Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Lin Ling set his box of his office belongings down on the roof before stepping closer to the ledge, looking over the vast city that housed superheroes and villains alike. The streets were emptier than usual, which wasn’t surprising. Many people were still at work at this time, after all. Not him anymore.

He was so sure that ad would be a hit. Surely ads were meant to cater to the public, and what would they like more than Nice telling them that anyone could be a hero?

Lin Ling clenched his hands into a fist and looked down at the ground. The sidewalk and streets seemed to expand and waver, making him dizzy. A fall from this height would surely kill him, and it would likely be painless.

God, he hopes it will be. It would suck even more if he fucked it up and paralyzed himself or something.

After all, his boss, or well, ex-boss, was right. He was nobody. Just because he made ads for Nice and Moon doesn’t make him important. No one even bothered to see who made those ads. No one would miss him if he died, and he sure as hell didn’t have anything to live for anymore. Would anyone even care enough to give him a proper funeral? His parents disowned him for pursuing graphic design and video production, he had no friends at work, and his boss wasn’t so kind as to spend money on a funeral for a guy like him. What if he was just tossed in a random grave with just his name on his tombstone?

He’d wanted to leave behind a legacy. If he couldn’t become a hero, he wanted to at least be remembered for the videos he put countless hours of effort into. But now, he’d just be forgotten as he rotted in the dirt, his name on the tombstone rubbing away year after year, until there was no mark left.

That thought made Lin Ling shiver.

He was shaken out of his thoughts as a zeppelin playing an ad about True Love Recipe floated past. Moon’s cheery voice played out from the speakers.

“Hey, cheer up!” She said, reading off a script he wrote.

He watched her for a bit.

“...don’t lose hope!”

Normally, he’d perk up at her voice and feel empowered despite knowing that her words were the same ones he’d written for her to say. But today, he just felt a rush of anger at the scene of Moon and Nice playing out his ad. Mr. Perfect with his perfect voice and perfect girlfriend. Playing out his ad. That he’ll never be recognized for. Never be remembered for. And apparently could be easily made by someone else, which was why he was fired so easily.

He wanted to throw something.

Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his victim. A pen that the company had provided on the first day he arrived. It was cheap. The ballpoint always got stuck and made it a hassle to write with. He didn’t even know why he kept the damn thing. It was the perfect thing to throw.

He drew his arm back, not aiming at any particular spot, and pitched the pen forward with all his strength and a yell of frustration. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it might accidentally hit anyone.

The ads continued to play around him, Nice, the perfect hero dancing across the screens, speaking the words Lin Ling had strung together in concise and charming sentences.

“Enough, Nice!” Lin Ling shouted, snapping at them.

It was like they were mocking him.

“No matter how perfect you are right now, one day you, too, will become old and ugly, and be replaced by someone else!”

Of course, nothing happened.

He should just stop stalling and get his suicide over with.

He stepped up on the ledge and…

Stopped.

His breathing became shallow, and he noticed his arm was shaking.

Didn’t he want this? There was nothing to live for anymore. He shouldn’t be hesitating. It wouldn’t be painful (probably). There was definitely no shot of him surviving if he dived head first, right?

His right leg lifted and was set back down. He shifted from one foot to the other, visibly nervous. Did the temperature drop? It suddenly felt cold.

He closed his eyes, scrunching up his face. He briefly wondered what expression he’d be wearing when he hit the ground.

Finally, Lin Ling took a deep breath, lifted his right leg again, and tilted forward. A flash of fear and sudden realization of regret filled his brain as he started to fall with no way to pull himself back up.

Before he fell very far, gravity seemingly stopped working and reality as he knew it started twisting and flattening into cartoonish shapes and lines and neon flashing geometry-

Ok what the fuck.

Lin Ling gasped as he tried to process what was happening to him. Was this some sort of pre-death/suicide vision that people get? Did he fall and hit his head, but didn’t die yet, and now he was hallucinating?

Lin Ling hysterically thought that this was what people probably saw when they took hallucinogenic drugs. And that if he had epilepsy, he’d die from a seizure right then and there instead of from smashing his body into the street below.

The moment passed, and Lin Ling felt himself being yanked up by the neckline of his shirt as reality settled back to normal at the sound of a snap.

“Woah there!” A voice said as Lin Ling collapsed.

“What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.” He babbled as he found himself on the ground, distantly realizing that he was shaking and patting the roof with both his hands like he was blind.

After he apparently made sure he was on something solid, his hands went to his arms and face, feeling the touch of his skin and the warmth from the blood running through his veins.

“I’m not dead. I’m alive.” He muttered. “And the world isn’t rainbow anymore.”

“Deep breaths now.” A comforting voice said.

Lin Ling tried to follow the voice’s directions, breathing in and out. After a few seconds, he felt oriented enough to raise his head and look up at the voice.

A tall and handsome middle-aged man with sleek white hair and glasses appeared in his vision. He wore a concerned expression.

Ok, he definitely wasn’t an employee at the advertisement company.

What caught his eye next was the “X” pinned on his tie.

This was- no fucking way.

“You’re X!” Lin Ling blurted out after he caught his breath.

That made the reality-shifting more sense. X did have some power like that.

“Yes, I am.” X replied in an almost amused tone and bending down to squint at the name tag on Lin Ling’s shirt. “And you’re Lin Ling.”

What was the number one hero doing here? How did he even know Lin Ling was up here, about to fall off the roof? And yes, he was falling. Not jumping. Because holy shit he did not actually want to die.

“Uh, are you ok?”

Was he ok? No, he almost died, experienced a three-second drug trip, and was saved by the number one hero. Of course he wasn’t fucking ok.

Lin Ling stared at X. He didn’t give a fuck that it might be rude, especially since this was X asking the question. Maybe he should, though. Yeah, he probably should answer that he was fine and let the hero get on with his day. He blinked and ran a hand through his hair, now messy from the wind.

“Yeah-”

“Right, stupid question.” X stated before Lin Ling could answer out of politeness.

X then reached out a hand to Lin Ling, smiling in a friendly way, but Lin Ling could see that he was tense.

“Think you can get up?”

Lin Ling stammered at that.

“Ye-yeah. Thanks?”

He took X’s hand, and was surprised to find it warm and slightly rough.

X chuckled with concern as he pulled Lin Ling up from where he was sitting and further away from the ledge.

“Oh dear, that really took you out of it, huh?”

“...I think the weird reality warping was more… disorienting.” Lin Ling replied, still a little shaky as he looked around.

The sky remained blue, and the buildings around them were still standing strong. Maybe this was a lesson that he shouldn’t take them for granted.

Lin Ling gave a nervous little laugh.

“Ah. Sorry about that. My power tends to have that effect on civilians.” X replied with a small laugh of his own.

Lin Ling breathed out, still shocked from his experience.

“Jesus Christ dude…” He covered his face with his hands.

An awkward moment passed between them.

“Well… thank you, I guess. For saving me. I… You can go now. I’m alright.” Lin Ling muttered gratefully, feeling heat creep into his face.

It was true, he was thankful that X had saved him. But now it was just embarrassing. He would’ve never even wanted to commit suicide if he’d known this was a possible consequence.

“Ha! Sure you are, kid. What kind of hero would I be if I just left a person to their own devices after they tried to kill themselves? Tell me what happened.” X responded in a kind voice.

His voice was sort of soothing, actually. He’d be a great voice actor. Lin Ling was sort of jealous.

“I’m not gonna- I don’t want to kill myself.” Lin Ling spoke defensively, shaking his head.

X snorted in disbelief.

“So you fell down because the wind pushed you?”

“Um… yes?”

Lin Ling wanted to smack himself. This was just pathetic, even a baby would know he’s lying. He avoided X’s stare — those gray eyes felt like they could pierce him — and aimed his line of sight at a building before averting his gaze again as a giant electronic billboard with Nice’s ad on it came into view.

“Then tell me what wind it was that pushed you.” X inquired again, this time with a stern look that Lin Ling could feel even without meeting it and a more serious voice.

Lin Ling sighed. Were they really going to do this? Does X seriously not have better things to do? More people to save? Evil villains to defeat?

X seemed to have felt Lin Ling’s confusion and said, “Take your time. I’m free for the rest of the day, seriously.”

“Well, you can probably tell I got fired.” Lin Ling decided to talk and gestured to the discarded box of his belongings on the ground. “And I don’t have anything anymore.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

“I mean, I’m about to lose my apartment if I don’t pay my rent, this place was the only one that hired me out of the others I’ve applied to, and I thought I might actually be able to do something here. Make my mark and all that jazz. I make ads for heroes, you see. Mostly Nice and Moon. I spend hours on my work, coming up with scripts, editing videos, and adding voiceovers. But no one even is a bit interested in who makes the ads and my boss certainly doesn’t give a shit as long as it makes Treeman satisified and brings in money. I made an, in my opinion, amazing ad for Nice and presented it today. I was so sure it would be a hit, and I might even get a bonus or promotion or something. The ad was supposed to be Nice telling the viewers that anyone can be a hero, which I would think would boost his Trust Value, cause it appeals to the audience. But my boss hated it and fired me, saying that it was bullshit that ‘anyone could become a hero’ and how I shouldn’t forget my place. ”

X nodded sympathetically at Lin Ling’s bitter rant.

“The corporate world is cruel to its lower-level employees. They don’t get the recognition they deserve and are often victims of verbal abuse. It can truly be a toxic environment.” He commented with an oddly personal tone. “Your boss is spouting nonsense. You shouldn’t listen to him.”

“Exactly!” Lin Ling responded, finishing his rant with that frustrated utteration. “But he’s right, though! I’m just a commoner who can’t get his life together even at twenty-one years old! Much less become some hero.”

X hummed in thought, which was a kind gesture. Lin Ling doubted X actually cared much about his sob story, but it was nice to have someone listen to him.

“Well, twenty-one’s still quite young. You do have time. You’re right that anyone can become a hero. Like I said, your boss is spouting nonsense.” X said after a beat.

Lin Ling just groaned into his hands.

“I hope you know there are more, better opportunities out there, which supersedes dying.” X pointed out after Lin Ling expressed his emotions.

“I don’t want to die!” Lin Ling exclaimed, before amending it after seeing X’s unamused expression again.

“Fine. I don’t want to die anymore. Stepping off was a mistake.” Lin Ling finally admitted.

X sighed and smiled, looking pleased and finally believing Lin Ling’s words.

“What would you know about it, though?” Lin Ling muttered, not really meaning for X to hear him.

