Grievance
⇢ pairing: kenny mccormick x marsh!reader
⇢ genre: superpowers ; the fractured but whole AU
⇢ synopsis: ❝Nothing makes us as lonely as our secrets—they're a prison whose truth may bring despair. If only the threat of death wasn’t involved to push you further into isolation.❞
⇢ warning: graphic descriptions of violence
⇢ [AO3 link]
The frigid air causes goosebumps to run along my exposed skin, my short skirt not providing any sort of reprieve against the cold. The moonlight cascades down from the night sky, peeking through overcast clouds and providing a sliver of luminescence against the darkness surrounding me. This is typically the conditions that come into play whenever I adorn this costume, as such from the shitty town called South Park.
My perch on the high building’s ledge allows me to have a good view of the commotion currently occurring and gives me leverage over those on the floor, the concrete cold and rough against the back of my thighs. Down below, a cacophony of sharp sounds and grunts could be heard. Loud hollering occasionally joins the racket in the form of shit talking and directions being thrown around. I languidly watch the constantly moving bodies, my eyes lazily following their actions as my legs dangle from the rooftop. Every move they make is familiar, easy to read after years of observation.
I pull both of my legs up and plant an elbow on my thigh to cup one of my cheeks, a corner of my mouth slightly rising at a particular punch that flawlessly executes a last minute save against its assailant. When every member of the defensive team is either unconscious or apprehended, I stand to my full height and leisurely stretch.
Seeing the group of teens begin to gather around to take into account of what was wrongly stolen, I take it as my cue to crouch my body in preparation of descending my mount. Once my heeled boots lightly hit the floor of the ground that was once below me, I find my form before the colorfully assorted group of superheroes. I announce my arrival by slowly clapping my hands at their success, a smirk decorating my face.
“Ah, fuck. What the hell do you want again, you no named bitch?” The Coon curses when he notices me, a look of irritation crossing his features.
The ground is littered in glass and rubble, buildings having been ripped through with heavy cement bricks scattered around them. I ignore the group of heroes and their wary looks as I take in my surroundings, surveying the damage and feeling glee at the ruin all around us. Despite saving whatever poor fool that got robbed, they would definitely get into shit for causing so much structural damage in the town.
“Just wanted to stop by and say hi to my favorite oversized rat! It’s always a delight to see your fursona struggle to bring your fatass arms up when you fight!” I sweetly smile at the larger teen as he snarls, my lips curving in faux innocence.
The Human Kite tiredly rolls his eyes at the expected response I evoke, the verbal assault between the two of us familiar after years of confrontations between the group and I. Meanwhile, Fastpass and Mysterion grab onto the shoulders of the furious hero to prevent him from lunging at me despite his struggling. I spot a pile of scorching metal, flumes of smoke rising off of the utterly crushed vehicle and disappearing into the unending abyss of the sky.
“Aye! Fuck off, you stupid skank!”
I ignore the shrill screeches of his insults and quickly dart my eyes around, scanning every figure in front of me until I see the hands that are tensely gripping onto a lumpy pillow case. Bingo.
I softly smile and extend an arm in front of my body, my palm facing up. “Tweek.”
“Ack!” His body badly jolts at the name drop and I can't help the fond smile crossing my expression at his reaction.
Anonymity was a thing in the past with the vigilantes of South Park, especially when your given name is also in your superhero alias like Wonder Tweek or Super Craig. It also didn’t help that their costumes didn’t provide any element of surprise as Tupperware’s face is visible against the clear material of his head piece, or how Toolshed only has yellow shades adorning his face. The townspeople don’t know any of their identities as they’re only active when the darkness of the night can conceal them, but I do.
What once started as a game of pretend when they were younger became reality when a visit to Mephesto Genetics Lab resulted in a freak accident that made their powers become real. Since then, the teens decided to take up the responsibility of having special abilities by keeping the town safe with daily patrols almost every night.
“Please?” I lightly coo at the shaking blonde when he doesn’t move, gently coaxing him to relent the stolen treasure that the heroes reclaimed.
