Chapter Text
Herman looked at his clock with bleary, watery eyes, two minutes before the alarm to get ready for work was supposed to go off. The plastic underneath him crinkled as he tried to find some comfort for the next two minutes.
Everything was cold. Everything hurt. His blanket was soaked through completely, not an ounce of warmth to wring out of it. It was still probably warmer than if he got out of bed.
One more minute until his alarm went off.
He missed being able to sleep in on cold days, his grandma bringing him a warm comforter straight from the dryer. It wouldn't take long for it to be completely wet, but the fresh smell of laundry detergent and warm fabric always brought him a little joy, the gesture always making him feel loved. He didn't know how much longer he could put up with this.
He could just call out sick to work. He never took time off so he definitely had the PTO. Herman's alarm began to blare. A blink. Another blink. A sigh.
His fingers felt numb as they pulled away the blanket from his skin, it landing on the floor with a wet plop.
Waterboy turned off the alarm and got ready for work.
"Alright, I'm tired of this, the fuck is up with you today WetBoy?" Prism groaned, slamming her hand on the break room table to get her partner for the shift's attention.
"Oh, I'm o-It's nothing, I'm f-fine," the redhead assured a little too quickly, placing his hands down to his lap, out of sight. Prism had been watching Herman out of the corner of her eye as she scrolled through her phone, not that she'd admit it. The younger hero had been massaging his fingers, occasionally cracking them, just loud enough to have originally drawn her attention. Thinking back, she noticed him doing it in the break room a few days ago, but not before then. This was new. There was a strange look on his face, easier to see now that his goggles were pushed away from his face. It had almost looked pained. That pained expression has shifted to an awkward smile when she spoke.
Kid probably hurt his hand and was too embarrassed to go to medical over it.
"Fuck, don't say I didn't ask." Alice pulled her phone back out, pulling up Instagram to check out her latest statistics. If Robert was going to take forever giving her and Waterboy their next assignment, at least she could be productive. She did her best not to look back when she heard the tiniest groan of discomfort. If he wanted to say he was fine, who was she to give a shit. She hoped Robert would have a call ready for them so she could put her focus anywhere else.
Robert could feel the onset of a headache coming in. The day wasn't particularly exciting, which unfortunately meant staring at his screen bored for hours on end listening to the his team yelling in his ear. He placed his headset down for a moment, rubbing at his temples to try and preemptively will it away. He could still hear Sonar voice hollering about 'the tragedy of boobs being hidden in winter coats' over the mic. With a sigh, Robert grabbed the headset to get back to work when a mug was set onto his desk.
"C-coffee for y-I g-got you s-some-here."
Robert looked up to see Herman, smiling anxiously as he placed down the mug, only a few wayward drops of water hitting his desk. He holding another ceramic mug in his other hand with the SDN logo chipped on the side. Robert felt lucky he was in the office right now instead of out with everyone as Mecha Man. From the way Herman was shivering, it must really be getting chilly. The dispatcher put the line on mute and put his headset back down.
"Oh, thanks Herm. You just getting back?" Robert took a sip of coffee, appreciative that Herman always remember how he took his coffee, too many creamers and too much sugar. The caffeine would help make the upcoming hours more bearable.
"J-j-just w-w-waiting for th-the n-next-On s-standby," Herman gave a short nod, fingers adjusting around the mug in his hand. It was odd. Robert was certain when he asked Waterboy how he took his coffee, he said that he didn't couldn't drink it, that it typically made his anxiety and stutter worse.
"When did you start drinking coffee?" He asked lightheartedly, taking another sip. The taller hero just shrugged with an awkward smile, his cheeks rosier than normal, but Robert didn't pay it much mind. The chill would do that to anyone.
A large notification popped up on screen, shaking him out of his brief moment of relaxation. He put down his drink and swiveled back into position, placing his headset back on.
"Shit, I'll talk with you later Herm. You're doing a good job out there." The dispatcher began typing away as Herman left silently, leaving a puddle on the floor and an undrunk cooling cup of coffee in his hands.
