"Okay, we're almost done. You're doing great."

The client sighed sharply as the tattoo needle passed over her ribs again. I felt her glance at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, do I know you from somewhere? You look sort of familiar."

I chuckled a little under my breath, focusing on the tattoo. "I'm sure you do. I do some hero work on the side, so maybe you've seen me on TV, or out and about."

"Oh, you're Valkyrie! The one with the wings! Wow, how do you keep them hidden when you're not in costume?"

I laughed properly this time. "No, not Valkyrie. She's my sister."

"Oh. Firestarter?"

"Also my sister."

"Wow, you have a lot of hero sisters."

"Yeah, it comes with the territory of being clones designed for hero work."

"Oh, right! I forgot about all of that."

I looked up at her. "Here, I'll give you a hint."

As I said that, a tendril of shadow snaked up from under the table, wrapping around her drink and holding it up to her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, taking a sip. "You're Dusk!"

I grinned, going back to the tattoo. "Bingo."

"Sorry that took me so long to get."

"Oh, it's fine. I know I tend to work mostly at night, so I don't get as much media attention as my sisters do with their flashy midday battles."

The client hummed. "I would've thought villains would be more likely to show up at night?"

"Some of them," I replied. "The ones that are more serious about committing crimes and getting the job done. The ones that attack during the day just like the attention."

"Like Metalhead."

I sighed. "Exactly like Metalhead."

"Y'know, I heard he escaped from prison again."

"I keep telling them, they need to keep him in a concrete box with no metal, but they never listen."

"Well, good luck with that if you come across him again."

"Knowing my luck, I definitely will."

The conversation petered out, and I finished up the tattoo, sending the client to the resident artist so he could verify my work. My apprenticeship had been going pretty well so far, and I was steadily making a name for myself in the parlour, even if I sometimes had to reschedule appointments due to urgent hero business. It was fun, and surprisingly fulfilling, helping people achieve the body that they desire, even in a small way. My own body was now adorned by a number of tattoos, covering up scars, reminiscing on my life, and paying homage to the things I liked. Every new piece of ink was a reminder that my body was my own now, no matter where it came from, and no one would ever take that away from me again.

My work for the day done, I left the tattoo parlour, casually strolling down Tombguard's streets on the way to the hospital Viv worked at. In the three years since the Godling's attack, the reconstruction had been quite efficient. Aid from other countries and the fact that most of the population was able to evacuate meant that, before too long, life returned to a semblance of normalcy. Still, it was undeniable that the city felt different than before.

Ground zero had turned into a memorial park for all those that were lost in the war. Over three quarters of the city had to be rebuilt, and that was a long, expensive process that was still ongoing. Even Union HQ got renovated, the facilities shifting to better serve the Union's new purpose; protecting the city from much more human threats.

And, that was where the biggest change came into play. With the Godling's death, Its power — the energy that made up Its being — was spread across the planet, slowly suffusing into humanity and bestowing them with pieces of Its strength. As time passed, powers became more and more common, popping up in people who had never shown any sign of having one before. Many were rather inconsequential, but some were strong enough to inspire their bearers to step up and make a choice. Would they use their new abilities to protect those weaker than themselves, or would they use them to fulfill their own selfish desires, uncaring of who got in the way? Sadly, many chose the second option, necessitating the continued existence of the Union.

Well, I wasn't complaining. The Union was my family, and though I was sure we'd all still be close had the Union as an organisation disbanded, it was nice to have that unchanging safe place to always go back to.

My phone started ringing. I fished it out of the pocket, sighing when I saw the caller ID. I already knew what this was about.

"Hey, Nina," I greeted.

"Hi, Jordyn. You'll never guess who's tearing up downtown right now," she responded, having fallen into the role of Union dispatcher and Ashley's assistant in the wake of the restructuring.

I sighed again. "Metalhead."

"Yep. Sorry, you're the only one who's available, believe it or not. Ten's out, for obvious reasons. Maggie's at Hex's soccer game; Madeline's getting a new prosthetic fitted; Rosie's looking after Marco; Viv and Ettie are working; Brianna has an exam; and Steve's still half-way across Europe. Besides, I don't think his power would aid him much against Metalhead, anyway."

Even Steve had been lucky enough to get a new power after the Godling's demise, manifesting as an uncanny, unerring accuracy with any sort of ranged weapon. He preferred firearms, and obviously, bringing a bunch of those to fight a guy who could manipulate metal was a recipe for disaster. Regardless, he was currently on vacation in Spain, so it didn't really matter.

"Fucking hell," I replied. "Did he get everyone's schedules and plan this just to inconvenience me in particular?"

"Knowing him? Probably. If you really need backup, I could, um... babysit for a while and send Rosie your way, I guess."

