Work Text:
Jimmy breaths in. His thoughts are all over the place.
It started when Grian failed to show up. Grian had never failed to show up before, he'd been late, sure, but never had he failed to show up. Then, he could think what he wanted and how he wanted, because he thought even if this was something so out of character that Grian would come back home no matter what.
Then he'd gotten a phone call from the hero organization. Twenty-four hours after he'd started to truly worry for his brother's well being.
———
"Hello, this is the Hermitopia Hero Organization, am I speaking with James Solidarity?" That was not what he'd expected to hear when he picked up his phone. He thought it'd be one of his and Grian's friends calling with an update. Why would the hero organization be calling him.
"Yes, this is him. Why are you calling me?" Jimmy had just spent the last twenty-four hours amidst a panic attack looking for his missing brother, he had no energy left for pleasantries. "You tried to file a missing person's report at your local police station for a Grian Solidarity. We have information regarding him."
Jimmy's heart skips a beat. The heroes were calling him about Grian?
Why would they need to do that?
The police hadn't even filed his report on the grounds that Grian was an adult and until twenty-four hours after he went missing, he couldn't be considered missing, especially with Grian's "history".
They claimed that because Jimmy said he had a history of being late, that he probably wasn't even missing. They told him that he was just wasting their time and resources. Jimmy had left angry and embarrassed.
Angry because he knows the first forty-eight hours are crucial and he'd be wasting at least half that time waiting for the ability to even file a report. Embarrassed because of how they talked to him like he didn’t know anything.
"Have you found him? Is he okay?" He rushes out. He has more questions but those are the most important, everything else can wait. "If you would find your way to the nearest police station or hero, we can answer all of your questions in due time." The person on the other end says almost apathetically. Jimmy doesn't notice though, too focused on the fact that Grian might be hurt. Hurt worse then Jimmy's ever had the misfortune of seeing.
The other person on the phone hangs up after that and Jimmy rushes to make his way to the nearest police station, which happens to be the same one that refused to allow him to make his report.
When he gets there, there are a few heroes standing outside. Standing guard.
Guarding what?
He ignores that thought and almost runs towards them. "You have news about my brother? Is he alright? What happened? Why are the heroes here?" The heroes share a look but don't answer him. Instead, "Sir, if you'll follow me." Someone Jimmy assumes is a detective, says.
The detective leads him into the precinct and into an interrogation room. Why is he here? Why doesn't anyone answer his questions?
———
The phone call had given him hope and the interrogation they put him through had brutally killed that hope.
———
The detective points to a chair and Jimmy sits awkwardly. One hero stands near him and the other near the exit to the room.
"So, James was it?" The detective sits across from him, hands clasped on top of the metal table. Jimmy nods, "Just Jimmy sir." He's nervous, he hasn't slept, he's in an interrogation room, and he still has no news on Grian. "I'm sorry, why am I here? Is something wrong with my brother?" He can't help but ask.
His almost non-existent brain to mouth filter is completely shot at this point.
"When was the last time you saw your brother, jimmy?" The detective asks instead.
"Two days ago. Can you please answer my question? Is he alright?"
"Did he seem injured in any way last time you saw him?"
"I don't see how this is important."
"Just answer the question Mr. Solidarity."
And there goes any sense of pleasantries. Jimmy gulps and thinks back. Grian's always injured these days, never bad enough for a hospital though. "Yeah." He says simply.
The detective pulls out a folder and puts it on the table. He opens it and inside are files and pictures of the vigilante Cuteguy. He turns the files towards Jimmy and pushes them forward. Jimmy squints at the font on the paper.
"Recognize him?" The detective asks.
"Isn't he that vigilante, Cuteguy?"
"That's your brother."
Jimmy bluescreens. His brother, a vigilante? A vigilante with a dumb name and gimmick? No way.
…
Yeah that's him.
———
He's in that room for a little over an hour being asked questions like Did you know? and Are you a vigilante? and so on.
The heroes standing guard make sense now. They think he's like Grian. A vigilante.
They don't tell him if they've already arrested Grian or if he's been found out and is on the run or even if he's dead or alive. They ask their questions then ask again, only then are they satisfied enough to leave him alone in the room. He takes that time to close his eyes and rest, he doesn’t sleep- he has too much information to process to do that- but he does take a moment.
It's only when they've come back that they tell him Grian's dead. Has been for the past twenty-four hours.
If the police had just filed that missing person's report or even tried to look for him, Grian could still be alive.
What pisses him off the most is that the heroes apparently knew who Grian was when they found him. They waited twenty-four hours to contact him. Then they interrogated him another hour before even telling him that bit of news.
Because catching vigilantes who help the people the heroes fail to is more important than telling someone their family is dead.
He's angry, and tired and now he has to grief because the system failed. He just wants to take his brother and go home and sleep. Except, to make matters worse, they won't let him.
They refuse to let him take his brother claiming some bullshit about criminals or something. He's not even sure it's legal.
He's just so angry and so so tired he doesn't even blink when he punches the detective. The man goes tumbling to the ground and the heroes rush to pull him away and escort him off the premises.
Jimmy just walks to his car and drives home. He doesn’t remember much of the drive, it's a miracle he didn't end up crashing. He does remember parking in his driveway and just sobbing in his car for a long time.
The next week consists of him fighting the hero organization for his brother's remains and finding out that they lost his body the day after Jimmy's interrogation. He doesn’t find out until a week after it's already done.
The night he found out his brother was dead, he lost all faith in the system. The night he found out his brother was completely lost, he decided to do something about it.
With a bat in his hands and alcohol in his system Jimmy smashes everything he can in his house before crumbling to the floor, the thought of becoming a vigilante his last coherent one before he passes out. He wakes up aching and with a hangover but the idea sticks with him.
The idea sticks with him as he talks to a lawyer about suing the hero organization for what they've done, and what they haven't.
It sticks with him when his lawyer says that there isn't much they can do against them.
It sticks with him when he witnesses a mugging and uses the mugger to vent his frustration out on.
It sticks with him when he turns to Lizzie for comfort and craft supplies.
It sticks with him when he puts the costume on for the first time and thinks this is right.
He should hate vigilantism. Should hate it for taking his brother away from this world. He doesn’t though. He hates the system for making Grian think that vigilantism was the only option. He hates the system for making him think that vigilantism is the only option.
Jimmy breaths in. His thoughts are all over the place. He puts on his mask.
Canary breaths out. He thinks this is right.