“Oh?” X asked, almost sounding offended.

Lin Ling felt himself blush again in embarrassment and a little shame. After all, one of the allures to X that made him gain the spot of the number one hero was his mysteriousness. No one knew his personal life or identity, so maybe he did know about corporate culture. Lin Ling was highly doubtful, though. How could a regular worker become a hero like X? All the top ten heroes were some sort of celebrities.

“Well, you must admit, it’s hard to imagine you having any experience with, well, corporate culture. You’re the number one hero, for god’s sake!” Lin Ling gestured to himself and then to X.

X scoffed and waved a hand, but he seemed to be debating something with himself.

“Don’t tell me you’re actually like, secretly one of the employees here and that’s how you found me up here.” Lin Ling said with horror.

“No, no, nothing like that.” X laughed lightly. “But… I am an office worker.”

Lin Ling gaped at him, uncaring that he looked like a fish out of water.

“No way.”

X laughed again at his expression, looking slightly smug at the shock written across Lin Ling’s features. Lin Ling shook himself out of it, dragging his hand across his face and then up over his head in a “I give up” movement.

“Well- well then, how did you know I was up here?” Lin Ling asked, shifting the topic.

“Your pen almost impaled me when I was at a vending machine down there.” X pointed at a nearby street, and there was indeed a vending machine there. “Gave me quite the scare.”

Then, to make matters worse, he added on a last part.

“It wasn’t too hard to pinpoint the thrower when the name of your company’s on the pen and there’s a person cursing out Nice at the top of his lungs at the top of a roof.”

Lin Ling looked like he was about to jump a second time from embarrassment.

“I changed my mind. I do want to die. Kill me now. Please.” He moaned in horror, trying to hide behind his hands. “I can’t believe I almost fucking killed X cause I was throwing a tantrum.”

“Oh my, I was just joking. I was never in any real danger of death. That was you. And your, ah, tantrum was completely warranted.” X replied, amusement clear in his tone as he gave Lin Ling a grin. “I do have to ask, though. Why were you insulting Nice?”

Lin Ling kept his eyes on the floor and moved one of his feet back and forth like a metronome.

“I was just jealous, I guess.” He muttered truthfully. “Sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” X asked, genuinely confused.

“Well, I assume, like you know him… You both live in the Hero Tower after all…” Lin Ling trailed off, realizing that his assumption was probably incorrect.

“Ah. Well, I suppose I’ve seen him around and his ads. He seems like a fine young man, but I do not know him personally.” X said pensively before shrugging nonchalantly. “I don’t particularly mind if you insult him, although I don’t believe he deserves it.”

Lin Ling looked at X for a second before bursting into laughter.

“Oh- Oh man, wow. I thought you would’ve scolded me or something! You’re quite chill compared to Nice, at least from the Nice I know from the kind of lines Treeman wants him to say when I write the scripts.”

X’s lips quirked up into a smile at that, before it suddenly fell into something more serious as he looked to the side. Following his gaze, Lin Ling was horrified to see the subject of their conversation fly down to the roof — and was that a flock of doves that shepherded his arrival? — Walk by them, to the ledge, ignore Lin Ling’s stuttering apology, give them his signature pose of two finger guns, and promptly step off the roof. It was obvious he was not planning to fly back up by the empty look in his eyes and the fake smile Lin Ling recognized from the ads. He’d never realized how fake it looked until now.

X acted instantly, running forward as he snapped his fingers. Lin Ling shut his eyes, bracing for the reality shift and rainbow colors to play outside his eyelids. But when none came, he opened his eyes and ran towards the ledge, looking down to see… nothing. Where was X and Nice?

That question was answered when he looked at the wall and saw, to his surprise, 2d pictures of X and Nice moving on the wall. Lin Ling watched with fascination as X practically tackled the struggling fifteenth-place hero around the waist and pulled him up the wall. Then, the older white haired hero snapped, and the two of them appeared back in the normal dimension. Was this what happened to Lin Ling? He wondered how Nice wasn’t completely disoriented from the warping rainbow reality he must have experienced.

Also unlike Lin Ling, Nice was visibly unhappy, prying himself away from X’s grip as soon as they landed and glaring at his fellow hero with annoyance, frustration, and… desperation? In a definitely not nice way. Then, that expression turned to horror as voices and footsteps came up the stairs. Lin Ling didn’t even have time to think as X acted again, pulling both of them close and snapping with the hand that was holding Lin Ling.

This time, when Lin Ling closed his eyes, the colorful dancing lights did indeed invade his vision even through his eyelids.

Chapter Text

X was, in all honesty, flabbergasted. What was this? National commit suicide day? What was with young people and jumping off roofs these days? It wasn’t unusual to save people from suicide as a hero, but it must be some kind of record to save two people from the same rooftop within an hour. And it must be a separate thing in itself that one of those people was a hero who could fly and was the paragon of perfection. Oh, the irony.

He whisked away the two men when he heard what he assumed were Nice’s manager and security staff running up after him. Especially after seeing how Nice's expression changed. God knows none of them needed to deal with that right now.

He jokingly debated bringing both Nice and Lin Ling to a mental institution or something like that.

X expertly navigated through the now rainbow world, traveling through the geometrical shapes with practiced ease. His power was extremely disorienting to civilians, but other heroes and villains tended to be somewhat ok with it. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he could guess it might have something to do with Trust Value.

Finally, when he arrived at where he wanted, he snapped and brought them back to the real world.

They came out in the living room of a nice apartment. The main curtains were open at the large windows, and X was again glad for the fact that he had bought sheer curtains due to the high profile of one of his charges, who was currently combing his hair back obsessively after jumping up from the floor.

The brown haired man, on the other hand, hesitantly opened his eyes and looked around cautiously, sighing in relief when he found the floor to be wooden brown and the walls to be white. He stood up, arms out for balance, and sighed again in relief as he put them down.

“Where are we?” Lin Ling asked as he realized they were in an apartment.

“My home.” X replied as he straightened his suit.

Lin Ling’s brows jumped up with surprise before his expression neutralized, carrying a sort of… warmth? That he didn’t have before.

Was he glad X decided to live here instead of the Hero Tower? Did it make him feel more down-to-earth, like someone Lin Ling could trust?

X looked between the two kids — men, he reminded himself. They were young, but they were adults — and felt a headache coming on. He wasn’t a goddamn therapist! It was easy talking to Lin Ling because he realized he didn’t actually want to die, and jumping off the roof was a spur-of-the-moment thing. However, he somehow doubted the same could be said for his fellow white-haired hero, who was now glaring at him with his arms crossed again.

Lin Ling looked nervously at Nice and inched away. Then, Nice carefully schooled his expression into a more neutral, friendly one.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Mr. X.” Nice said in a strained tone.

He glanced with some hesitation at Lin Ling, a civilian, but evidently decided that wasn’t an issue as he shifted his focus back on X.

Oh dear, X could see where this was going.

“Oh? And what’s that, Nice? I saw you walk off the roof and merely did what any hero would and saved you from doing something you’d regret.” X replied sharply.

He may not be a therapist, but he certainly cared. Although he’s never been pushed to that brink of suicide, he could relate to the feeling of helplessness and frustration with the world from his younger years.

“I can fly.” Nice responded incredulously, demonstrating just that as he lifted a few inches off the ground. “And I don’t appreciate people tackling me on my flight.”

Lin Ling watched the interaction with wide eyes before interjecting as well.

“Um, Nice, you… you weren’t going to fly back up though.” Lin Ling squeaked out, seemingly afraid to step out of line.

“Respectfully, the kid is right.” X jabbed a thumb in Lin Ling’s direction, and he saw in his peripheral that Lin Ling nodded a little more confidently.

Nice stared at them, clearly trying hard to maintain his Nice persona, but both X and Lin Ling could see that that was all it was. A persona. Nice then laughed softly and went to inspect the leather couch by the wall before sitting down after appraising it to be clean.

“Maybe I wasn’t. What an interesting situation this is, then.” Nice grinned in amusement, turning a complete 180 from his former attitude. “Well, anyhow, I’m always glad to get away from Ms. J for a bit. Thanks, X. Even if you shouldn’t have bothered. And…”

Nice squinted at Lin Ling’s company name tag still pinned on his shirt.

“…Lin Ling.” He finished before seeing the other tiny words on the badge.

Guess a perfect hero equals perfect vision.

“You’re the one who makes all the ads and scripts for me and Moon!” Nice smiled with genuine pleasure.

Lin Ling stared at the change in attitude, and a flicker of concern crossed his face. X sighed at Nice’s antics and sympathized with Lin Ling’s bewilderment. How the hell was he supposed to make sure Nice was ok if this is what he was acting like?

“Uh… yeah that’s me. Not anymore though. Like I mean I got fired so- Well, it’s nice to meet you in person.” Lin Ling ended up saying as he processed the situation.

“Let’s get back on topic here, shall we?” X clapped his hands together. “Lin Ling, why don’t you go sit by Nice? You two are free to open a bottle of water on the table.”

X gestured over at the couch and wooden table in front of it that indeed held a couple of bottles of water and walked over to the opposite side himself, sitting down in a chair.

Lin Ling obeyed, although he looked embarrassed to sit next to Nice. Was he just in disbelief to be sitting next to someone like Nice or was he concerned about the comparison between him and the perfect hero? X thought they actually looked quite similar, save for the hair and eyes.

X crossed his legs and observed the two who were now sitting side by side, Lin Ling glancing at Nice every so often. He grabbed a bottle of water from the table and opened it, taking a sip before setting it down and subjecting the two men across from him to his scrutiny again.

“Nice, would you like to tell us you why you tried to kill yourself?” X said matter-of-factly, although he let some of his worry shine through. “Don’t worry, it’s all confidential here, right Lin Ling? And I should know how important your personal life is outside of being a hero.”

Lin Ling nodded quickly. “I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

Nice looked at X, then Lin Ling, then X again.

He fidgeted and pulled on his sleeves to straighten them out, looking conflicted as his mask slowly fell back.

|
|
|

Nice, in all honesty, did not expect to be saved. After all, who in their right mind would stop a hero who could fly from stepping off a roof? Especially when he went the extra mile to give the two witnesses his signature finger guns and his tv-worthy smile. It was indeed quite a shock to see the number one hero, X, there with a random civilian who was saying something, but he had already made up his mind about dying.