I knew how hellish being around Marco could be for Nina, given her heightened senses and his penchant for squealing. I wasn't gonna do that to her. As much as I still hated head-on battles, and was at a disadvantage fighting during the day, I was certain I could get it done. Saving people was more important than my own petty distaste for combat.

"No, I'll be fine. Metalhead's harmless. Cares more about making a big scene than actually hurting anyone."

"And let's all pray that never changes. The potential of his power scares me. Anyway, get into costume and get over there before he uses some poor family's car as a wrecking ball."

"You got it."

—

"Hey, dickhead!"

Metalhead turned around in the air, floating on a pair of ramshackle metal boots that appeared to have been made from the remnants of a few destroyed lampposts scattered about the intersection. Further away, a crowd of civilians had formed to watch the idiot and his over-the-top grandstanding.

"Well well, if it isn't Dusk; the shadowy protector of Tombguard's night-time streets! Isn't it a little early for you to be out and about? The sun's still shining!"

I sighed at his grandiose monologuing. "Can we just wrap this up? I have to go pick up my girlfriend from work."

"Your girlfriend can teleport! She can pick herself up! Now, face me, do-gooder! Or, better yet, send Valkyrie! She and I have some unfinished business."

I grimaced. He'd been obsessed with Maggie ever since he first beat her in a fight due to her costume being primarily made of metal. It was an embarrassing loss that she never really got over, having had to redesign her whole costume to overcome the weakness. Regardless, the next time she and Metalhead clashed, she put him down so hard she knocked out three of his teeth. They'd been rivals ever since, though Maggie would never ever call him that herself. She had much more serious villains to worry about than this chump.

"Sorry, David. You're dealing with me today," I said, settling into a fighting stance, my cloak billowing out behind me.

"So be it. You're not my arch-nemesis, but a clone of her should make for good practise!"

"Hey, we're both clones- woah!"

My words were cut off as several strips of metal flew in, wrapping themselves around my body and trapping me in place.

Metalhead laughed maniacally. "What will you do now, Dusk? I have you in my grasp, and there's nothing you can do to stop me from crushing you with the wave of my hand!"

I sighed. This guy was so annoying.

The darkness inside my cloak deepened, covering me entirely and allowing me to sink into the shadows. My now-empty cloak flopped limply to the ground as Metalhead cursed my 'cunning ways' or whatever. I wasn't really listening, focusing more on sneaking a tendril of shadow across the ground until I could reach the shadow of the adjacent building and pass over there.

Once I had free reign of the building's entire shadow, wrapping a tendril around Metalhead and slamming him into the ground was a cinch. From there, the shadows covered his entire body, separating his connection to the metal around him and effectively neutering his power. And just like that, the fight was over. Thank god.

I rose from the shadows of the building, covering my modesty with a bodysuit of darkness as my tendrils retrieved my cloak and glasses from where I left them. The police had already started to roll in now that the threat was gone.

"Make sure you keep him blindfolded and don't use any metal restraints!" I called over to them. "He has to be able to see or touch metal to use his power!"

"Yeah, we got it from here, Garcia. Clear out."

I sighed, knowing full well he was gonna be free again by the end of the month. But, it was out of my hands now, and I had much more important things to do.

—

Vivienne practically fell into my arms as we met outside of the hospital.

"Ugh, that was horrible."

"Bad day, huh?" I asked, rubbing her back. She smelled sorta weird.

"I got thrown up on three times."

"Oh. Uh..." I slowly loosened myself from the hug.

She laughed tiredly. "Don't worry, I changed my scrubs. Still definitely need to shower, though."

I backed up, but still kept a hand on her shoulder. "Well, let's go home, then."

At once, our surroundings changed from the hospital to our living room, where Brianna was waiting on the couch, listening to an audiobook. Vivienne let out a relieved sigh, pulling her bun loose and letting her long hair flow down her back.

"Welcome back," Brea greeted.

"Hey, Brea," Viv returned. "How was your exam?"

"Think I fucked it, but we'll see. How was work?"

"Shit, in the literal sense. I'm gonna go shower."

I chuckled as she left the room, flopping down on the couch next to Brianna. She pulled the headphone wire out of her phone, letting the audiobook play out loud, and put her arm around my shoulders.

"I love this pigtail braid thing you got going on," she said, running her fingers down one of them. "They're cute."

It had taken a lot of practise before I was able to do them up myself, but now that I could, it was my go-to hairstyle. It maintained my femininity while keeping my hair out of my face when I needed it to be, which was perfect whether I was working at the tattoo parlour or out protecting the streets. Also, they had certain other uses...

"You guys can grab onto them the next time you top me, too," I whispered.

Brianna giggled. "Might have to take you up on that." She leaned over, kissing my neck but leaving it at that.