Herman always hated the cold. It was never truly cold in Los Angeles county, at least compared to nearly every place in the country, but when your body is constantly drenched in water, he may as well be in the arctic. The first two weeks of winter in California were nice in that it was sunny and warm, in the mid seventies, but the past eight day however, the temperature had significantly dropped nearly thirty degrees and just would not rise back up.
Normally when winter rolled around, his Grandma made an effort to make sure he was bundled up nice and warm, making sure hot soup was ready for him and keeping the house toasty for them and her cats when the days got chilly.
This was his first winter away from that normalcy. It was normal for a man his age to get his own place and with a steady SDN paycheck, he could afford his own apartment. Granted it wasn't the best place to live, but they were willing to accommodate his wetness to a degree, so he could not really complain. Herm loved his grandma dearly and knew this would be the best in the long run, he was sure of it. Less cost for her to deal with over heating bills and water damage repairs.
Of course, once the weather started to dip, his apartment's heating fizzled out. He had tried to get it repaired, but it just led to a big argument with his landlady, saying he damaged the unit with his water. That he was responsible for the repairs and additional charges. He knew for a fact he did not get water in the heater since it used a remote and he did not have to directly touch it, but she had just continued to yell to the point he just gave in and nodded.
"It's only gonna be a few days before the sun's back out, anyway, y'know. Either get the money or get the fuck over it. You'll fuckin live."
Herman walked back into the break room, coffee mug in hand. The heat of the coffee that had been warming up the joints in his hands had long since cooled, droplets of water clinging to the ceramic. He could never drink coffee, it was too much for his already bad anxiety, but the warmth was nice while it lasted. He dumped the drink into the sink, starting to wash cup with hot water. Probably too hot if the steam was anything to go by. But it felt like it was melting the ice that he was sure was settling in his bones.
"Fuck, this sucks, this shit is losing stocks faster than I get on my fucking knees," Sonar lamented loudly, phone in hand and arms raised in defeat. Herman nearly dropped the mug in his hand at the sudden yelling. He hadn't realized anyone else had been in the break room, or that anyone came in after him. He hadn't really been paying much attention, though it had been harder and harder to do as the days went by. It was like his head was filled with fog. Or maybe frost.
"I don't know shit about what this whole thing, even I knew that was a bad investment." Malevola was sitting next to the hybrid, chuckling as she leaned back in the chair, tipping it at a angle but using her tail to make sure she didn't fall all the way over. "When will you learn to listen to be babes. I'm always right."
Herman didn't really understand stocks or crypto, or whatever shady things Sonar got involved in, but by the casual way Malevola was treating it, it didn't seem like a big loss thankfully. He blinked, maybe a bit too long, noticing the way the demon's hair gently fluttered ever so subtly. Looking up, he saw the air vent. He didn't even realize the office's heater was on, it felt nearly as cold inside as out. He wondered if he stood where Malevola was sitting, would he be able to feel it?
"Wetcreep, cut it out with the staring, ya?"
"Been like five fucking minutes."
Herman snapped out of his thoughts realizing the other two heros had turned their attention to him, clearly annoyed. He opened his mouth to apologize, but his jaw refused to do anything twitch as he could feel more water drip down his face. Had he really been staring that long? He had just blanked. Herman quickly put down the clean mug and nodded as he nearly ran out of the break room, head down and not even noticing bumping into Flambae entering the break room.
"Fucking watch where you're going Wetfartbi-! And he's gone, alright." The fire in Chad's palms died down immediately as Waterboy didn't even acknowledge him, no stuttering apology or panic surprise from bumping into him. He just kept walking, leaving puddles behind him as he turned a corner, probably back to his janitor closet.
"Okay, what the fuck is wrong with fucking Waterbitch?"
"Dunno, he's been out of it lately. He was just kinda standing there shaking like a drowned puppy," Malevola shrugged, leaning back in the chair while using her tail for balance. Flambae didn't really care that much about whatever was wrong, but he could see the way Malevola's brows scrunched subtlety, looking at the water on the floor. The fact that she was concerned didn't sit well with him.