He didn’t tremble as he walked. There was no hesitation in his step as he stepped off the ledge. In a few seconds, everything would be over. No more keeping up the “perfect hero” appearance. No more publicity stunts. No more of the crippling OCD as a side effect of the public’s belief about him. Xiao Yueqing would be able to be her own person. She might be sad for a bit, but would ultimately be relieved to be free from the chains Treeman had secured on her to Nice. Wreck- or well, Lu Zhan, would mourn him for sure, but he must’ve realized that Nice was not worth his friendship anymore. The comradeship they once shared as students had dimmed due to Treeman’s insistence that they maintain a hero-and-villain relationship in public, which meant no more going out to karaoke or lunch at cafes.

At first, they were fine with it. After all, Lu Zhan was more than happy to help Nice earn trust value and didn’t mind being the villain. After a fight, they’d go to Lu Zhan’s place and order some takeout, chugging back a few beers and talk about everything under the sun.

Nice longed for a time when he could lounge on a messy sofa as Lu Zhan gave him a friendly punch while holding a beer bottle. Now, he wouldn’t be able to stand being close to a messy space without cleaning it for hours. He soon stopped going over to Lu Zhan’s and they started to communicate through text, or whispered messages during their fights. Lu Zhan went along with the change, understanding Nice’s growing OCD. After all, they still got to see each other during their fights, and Nice managed to sneak some time in for them to video chat.

Until Nice broke into the top twenty in the rankings and Treeman promptly became stricter with Nice’s schedule, filling it with appearances on shows and in the public eye. They started becoming more controlling over his actions, installing cameras in Nice’s place in the Hero Tower and controlling his social media. Soon enough, they even got him another superhero to play the part of Nice’s perfect girlfriend for Trust Value.

Slowly, they stopped talking as frequently.

Nice became the fifteenth-place hero, supported by his girlfriend, Moon, and Wreck was all but tossed aside. Turns out, his dream of being a hero alongside Nice became just that — a dream — the day he agreed to become the villain for Nice’s popularity.

It was all for Nice’s sake.

And Xiao Yueqing? It was a similar story.

Why, her powers gained from the public’s trust in her were meant for her to be an independent woman! She was meant to encourage others in their dreams and fulfill her’s of traveling the world! Not to end up an accessory for Nice while she lost her freedom of traveling and autonomy of her actions. It was ironic. The power to go anywhere in the world, free as a bird, turned into a chain to Nice, someone about as free as Prometheus himself in this god-forsaken company. She was trapped. She made her frustration about that fact known quite often.

It was all because of Nice.

Some perfect hero he is. Causing misfortune and bad endings for everyone around him. It really was better if he were dead. He had settled for merely suffering from the pain of cut skin in the bathroom that would heal by the next day — perfect skin and all that — but he was just done with everything. He was tired.

Unfortunately, it seems that not everyone was on the same page as him as the number one hero took the liberty of preventing him from doing everyone a favor. Again, completely unexpected. And now he was sitting in said hero’s living room, debating with himself with whether he should say “fuck it” and leave his persona behind and admit his issues, or whether he should continue like he has done for the past year.

He glanced at the man sitting next to him, Lin Ling.

As he understood it, Lin Ling was the person who created all the scripts and edited the ads for him and Moon. Although he didn’t particularly enjoy acting out the different propaganda pieces or pep talks, he did always appreciate the good messages the writer clearly wanted to express to the public. He knew Moon did too, but she would never admit she liked anything about acting in the ads.

So Lin Ling wasn’t a complete stranger. He wondered if Lin Ling had also been saved by X from his own attempt before Nice came. After all, not a lot of people who simply went up to the roof of their company’s building after being fired just hit up a conversation with the number one hero. Especially since you know, “after being fired”.

It was a little terrifying to be seen like this right now, much less reveal more about how imperfect he actually was. But X was staring right into his soul and there really wasn’t much to do. He really didn’t want to do this.

“You shouldn’t have stopped me.” He repeated, a bit of the repressed frustration and anger from earlier coming out in his tone.

X sighed and rubbed at his forehead, looking thoroughly displeased and exasperated.

“Why shouldn’t I have?” X decided to ask, crossing his arms.

“Because.” Nice replied in a surprisingly childish manner.

That was the least of his worries though, if his non-existent excuse sounded childish.

His eyes registered the light from that setting sun that streamed in through the windows to his left, partially blocked by the sheer curtains that gave them ample privacy from any outsiders looking in. The sunlight lit X up, highlighting his features and bathing him in gold. Truly the appearance of a worthy hero. Nice noticed that the light did not reach him or Lin Ling as they sat too far in and at an angle.

“Because what?” X probed, sounding like a parent asking their child why they decided to pour ice all over the carpet.

“Because it would’ve been better for everyone!” Nice suddenly shouted, standing up and smacking his hand down on the table.

Lin Ling flinched at the sudden outburst and aggression while X did not react, simply frowning and watching Nice.

“Explain.” X said flatly, clearly unhappy with Nice’s declaration.

Chapter Text

Lin Ling watched Nice and X interact with growing surprise and concern for Nice. The perfect hero clearly wasn’t as perfect as everyone thought he was, and it seemed like the pressure of keeping up that persona was getting to the hero.

And to think I was jealously insulting this man an hour ago.

What was he even doing here anyways? X should know that he’s fine now — well, maybe not completely fine since he still was fired and about to be homeless, but he won’t try to kill himself again — so why was he still in the hero’s apartment sitting next to Nice like they were getting a therapy session from the number one hero? Not that Lin Ling didn’t want to help Nice, but really, what could he even do here?

What was it that Nice had said? What an interesting situation this is.

Well, what an apt description that was.

Nice sat back down on the couch, head down, looking to all the world like he wanted to bang his head on the table until he blacked out. Lin Ling found himself relating to the hero.

“I ruin everyone around me.” Nice whispered so quietly that Lin Ling almost didn’t hear it. “Lu Zhan, Xiao Yueqing, even myself.”

X raised an eyebrow at that, and Lin Ling followed suit by scrunching up his eyebrows.

What the hell did that mean? And who was Lu Zhan?

“I could’ve freed them from me if you just let me fall. I could’ve been free from this 'perfect hero' act. Why didn’t you just mind your own business?” Nice glared at X, angry again.

Lin Ling was startled to see tears in the hero’s blue eyes and felt the need to comfort him. He reached out a hand but lowered it again. Nice paid it no mind while X’s eyes flickered over to him and then back to Nice.

“Respectfully, you could’ve chosen another roof without people on it.” X retorted, slightly annoyed now by the repetitive and antagonizing sentiment.

Lin Ling blinked in surprise at the blunt statement. He wasn’t expecting X to say something so frank, but he guessed that X was not as patient as he appeared, and did not appreciate the constant blame. Which was fair, but he could also understand why Nice was so upset.

Nice was clearly also caught off guard by X’s reply as he stared at the older white-haired hero.

“But, I still do not regret ‘not minding my own business’ as you are still alive. So, would you mind explaining why you are upset instead of just yelling at me? I may be a hero, but people do not believe me to have infinite patience and mind-reading powers.” X added on after a beat with some annoyance lingering in his tone.

“Sorry.” Nice muttered, averting X’s gaze.

He picked at the sides of his fingers, hesitant to say more. Lin Ling doubted it was because of security concerns, though, but more about Nice’s own need to maintain his “perfect hero” persona. It seemed to be a desperate attempt to hold himself together because if he started talking, he was scared he wouldn’t be able to stop.

Lin Ling came to the frightening realization that Nice was similar to him in many ways.

“Who is Lu Zhan?” Lin Ling prompted gently, his own curiosity apparent.

Nice looked at him with… was that shame written on his face? Shame and guilt. Lin Ling thought that if he had the power to see emotions, he’d see a hurricane of them in Nice right now.

“Lu Zhan… is Wreck.” Nice finally admitted. “We’re… well, we used to be best friends. The fights between us are all scripted. So is Yueqing and I’s relationship.”

“WHAT?” Lin Ling shouted in surprise and a little bit of excitement.

Oops.

Lin Ling covered his mouth.

Why was he even happy to hear that Moon wasn’t actually Nice’s girlfriend? It was one, so not the time, and two, it wasn’t like Lin Ling would ever even have a shot anyway.

X turned to him with an amused but confused look on his face. Nice just looked confused, which, fair, Lin Ling didn’t think anyone could feel amused if they were Nice right now.

“Sorry.” Lin Ling muttered with embarrassment, “Go on.”

Nice hesitated for a beat, long enough for Lin Ling to worry that his outburst had scared the hero off from opening up, but the perfect (or well, imperfect) hero just tucked back a stray piece of hair behind his ears and took a deep breath before continuing.

“Lu Zhan and I graduated together with the hopes of fighting side by side as heroes. But he was scripted as the villain, and I, the hero, by Treeman. It was too boost my Trust Value, because I guess I was more marketable.” Nice began, clasping his hands together on his thighs, looking down at his fingers as he spoke.

Lin Ling and X listened quietly, watching Nice. X leaned forward as he uncrossed his legs, resting his elbows on the table as he clasped his hands together, resting his chin on top. He partially mirrored Nice’s position in a much more open, extroverted fashion.

“He…he didn’t mind at first, but he should’ve. We should’ve pushed harder to make sure he at least ended up redeemed as a hero. But we went along with whatever Treeman said because we were just excited to finally be on stage. It was fine in the beginning, when we could still hang out, but my cursed OCD and our roles for Treeman eventually got in the way of that. We haven’t been allowed to go out together for years. Then, Ms. J had the brilliant idea to get me a girlfriend and toss Lu Zhan aside like he wasn’t my biggest supporter.” Nice continued bitterly, sounding like he was spitting venom whenever he mentioned Treeman. “Now we barely talk because of my schedule, and I don’t know if he’s doing alright or not. He doesn’t — can’t even end the contract with Treeman because I’m still here. And god knows I can’t leave Treeman.”

Nice looked down, a shadow casted over his face as his fingers began to pick beside his nails again, searching for any hangnails — any imperfections — there were to get rid of. Lin Ling watched him look exactly three times over each finger and hand before repeating the process. Some parts of the skin were already red and dangerously close to bleeding, but Nice didn’t seem to notice or care.

Lin Ling wondered if he should stop Nice or if that would make things worse. He didn’t know much about OCD or mental health in general, but he knew that people with the disorder had specific rituals they felt bound by. Nice’s probably manifested itself slightly differently due to the nature of it being a side effect from the public’s beliefs about Nice, but it must carry similar traits.