The two of us relaxed together on the couch, until Vivienne came out to join us, turning on her game console.

"What do you guys want for dinner tonight?" she asked absently.

"We're going to Maddie's gig, remember?"

"Oh yeah," she laughed at herself. "Sorry. Brain's kinda fried. Can we get wings?"

"Hell yeah we can. I could eat a whole plate," I replied.

"Not if I get to them first," she shot back.

"Let's make it interesting. Whoever eats the most gets out of dish duty for a week," Brianna wagered.

"You're on!"

—

"Thank you everybody!" Maddie called out to the crowd, having just finished one of her songs. "Now, lets slow it down a bit. This next one goes out to my lovely wife, sitting in the booth over there with... one, two, three, uh... four, of her sisters! Along with about half of the Heroes Union, it looks like. Nice to see you all here! Anyway, this one's called Rising Eclipse. I wrote it while we were all recovering from the war. It's about how, even in the darkest of times, the light of hope can still shine through. Cheesy, I know, but it's hard not to be sentimental when your wife came back from the dead and went on to kill the icon of evil, and in times like these, it doesn't hurt to have a little cheese. Alright, let's hit it!"

The band erupted into music. Rosie cheered. Ettie stared in a way that seemed absent but I knew was interested. Maggie and Ashley continued to chat and drink, seemingly oblivious to the rest of us. Viv, Brea, and I turned back to our wing competition, which I was steadily winning, much to my ever-filling stomach's dismay. Hex, for her part, kept trying to steal wings while the three of us weren't looking. She had the advantage of not having to move her arms to do it, so catching her in the act required constant vigilance.

"So, Jordie," Maggie started, already slurring her words a little from the cocktail she was drinking. I decided then and there not to let her fly home tonight. "I heard you took down Metalhead today."

"Yeah," I replied, mouth half-full of chicken. "He asked after you."

She scoffed. "Oh, I bet he did."

"Sounds like someone has a crush on you~" Ashley cooed, also clearly drunk, elbowing her in the side.

Maggie gagged. "Eugh, no thanks. I know I've been whining about not getting any since me and Diego split, but even I'm not that desperate."

The two of them separated amicably about a year ago, after steadily drifting apart due to differences in life goals. Diego was a nice guy for sure, but even from my distance I could see that Maggie was too high-energy for him. She revelled in the action and fame of being a superhero, while he just wanted a quiet, simple life. She would forever carry a piece of him in her heart for those years they spent together, but it was time to part ways, and neither of them could deny it.

"Come on, what's not to like?" Ashley shot back, holding in laughter. "He's got a strong power, he's confident, he has a long manly beard, and he's obsessed with you! He's practically the perfect guy!"

"I would rather be celibate the rest of my life, I think. Just lock my coochie up, cuz I don't need it anymore."

Everyone laughed. Vivienne briefly choked on a wing, until Brianna slapped her back hard enough to knock it out, and then argued that counted as minus one point. Hex tried to snatch another one, but I caught it with my shadows before it reached her mouth, wordlessly pulling it up to my own lips as she gave me the finger.

"Ah, I'm so glad my parents could take Marco for the night," Rosie said. "I've really missed this."

"I can imagine he's a handful," I replied.

"Yeah, but we love him all the same. He gets on my nerves all the damn time, but then he'll go and give me that big adorable smile and I can't help but just forget everything that he did to annoy me."

"Hmph," Brea chuckled. "Sounds like Jordyn."

"Hey!"

"And that's gonna be it for tonight!" Maddie called on the microphone, after her last song ended. "Whether you're just here to drink or came specifically for us, we thank you all for listening to our show. Have a great night!"

The band began setting down, and she came over to the table, planting a kiss on Rosie's lips.

"Hey, guys! Thanks so much for coming!"

"No problem," I replied. "I always hate whenever I have to miss it."

Maddie ruffled my hair. "Ah, it's all good. I'm just glad to see you all here." She stood up straight, turning to the bar. "Hey, a round for the table!"

"And who exactly is paying for that?" Rosie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ashley can! He's the millionaire, after all."

"Uh-! That money isn't mine, it's the Union's! It's your paychecks! I can't use it to pay off a bar tab, that would be embezzlement!"

"Your family is an ancient dynasty of world-renowned heroes," Maggie said. "I'm sure you've got some money tucked away that isn't part of the Union, and I'm sure it's a lot."

Ashley made a sheepish face. "Well... You're not entirely wrong, I guess. But most of that's an emergency fund."

"And this is an emergency, dude!" Vivienne yelled, also already inebriated. Getting home tonight was gonna be a nightmare. "We need to pay for the drinks!"

Ashley sighed, rolling his eyes. "Fine. What do you all want?"