"I think he moved out of his grandma's place or something recently. Takes a lot out of a guy. Probably just tired," Sonar suggested, not looking up from his phone. There was a quiet muttering of fucks before he tossed it onto the table in defeat.
"Oh, shit, didn't know he got his own place. Should we do something? Like we did with Robert? Or would that be weird?"
"Waterbabybitch doesn't need a celebration for being a adult for the first time ever. We all tolerated Bob Bob at least." Chad sat down across from the duo, kicking his feet up for his break.
"Yeah, and now we tolerate Waterboy too."
"He's fucking weird and kind of pathetic, but that's part of his charm."
"Fucking bitch doesn't have any charm. At least if he's going to be quiet, I don't have to hear him st-st-stuttering all fucking day." There was an awkward silence around the table that he didn't like.
"I know I'm still kinda mean to the kid, so this is going to make me sound super fucking hypocritical, but don't be so much of a dick to him. He's trying." Flambae went to chuckle, but kept himself quiet at Malevola's stare, threatening. After the defeat of Shroud, everyone seemed to get along better, working together to improve both as heros and friends. Even Waterboy. And that pissed Chad off to know end. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't an ex-villian like everyone else on the team, that the kid had some sort of superiority. He knew Waterboy didn't hold that opinion of himself. Or maybe it was how genuinely and naturally he tried to be a good hero, something Flambae still had trouble with if his proclivity for still setting fires was anything to go by.
There was a lot to unpack that Chad would rather not think about, and under the gazes of Malevola and Sonar, he got up and left to cut his break short. The cold never bothered him, his powers keeping his body so warm he didn't even feel the chill of the winter air. That also meant that a man with fire powers was in high demand right now. At least he knew he'd be top of the leader board by week's end with how much he was being dispatched. Pushing himself to that number one slot was a better than worrying about Waterfucker anyway.
"Shite lad, ahead of ye!"
Punch-Up winced as he watched Waterboy tried to duck out of the way of a fist, looking like he was moving in slow motion. The kid took the hit square in the nose, blood and water splattering onto the pavement. He reeled back, but stayed on his feet. Incredibly wobbly on his feet with a probably broken nose, but upright all the same.
Successfully getting his own goon to the ground, Colm came to the assist with the Thailand Capital Special before the thug could get in another hit. One good punch and the idiot was down for the count. Robert informed them the police would be there soon to pick them up. Dispatch was still slow, so they were instructed to wait there for the police for now.
"Fuck, took a nasty blow there. Thought we were teaching ye better than that," Colm teased, patting the taller heros arm before pulling him over to a bench. Waterboy's hand was shaking pretty badly, actually all of him was. It was cold in Torrence, but not cold enough for that bad of a shiver. Probably the adrenaline. The two sat down on the bench, knowing the two they were supposed to deal with weren't getting back up any time soon.
"S-s-sorr-m-m-my b-bad-apologies. Wa-wasn't-couldn't f-f-foc-s-s-sorry." Colm watched as watched Waterboy wiped away the water and blood running down his face with such shaking and uncoordinated hands that all he did was smear it across his flushed face as he tried to string together a sentence.
Nobody would dare admit it out loud, hell, Colm thought half of the team didn't realize they were doing it, but the Z-Team had been doing there best to help Waterboy in their own unique ways to train to be a hero in the months after Shroud. He knew the kid had a big heart, but hadn't been able throw a punch to save his own life. Punch-Up liked to believe the threat of losing his jewels was a factor in Waterboy's better dodging. Which is why he concerned. He knew the kid could dodge a punch easy, especially from a normie. That slowness, the lack of focus, it was weird.
"No need to apologize lad. Y'need medical for that?"
"F-f-for w-w-wha-why?" The redhead had the audacity to look confused while the smeared blood on his face began to drip down onto his neon suit. Colm point at his busted nose, watching as the other touched it gingerly. He wiped again, more successfully, flexing his fingers as he pulled away. "O-o-oh. I'll b-b-be g-goo-it's fi-it's n-not b-bad."
"Alright lad, if ye say so. Just don't push yourself, got it?"