Lin Ling looked at his own hands, tanned with fingernails that needed to be cut soon, and closed them into fists.

Lin Ling could sympathize with having a shitty boss, but holy shit, one that was as controlling as Treeman and Ms. J? He was somehow glad now that he was able to be fired. He couldn’t imagine being forced to stay in such a toxic work environment.

“God, how could I have been so stupid! I should’ve never signed that damn contract!” Nice shouted with years’ worth of frustration and guilt bursting forth as he balled up his right hand and punched it into his leg.

Lin Ling jumped a bit in surprise before frowning.

Nice must’ve been what, only around eighteen when he and Wreck graduated from whatever hero training school they went to? Of course they were eager to sign their first contract to become a hero! Or in Wreck’s case, become the fake villain to support their best friend! Nice couldn’t have known how everything would play out at that age, fresh out of the education system. He shouldn’t be blaming himself for a decision Treeman coerced him and Wreck into when they were still children. Being legally of age does not make a high school graduate an adult, damn it. Heck, Lin Ling bet even X was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at that age.

Evidently, X also agreed (though maybe not about the last part).

“Nice. First off, you’re not stupid. Second, you were a kid. You couldn’t have known what would happen. Plus, it doesn’t sound like you forced Wreck to sign the contract. It’s not your fault for joining Treeman.” X said slowly but firmly.

“Maybe not. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m the one chaining Lu Zhan to Treeman. Both he and Yueqing.” Nice muttered.

|

|

|

X was really out of his depth with this one. What could he do to help Nice? He knew that having Nice actually talk about his problems while he and Lin Ling listened was useful, but they actually had to respond. And he doubted Lin Ling would say much, even though he had to give it to the kid for getting Nice to start talking. Plus, he wasn’t about to throw that responsibility on the other person he saved from suicide. And he was the number one hero.

He was damn glad he didn’t join some organization when he became one.

“Tell us about Moon.” X prompted like Lin Ling had done before. “Were you two also friends?”

Nice didn’t look up from where X assumed he was fidgeting with his hand or sleeves, but X narrowed his eyes upon seeing the concerned and uncomfortable look Lin Ling had as he watched Nice’s line of sight.

“No, we weren’t friends. We’d talk sometimes, but she was just an acquaintance.” Nice answered. “Then, Ms. J decided she was the perfect hero to be my girlfriend and that it would help me boost my Trust Value. Again, we didn’t mind it in the beginning since we thought it’d benefit both of us. Like Lu Zhan, Yueqing thought it’d be fun, and that it’ll be over soon, like any other publicity stunt. Now, she isn’t even seen as her own person anymore. She hates it and she’s not shy about expressing it either.”

“Why can’t she just portal away and quit?” Lin Ling asked.

X was wondering something similar. After all, he had social media and at least knew about the powers of the top ten heroes. However, he had a hypothesis on why Moon couldn’t escape. After all, powers were controlled by public belief…

“Since people think of her as my girlfriend, and think that we have the ‘perfect relationship’, she can’t teleport anywhere but near me now. Guess people think the place she desires to be most is always with me. Or that it’s what she should desire. What a joke.” Nice scoffed self-hate lined in his words.

X nodded as Nice confirmed his line of thinking.

“That’s not your fault either. You should stop blaming yourself for things that are outside your control.” X repeated firmly. “Wreck and Moon are, as you said, their own people. They made their own decisions. You all might regret those decisions now, but you are not responsible for all the grief here.”

“Again. Maybe not in the beginning, but now I’m the one chaining them to Treeman. And Lu Zhan would’ve never had his dreams shattered if it wasn’t for me, and Yueqing would still be happy and free to go wherever she wants. If I died, they’d be released from their contracts.” Nice rebutted stubbornly.

“Suicide is not-” X started to say, for lack of knowledge on what else he could respond with, before being cut off by Nice.

“Suicide would also help me. Ok? This… It’s not all because of the harm I’m causing them. I’m tired of being the ‘perfect hero’, alright? I’m selfish. I don’t want to let everyone down, so I always try my best to give the public what they want. I do want to help them, inspire them, give them hope, all that jazz. But I can’t live anymore with having to make sure everything is just perfectly in place, in a specific order, or else I feel like breaking down. It gets worse as I get more Trust Value. Yueqing hates it, you know? Having to live with someone like me. And so do I. But I can’t help it.” Nice gave a bitter laugh. “I’m not even allowed to go see a therapist because that would be ‘imperfect’ of me. I want to continue being a hero, but not like this and not when it binds Lu Zhan and Yueqing to me.”

X watched with concern and sympathy as Nice buried his face in his hands.

X noticed the red skin around Nice’s fingers that was fading away, preserving Nice’s “perfect skin”.

This boy… Treeman really should be sued for doing this to Nice and his friends. It was just appalling how controlling they were over their heroes. Are they not worried about something like this happening? Or do they just not care? X shuddered to think about how they would handle a situation where Nice succeeded back there on the roof. What a horrible company. It seems that even heroes who didn’t work a normal job couldn’t escape the abuse of the corporate world.

He let out a breath before picking up the bottle of water he had before to take a sip. He wished it were alcohol, as the emotional turmoil radiating from Nice was affecting him as well.

It was a bit surprising. He never thought of himself to be the empathetic type.

X toyed with the idea of defaming Treeman on his social media accounts as he saw Lin Ling finally muster enough courage to comfort Nice. The brown haired boy — man— whatever, he was still a boy in X’s eyes — patted Nice’s shoulders, speaking to him softly.

Deciding that Nice would need a little bit of time, X got up and turned on the light in the now-dark room, only illuminated by a blue glow from the outside. It seems like none of them noticed the time passing or the sun setting as they talked. He closed the main curtains over the windows and sheer curtains before turning back to Nice and Lin Ling, sitting down.

“Look, I’m gonna admit. I’m not a therapist. I don’t know how to make you not want to kill yourself anymore or feel less guilty other than repeating the stupid PSAs and other stuff I see around.” X announced.

Nice and Lin Ling both raised their heads to look at him curiously.

“But from what I see around, I can say that there’s a reason why all of those announcements and testimonials say there’s always a better solution than suicide. How would Wreck feel if you committed suicide? Even if you two aren’t close anymore, I bet he’d be devastated.” X continued. “Nice, what is Treeman holding over your head that’s preventing you from quitting? Other than the contract you signed.”

Tucking back some stray hair strands that fell down, Nice sighed. Lin Ling looked at him, waiting for the young hero to answer.

|

|

|

It was nice, having people listen to him vent. Lu Zhan used to be someone he could talk to once in a while, but Nice didn’t want to burden him with his issues. Plus, it felt wrong and selfish to do that when he’s the one who got to be the hero, beloved by the people, while Lu Zhan became the villain figure. It was nice, but it was also embarrassing. If people could see him now, the perfect hero Nice, breaking down over the pressure and guilt that came with being a hero, they would probably stop believing in him.

Nice still didn’t completely believe X when he said that suicide wasn’t the answer. And as for Wreck? Again, Lu Zhan would’ve realized that it was for the best and probably would get over it soon enough. Nice wasn’t worth crying over, not anymore. Now he was just an impostor and a horrible friend.

“Nice, what is Treeman holding over your head that’s preventing you from quitting? Other than the contract you signed?” X asked him.

What did Treeman have over him?

Everything.

They made him.

He may hate them, but Ms. J was right when she warned him about stepping out of line. Without Treeman, he couldn’t have become a hero. He wouldn’t have a job if he quit. He’d lose his Trust Value and his power to save people. Not to mention, he wouldn’t know what else he would do. Again, he wanted to be a hero, but it’s doing more harm than good at this point. The public would also be disappointed to see someone they looked up to turn out to be weak and imperfect. And honestly… What did he even have to live for at that point? Did he deserve to live like that when he’d be useless? Especially when he’s already wasted years of Lu Zhan and Yueqing’s lives? Clearly, the only thing he can do to escape is die. It’ll benefit both him and his friends and acquaintances. Win-win.

So that’s what he told X.

“That’s bullshit.” An unexpected voice came.

Lin Ling was looking at him with his arms crossed, frowning.

Both Nice and X turned to look at Lin Ling. Nice noticed that X also had a trace of surprise, but also a smile of approval.

“Didn’t you also try to jump?” He asked Lin Ling flatly.

He appreciated the sentiment, but coming from someone who had also tried the same thing he had didn’t particularly give him much confidence. Comforting him was one thing, telling him his thought process was “bullshit” when he had to have gone through a similar process was another.

Lin Ling sputtered, face turning red.

“Wha- How did you- Never mind. What does that have to do with anything? Besides, you still want to do it! I don’t! There’s a difference!”

Nice shrugged as if to say, “Is there?” as Lin Ling adopted a more angry demeanor.

“Anyways. It’s still bullshit. It’s stupid! You’re clearly suffering as a hero. You know that you’re unhappy under Treeman. So fucking what if you lose your trust value? So what if you won’t be a hero anymore? You’ll be in a much better mental state without your OCD and all the pressure! Find a new job! If you want to help people, you don’t need to have superpowers to do that! Become a policeman or a doctor, or something like that! Also, no offense, but there are many more heroes who can pick up the slack if you quit. People might be upset, but fuck them! Despite what you believe, your worth as a person is not determined by how useful you are to Treeman or any company or person. Much less your right to live! Do you think us common folks don’t deserve to live just because we’re not out saving and inspiring people? Everyone contributes in their own way!” Lin Ling ranted with a fire in his eyes.

X held an understanding look in his gaze as he watched Lin Ling speak, and Nice could sort of understand why Lin Ling was so upset. He must’ve felt offended by Nice’s words. But he got it all wrong! Nice didn’t mean anything bad about civilians at all!

“No- no, of course I don’t think that! But I…”

He trailed off, hands making a gesture before letting them rest on the table.

It’s just that… he wasn’t a civilian. He was someone people trusted enough to give him their support and make him a hero. He can’t just quit. He still doesn’t want to quit. But it’s making him want to die, and it’s killing the spark in the people he cares about. It would be much better to just die.

Nice curled his hands into fists, looking down and feeling the pain of his nails digging into his palms. He wished they weren’t so “perfectly cut” so they could stab in more and draw blood.

A hand came to rest on his left fist, and he looked up, surprised to see X with his arm extended, looking at him with a frown.

“Don’t do that”, his gaze seemed to say.

Nice slowly loosened his fist as Lin Ling spoke up again, gentler this time and replying as if he knew what Nice had been thinking.”

