Gabe watched Marko quietly, his legs dangling off the edge of the bed. "Yeah, lemme get dressed." He nodded and sort of just sat there until Marko kicked him out. Gabe ran to the bathroom and shrugged. He washed his face and brushed his hair but couldn't find a band for it anywhere. Well, he might as well get changed out of his pyjamas. Not that he wanted to. His pyjamas were warm and comfortable and why would anyone want to wear anything other than pyjamas? And plus, his ones had Iron Man on them. He patted his hair down once more and grabbed up his pyjamas, running back towards Marko's room.

"Okay, let's go," Gabe nodded, stuffing his pyjamas into his bag so they lay on top of his costume. He took his coat and shoes of Marko, putting them on. "We should still make those posters, probably. Maybe. I dunno. I don't want anyone figuring out that we're the people from tv, you know? You've read the books. You know what happens."

Gabe nodded at Marko again, his eyes lighting up. "Got it!" They left, Gabe's hand on Marko's arm, tugging him along. The pink haired boy had a somewhat spring in his step the entire way there. And then, halfway through the trip, he stopped walking so bouncily and his entire figure slouched. What if when they got there, the police was there to arrest them for something like public vandalism? Or worse, send them to scientists?! They could make a mighty fortune from them and...

Oh god. Gabe's heart beat out of his chest as he walked with his hand on Marko's sleeve. We sent that man there. To jail. But was it to jail? No, they probably took him and are experimenting on him this second! Tearing his body apart and slicing his brai- Oh god, oh god, oh god... Gabe had a look of utter terror on his face and his hand was shaking, clutching Marko's sleeve tighter than he should. He supposed, after a few seconds of his mind melting into an overpowering incomprehensible mess of syllables and strange sounds, that he was doing it for the greater good. To protect the citizens and whatnot. As they arrived at the club, Gabe's face was a rather frightening pale shade but he just smiled and his cheeks seemed to get some of their rosiness back.

He opened the door and saw the lights on, but before he could say anything, they flicked off and his head was covered with something soft. Pillowcase? His hand felt for the blond. "Marko?" His voice faltered. "Marko?!" Gabe felt around until his hands were grabbed and held behind his back.

Music entered the room, something dark and ominous. Gabe's eyes strained to see something and he was frustrated when he couldn't see a thing. "Welcome, Chorus. Welcome, Mr. Brightside. You will now be led to your chair and you will answer all out questions." A deep voice said and Gabe recognised it, but from where? He did not know. He was pulled across the ground where he tripped a few times until he was sat on something cold. The metal chairs. he thought.

His pillowcase was pulled off swiftly and a bright light made him shut his eyes immediately. When he opened them again, he looked to his left to see Marko and breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked up to see the faces of their assaulters and he tried to stand, being tied to his chair. Gabe squinted and a voice so shaky he was positive it wasn't his exited his lips "Who..." He paused and a look of utter rage came over the boy's features. "Jay...?" he said and the man in front of him jumped. He looked down at his lap and things in the room began rattling and some levitated above their allocated spot.

He was angry, no, furious. These little idiots had just scared the life of him and he was so, so sure it was the government after them or the police, or the scientists. He had been terrified for his life and, although in a spooked state initially, if there was anything the Sonnets did not tolerate, it was being scared. His mum, of course, being the largest example.

Something shattered in a corner far away and Gabe finally shot a look up to the leader of the group. The people around started to shuffle nervously. "What is this?" Gabe asked in a mock calm voice. He stood, his chair blowing up. A molten pile sat on the floor. He untied Marko's hands and pulled him up and Jay looked around for help. "I asked you a question, Jay."

"It was just a joke, Gabe!"

"I-" Gabe groaned loudly, sitting on the desk and burying his head in his hands for a second. The things in the room dropped with a clatter and Gabe seemed to be shocked they were even there. "Jay, I was scared for my life just now. I was more fucking terrified than I've ever been!" Gabe growled. "I thought you were someone coming to take me and Marko away. And I couldn't have that. I couldn't leave my parents or Marko's dad, and I couldn't do that to Marko. So I was terrified. My heart froze. I know you know, guys. Just..." Gabe sighed and lay back onto the table, his legs dangling over the edge with his hands over his head. "What do you want?"