His eyes dart back and forth in panic, his anxiety causing his tight hold on the material in his hands to become white. They could’ve all easily evaded this confrontation if they had left the site as soon as they were done, but being known heroes meant that they had to touch point with the police before calling it a night.
When the rest of the guys take a threatening step forward, I roll my eyes and let out a sigh. I bring my hands into fists in front of me, slightly crouching in a defensive stance.
The hard way it is.
・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑
The sharp sound of a bell announces my departure from the store, a lollipop in my mouth as I count the bundle of cash in my hands. I throw away the pillow case that held onto the pile of stolen jewelry I obtained from the local crime fighters last night into a dirty dumpster in an alleyway.
I hum in happiness around the hard candy when the number is a lot higher than I was anticipating and I map out a route in my head to efficiently get to all of the stores I want to go to. Food is my top priority and the remaining amount of money can go to clothes and other miscellaneous things, I decide.
When a multitude of both paper and plastic bags heavily adorn the crooks of both of my arms, I leisurely make my way across the town for my final destination. A smile starts to grow on my face the closer I get and when I cross the tell-tale sight of rickety train tracks, an excited grin overtakes my face as my pearly white teeth make their appearance.
“Princess! What’s your cute ass doing around these parts?” The door opens to Kenny’s handsome face as he presses a quick kiss to my cheek before chivalrously relinquishing me of my heavy haul. He seamlessly takes the shopping bags from my arms in one swift motion, placing a hand on my lower back to guide my body inside the warmth of his home.
“I got you guys groceries.“ I softly smile at the enthusiastic greeting, taking a step past the door frame as I follow the taller teen into his kitchen.
“Thanks, babe. You know I appreciate this, but I really don’t want you to spend your money on us.” Attractive features shoot me a stern gaze over broad shoulders and I just flash a cheeky smile back, these words familiar as they have been reiterated back to me millions of times by the blonde already.
“I know, but I want to. It’s my money so I get to choose what I do with it.” I respond as I always do when he lectures me like this, doing my best to reassure his uneasiness and guilt. If only he knew that all the money I spend on him is from the things I steal from the guys, I bemusedly think to myself.
"Which I don't get! Your brother says you don't have a job and I know your allowance isn't enough to cover these expenses." The fridge door he opens lets in a cool waft of air, causing a small shudder to resound in my whole body from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
"Well Stanley never knows what he's talking about, I can't believe you still believe anything he says. Remember when he thought he'd get the memories of the shrimps in his fried rice whenever we ate Chinese food? Fucking idiot."
Kenny continues to put away the food I got for the McCormick family as I perch myself onto their kitchen counter, leisurely swinging my dangling legs back and forth. My teeth bite down onto the hard shell of the almost fully dissolved lollipop in my mouth, an explosion of flavored crystals littering my tongue. Amongst the crushed sweetness is the star of the show–a bubble gum core for me to chew on.
When the pink bubble pops in front of my face, the deflating rubber reveals the blonde stepping in front of my perched form to open the cabinet over my head. From his suddenly close proximity, I take advantage of the view to intently watch the boy’s muscles every time they flex from movement. When he pulls back, his plump lips curve into a lazy smirk, an all knowing look on his attractive face.
His taller frame settles in between my legs once he's finished unloading the groceries, resting his larger hands onto my waist. They slowly slide under my shirt to lightly skim his fingers against my sides, alighting a chain reaction of goosebumps along my arms at the sensation. I giggle when he burrows his face underneath my jaw, feeling his smile on the expanse of skin.
“I love you,” He softly mouths onto my neck before pressing a searing kiss, slowly trailing down until he reaches where the junction of my shoulders meet my neck.
I don’t jolt when he playfully sinks his teeth into my skin, quickly soothing the area with just a quick peck before pulling his head away. There’s a tender smile adorning his face when we make eye contact, one of his hands going up to lightly cradle my cheek.
Sunshine comes in from the window behind me, accentuating the sharp features on the blonde’s attractive face. The ember hues of the bright light of noon brings in a warmth that makes his azure orbs look absolutely mesmerizing, every shade of crystal blue visible to me.