“Look, you’re going in circles with your mindset. I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but in the end, you are also human. Obviously, there are some sacrifices heroes have to make, and certain responsibilities that come with power, but it’s crazy to expect you to put up with how Treeman dictates your life. Or OCD that gets worse as you get more popular!” Lin Ling exclaimed with outrage. He seemed genuinely angry on Nice’s behalf, which was unfamiliar but gave Nice a warm feeling.

Still… Lin Ling wasn’t getting it.

“If I may…” X spoke up after listening to Lin Ling’s rant, “I have a suggestion.”

“Of course, sorry, I got a bit fired up there…” Lin Ling laughed sheepishly, calming down slightly.

Nice switched his gaze to look at X, who smiled with a wry look in his eyes like he’d come up with a great idea.

“Nice, do you understand that it’s alright for you to quit being a hero? That you can start over?” X asked first.

“I don’t-”

“Do you understand that it’s alright, not if you want to or if you think you deserve to.” X clarified.

“I… yeah. I do understand that it’s alright, I guess.” Nice conceded.

“And do you accept that you might have to quit for the sake of yourself and your friends?” X continued. “Quit. Not die. Because no matter how guilty you feel for, well, living, hurting your friends, and not being a hero or doing what you want to do, you’ll get better with time if you get out of your toxic workspace. Both me and Lin Ling believe you deserve to live, ok? And I’m sure your friends do as well. They would like it much more if they were free and you were alive than if they were free and you were dead.”

Well.

Nice drew in a shuddering breath.

Did he actually deserve to live?

He’d been going back and forth with himself about why it was logical that he wanted to — should kill himself — and one of those reasons was that he didn’t deserve to live.

But here was a guy who made ads for him and the number one hero telling him that he did deserve to live. That they wanted him to live. That they were so sure Lu Zhan and Yueqing did too. They didn’t know that for sure, though.

But…

Nice looked at both of them and felt as if their Trust was influencing his thoughts, because maybe — just maybe — they were right.

Maybe it was time for him to trust someone else.

And he couldn’t stand causing Lu Zhan more pain.

“I do accept that.” Nice replied softly.

X beamed a proud smile, which filled Nice with a sense of happiness from being the subject of approval. Lin Ling also gave him a hopeful smile.

“Great! So, since we agree now that you are allowed to quit being a hero and that it might be best, why don’t you, since you really want to stay a hero, demand Treeman for more freedom? Tell them to let Yueqing ‘break up’ with you. Tell them to let Wreck get redeemed as a hero or whatever he wants. Make them get you help for your OCD. After all, there are people with severe cases of it who manage to live good lives with the aid of therapists and medications.”

X paused before continuing.

“Although there’s a chance it won’t work for you, so you definitely should quit if you’re getting worse. If they don’t accept, threaten to quit. Better yet, threaten to expose them to the news stations about their horrible treatment of heroes.” He finished proposing his idea proudly, like he’d figured out a loophole in a game.

Nice paused.

That… that was possible.

Treeman had always threatened to fire him when he did something risky and imperfect. It was funny, now that Nice thought about it, because they knew they couldn’t afford firing him. And he just went along with it, even though he always knew he was their most successful investment.

If he turned the tables on them, what else could they do?

If Treeman cared about one thing, it was appearances.

“That’s genius!” Lin Ling shouted with excitement beside him before turning to him with a happy smile. “Nice, you should listen to X!”

Nice nodded slowly.

“That might work…” He spoke hesitantly, “And it does sound like the best option.”

It was scary, but if he was going to give living, and helping Lu Zhan and Yueqing a shot, he might as well try anything.

“We’ll help you! Don’t worry, Nice! You can crash at X’s place if they kick you outta Hero Tower or something!” Lin Ling said with a confidence that Nice envied.

How was it that this man, who’d gotten fired and also had attempted suicide, was able to be so cheerful? It didn’t seem like he was faking it either, and Nice had gotten pretty good at knowing when people were faking a smile.

“You’re right, but why crash at my place?” X raised an eyebrow.

“Well, your place looks pretty clean and organized. You wouldn’t mind, right? He can’t come to my apartment, considering it’s so run-down and messy. Besides… I uh, told you that I don’t know how to pay rent this month, right?” Lin Ling laughed a bit awkwardly with that last statement, and that’s when Nice noticed a bit of stress creep in.

“Thank you both, truly. Lin Ling, don’t worry about my living situation. Even if they kick me out, I have enough money to rent a place myself.” Nice gave them both a genuine smile.

He hesitated before adding on a last part. “And if you want, if you don’t mind my OCD… you can come live with me if you’re having trouble paying rent.”

Lin Ling’s eyes grew wide, and he waved both his hands in front of him.

“No, no! I- I mean, I don’t mind your OCD, but I won’t be able to pay you back unless I manage to find a job soon.” He stammered.

“That’s alright, I owe you.”

“I didn’t do anything though-”

“Besides, if I don’t get kicked out, you can stay in the Hero Tower with me and Yueqing.” Nice continued, which, interestingly enough, made Lin Ling go silent and red.

“M-Moon?”

Oh, he saw what was going on here. A wave of amusement went through him, escaping him through a small laugh.

“Do you like her?” He asked teasingly.

“No! I mean, maybe.” Lin Ling muttered, showing none of his earlier confidence.

“Well, you can shoot your shot if this all works out. She won’t mind having you over. I bet she’ll actually be happy to have some company other than me. So what do you say? Ditch your old apartment?” Nice asked again.

Now he was the confident one.

He marveled at how quickly Lin Ling and X managed to raise his spirits; he wanted to savor it.

Maybe he’d finally have more friends?

Friends that he wouldn’t ruin?

X was the number one hero who could manipulate reality or something, he would be fine, right? Plus, he didn’t seem to want any affiliation with an organization.

Lin Ling seemed to be vehemently against Treeman, so he probably wasn’t in danger of getting caught up with them.

Lu Zhan would be proud of him…

“If you’re sure…” Lin Ling answered shyly, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

There was a clear note of relief in his voice, and Nice was happy to help him out.

“I am.” Nice assured Lin Ling with certainty.

“Hey, what do I get?” X asked jokingly.

“Uh… friends?” Nice replied sheepishly with a shrug.

X sighed with a smile, standing up and stretching.

“Well, that's good enough for me.” He walked over to the kitchen, opening his fridge. "Now. Crisis averted. Do you guys want a soda or something if you aren’t gonna drink water?”

He held out a few cans of X, the soda brand.

“You buy cases of the drink named after you?” Nice laughed, giving X a teasing smile.

“You’re the one with a giant statue of yourself in your room.” X retorted.

How the hell did he know that???

Lin Ling looked at him with surprise and curiosity. Nice felt his face heat up.

“It wasn’t my idea!” He defended.

X chuckled before shaking the soda cans lightly again.

“So do you guys want any or no?”

“Sure.” Lin Ling replied, shrugging.

Nice also accepted the offer.

X walked back with three cans, sliding two of them to the two men and sitting down himself with one. Ignoring his water, he popped open the tab on the can with a satisfying hiss.

Lin Ling followed, looking at it curiously before taking a sip. It seemed like it was his first time trying it.

Nice took his can and, after noticing there were drops of water on it, folded a tissue into a perfect square to wipe away the condensation before opening it.

He went to pop the tab open like X, although doing it in a much more careful and controlled manner to make sure none of the contents got out.

“Oh god, that’s sweet.” Lin Ling’s voice came from next to him.

Nice eyed the drink with distrust.

“So? It’s good!” X replied, gulping down the fizzing drink to prove his point.

“Didn’t know the number one hero has such a sweet tooth.” Lin Ling replied while looking at the soda with disgust.

Nice took a curious sip of his own. It was sweet, but not unbearably so. It tasted like sugary tea from the West. Besides, with all the negatives of being the perfect hero, he had the positive of having perfect teeth, meaning he couldn’t get cavities.

He took another sip.

“How are you drinking that?” Lin Ling asked Nice, looking bewildered.

Nice just shrugged in response as X gave Lin Ling an offended look.

The older hero set his can on the table after downing the last bit at a speed Nice honestly found astonishing before pulling up the sleeve of his white suit to look at his watch.

“Oh yeah, what time is it?” Lin Ling asked as he saw the motion too, leaning forward a bit to try and see the white glowing numbers on the black background.

Nice mirrored the action.

“Almost ten.” X answered and set his sleeve down.

“I should be getting back, Ms. J’s probably freaking out about where I am.” Nice sighed as he set down his can. “Lin Ling, I would invite you to move in today, but I don’t think you want to deal with everything this late. I’ll see you tomorrow about it?”

Lin Ling nodded in confirmation.

X got up from his chair to throw away his empty can in the recycling bin in the kitchen while Lin Ling and Nice stood up as well, walking to the more open floor in the middle of the room. Nice smoothed out his uniform, making sure no wrinkles or dust remained.

“Sounds good. Nice, when are you going to talk to Wreck?” X asked from where he was now looking into the fridge for something.

Nice froze. Talk to Lu Zhan?

“If you’re going to be threatening Treeman partly over his contract, you need to tell him and ask him exactly what it is that he wants to do. Besides, you want to keep this relationship with him, right? It sounded like you two need to talk. I can help you two meet up discreetly if you can’t risk walking or flying to see him. You should also tell Yueqing about the plan.” X explained as he began bagging up two portions of what looked like fast food at the counter. “After you tell both of them, throw Lin Ling into the deal as well to let him live with you if Treeman agrees.”

And damn he did have a point.

It seemed like X was smarter than most people cared to know.

But what if Lu Zhan didn’t want to see him again? He’d stopped sending messages after Nice’s responses got slower and slower, shorter and shorter.

“I’ll… I’ll inform him tomorrow. I’ll send him a text.” Nice agreed hesitantly.

It was the best thing to do. It was going to be fine. Hopefully.

Lin Ling put a supporting hand on his shoulder, and Nice gave him a grateful smile.

X walked back over with the two bagged items and two pieces of paper.

“Good. Let me know when you do. Here’s my WeChat.” X held out his phone, the QR code for his WeChat shining on the screen.

After they scanned the QR code and sent the request, which was quickly accepted by X, he held out the two bags.

“And also, before you two go, I have some leftover XFC chicken for you to heat up when you get home. I doubt you two have eaten anything yet, and it’s not good to skip a meal. I made sure to arrange the drumsticks and fries neatly if that’s something you care about, Nice.”

