(AN: an UPDATE? in my ME? yes reader, I am as shocked as you are. I can't promise regular updates, but I will be (slowly) working on this fic to get it completed.)

Hydro needed a map of the city, because no matter what route Kyungsoo took, there was no way he was getting to Half Moon Convention Center in twenty minutes. Especially when the city was practically on lock down.

    So, even with two buses, a train, a taxi ride he definitely couldn’t afford (because people were giving him strange looks in his suit and because public transportation was just not cooperating), and a five block jog, he arrived fifteen minutes late, out of breath but miraculously sweat-free. Edna’s promises were already delivering. At least, as far as he could see, he wasn’t the only one who was late. Silver Phantom (because he couldn’t think of him as Baekhyun when in the super suit) was panting, leaning on a slightly frazzled looking Hydro. Crimson Hawk was floating above them, hair in disarray, undoubtedly from fast flying. Only Black Phoenix looked flawless, naturally. Kyungsoo suddenly wanted to swap his powers for teleportation, because super strength did not translate to super strong stamina for running.

    “What’s the situation?” Kyungsoo asked.

    “X-Plo,” Crimson Hawk said with a grimace, “again.”

    “See, you don’t have to worry about your name,” Silver Phantom said with a wink, “some supers and villains have it worse.”

    Kyungsoo balled up his hand into a fist, teeth bared, but Hydro deftly stepped between them, even though that meant Silver Phantom stumbled and whined to keep his spot on Hydro’s shoulder.

    “X-Plo likes explosions,” Hydro cut in. “He’s never really been successful but that doesn’t get his spirits down, apparently.”

    Crimson Hawk snorted. “I’ll do a fly by, see if I can spot anything.”

    “Why hasn’t he been successful?” Kyungsoo asked, craning his neck to watch Crimson Hawk fly up and towards the bridge.

    Hydro passed him an earpiece and shrugged. “He kind of . Last time he tried blowing up City Hall, but he got the charges wrong so it fizzled out without doing much damage.”

    “Aren’t explosions supposed to be his thing?”

    “How many times have you heard people talk about things they love but they’re bad at?” Hydro asked.

    Well…he had a point.

    “Uh, we’ve got a major problem,” Crimson Hawk crackled through. “There are no explosives.”

    “How is that a major problem, Hawk?” Silver Phantom asked.

    “X-Plo is the explosive,” Crimson Hawk said.

    Silence.

    Then, “what the absolute ?"

    “How do you think he managed that?” Hydro murmured.

    “Looks like some kind of radioactivity, if I had to guess,” Crimson Hawk added.

    “The dummy finally figured out how to do real damage, eh?” Silver Phantom murmured.

    “Well, let’s get to the bridge then,” Hydro said, jaw tense.

    Silver Phantom looked almost worried for a second, reaching out to Hydro, but taking his hand back when their fingertips brushed together. Kyungsoo filed that away for later.

    “Who’s the cat who’s always chill,” Silver Phantom crooned, a smile finally making its way back to his face, “When survival odds are close to nil, Hydrooooo.”

    “Don’t start, Phantom,” Hydro hissed.

    “Geez, I’m just trying to provide some moral support,” Silver Phantom sniffed.

    Hydro, in spite of himself, smiled anyway. He mouthed a thank you at Silver Phantom, who went all googly-eyed. Oh. That definitely required investigating. And teasing. Lots of teasing.

    But now was not the time for that.

    The bridge was a standard steel cable suspension bridge, joining the Metroport neighborhood of Orion island’s southern end to the DUSSB (Down Under the South Street Bridge, but Baekhyun, in all his Baekhyunness, called it the DUSSY). They were on the Metroport side, their line of sight blocked by the lights of the police cars (a useless blockade). X-Plo, apparently, was somewhere over by the DUSSB side.

    “We’ll handle it,” Hydro said to a policeman, voice curt. “Trigger happy morons,” he muttered under his breath. Kyungsoo coughed, and it was definitely a cough and not him trying to cover up a laugh. Very convincing.

    They filed past the cars (except for Black Phoenix, and Kyungsoo was once again jealous of his superpower) where X-Plo, in all his radioactive glowy glory, stood in the middle of the bridge.

    “Can’t defuse this one, you punks,” he cackled. He stretched, skin crackling as he did so.

    “Everyone ready?” Hydro asked.

    No one answered. Hydro shot them a panicked look.

    “Are we ever ready?” Silver Phantom asked.

    Hydro narrowed his at the other hero, letting out his breath in a terse sigh.

    “Okay, fine. I’ll provide moral support. Sing with me, Piggie,” Silver Phantom teased. “You know which one’s perfect for you.”

    Kyungsoo was very, very close to punching Baekhyun instead of X-Plo. Very close.

    But, because he’s never really been able to say no to Baekhyun, he hums along to the other hero’s song.

    “Mr. Incredible, Incredible, Incredible,” Phantom sang, stepping back as Kyungsoo moved closer to X-Plo, “Catching the bad guys, pow, pow, pow!”

    “You’re really ing corny,” Kyungsoo gritted through his teeth.

    He was pretty sure Black Phoenix was laughing at him, but he kept his eyes focus