Gabe seemed to be in as chipper a mood as he always was until they neared the club. The hold on his sleeve tightened to a grip around his arm and Marko paused his own thoughts to give the other boy a look, frowning when he realized Gabriel didn't seem very happy at all. Reading his thoughts had been a mistake because the chaotic jumble shot out at him like a pit of vipers and gave him an instant migraine, but he tried to ignore it to sort out the words processing from Gabe's mind to his own, and he didn't like what was coming through at all. So Gabe was smart enough to catch on to the dangers of their situation. For some reason, Marko didn't like that. He'd much rather have his friend be ignorantly excited about everything.

When they reached the club and Gabe opened the door, there was a moment of confusion with the lights being on and outside thoughts shooting through his head until a bag was put over his head and all of that went downhill. Marko was sure he was going to have a heart attack. He remembered sputtering something about being afraid of the dark and hearing laughter, but his heart was pounding too loudly in his ears for him to register one voice from another until he heard Gabe calling his name. "Marko? Marko?!" He sounded nearby, but Marko was too stunned to reply.

Music sounded. Arms grabbed Marko and he yelped, but his body followed like a sack of sand. He never was very good in high-stress situations. He would much rather comply to his captor's demands than be forced into any sort of torture. "Welcome, Chorus. Welcome, Mr. Brightside. You will now be led to your chair and you will answer all our questions." Another wave of panic washed over him and sent his blood cold. They knew their names. They knew who they were. They were here to interrogate them and take them away and, oh god, he needed to know Gabe was alright.

The darkness was replaced by a bright light that Marko had to shut his eyes to. "Who... Jay...?" Jay? Blue eyes opened, squinting against the blaring lights, and met with a small group of familiar faces. His heart was still stuck in his throat, but the initial panic died. He wanted to cry, but that would be stupid and humiliating and he'd done that plenty of times in public already. Something broke and he jumped in his chair with what little room he had to do so. "What is this?" Gabe was alright. That's all that mattered. "I asked you a question, Jay." There was a garbled response that Marko could hardly make out with his ears still ringing from freaking out over what was slowly becoming apparently nothing. It was a joke? He was pulled up from the chair, his hands untied. "Jay, I was scared for my life just now. I was more fucking terrified than I've ever been! I thought you were someone coming to take me and Marko away. And I couldn't have that. I couldn't leave my parents or Marko's dad, and I couldn't do that to Marko. So I was terrified. My heart froze. I know you know, guys. Just..." Marko's eyes shot to Gabe, a frown over his lips. "What do you want?"

They were in the spotlight, both figuratively and literally. The group that he recognized were all watching him and Gabe. By now, some were scooting closer to him than they were to Gabe because of the things that'd blown up in his fury, but Marko understood and he wasn't afraid. He wobbled his way over to Gabe and sat himself by his friend's feet, breathing in and out to calm the rising nausea. "You guys are asshole," he muttered. "Don't do that to us so suddenly! I could've had a heart attack!" Okay, maybe he was over-exaggerating, but he'd been scared.

He sighed and leaned back against the leg of the table. He wasn't going to ask how the others knew, because the reason was obvious. "You have to keep this a secret." He looked at each and every one of them. "I'm serious. You know what happens to people like... You know what happens. Mouths zipped. Right?" They nodded, grins on their faces, and he sighed in relief and glanced at Jay, a disapproving frown on his face. "So. Go ahead."

"You guys are assholes," Marko muttered and Gabe laughed. Oh, how Marko sometimes spoke the truth. The obvious, fun truth. "Don't do that to us so suddenly! I could've had a heart attack!" Gabe sat up, peeking over the edge of the table to see Marko's mess of blond hair.