I get lost as I take in the sight in front of me, dazedly appreciating his defined features. From his long lashes to the perfect slope of his nose, the blonde puts every Greek god to shame. It’s as if I’m in a trance as I slowly watch his tongue quickly dart out, lightly wetting his soft pink lips and making them look even more tantalizing and inviting.
I lock my legs around his waist in impatience, bringing him closer to my body and I’m rewarded with a deep chuckle in amusement at my neediness. His smile is smug, the hand on the side of my face sliding back into my hair to rub soothing circles into soft locks.
“Like what you see, beautiful? If you tell me what you want, I’d be happy to give it to you.” The blonde’s voice is quiet despite being the only two in the room, creating an ambiance of intimacy between us. The air is charged, electrifying in the way that my body gets heated at just his words.
“Kenny.”
“Hm?” He drags the word out, a shit eating grin on his face.
I roll my eyes at his teasing before I thread my fingers into a field of blonde hair, roughly tugging the boy closer to my face. When our lips slot together, it starts off unhurried yet passionate before he takes a swipe at my lower lip. I allow him access into my mouth and our tongues slide against each other so beautifully, the hand on my waists squeezing a little tighter at the sensation.
I playfully bite at his lips before I pull away, our faces close to one another as we catch our breaths. Our foreheads lean against each other as every wisp of air that leaves the blonde’s mouth lightly hits my lips, causing my mouth to quirk up at winding him up. Azure eyes darken in clear want at my teasing but before he can pull me in again, a voice cuts through the air.
“Ew, not in the kitchen! We eat here!” I can see Karen over the taller teen’s broad shoulders, her arms crossed and a pout on her usually smiling face as she stands at the doorway.
Kenny doesn’t spare his younger sister a look as he lets out a sigh at the interruption, raising a vulgar middle finger high into the air and planting a final kiss on my lips. I giggle as I break free from his hold, making my way over to the bags that hold the clothes I bought for the younger girl.
When I chance a peek at the blonde boy to smirk at him for the interruption, he just rolls his eyes at me to pop a bubble in his mouth. The sight of pink disappearing behind his mischievous grin makes me realize that my gum is no longer in my mouth.
・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑
From my peripherals, I see Clyde’s form wince when he settles his body down onto a vacant spot on the sofa. It’s easy to feign ignorance about the sudden appearance of cuts and bruises on the boys when we live in a town that’s covered in snow almost all year round. The freezing temperature forces everyone to adorn multiple, thick layers of material lest they risk a case of frostbite.
Frantic excuses get made up on the spot when the dark circles under their eyes are particularly bad after a difficult night of patrol, however. Or when they have to come up with a reason as to why they all need to leave halfway through hanging out at the same time, without the ability to bring me along. None of the boys would ever suspect their precious little sister though and it was simple to play the part.
“You okay?” Small wisps of air hit the shell of my ear after every word, the arms around my waist tightening their hold.
I slightly turn my head to the owner of the voice and give Kenny a kiss on the cheek in reassurance, to let him know that I was fine and to thank him for always checking up on me.
“Just daydreaming again?” The chest I’m leaning against rumbles from his deep chuckle, finding my endearing habit cute. “Sometimes I wish I could go to the world you drift off to when you’re like that… It must be nice since it always has your attention, hm?”
I fiddle with the longer fingers on my waist, playing with the silver rings adorning the taller teen’s digits as a corner of my lips quirk up in a soft smile. My fingers cease their actions to intertwine both of our hands together, giving them a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s nice, but no place will ever be comparable if it doesn’t have you.” My voice is hushed, the two of us trapped in our own little bubble at the intimacy of our conversation.
It’s quiet between the two of us for a minute, the other boys in the room tuned out as mere background noise as I give my undivided attention to my blonde haired lover underneath me. His hands break their hold with mine to settle themselves at my waist, effortlessly lifting me up to turn my body towards his.