Nice and Lin Ling both looked at him like he was an alien.

They looked at each other as if saying, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“X. You sound like a dad.” Lin Ling said bluntly, indeed accurately voicing Nice’s thoughts. “But thank you.”

Both of them snickered at X’s confused expression before accepting the chicken gratefully.

Chapter Text

X looked at his phone when he woke up. The numbers displayed a satisfying 9:38 on the screen, opposed to the 9:00 he usually saw when he woke up for work. He clicked the phone off, simply lying on his bed for a few more seconds to let his brain catch up. It was Saturday, a fact he was grateful for considering last night’s escapades and the impromptu conversation he had with Nice and Lin Ling.

Speaking of Nice and Lin Ling-

He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand as well, putting the spectacles on before tapping his phone screen again. The display showed no new messages.

He went ahead and tapped into WeChat anyways to double check, though the top two chats labeled as “Lin Ling” and “Nice” only showed “I’ve accepted your friend request. Now let’s chat!” in grey. There were still no new messages from either of them.

Curiously, X tapped into each of their profiles and clicked on “Moments”. This was a good way he knew to gain insight into people’s personalities and their lives, although it was mostly for Lin Ling, as he doubted Nice would have many personal pictures on his Moments. After all, even though this was (probably) Nice’s personal WeChat, he definitely had his Moments monitored by his other contacts who were in Treeman or Ms. J herself. From the sounds of it, Ms. J would probably throw a fit if Nice blocked her from his Moments, although he didn’t think it was such a big deal. It wasn’t like people other than the ones Nice had added could see his Moments.

Lin Ling’s profile picture was a selfie of him holding up the peace sign. His moments showed a series of pictures, including homemade meals, scenery, and animals. The dates told X that Lin Ling was a relatively frequent poster on his Moments, with a few posts every month. There were also a good number of them related to his ads about Nice and Moon, which made sense. Lin Ling seemed proud of his work from their conversation yesterday.

On the other hand, Nice’s profile was a professional photo of him that most people had seen online. He only had a few pictures on his Moments, mostly depicting his promotional events and public appearances with obviously scripted captions. It was as expected. Only a few posts were shown, and X was a bit annoyed to see “Only 6 months of Moments are visible” appear at the bottom of his screen.

Come on! He wanted to do more WeChat stalking! Even if it didn’t reveal much!

He set his phone down and sighed, lying there for yet another few seconds with the blanket pushed to the side. Then, he pushed himself up from the bed and slid his feet into some pink slippers before stepping into the bathroom to get ready for the day.

X observed himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth, his now-black hair messy and eyes still carrying a bit of sleep in them. He then splashed himself to wash his face, the cool water being a welcome way to wake himself up.

As for his hair, a few minutes of combing should fix it right up.

He could just snap and perfect his appearance, but he wasn’t going to use his powers for something so trivial.

Yawning for the last time, X walked out of the bathroom to get dressed and head down to his favorite bakery like he does every Saturday. His favorite, as it was the only French bakery around town.

He also could just snap and be there, but it would be too early for the place to be open, and walking was an enjoyable activity even if it was in the summer heat.

|

|

|

Now in a nice black polo shirt and tan shorts, X looked pretty sharp if he said so himself. Of course, he was much more confident in his Hero X form — what other reason would he have to choose that appearance other than to protect his identity? — But he’s past the phase of low self-esteem.

Arriving at the small bakery, he opened the door with a contented smile. The jingle of the bells at the door had the young bakery clerk looking up. She waved as she saw the familiar face. She was usually the only one at the counter when X came — there wasn’t a need to have more employees out front this early — and he was pleased to note that she remembered his order after the first few times they’d met.

Well, he did get the same order each time: a fresh chocolate croissant and a medium coffee with extra cream and five sugar packets.

In return, he learned her name, Liu Muxi, and made sure to compliment her from time to time.

“Good morning, sir! The usual?” Muxi asked, already putting the order into the register.

Just as he was about to agree, he paused and made a quick decision after a certain hero and browned haired boy flashed into his mind.

“Yep, but please make the coffee iced today. And add in two strawberry croissants this time, thanks.” X responded, taking out his card to pay.

The thought and decision to buy Nice and Lin Ling dessert unexpectedly gave him a rush of satisfaction and warmth.

Well, it has been a while since he had people to buy things for. It wasn’t like he was close enough with anyone at his day job, much less other heroes when he was X. At most, he just had people he was friendly with, and could talk to at company dinners.

Muxi looked at him curiously as she handed him his wrapped baked goods in a bag. An aroma of fresh strawberries and chocolate rose from the sweet pastries. X would never get tired of that smell. You’d have to pry chocolate croissants from his cold, dead hands before he gave them up.

“I’m meeting with friends today.” He stated as a simple explanation, watching as Muxi turned away to work the coffee machine.

“Ah! That makes sense. It’s so nice of you to buy them some pastries!” Muxi exclaimed excitedly.

A few minutes passed by as X patiently waited for his coffee. He looked around the small bakery. There were only five tables in the bakery, three of them by the windows, which were lit by the morning sun. It’s a shame that more people didn’t know about such a nice place, but then again, maybe it was because not a lot of people knew about it that it was able to keep its peace.

Soon after, Muxi handed him his coffee. She set down some extra sugar packets like always, and he took them gratefully, putting the extra packets in his pocket.

The coolness from the cup spread throughout his hand, and he took a sip. He savored the refreshing, cold beverage. It was sweet, just the way he liked it, the extra cream and sugar drowning out most of the bitterness. There was only a lingering bit left, but it was a familiar comfort even though he didn’t exactly like the bitterness. He honestly didn’t understand how anyone could drink black coffee straight, no milk, cream, or sugar. They had to be lying.

Well, if the taste of something was bad enough, it probably would work nicely to keep you awake.

“Thanks, Muxi. The coffee’s great as always.” X gave her a grin, raising the cup in goodbye as he started to head out.

“Of course! See you next week, sir!” Muxi replied with enthusiasm, waving.

“See you!” X called as he went out the door, the golden bells jingling once again.

|

|

|

X walked quickly down the street with the bag of pastries in his hand and his cup of coffee in the other, now mostly empty. He had finished his croissant already. Usually, he walked around the city and its local park — it was an efficient way to keep an eye out for certain situations after all — but he decided to head home earlier today and take care of some house chores so he might get everything done before Nice or Lin Ling texts. People milled about around him, some on their phones, others talking with friends. Some were by themselves, like X. It was a bit busier in this part of the city at this time, especially on the weekends. The only downside was, of course, the heat, although he partially blamed its intensity on his dark shirt. There were probably a good number of students meeting up with friends, too, seeing as the local high school had let out sometime in the last few weeks.

Maybe he should speed up a bit to ensure the pastries don’t melt. Or use his powers to get home faster.

Hopefully the pastries would keep their taste even after some time in the fridge.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly fished it out, the bag of pastries on his arm swinging a bit as he shifted it onto his wrist.

Nice:

- Hello, X.

X smiled as he saw the text. Downing the last bit of coffee, he threw it away in a nearby trash can. Now, with both hands free, he tapped open the text. Taking care to text more “formally” as he didn’t know whether that was something the perfectionist hero cared about or not, he quickly typed out a reply.

X:

- Hey, Nice! Did you talk to Moon or Wreck yet?

- How did Ms. J react yesterday?

Three dots at the top of the screen, which showed that Nice was currently typing, stopped before starting back up after X sent the two texts. It seemed like he accidentally interrupted Nice’s texts by replying so early.

Nice:

- No, I haven’t. However, I texted Lu Zhan, and he agreed to meet up this morning. Would you be able to take both of us to a secure location so we don’t risk being seen? Although not back to my floor in the Tower or Lu Zhan’s house. Like I mentioned before, Ms. J has cameras in the Tower. She can’t do anything if you want to talk to me because of your position as Hero X, but she will get suspicious if you bring Lu Zhan over. I also told Yueqing that you’d be taking me somewhere, although I don’t think she paid attention. If things go well with Lu Zhan, I’d like to talk to Yueqing right after as well. I also wanted to say thank you for everything yesterday.

- Ms. J gave me a huge lecture and almost put me and Yueqing on lockdown, but I told her I ran into you, and that you wanted to chat today as well. I hope you don’t mind. She’s afraid of your platform, so she just let me off with a warning. I’m at the tower right now.

X:

- Don’t worry. Glad my reputation can be of service! And of course I can help you two meet up. Anywhere you wanna go specifically? I could just stick you guys in my house again and I’ll go somewhere else. Coming to get you in 5.

- I’m surprised Ms. J didn’t send Moon after you yesterday

Nice:

- Thank you so much. Your house would be great since we don't have any places in mind. I’m sorry for intruding so much. Thank you again.

- Yeah, me too. It was because Yueqing said she wanted to spend more time alone and convinced Ms. J to wait until ten before finding me. It was good that we left on time.

X replied to Nice’s last texts with a thumbs up emoji. A bubbling sense of pride rose in his chest at the fact that Nice was willing to depend on him. It felt good when he saved people as a hero, but something more personal like this gave him a different kind of rush.

An annoyed shout of “Hey!” brought him back to reality as he looked up from his phone just in time to catch a ticked-off teen glaring at him, presumably for almost bumping into her, before turning away to talk with her friends.

Oh dear, that was his fault, wasn’t it? Looks like he really couldn’t afford to dawdle on the streets anymore.

Snapping, X disappeared from the sidewalk, much to the confusion, but quick forgetting, of the other pedestrians.

The familiar world of rainbows and overlapping dimensions of 2d quickly took over his vision, and he shifted through the city at an unmatched speed. He arrived at his house first, putting the two pastries in the fridge, and snapped again.

His hair turned white, forming itself into the usual slicked-back hairstyle. His glasses took on a yellowish tint.

He’ll be at Nice’s in way earlier than five minutes.

|

|

|

Nice paced around his room — or floor, cause it was really the entire floor of the building — nervously. The squeaky-clean grey floor reflected his appearance in a muddled blob of white.

It would be his first time talking to Lu Zhan in months, and it wasn’t like he could gauge his former-maybe-hopefully-still-best-friend’s mood from their short exchange agreeing to meet up. He was ashamed to say it, but if it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation that called for talking in person, he would’ve insisted they just texted. Not so “perfect” now, was he?

Fourteen.

Fifteen.

Sixteen.

Seventeen.

Eighteen.

He mentally recorded the rounds he made around the floor as his mind spun with fears. The compulsions always got worse whenever he was stressed or anxious.