Waterboy was silent for a moment, staring down as he rotated his wrist gently. Colm wondered if maybe he hurt it during the fight. He waited a moment for any response, as Waterboy was always one to do, but the bench remained unusually quiet.
"Hey kid-"
The police sirens cut him off. Back to hero work.
"I feel like I'm a broken record at this point, good job Flambae. Don't let that go immediately to your head."
"Too late, fuckers already filled with too much hot air."
"I feel like Flambae is cheating, Robert. A fire hero during winter is not anything any one of us can reasonably compete with." Janelle pitched in, frustration leaking through.
"Fucking right?"
"Hey it's not my fault I'm the hottest commodity in every sense of the word." Robert could practically hear the smarmy grin from over the line.
"How about you spread some of that oh so great hotness over here. Cold as fuck."
"Sorry, not my type."
"Fuck off, you know what I meant."
"If I could feel it, I'd take the California tundra over the "being yer type" any day."
"Fuck you!"
"At least you can't feel it, lucky fucking bastards. I fucking hate this whole silhouette thing. It's stupid as shit." Invisigal whined over the main line. The comms came alive as everyone had their two cents to put in.
"Bitch, at least you have a fucking jacket girl. I may look hot as hell, but my shoulder fucking aren't!"
"Ties really bring this whole thing together. It's criminal I can't change my color. Criminal!"
"Maybe you fucks should have actually put some work into it and then you wouldn't be complaining."
"We know you made the suit, Flambae." Golem interjected.
"Looks like a regretted Hot Wheel Design."
"Say that again, I fucking dare you!"
Robert sighed, knowing he should intervene, but frankly he was so beyond bored he didn't mind their arguing as much as he usually would.
One would assume the most important part of being a hero was the heroic acts and daring deeds. And while on paper that was very much true, people always remember the suits. Nothing drew people memory and support in like a beautiful woman in striking blue and a face mask or a primary color pallet and incredible cape. That led to SDN's policy that denied 'alterations to professional silhouettes' unless properly pre-approved in a frankly overcomplicated and overly long process to just wear a jacket for a few hours. It had been a long established rule that Robert thought was so incredibly stupid that he had brought it up to Mandy. She explained it was out of her hands. Supers tended to run warmer and the California cold was not severe enough to truly affect anyone's health. Robert was thankful that at least the dispatchers were allowed to wear SDN branded sweaters. It was far too cold for him.
An incoming message broke Robert's train of thought, a small fire at an apartment complex from a knocked over heater. Easy enough.
"Waterboy, you're up. Fire. I'll send you the location."
There was a sound of acknowledgement from Herman's line, but the hero remained silent otherwise.
"Dumb ass flames aside, at least you're not fucking bright ass yellow!"
"Don't fucking insult my fucking suit Invisibitch."
"All of you look fuckin dumb."
"Sorry Waterboy, those colors, cringe. The stupid goggles, an even a greater sin."
"Like a business suit is any fucking better?"
"At least it's better than Boberto's unfuckable geek squad uniform," Prism laughed.
"If we're talking about fashion crimes, I should not be anywhere near this conversation. Have you all looked at yourselves." Robert couldn't help but chime in. Everyone's icons were lighting up as they made a fun of the dispatcher. Waterboy's was not.
"I dunno, yellow and blue, that's a pretty shitty combo, think that's got Robbo beat." Flambae shifted the focus back onto Herman. Robert wished he could stop being a dick to the wet hero. There were cracks from the rest of the team, but still no Waterboy.
Usually when the team poked fun at Herman, a lot less malicious than when he started, the hero would apologize or defend himself. He would be a stuttering mess. Despite the chatter, Waterboy's line remained silent. Maybe he was staying quiet due to being self conscious. Or maybe he was just tired. Robert would make sure he was okay after work, that everything wasn't too overwhelming for him.
Another message popped up.
"Alright, let's cut the chatter for a bit, we might be starting to pick up. Vis, Golem, Malevola, I'm sending you out together, seems to be a pretty big accident. And Flambae, sending you coordinates for yours, heating duty." Robert listed off, not caring about the groans at actually having to work. He took a sip of coffee when he got a request for a private call. Prism.