“… There are times I get scared, though.” He has a thoughtful expression on his face when looks at me, a large hand lifting up to gently caress my cheek. His thumb softly smooths itself over my skin, so light that it feels almost nonexistent. “When you get like that, where do you go..?”
When my head chases after the warmth of his hand, further nuzzling my cheek against the soft skin on his palms, he shakes his head at his silly thought. There’s a teasing lilt to his smooth voice, a small quirk on his lips as he lightly says in the space between us. “Well, as long as you always come back to me then it’s fine.”
"I'd do anything for you, Ken." I turn my head to kiss the inside of the junction where his hand meets his forearm, softly mouthing my words of affirmation to the beating pulse of his wrist.
Both of his hands skim against my sides and I giggle as I try to get my body away from his tickling, tender affection painting Kenny’s visage as he watches me squeal in delight. The blonde teen only relents after he deems my punishment for dazing off enough, small puffs of air softly hitting the skin on his neck as I rest my head against his shoulder and catch my breath.
“My pretty baby.” He mumbles against the crown of my head, bringing his arms back around my waist and lightly squeezing my body in affection.
“I love you.” He brings his lips down to gently say against the skin on my forehead, a large hand of his coming to the back of my head and running his fingers through soft locks of hair.
“I love you more.” I sleepily mumble against the ladder of his neck.
The teen repeats the cathartic motions and the soothing sensation slowly lulls me to unconsciousness, warm in the safe embrace of my lover. When sleep inevitably takes me, I’m slightly jostled out of it when I hear hushed whispering over my form and a pair of cold fingers trailing themselves down my cheeks.
The voices are recognizable as my twin brother and blonde significant other, the comforting lilt of their voices causing a small corner of my lips to softly quirk up. When light touches bring attention to my wet cheeks, it’s then that I realize that I’m crying like I typically do when my dreams take hold of me.
They’re never nightmares like everyone worries and assumes they are, no. Rather, they leave me with faint traces of melancholy, bitter and always lingering. Even if I can’t remember them when I wake up, their presence is constantly looming over me in the waking world.
Like I’m grieving for something. For someone.
・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑
My eyelashes lightly tickle the skin on my cheeks when my eyes flutter open, slowly fighting the last dredges of sleep desperately trying to bring me back in its embrace. The familiar surroundings of my bedroom greets me, evidence of someone transferring me when I was unconscious.
My legs lazily stretch themselves out from under the comforter on my bed, a quiet yawn escaping my slightly parted lips. The harsh light of the brightness on my cellphone screen informs me that it's about an hour after the boys usually depart to begin their nightly patrols.
I take that as my cue to change into the soft material that conceals my identity, leisurely humming to myself as I lift the glass panel of my window open. The cold Colorado air greets me and in my admiration for the stars above me, I begin to cross over the ice frosted grass of my front lawn to the area where it transitions into the asphalt of the sidewalk.
Small wisps of lightly colored air escapes from my mouth, the freezing temperature making my breaths visible. They provide me childish entertainment as they accompany me on my walk, my eyes sparkling in awe at the opacity of the mini clouds.
They disappear into the inky darkness that surrounds my form, much like my vision when white, searing pain blossoms from the back of my skull.
・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑
When I come to, the first thing I notice is the sharp pain racking the inner depths of my head. My ears provide a constant ringing from the force that knocked me unconscious, only my left ear able to hear the faint flickering of the lightbulb hanging above me.
In an effort to soothe the pain, I try to raise my hands, only to wince when the movement jostles the tender skin around my wrists. There are metal restraints keeping me immobile, their surface cool to the touch and heavy.
Hearing the oncoming sounds of footsteps hitting asphalt and the faint baritone of a single person talking, I drop my head back down to feign sleep. This proves to be futile as a large hand shoots out to roughly grab onto the hair at the crown of my head, my eyebrows creasing at the pressure.
“Wake up.” A voice comes from above my lower position, firm and ruthlessly commanding.