The people’s trust in him to focus and succeed in fights typically helped override the side effect of his OCD, but the aftermath back at the Tower was a harsh time for Nice. That was partly the reason he was assigned more modeling jobs, or other simple appearances in public instead; though again, that was also because he and Yueqing’s “perfect relationship” became more marketable.

God, Lu Zhan probably hated him. And he deserved to be hated. Talking with X had him hoping he and Lu Zhan would be able to mend their relationship, but honestly, what was he thinking? He didn’t deserve to be Lu Zhan’s friend anymore.

Twenty.

Twenty-one.

Twenty-two.

Twenty-three.

Twenty-

A pillow flew from across the room, hitting him in the head — obviously with the intention of stopping him in his tracks — but Nice only gritted his teeth and continued as the anxiety in his mind heightened to a howl.

Not twenty-three. Not twenty-three. Not twenty-three.

Twenty-three was an odd and prime number that was not as nice as three. He can’t just stop at that.

It felt like something absolutely awful would happen if he stopped.

Like a bomb might be ticking under Nice’s skin, and if he stopped there, it would go off and kill everyone in this building.

He needed to make more rounds. It didn’t matter that he knew it to be unrealistic and false. It didn’t help the feeling that if he didn’t make enough rounds, something extremely bad would happen.

Twenty-four. He needed to finish his twenty-fourth round.

No. That wasn’t good enough. It wasn’t safe enough after being interrupted.

He had to- he needed a better number. He needed to make more rounds to make sure- to feel safe.

He made another two rounds to reach the next even number.

Was that good enough? Has the “bomb” been disabled? Can he stop now? He doesn’t deserve to stop, though, does he? He doesn’t deserve to feel relieved. Because Lu Zhan, Yueqing- but if he could find a solitary space in the middle of nowhere and let the bomb go off, just killing him, that would be ok, wouldn’t it? Although when he had tried to ignore such compulsions before, it just made things worse. He would fail spectacularly, as no physical “bomb” of any sort ever went off except metaphorically, when he started descending into a panic attack.

Distantly, he registered a voice calling him, but he couldn’t pay it any mind as his brain swirled with clamoring, anxious thoughts, and he needed to stop the disaster.

He should go faster. Simply touching the floor felt like he was being held back by gravity and friction, so he lifted off the ground, flying now. He made sure to keep an even pace each round, though, and still went the same path, avoiding the treadmills and areas that held water. It felt wrong to accelerate in the middle of a round or go a different path just because he was flying now.

Twenty-seven.

Twenty-eight.

Twenty-nine.

Thirty.

A short sense of cooling relief settled over him as he finished his thirtieth round.

The awful feeling settled down.

There was still discomfort, sure, but much better than the previous feeling along the lines of if you stop, you die and kill everyone here.

Knowing that he had descended into an OCD ritual made Nice clench his shaking fists, causing a burst of pain to spread from his fingers and palms.

It was so stupid. Nothing actually bad would have happened if he had stopped at just twenty-three rounds. And yet Nice had to obey the compulsions.

He doesn’t always have flare-ups like this. He wasn’t even sure if “natural OCD” even manifested like his. If people believed him to be so perfect that he gets the side effect of developing this mental illness, why couldn’t it have been the type of just being a perfectionist? Why did it turn into an imitation of more types of the disorder?

A wave of shame filled him, but he tried to straighten his expression. Then, he remembered the pillow that had been thrown at him, which he quickly picked up from the floor and blew any possible dust off. Nice was yet again thankful for the floors he insisted be squeaky clean each day, whether he had to do it himself or wait for the cleaners Ms. J hired to do it.

He hesitated to put the pillow back in its “correct place” as he turned to see said place being occupied by his original assailant.

Yueqing had an almost frightened and concerned look on her face as she watched Nice, but the expression flashed away as soon as Nice registered it, making him wonder if he had seen correctly or not.

Eventually, he walked over to place it in the “correct spot” before walking back to his spot, further away from Yueqing.

“What, are you finally sane again? Did I hit you at a ‘bad number’ before?” Yueqing asked mockingly from the bed, the magazine she was reading lying face down next to her. “What were you muttering? ‘Not twenty-three’?”

All traces of concern were gone.

Her blond hair was untied and disheveled, still slightly wet from the shower she took after working out. She was wearing an old, plain white shirt with shorts.

Nice was in his hero suit, anticipating X’s arrival. His hair was perfectly styled and combed as always.

They were truly opposites, ones who did not attract at that.

“It’s fine.” He replied in a strained voice.

It wasn’t Yueqing’s fault. She wasn’t a mean person, and she had been nice to him occasionally. She was just… frustrated with her situation. Which was understandable. Nice couldn’t fault her for being short with him or despising him after all this time. She was especially annoyed with him now, now that he had earned both of them a lecture and risked confining them to the Tower from his “disappearance act” yesterday. He could’ve — should’ve — told her what happened yesterday (just the plan he discussed with X, of course, not his little attempted escapade down a roof), but he just needed to talk to Lu Zhan first. It only felt right.

“I don’t care. Just stop doing that. It’s making me all dizzy, seeing you in my peripheral vision. Go waste water in the bathroom or something instead. Whatever you need to do. Away.” Yueqing stated harshly, referring to Nice’s habit of washing his hands too many times before and after a public appearance.

It felt like a shard of jagged glass had pierced his heart. Yueqing made it clear that she hated his strict perfectionist style and other behaviors stemming from the OCD, but she never said it like that.

It wasn’t like he could control it. It wasn’t like he wanted to feel like he would get infected with some awful disease (or infect others with it) if he didn’t wash his hands and arms at least five times, not including the times he’d go back after coming out. It wasn’t like he could control the awful feeling of wrongness and imminent doom if he didn’t finish his rounds at a “good” and even number.

But Yueqing couldn’t understand that, and it really wasn’t her fault.

God, maybe he shouldn’t have listened to X. Maybe he should just finish the job from yesterday.

He tapped his foot on the ground and looked down at his hands again, going through the routine of checking each part three times and picking at any uneven portions of the skin on his fingers. There were some areas that he was surprised to see red. It seemed like he’d been picking at his hands as he made his rounds without realizing it.

Stupid.

He really was a burden on everyone and-

“Nice.” A voice sounded, cutting off his thoughts, and a gentle finger tapped his hand three times.

Three. That was a good number.

He looked up to find X looking at him with concern through his glasses. A sudden and unexpected thought of amusement flashed through his mind as he wondered why X needed glasses if he could quite literally alter reality. Maybe they were just for fashion purposes.

Then again, Nice didn’t know exactly what X’s powers entailed. He should ask sometime.

“X.” He breathed, relieved at the sight of the older white-haired hero.

A sense of safety rushed over him, confusing and unexpected, but welcome.

“Hey?!” Yueqing called as she looked up from her magazine at the newcomer.

“Are you okay?” X asked Nice, disregarding Yueqing’s shout.

“I’m fine.” Nice answered automatically, dropping his hands back down to his sides.

“Sure you are.” X snorted with an eye roll.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” Yueqing shouted again, jumping down from the bed and walking to them.

Evidently, Nice was right when he texted X. She definitely did not pay attention when he told her that X was going to be coming and taking him somewhere.

X finally looked up, acknowledging Yueqing, who was standing with her hands on her hips and narrowed eyes.

“Moon, I’m assuming? I’m X. I’m gonna borrow Nice for a bit.” X stated smoothly, giving Yueqing a friendly smile.

“I know who you are. Your dumb hair and glasses gave that away. I know Nice met you yesterday and that’s why Ms. J wanted to put us on a shitty lockdown.” Yueqing stated, undisturbed by X’s identity.

“Yueqing!” Nice exclaimed, surprised at Yueqing’s rudeness to another hero, especially the number one hero at that.

She must be really pissed if she didn’t even try to put up a front. No one except them and the relevant Treeman staff knew the nature of their relationship, and she typically presented herself as a “nice girl” to others. Treeman didn’t want to risk any possibility of suspicion after all.

“What? He’s X. He probably knows everything already with his whole omnipotent shtick. Besides, if he’s your friend, he can’t exactly expose anything, can he?” Yueqing shrugged nonchalantly.

Nice highly doubted X was actually omnipotent from their chat yesterday, but he didn’t correct Yueqing. Maybe she even hoped that X didn’t know and therefore would blast this information on his social media account so she could be free from the act. She was right with the last part, though. X wouldn’t expose Nice like that without permission.

“Well, don’t blame X for what happened then. It’s only because he is X that Ms. J let us off the hook.” Nice replied with a frown. “Also, you were quite happy about the fried chicken he gave me yesterday, so please don’t be a hypocrite.”

X was helping Nice; he shouldn’t be the target of Yueqing’s ire. Nice deserved all of it.

Yueqing rolled her eyes before turning to X again with a scowl.

“Why do you need him? I don’t feel like getting in trouble because of two dumb men again.”

“My my, Moon, you have quite the sharp tongue. Why do I need a reason to hang out with a friend?” X replied, keeping a polite smile on his face, although he was clearly unhappy with Yueqing’s attitude.

“Yueqing, I told you that he was taking me somewhere today. Ms. J already knows as well, so don’t worry about either of us getting in trouble.” Nice added on with a sigh. “I’m sorry for yesterday, ok?”

“Whatever. Fine. I don’t care. I’m glad to be alone instead of stuck with you anyways.” She huffed before shooting one last glare at both of them and heading back onto the bed.

She grabbed her pair of headphones from the couch on the way and put them on, tuning the two white haired heroes out.

A few seconds passed as X looked at Yueqing with distaste and then back at Nice, before Nice spoke first, tiredness coating his words and nonchalance masking the hurt.

“Don’t mind her… she’s just mad from yesterday. She’s not always like this.”

X scoffed.

“She doesn’t seem like a very good friend.” He quietly commented with a frown.

“Well… I never said we were friends.” Nice replied with a hint of regret.

He looked at Yueqing as well and wondered if she would ever warm up to him. Maybe if he succeeds in convincing Ms. J to let them break up, she’ll be open to forming a genuine friendship.

X let Nice sit with his thoughts for another second before clearing his throat to get his attention.

“Do you want to go back to my place first before, you know?” He asked, purposefully omitting the name to avoid Ms. J or another Treeman employee hearing through the cameras. “I don’t want to throw you from one stressful situation to another without a break.”

X was really thoughtful, wasn’t he? Whoever ended up as his wife would be lucky.