Everyone cheered and laughed, and the night continued on in drunken merriment. Throughout it all, a comfortable warmth had settled in my chest, and the smile never fell from my face. Once, I never believed I could ever be this happy. I thought my days would consist of patrols, training, punishments, and the occasional reward, and nothing more. I was stuck in my own head, pushing forward, believing everything was right and normal even though I was miserable. After that, things became a little brighter, but I was still just hiding and waiting for the other shoe to drop. The fighting never truly stopped. I fought because I had no choice, whether at Andreas' command or for the fate of the world itself.

But now, finally, I was truly free to decide the course of my own life. I still fought, but that was because I chose to, with full confidence that if I decided not to one day, someone else would be there to cover my slack. I fought because protecting other innocent people from harm mattered more to me than the discomfort of adrenaline. I fought for them because if no one fought for me, I wouldn't be here today, enjoying these awfully bitter cocktails and stuffing my face with wings, surrounded by the people I loved.

I was gonna be awfully hungover tomorrow, but that was a problem for Tomorrow Jordyn to deal with. Tonight was for me. For us.

After everything, it felt like we'd earned it.

...

Oh, and I won the wing competition, by the way.

—

"Hm. Checkmate, again."

I groaned, rubbing my eyes under my glasses. My head was pounding. Last night really was a mistake.

"Is something wrong, Jordyn? It's been quite a while since you had a losing streak this bad."

I opened my eyes, looking over the table with the chess board to the man sitting across from me in an orange prison jumpsuit. Andreas de Vygon. The closest thing I had to a father.

"Sorry," I replied. "Just a little hungover."

He raised an eyebrow, the burn scars on the sides of his face stretching with it. "And yet you still came?"

"You only get visitors once a month. I don't like to miss it."

Andreas huffed, but didn't respond, moving to reset the chess board.

"I didn't know you drank," he finally said, making the first move once the board was ready.

"Maggie's a bad influence," I replied, picking up a pawn and moving it forward.

We played in slightly awkward silence for a few rounds. It was always like this. Despite monthly visits ever since he was put in here, Andreas never got better at talking. That was fine, though. I didn't need him to.

"Why do you still visit me?" he eventually asked, about half way through the game. "After everything I did to you and your friends. I don't get it."

I sighed. "You're the one that decided to have me programmed to always love you. Not my fault that feeling stuck around."

He hummed. "I suppose not. I... appreciate it, regardless. These games we play are the most enrichment I get all month. So... thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess. Though it'd show off your appreciation more if you stopped whooping my ass for a second," I said as he claimed another of my knights.

Andreas chuckled. "I've never gone easy on you before. Why should I start now?"

Trying to plan ahead made my brain feel like it was swelling out of my skull, so I chalked the game up to another loss. That was fine, as much as it rankled. This wasn't about the chess, just as it wasn't about the conversation.

This was about me, getting to choose. Every month like clockwork, I made the choice to come see him, even when I didn't always want to; even when he pissed me off. I didn't choose to be programmed to love him, but I got to choose what to do about it, and despite it all, being able to see and interact with him in a safe environment made me happier than I would be had I decided not to. He was part of my life, whether I liked it or not. I was going to make the choice to forge that relationship into a positive one, whether he liked it or not.

Because that was what I'd discovered life was; a series of choices. Sometimes, the most important choices got made for you, and it could be suffocating, like you didn't even own your own body. But humans were adaptable creatures. It was surprising what we could get used to. What once felt unbearably stifling could become normal. And finally escaping that situation after so long immersed in it; gaining the freedom to make your own choices, could be overwhelming. Paralysing. Even today, I sometimes still felt the old gripping tightness of not knowing what to do, hoping for someone else to push me towards my next step forward.

But, I wasn't alone now. I had friends, family, to help me through it. To hold my hand and stay at my side as I made that step. To help me make those big, important choices for myself.

Life was a series of choices, and I was done letting other people decide for me. I chose to grasp my own happiness with two hands and never let go. I chose to hold my loved ones close, and protect the people who couldn't protect themselves in spite of discomfort. I chose to adorn my body in artwork, and express those dark, cloudy emotions that still churned inside me through a canvas and a needle, instead of letting them fester. I chose to forgive, if not forget, because life was too short to be holding onto that confusing anger, and my life was shortened enough already.

Life was a series of choices, and I would always choose love. It was just who I was.

bamber_344

It's funny to think that I started this project as a little side thing to entertain myself while working on my book, and now this is done and my book is no closer to being completed lmao

I'm certainly gonna miss these characters. While I'll most likely return to the universe at some point, it's time to move on for now i think. Though, don't be surprised if you get tagged again sometime soon for a couple of bonus stories, either ;)

So, for the last time, thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed our journey together, and may we meet again on future paths :)