I become dizzy and disoriented when a hand makes heavy contact with my face at the lack of response, the strength of the hit forcing my head to the side. The wooden chair I’m seated on wobbles dangerously at the threat of falling onto the floor and I flinch at the point of contact. The rings decorating my assailant’s hands pierce through the soft skin of my cheeks, around the bruises that I can already feel forming.
My eyes water when my head gets yanked back to its original position, tears threatening to leak out of my eyes at the searing pain I feel. “I’m not fucking stupid, you bitch. Quit playing smart and open your damn eyes already.”
I furrow my eyebrows into a glare when I grant myself my vision back, a figure adorned in all black standing in front of me. Their face is concealed by a simple mask covering my perpetrator’s identity, its only features containing slits for a simple pair of eyes and a slope for its nose and mouth. The blank white of its canvas eerily stares down at me, their eyes watching me from the conservative amount of openings.
“Don’t bother trying to escape, your restraints repress your abilities. Or do it, I don’t give a fuck either way. It’s your time and energy to waste, not mine.” I watch as the unnamed stranger steps away to the camera set up on a tripod in front of me, the dreary room of confinement having nothing else aside from a laptop hooked onto the device.
“Now, smile.”
・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑
When the group of superheroes reconvene for a summary of their individual patrols at their base in Tolkien’s house, the room gets washed in a single shade of vivid bright red. A loud siren sounds out around the room, causing the boys to tense up in their seats after only a few minutes of getting to leisurely lounge around.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Kyle yells to be heard over the cacophony of noise, his hands tight over his ears in an attempt to dull the sound rattling what feels to be every single bone in his body
The alarm is so loud that the waves of its cry causes strong vibrations to reverberate throughout the entire room, the raccoon themed hero curled in on himself from the sensitive hearing his powers grant him. “Turn it off already!”
“I’m fucking trying!” Tolkien frustratedly screams back at the complaints, his fingers busy dancing along the keyboard of the computer in front of him. His chest rapidly heaves up and down at the rush of adrenaline the situation causes him and his teammates, his hands shaky at the pressure of being responsible for everyone’s relief.
Everyone glances around the room in caution once the area gets doused back in the usual warm hues of the yellow overhead light. Sounds of soft but quick breathing echoes throughout the room, Butters quickly rushing to Cartman’s side to check up on the larger teen.
“What the fuck was that?” Stan’s disbelief follows him as he heads to where Tolkien is seated, watching the screen as the teen tries to find the cause.
The others begin to gather around in curiosity once they’ve caught their bearings, their hearts still quickly thundering in their chests at the sudden surprise. “Ngh! Wait. Tolkien, go back. What’s that?”
The aforementioned boy follows the instructions when Tweek notices a foreign logo embedded onto the bottom toolbar of the desktop, its icon a simple design of a black and white robot head. Everyone waits with bated breaths as it loads, the screen opening up to a live feed of an area they’ve never seen before.
"W-wuh-what the fuck..." Jimmy trails off, staring at what resembles to be a room that one would normally see appear in a horror movie.
The image is distorted with concrete walls surrounding the only thing on the screen: my unconscious form sitting on a chair with my head so low that my chin touches the fabric of my costumed chest. Silky locks of hair spill all over my face, matted with an assortment of sweat, tears, and blood. When nothing happens save for the unreliable flickering on the lone lightbulb above my frame, Kyle meekly speaks up for the team.
“… Hello?”
“Ah, you’ve finally answered. I was getting bored, two more minutes and I would’ve killed her.” A disfigured voice speaks up, their identity artificially altered by a program to modify what they sound like in real time.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Craig speaks up, his eyebrows furrowed at the bodiless voice.
Several pairs of eyes watch with bated breaths as a figure makes its appearance on the screen, doned in all black and just a white mask as they take their time walking to my unconscious form in the center of the room. They stand behind the chair I’m restrained in as they once again grab a handful of my hair, carelessly pulling my head up.
What were once closed eyes quickly open up in surprise when the ring adorned hands thunder back down onto my already mottled skin, an array of purples and reds painting my once blemish free face. At the harsh contact, my chest desperately struggles to heave in a deep breath of air after it gets knocked out of my body. It rattles inside my tight chest, the sore length of my neck trying to hungrily force the oxygen in.