Well, at least Marko was concentrating on the important. Gabe was just getting over the idiocy of the boys. Now that he thought about it, he realised it sounded like the sort of plan he'd come up with, what with the overture and the overall drama. And he couldn't be annoyed at them for such genius à-la-Gabe. "You have to keep this a secret." He looked at each and every one of them. "I'm serious. You know what happens to people like... You know what happens. Mouths zipped. Right?" The group seemed excited and they all nodded enthusiastically. "So. Go ahead."

Jay cleared his throat and Gabe tried to think back. When did the group even gain Jay? It was so long ago. He and Gabe used to have this on going rivalry over who would be able to get into Iron Man's pants first. They'd concluded it was Gabe since he was so girly, which in turn hurt the pink haired's feelings. "We want you to tell us how you got your superpowers." A hearty laugh rang through the club and it took Gabe to realise it was him. He thought he'd kept the humor inside.

"S-Sorry. Aha- I mean, why?" Gabe asked, swinging his legs on either side of Marko. The other club members seemed less scared now he was laughing as usual, but Jay seemed perturbed.

After a short silence, he continued. "Well, isn't it obvious? We all wanna do what you guys do! We wanna make a big team and defeat villains and stuff!" Gabe pouted. He'd never really considered a team or anything! He just thought it was he and Marko, Chorus and Mr. Brightside: The superhero duo saving the world. Now he'd have to share Mr. Brightside, wonderful, amazing Mr. Brightside who'd helped him save their town, who kissed him on the forehead and he'd kissed back the next morning. But Mr. Brightside was Marko and he couldn't exactly be possessive over him. After all, Marko had his own mind and he could do what he wanted.

Gabe paused. That wasn't the bigger picture! The club members were looking at him expectantly and he looked back at all of them, shocked. "Are you out of your minds?" He said and their faces fell. "Look, guys, I know it seems cool and all to have awesome superpowers and the like but it's really not that great! It could ruin your life! I mean, I can make things float but usually they just blow up! I don't have a phone anymore!" Some of them laughed and he just carried on. "I have to live with being part animal too! I mean, I get an unnatural urge to be petted and I like the outdoors," One person gasped and Gabe laughed. Otherwise, people looked confused.

"That tail and those ears yesterday... Those were real?!" Piped up a small voice.

"Yeah!" Gabe looked at them and sighed. "Look." After standing and closing his eyes a few seconds , they popped out. The group clapped and Gabe fake curtseyed. He turned around to Jay. "So no, no superpowers. It's not really that cool. And your could end up with something stupid. Like the power to burn everything your legs touch. Even clothes and underwear." Gabe paused. "Which I guess would be- what the hell are you doing?"

Gabriel turned around and two of the girls and a boy whose name he remembered as Gary were touching his tail. Gabe jumped away from them, looking at them with wide eyes. "D-Don't touch my tail!" He said loudly and the club members laughed, all stroking it when Gabe tried to turn away from them. "Markoooo!" Gabriel whined. "Get 'em to stop!" He sat himself down by Marko, hiding his face behind the blond's shoulder. "Meanies."

"Sonnet." Jay said, sighing. "Tell us how you got your superpowers."

Swinging his legs over Marko's lap, Gabe shook his head without looking at Jay. "I don't wanna." Jay repeated his exact words and Gabe turned his head towards Marko, shutting his eyes. "Marko," he started, but then he stopped. Marko, should we... Should we tell them? What if something goes wrong or they spread it online and it becomes viral or something?

"We want you to tell us how you got your superpowers." Marko didn't like the look on Jay's face or his tone of voice. He didn't look as eager as the others were. They all looked like they genuinely wanted to know and Marko knew if he was in their positions, he would probably be hoping for the same thing, but being on the other end of the spectrum just made him feel nervous. He didn't want them to know. Gabe laughed and asked Jay why. "Well, isn't it obvious? We all wanna do what you guys do! We wanna make a big team and defeat villains and stuff!" Like the Justice League? It would be cool, sure, but it was hard enough keeping track of Gabe's safety, not to mention trying to keep track of six other peoples' safety..