"Sorry Prism, I don't have anything for you right no-"
"No way in hell I'd call you up asking for more shit to do."
"Then what do I owe the pleasure?" Robert asked, keeping his eyes trained on the screen as he waited. The line was quiet for a moment, so unusual for the star he thought that she had disconnected. There was a sigh.
"I'm not asking because I give two shits or nothing, but has Waterboy talked to you at all?" Despite her words, he could hear the concern in her voice. "He's been all weird and quiet lately. He good?"
"I don't know, he hasn't really talked to me either." Robert looked at the mug Herman brought him earlier, empty but appreciated. Herman had definitely seemed off when he dropped it off. He felt a pang of guilt for not pressing him when something was clearly up. "We're almost done for the day, I'll make sure to check in with him after, promise."
"Good, it's weird seeing him like that. Like a fuckin drowned puppy." Prism then disconnected from the private line before switching back to the main channel to talk about how her outfit was better than anyone. Robert chuckled as he made sure everything was going smooth on the monitor. Waterboy's tracker showed him at the location of the fire, not that he made any comment.
"Waterboy, how are things going?" No response right away, just uncomfortable silence as the screen confirmed the job was successful.
"Done." That was it. No stutter, no tripping over words, just a quiet word and then back to silence. The tracker showed him heading back to SDN, so he made a note to find him when he came in.
Another beep came for a request for a private line.
"Robert, do you know what's up with Waterboy?" Punch-up came over the mic. Robert knew the Irishman had taken a liking to Herm, they worked well together. It made sense he noticed something off too.
"I don't know, but something's off. I'm talking to him when he gets back in. What have you noticed?" Between himself, Alice, and Colm, they could piece together some idea.
"Kid couldn't even handle a fight, he was so out of it. You'd think he'd already lost a fight by the time we started. And I dunno, lad seemed like he was in pain?"
"From the fight?"
"Nah. I'm sure it didn't help, but he'd been moving weird since we got paired. He didn't get even land a punch, so it wasn't from that. Coupe noticed it too, but didn't think her place to mention it. She thinks maybe he pulled something?"
"Huh, that is weird. I'll ask him about it, don't worry Colm."
"Aye, thank Robert. Knew I could count on you bud."
"Fucking shit!" Courtney's scream rang out over the main comms, cutting through the chatter like a hot knife. Switching off the private channel, there was a loud noise in the background that Robert could make out, like rushing water and car horns. He had just sent them out to deal with an accident dispute, how this happened was beyond him.
"Visi, what's going on? Courtney?" Robert attempted to get a visual on the situations. He easily accessed a street camera and groaned in exhaustion. A car had apparently tried to get around the accident the Z-Team was dealing with and ended up plowing straight into a fire hydrant. Invisigal was soaked to the bone with Golem and Malevola far back enough to avoid the splash. At least the driver seemed fine as they got out of the car
"Robert, Vis is wet at work! I think that's a HR violation, huh?"
Malevola cackled onto the line. He could see her doubling over laughing from the camera feed.
"Shut the fuck up, do you realize how fucking cold this shit is!"
"I heard wet and HR violation? How do I sign up?" Sonar was quick to comment with a snort.
"Quiet for a minute, all of you. Courtney, you okay?"
"Y-yeah, j-just fucking cold as fuck. Bitch can't fucking drive for shit." He could see her give a thumbs up on the camera, before shaking out her soaked hair. .
"Okay, Malevola, Golem, you can finish up here. Invis, head back to SDN now, you need to change. It's way too cold for wet clothes today."
"Don't have to tell me twice, this fucking sucks."
There was a brief moment of the comms alive with playful banter and swearing and complaining when it came to such a screeching halt. Robert was confused at the sudden silence, the Z-Team never this quiet. It took him a solid few seconds until he hit the same realization as everyone else. Quickly he checked on screen to see how close Waterboy was to the SDN building. His tracker wasn't moving.
"Fuck."