Page 106 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes
“Butch and I are here now, Kai!” I called out, unconcerned about blowing our cover. “It’s all going to be okay.” I didn’t know if my words were for her benefit or mine, but I was determined to ensure they remained true.
Most normies were incredibly far removed from the reality of a supe’s perilous life—and we were expected to keep it that way—but I didn’t give a shit about the rules anymore. I ripped off my headgear without a second thought, wanting Kai to know exactly who had come for her.
Her friends.
“What thefuck,Xander?!” she yelped, momentarily forgetting her terror long enough to scold me before her attention shot to Butch again. “Wait. Are you telling me you’ve been fuckingTHECaptain Masculine all this time?”
Of course,that’swhat she’d focus on.
“Silence!” Vortexio snarled, carelessly shifting Kai in his arms so she squealed in fright. Ignoring me completely, he turned to address his son. “This joke of a ‘relationship’ ends now, Butch. Heroes belong with heroes. Youknowthis.”
Butch crossed his arms, impressively calm and collected despite the fury I suspected was roaring beneath the surface. “The only joke here is how there’s nothing separating heroes and villains besides a bullshit piece of paper.Youknow this. It’s why you eliminated Iron Axe—so you could continue this charade of superiority. But I don’t care who Biggs Enterprises deems a hero. Xander is more of a hero than you’ll ever be—not to mention my fully bondedinventus—so you have no hope of ending our relationship or defeating us.It’s over, Vortexio. Hand over the human and surrender, and I’ll appeal to the USN for a lighter sentence. It’s my one and only offer, and more than you deserve.”
“Well, dang,” Kai muttered, echoing my Captain Masculine fanboy thoughts exactly.
Unfortunately, her commentary brought Vortexio’s attention back to her, and he expertly flipped his captive, dangling her by the ankle over the ravine far below.
“Xander!” she screamed. “Xan, help me!”
I gaped. Kai wasn’t calling for Big City’s greatest superhero to save her—she expectedmeto do it. The guy who didn’t even think hehadsuperpowers until a couple of days ago, who’d never been close enough to another person to care what happened to them, who didn’t consider himself anywhere near the definition of ‘heroic.’
“What makes you think you’re not capable of those things as well?”
For some Freudian reason, Dr. Ownit’s words from our last therapy session echoed in my head. I’d been describing traits I loved in Butch—before I even realized what I was feeling was love—yet stubbornly believed there was no way I could ever embody them myself.
Because I’m a villain.
Except Butch had waxed poetic about how heroic he thoughtIwas, despite the villainous blood in my veins. This same man—the best man I’d ever known—was ready to become a villain forme,to switch sides without hesitation, despite the long lineage of so-called heroes in his family.
Like the famous ‘hero’ currently dangling an innocent normie over a ravine.
“Don’t think I won’t end you, Vortexio!” Butch shouted, flames blasting outward as his control wavered. “Father or not, I will scorch you from this earth.”
If he could stop being so sexy, it would help me focus.
Vortexio threw his head back and laughed, the sound so eerily similar to my villainous father that I startled. “Oh, Butch. For being such a good little student, you never learned how to play this game. Rule number one: Never threaten what you can’t deliver. Youcan’tkill me—which means yourinventuscan’t either. It’s over, son. Time to get back in line with the other heroes, where you belong.”
The slightest curl to Butch’s lip told me to get ready to dive for Kai. “I’m exactly where I belong,” he sneered. “And I always deliver. Tell me,father,doesthisfeel like it’s over?” With a flick of his finger, Captain Masculine sent a fireball sailing past his father’s cheekbone, taking half the skin on his face with it.
Gross.
Vortexio bellowed, but I didn’t have the chance to enjoy how much of his expression held pain, rage, shock, or fear, because Kai was suddenly falling to her death.
I dove after her, trusting that Butch was occupying Vortexio enough that he wouldn’t interfere, trusting myinventushad enough power to beat his formidable father. Most of all, I had to trust in myself—that I could reach Kai in time.
I’ve got you, bestie.
Despite only learning to fly earlier today, I instinctively supercharged my speed. Scooping up a shrieking Kai only a few feet above the turbulent water, I shot straight up and veered toward the nearest cliff. The sounds of battle told me Butch was holding his own, but I forced myself to focus on getting Kai to safety before joining the fray.
Not that I know anything about how to fight like a supe.
I landed and attempted to untangle myself from Kai, but she was having none of it. “Don’t you dare leave me,” she angrily sobbed into my chest, clinging to me like a pink-haired spider monkey. “I can’t believe you got me into this shit!”
Don’t you dare brat me right now.
“Jesus, fuck, Kai, can we not… I have to…” I twisted my body with her still hanging off of me, needing to see what was happening with the love of my life.
My heart nearly dropped to the rocks below. Butch looked like he’d been through a meat grinder, with his suit shredded in so many places I might have appreciated it under different circumstances. Vortexio didn’t look much better, but it was clear they were evenly matched, each man violently pummeling the other with hurricane-force winds—waiting for their opponent’s strength to give out.