Gabe seemed to be thinking something along the same lines. "Are you out of your minds? Look, guys, I know it seems cool and all to have awesome superpowers and the like but it's really not that great! It could ruin your life! I mean, I can make things float but usually they just blow up! I don't have a phone anymore!" Marko nodded where he sat, ignoring the feet dangling alongside his shoulders. Really, did Gabe have to move and sit right there? Ugh. "I have to live with being part animal too! I mean, I get an unnatural urge to be petted and I like the outdoors." Oh, idiot, don't mention that! Of course, as expected, the group got even more excited and half of them surrounded Gabe on the stage. "Which I guess would be- what the hell are you doing?" The blond sighed and gave a blank look out into the darker part of the theater. "D-Don't touch my tail! Markoooo! Get 'em to stop! Meanies."

The other boy had to be five years old. Marko rolled his eyes, dropping them on Jay when he spoke again. "Sonnet. Tell us how you got your superpowers." Marko did not want Gabe to tell Jay where to get the powers.

"I don't wanna." Gabe put his legs over his lap and Marko pushed them off with a pout. "Marko." He looked at the other boy and realized what he was trying to do. It was still hard to focus without getting outside interference, or a shitty headache that made him want to press knives into his temples, but he managed to get the gist of what Gabe was trying to say to him.

Jay looked between them, but he didn't say anything when Marko looked at them and got to his feet. He wasn't feeling dizzy or stressed out anymore and he kind of just wanted to go back to normal club activities, like talking about superheroes without talking about themselves. "We're not telling you." When he got a chorus of moans in reply and few come oooon Markoooo's, he just rolled his eyes. "Superpowers are dangerous! What if you don't even get superpowers? What if something happens and you just mutate into some ugly, terrible creatures consumed by madness?"

"I'm willing to take that chance!" someone exclaimed. The others nodded and mumbled in agreement, although one of the girls, Sissy, seemed to look a little nervous about that happening.

These people were hopeless. Marko knew Gabe would be the same exact way if it were him. Jay was staring holes into the side of his head, he could feel it. Eventually, he sighed and slumped. "...It's the cave," he mumbled. When he was asked to repeat himself, he sighed louder and plopped back down next to Gabe. He felt like he was being the worst kind of superhero ever for even divulging this information, but he would want to know if it was him, and so far, the worst case scenario had just been that angry guy on the roof the day before. He hadn't been angry because of his powers. He'd just been angry. "Think it through. Think about your parents and your siblings and your school and everything." Someone shouted We have! and he ignored it.

"If you let go of your secret identity just because you want to brag to some chick at a party, guess what? There goes your family! There goes your scholarships! There goes any education you might have! None of that matters anymore! You wanna be a doctor? Too bad! Now you're just that guy or girl with powers! It sounds great, but look at all the comics we've read! All the movies and shows!" He frowned and wiped a hand over his face. Marko glanced at Gabe for a moment before sighing and looking specifically at Jay, the only one who hadn't reacted to anything he'd had to say. "It's the cave outside of town. The one workers were trying to excavate, but never got to finish, probably because of, well, you'll figure it out." He looked at Gabe again and gave him an apologetic look. He hoped he wouldn't regret that.

Marko stood up and Gabe hugged his knees to his chest, peeking up. "We're not telling you." Marko was met with a negative response from the group. "Superpowers are dangerous! What if you don't even get superpowers? What if something happens and you just mutate into some ugly, terrible creatures consumed by madness?"

"I'm willing to take that chance!" One shouted and the others all agreed. Gabe stood up, now the attention was on Marko, and walked towards Sissy at the back. The group seemed so adamant on knowing how they got their powers but this girl seems somehow less enthused. Gabe pulled her aside and spoke quietly.

He breathed. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Gabe said in a hushed whisper. Sissy nodded quickly, though she looked at the rest of the group before she talked.