I pathetically wheeze as my body doubles over, the hand sliding to the back of my head to pull me back up. My chest burns and I feel tears begin to build up in the corner of my eyes, frustration steadily mounting at the onslaught of pain and lack of air.
“That’s…” Butters trails off, his eyebrows creased when they see the unnamed girl who frequently appears after a job.
While a bane to their group’s existence for throwing away their hard work whenever they obtain stolen goods back from thieves or successfully divert a robbery, I’ve always put care into pulling my punches and attacking only when necessary. My hands have barely skimmed their skin or put a scratch on any of them, only focusing on the material aspect of their missions.
Despite this, I’m still in shock when their bodies go rigid in extreme disbelief at the sight in front of them. When they’ve identified the person who’s able to outsmart them countless times, caught like this and under the extreme mercy of another.
“Won’t you say hi to them?” The masked figure asks, their voice soft in contrast to their actions. When my words struggle to get out of my throat despite my efforts to force it out, one of their hands shoots out to grab onto both of my cheeks. They roughly push the skin on my face together from their tight grip, the strength behind their hold steadily increasing when the silence stretches on.
“H-hello!” My voice hurriedly squeezes out through my raw throat, my voice cracking as my body trembles.
“Good.” The hand drops and I start to get dizzy when all the pain from my captor's previous inflictions return at full force. While waiting for the super powered teens to answer their call, they dedicated their time to abusing my body with their bare fists and boot covered feet for mere entertainment.
My head unsteadily balances on my neck, disoriented from the hurt I feel all around. The hand returns to the back of my head to pull on my hair, forcing my head back upright. It’s a nonverbal warning to keep it up lest I want a punishment for disobedience and I start to see black dots dancing along my vision.
“Holy shit…” Clyde’s face goes pale white at the visible injuries littering my exposed skin, his stomach nauseous at the multitude and severity of each one.
“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!” Craig barks out his unanswered question from earlier, seething at what appears to be the cruel torture of a girl in front of all their eyes.
Everyone mimics the monotonous boy’s body language, all of their fists clenched in anger and shaking at the injustice of the masked figure’s unexplained actions. The silence stretches on for a bit, my captor not in a rush to answer.
“Why is it that you don’t want them to know of your identity, hm? Do you feel shame for the dirty methods you partake in to earn the money that you feed back to them?” The distorted voice says but the superheroes just furrow their eyebrows in confusion before they realize that the words aren’t directed to them, but towards me.
For once, my assailant’s touch is gentle against me as they bring a finger up to lightly skim at the skin on my tender cheek. I swallow in anticipation of the pain they may inflict, my throat audibly swallowing in nervousness.
“Let me tell you boys a story. A tale about a close group of children who in their ignorance, were granted unimaginable powers. What they didn’t know was that there was another one on that fateful day they obtained their abilities.” My breathing picks up at their words, my heart rapidly beating in my chest and threatening to rip through bone and flesh.
No, no.
Please don’t.
My perpetrator takes the time to watch the fear flash through my eyes, a lilt of amusement coursing through their next words. “You see, they all grew up together. They did everything together. None of the people in the town they lived in ever saw any of them by themselves, always accompanied no matter the time of day or the task at hand. But if that’s true… Why wasn’t anyone there when the little girl got experimented on? Why did everyone else get abilities when only she suffered?”
I maintain eye contact as dread courses through my tired body, a twinkle of delight in my assailant’s eyes. Their fingers lightly trail to the edge of my mask and it feels like I’m hyperventilating when only the sound of my rapid breathing fills the space between us.
They tug on the material resting on my face, gently pulling on it more and more. When the item that conceals my identity dangles precariously, holding onto the last vestige of hold it has on my skin, I clench my eyes shut in inevitable defeat.
“Right, Y/N?” I feel the fabric fall onto my lap as the boys gasp in disbelief and horror at the reveal of the group's baby sister, tears leaking out of the corner of my eyes. They trail down my cheeks, the cuts on my face stinging at the salty residue.
