You’re… right.” His gaze dropped down, but not before missing how the villain's expression also collapsed. “I’ll never be good enough.”
Phantom stood still, his body wavering as if he were unsure of what to do now. Clearly, he hadn’t expected the extravagant egotistical hero to crumble so easily. His eyes darted around like he was formulating a plan, but that hesitance was all the other needed.
Suddenly the villain really froze, his expression turning to panic as his powers shimmered around him, but failed. Logan stepped out from around the corner, light bouncing off the edges of his glasses. He had a telekinetic hold on Phantom, one even his powers couldn’t seem to break.
“This isn’t your first outing tonight, is it Phantom?” Roman smirked triumphantly. Phantom’s face twisted into anger as he glared through his shock.
“No, in fact, he’s been parading around town an awful lot tonight with his little trio,” Logan chimed in coldly.
“Get out of my head!” The villain snapped like an aggressive dog, his body still attempting to trash out of its invisible grip. Roman wasn’t sure if it was more frightening to see nothing but a blurry figure due to Logan’s mind-warping to preserve his identity or his absolutely emotionless face.
“Looks like you’re running low on energy,” Roman gloated with a snap of his fingers. Logan had caught wind of the other two villains who were a part of some heist at the other end of town. He quickly deduced Phantom was meant to distract the two patrolling heroes while they did so and arrived to assist. Roman heard his mental warning several minutes ago.
“You think I can’t still beat you, Princey?” But his words lacked the usual drive and instead sounded more like he was fighting with himself. A mouse in a trap.
“No, I don’t think you can,” Roman glared at him, stepping closer so that their eyes really met. “Villains don’t get to win.”
Patton, who was at a distance, shifted around nervously, rubbing his sternum. Logan flicked a brief look of concern over to him.
“I think he’s really scared,” the hero muttered, gripping onto the front of his cloak.
“I am not,” Phantom spat. Yet his voice sounded more hoarse than before as if labored breathing was stripping it raw.
“So what if he’s scared? He should be! We finally have him!” Roman wiped around, surprised at his companion's hesitance. This was their chance to take a villain off the streets!
Logan didn’t budge and Patton had started to shake a little. Phantom, while still trying to keep up appearances seemed to be unraveling like yarn in front of them. Roman could hear his breathing now and see his eyes begin to behave like a wild animal being hunted down.
“I mean- He’s just a kid-” Patton was cut off by a loud shrieking sound that cascaded over all three heroes. Logan immediately lost focus and stature as he covered his ears. The other two did the same but while wincing through the pain Roman watched Phantom scurry away and vanish into empty air. Damn it.
Despite the sound, Banshee never appeared. Everything became quiet, only the sound of dripping gutter water hitting the asphalt pattering in their ears. Everything was still. The other two didn’t even move.
Roman, however, immediately straightened out, his body moving erratically. He tossed out nearly every curse word under the sun as his breathing became heavy with anger and the flailing of limbs.
“We had him! We finally had a chance to stop him!” It was unlikely that Phantom would make such a vulnerable mistake like that again. The stars had aligned for that moment and it was just thrown away. The element of surprise, the villain's exhaustion, the separation from the team-
“We lost him!” Roman’s fist collided with the side of a building, the brick around it cracking and crumbling from the force. Patton flinched.
“We will prevail again, Roman,” Logan tried to ensure impassively.
“No, we won't!” Angry hopeless tears were building up in the corners of his eyes as he felt his nose begin to burn with held-back emotion before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Warmth pooled out of the palm and suddenly a calm was washing over him.
“Let’s get home,” Patton murmured gently. And Roman no longer had the will to argue.