Nice nodded in grateful affirmation, and X held out a hand for him to take with a warm, encouraging smile, like a parent would when leading their child.

Gentle. X was also gentle.

Nice felt honored in a way, to know this side of the mysterious hero. He wondered if X was friends with any other heroes. Before, watching him on TV, X just seemed like a confident and unserious guy with a dash of danger. Although those traits were clearly still a part of him, Nice could see that X wasn’t just a handsome face.

He took X’s hand with no hesitation.

X used his free hand to snap, and the reality-warping began.

The senior hero led Nice through the colorful streets, occasionally snapping again to shift the surface they seemed to be on. Although Nice had no trouble moving through X’s altered reality, he was glad X held on to him, as he wasn’t confident in navigating the area properly by himself, or keeping up with X’s speed in a world where the wall became the ground and metal became cloth.

He didn’t notice before, but X’s altered reality was quite the spectacle to behold. It was almost scary, in a way.

It wasn’t long before X snapped again, the crisp sound cutting through the air and seemingly the rainbow-reality too as the vibrant colors faded back to reveal X’s duller living room.

|

|

|

X was still concerned about Nice, to say the least. He found him on the 15th floor of the Tower, looking like he was on the verge of an anxiety attack (or a panic attack; X wasn’t too sure about the specifics). He was with Moon, who was in an awful mood, blaming Nice and X for Ms. J’s overcontrolling nature. Nice clearly wasn’t in a good state of mind to deal with Moon’s attitude, but also clearly, she didn’t care.

X threw a glance at Nice to check on him as he walked to the kitchen, giving the boy some time to himself and deciding to offer Nice the croissant now instead of later with Lin Ling. The younger white-haired hero had sat down on the couch like he did last night, looking much in need of a de-stressor.

Nice’s hands were gripped together, and he laid his head back on the couch. It seems like Nice had become more comfortable with X, although it’s only been a day since they met each other.

He found himself smiling slightly at the thought. It really was an unexpected turn in his typically mundane life (there really wasn’t many villains that required his attention).

A blast of cool air greeted X as he opened the refrigerator, a welcome feeling from the rising summer heat. His apartment did not have the best air conditioner, but to be honest, he also wanted to save a little money. He sometimes wished he had chosen another hero uniform over a suit and pants, but he doubted he’d be able to get the point across as well to his audience and opponent if he were in shorts (the point being his coolness factor, of course. Suits, frankly, made everyone look better in his opinion). It also just didn’t fit his style.

Anyways, was Nice hot too? Maybe he should bring out some ice cream as well…

He looked over to Nice, who was now looking at him as well with curiosity.

“I bought a croissant for you and Lin Ling. Do you want it now? It’s strawberry. Some ice cream too, perhaps?” X asked, pulling out one of the strawberry croissants and holding it up with the wax paper for Nice to see. “By the way, do you need any forks or knives?”

A flicker of surprise flew across Nice’s expression before he broke into a soft smile.

“The croissant would be great, thanks. I don’t need any utensils, just a napkin would do. But let’s hold off on the ice cream. I don’t want to keep Lu Zhan waiting for too long.” Nice answered gratefully.

“Of course. What a gentleman.” X teased, closing the fridge and grabbing a plate from the upper cabinets.

Nice didn’t respond, but his smile grew more amused. He was less tense than he was when X first brought him over, and seemed to be in a better state of mind. His hands weren’t clenched anymore; instead, they were resting peacefully in his lap, fingers lightly crossed.

That was a good sign, probably. X should pick up a book on body language and OCD sometime to understand Nice better, but Nice was, in all honesty, easier to read than most people might think. The young hero was more withdrawn and clearly wanted to keep his feelings close to his chest, but despite being the outstanding actor that was demanded of him, X was able to get a decent understanding of his real emotions just in the past two days.

His mind went back to Moon saying he was omnipotent, and he scoffed to himself. He wasn’t actually omnipotent; he wasn’t God. But it did seem like he was indeed more aware of things after he became X, such as being more in tune with the emotions and thoughts of others.

X put the croissant on a smooth and small white plate. Then, he lifted everything with one hand on the bottom, walking over to Nice in a formal manner, as if he were a waiter at a fancy restaurant.

“Your croissant, sir. Lightly chilled.” X joked as he set the plate down in front of Nice, who was looking at him with even more amusement.

“Thank you. Where did you get this? How much was it?” Nice asked politely, looking at the pastry with curiosity.

“I’ve never had a croissant before.” He added on.

Ah, that was why he looked so intrigued.

“Little France, it’s a bakery near the park. You should check it out. It’s pretty cheap. Only about nine dollars.” X replied with a grin.

Maybe he can get Muxi a new customer here. A famous one at that. X knew she was quite fond of Nice, as he asked her what heroes she supported once (it was a little disappointing to hear himself — or, well, his hero persona — not be named). The only problem would be that Nice’s popularity would draw many others to the bakery as well, leading to the previously mentioned idea that more people would ruin the peace he loved at that bakery. Muxi didn’t seem like the type of girl who’d want to trade her peace and quiet for a few extra bucks either.

He added on a sentence to acknowledge the thought.

“Although if you were to go… please be discreet.”

Nice hummed in acknowledgement, and X watched for a second as Nice wrapped one side of the treat with a napkin in a perfectly triangular shape so he wouldn’t have to touch the oily bread or risk getting the cream on his hands.

He noted with interest that Nice didn’t seem very bothered by the bits of cream touching the inside of the napkin.

Satisfied with that task being done and making Nice more relaxed, X turned and walked back to the kitchen to do some dishes. It’d be awkward to just stare at Nice while he ate, after all.

The sounds of running water and tableware being placed down filled X’s ears as he let himself relax as well. Many people saw doing chores like the dishes as an annoying task, but X found it therapeutic. There was something peaceful about doing such habitual, easy actions that everyone did, and it was the only reason X didn’t just snap and be done with all of it in an instant.

“You hum when you work. Do you listen to Lucky Cyan?” Nice’s voice came through after a few minutes, as X finished placing the last plate onto a drying rack.

X turned with genuine surprise and a curious expression on his face.

“Really? I never noticed. I do listen to her. I didn’t bother you with it, did I?” He replied, drying his hands on a towel and pulling his sleeves down.

Nice probably had perfect pitch — X wouldn’t be surprised if he was trained in the musical arts along with ballet — while X himself certainly has had no experience with music. He may be confident in many things, but singing or even just humming on key was not one of them.

Nice shook his head in denial as he wiped his face with the outside of the napkin that had held the croissant.

“No, your humming was quite nice actually. Thank you for the croissant. It was good. I bet Lin Ling will like it too.” The young hero said as he walked over with the plate and dirty napkin, which was quickly thrown in the trash.

Well, that was a nice surprise. Nice did seem to be sparing his feelings, so that meant he really could hum in key. And X was happy to hear the croissant surviving its duration in the refrigerator.

“No problem.” X said, giving Nice a confident grin. “Now, you ready to see Wreck? Just give me an address and I’ll find him. Perks of people thinking I’m omnipotent.”

Nice’s lips grew taut, and his expression tensed. A change from the lighter mood X had put him in. He then took a deep breath before nodding in confirmation, although his hands started fidgeting again.

“Yeah, I’m ready… but could I stay back and wait for you to bring him here?” He asked hesitantly. “His address is…”

It seems like Nice still needed to prepare himself a bit. Of course he did though. X couldn’t fault him. Nice’s anxiety was understandable.

“Of course.” He agreed easily, happy to see some of the tension leave Nice’s face.

As he expected, X knew where Wreck’s apartment was and was certain in his ability to snap directly into it. It was doubtful Ms. J would find out about their scheme, but just in case, he didn’t want to risk being seen. After all, X was more than aware of certain hero agencies keeping tabs on him (cough-cough-DOS-cough-cough).

X snapped, walking through the colorful, warped reality. He stopped before an apartment building, which he made to retain its original shape, although it was still swathed with geometric overlapping colors. Walking up to the walls of the now-sideways apartments to the floor Nice said Wreck lived on, X picked the correct door number, before snapping into the room and snapping again to return to the 3d world.

A dark-haired young man in a red vest and black dress shirt sat in the living room. He held a book he was obviously not paying attention to. His leg was bouncing up and down — probably a nervous habit of sorts. There was a distinct, diamond-shaped red gem in the middle of his upper chest like Nice’s round blue one, which immediately gave him away as Wreck, along with an air of anxiousness surrounding him. He startled when X appeared, but his expression held no surprise, except for an increased nervousness as he recognized X. There were hints of wariness, but that was to be expected.

“Wreck, I presume?” X greeted first, polite and hoping to ease the anxiousness in this boy too. “Nice to meet you, I’m X.”

He held out his hand for a handshake.

“Yes, I’m Wreck. You can just call me Lu Zhan. Nice to meet you too, X.” Wreck greeted back, rising from his seat and putting the unread book down to shake X’s hand. “Thank you for doing this.”

Well, now that the platonic situationship partner was secured, it was time to start the show. Not that X would be watching, of course. He respected people’s privacy after all.

“No problem. Now, let’s not waste any time, shall we? You’re not photosensitive, are you, Lu Zhan?” X asked, half-jokingly, gripping Wreck’s hand a little harder.

Wreck’s expression morphed into one of confusion.

“No, I don’t have epilepsy if that’s what you mean…?”

“Great. Let’s go.”

X took some joy in snapping and seeing Wreck’s expression turn into one of flabbergasted fascination as X pulled him along surfaces in planes that weren’t supposed to be there, with colors that reality could never have, shifting around freely.

He snapped again when they arrived at his apartment.

X had already spotted Nice sitting on the couch again, picking at his hands anxiously.

The moment they appeared, the black-and-white-haired duo saw each other, eyes locking together. Both froze as if they were seeing a ghost. A million things flashed through their gazes; words they wanted to say but never thought they’d get the chance to again.

“Well… I’ll leave you two to talk. I think I might pay Lin Ling a visit.” X spoke up first, breaking through the cloud of tension, anxiety, and something else that was harder to name, that was hanging in the air.

Despite the fragile mental state of Nice and probably Wreck as well, they were both still mature adults who had been long-time friends. X trusted Nice (and Wreck by proxy) to figure it out in this situation. He had a good feeling about the two and was confident they’d be able to make up.

He mouthed “good luck” to Nice before quickly taking Lin Ling’s croissant out of the fridge and snapping himself out of there. Nice would text him when they were done.