My chest rapidly heaves as sobs rack throughout my entire body, the figure to the side of me using their thumb to wipe the tears on my face with faux sympathy as they continue their story. “They never saw so they never knew. She kept it hidden, the only secret ever existing within the close-knit group. What did they say, when they released you that day? Hm, Y/N?”
The finger on my face halts at their task of futilely swiping the liquid on my cheek, applying a menacing pressure in nonverbal threat against my skin. I can't breathe through the sobs but I force my words out anyway, citing the very words the scientists at Mephesto’s ingrained into my brain from an early age.
“T-that I had to give them m-money and my silence until the day I died for giving me my abilities. That if I d-didn’t, my family, friends, and their own families would p-pay the price. That I had a debt to pay for the g-generosity they bestowed upon me.”
“Good girl.” Their hand grabs onto my chin, forcing my head to directly face the camera. The masked figure mocks the boys, a playful pout can be heard through their voice despite the material on their face.
Taunting, they ask in place for me. “Where were any of you when that happened? Why weren’t you there when those big, bad men were hurting her? But most importantly: where were you, big brother?”
They relinquish their hold, loud laughter cutting through sharp at the oppressive air of the tense situation. The sound only increases in volume when they see Stan shake in unfathomable anger, his fists clenched and his jaw tense. Amusement fills every pore of their body when none of the boys still haven’t been able to speak through the fear that paralyzes them. Similar thoughts consume their mind—failure, disbelief, anger.
How can this be?
How did I save everyone but the person who needed it the most, the person that’s always been right in front of me?
My assailant cruelly spits out, further inciting them to drown even deeper into their downward spiral of self destruction. “Why haven’t you noticed, Kenny? When she confronts you guys every night? Your own significant other, the person you’re supposed to hold the closest to your heart. Do you, perhaps… Not love her enough?”
The masked perpetrator laughs as they savagely spit each of their names out venomously, as if they were acid dropping free from their tongue. I loudly wail at the cruelty of the person beside me as they try their hardest to push the boys over the edge of their sanity. My sobs rip though my throat, loud and full of anguish. It hurts—the truth and the despair that comes with it.
The sadistic figure resumes their tale, their lips cruelly curving their face as they see the twin trails of tears begin to devastatingly pour down every superhero’s face. “And so, the little girl obtained a seed of resentment into the depths of her stomach from the bad men’s actions. It grew every single time she was left alone to bear the burden of repaying for all of their abilities. For the safety of all of their families and friends. It sprouted a new leaf every single time she lay in bed at night, wondering why the one day she was left all alone, this happened to her.”
All of the boys silently cry as they ruminate in their failure because really, what can they say?
I’m sorry for never noticing?
What good can an apology do, a few measly words in an attempt to fix whatever damage that was already done? When all of this information has been festering in the dark for years, being revealed by a stranger no less. Because truly, how did they not know?
How can they pride themselves on the work they do when they didn’t save one of the most important people in their lives: one of their own?
What was the use of having these abilities if they couldn’t protect those they hold dearest to them?
How have they not noticed when they’ve all seen each other every single day for years, since they were literal babies?
How were they so blind, so ignorant to have not noticed when she appeared in front of them every night?
“… Pathetic, not even a word said in defense. It seems they have nothing to say to you, Y/N. Say goodbye for now.”
But before I can let out a word through my mouth, they disconnect the call. Because really, why did I have to be the one to say something? Did the boys truly have nothing to say? Maybe… The masked figure was right.
I decide right there and then that I wasn't going to grieve any longer for the childhood and life I lost, that it was their turn now. And with this epiphany, this moment of realization—that was the last time I saw the boys. Not ever, but as their friend. As their little sister. As his significant other. I remove the metaphorical rose-colored glasses that tinted my thoughts, the ones that led me to defend the boys for their ignorance to my torture.
Because after this fateful day, they only ever saw me on the other side of the battlefield—as their enemy.
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