"I-I-I think the pros... outweigh... the cons." She said in her usual voice. Gabe nodded and patted her on the shoulder, moving back to where he was previously sitting.

After the silence, Gabe looked at Marko, but his eyes quickly shot to Jay. Jay momentarily tore his death gaze away from Marko to direct it. "...It's the cave," Gabriel stayed still at Marko's words. Marko talked to them about their family and siblings and their future all together.

Marko finally looked at Jay who seemed rather placid about his newly found information. "It's the cave outside of town. The one workers were trying to excavate, but never got to finish, probably because of, well, you'll figure it out." Marko looked at him apologetically but Gabe smiled brightly, before standing up.

"I'm gonna talk to Jay before they leave." Gabe was glad to see some people decided to stay. He walked towards the door of the club where Jay's group was standing. "Jay." Gabe said, putting his hand on Jay's shoulder tentatively and leading him away from the group. When they had silence, Gabe spoke. "You're the leader of this small group. You realise that?" Jay nodded. "If anything happens to any of these people-"

Gabe was shoved back against the building and he blinked, his heart racing and his brain yelling at him for some sort of danger. "Look, Sonnet," Jay started in that awfully cold voice of his. "I don't like you and I don't like the way you think you can tell everyone here what to do. Especially me. Don't cross my path, Sonnet."

"Jay, I was just saying-!" Gabe clutched his stomach, Jay's punch having landed there. The boy growled and reached forwards, scraping Jay's arm down. "Take care of the group, asshole. Don't even think of coming back if you don't." Gabe groaned and clutched his stomach as Jay walked away, around the corner and back to the excited sounds of the group. It was a few minutes until Gabe actually stood, yelping like an injured dog. He opened the front doors and staggered over to Marko, sitting down and whimpering. "He punched me! The asshole actually punched me!!" Gabe looked at Marko in disbelief.

"So..." He started, sitting up with a groan. "Why did you guys stay?"

The small group of four smiled. "We didn't want to risk our families!" One said and Gabe nodded. "Plus, we thought we could just work with you guys from here! Like Jarvis!" Gabe's ears perked up at this, turning to Marko.

The grin on his face was as bright as the arc reactor. "Can we keep 'em, Marko?" He said in a hushed whisper, his tail swaying from side to side rapidly.

It was obvious who made which decision in the end, because some immediately got up without an ounce of hesitance and the rest remained firmly planted where they were. "I'm gonna talk to Jay before they leave." Marko nodded and let Gabe go off to say whatever it was he needed to say. He didn't like Jay very much at all. The guy was unnerving and the last thing he needed was super powers to back up his prickly personality, but it was too late to take that information back now. Well, maybe not. He could always run to the leaving group and order them to forget. He wasn't sure if his powers worked that way, exactly, but he didn't think there was any reason for them not to.

Marko looked over the remaining people who were looking at him as if they expected him to say something. He didn't have anything to say, though, so he simply scooted himself to the edge of the stage so he could dangle his legs and look at them. They all knew where to go. Maybe some of them were just waiting for nightfall, or for a better day. Maybe they'd convince themselves into it eventually. He looked back where Jay's group went and where Gabe had followed after before hesitating and looking at the small group. "What? I don't have ears or a tail. That was just Gabe." They looked equally crestfallen and all he could do was shift and wait for Gabe's return.

Luckily, that didn't take too long. "He punched me! The asshole actually punched me!!" Marko frowned. Jay punched him? What a jerk! Even though Gabe probably said something that deserved it, it seemed a little uncalled for. "So... Why did you guys stay?"

"We didn't want to risk our families! Plus, we thought we could just work with you guys from here! Like Jarvis!"

Marko didn't look over at first when Gabe looked at him because he knew when Gabe got excited about something, it only ever lead to bad news--for him, at least, anyway. "Can we keep 'em, Marko?"

He finally met Gabe's gaze and sighed. "They're not pets, Gabe, they're people." He looked at the group who resembled a group of eager puppies anyway and just shrugged, falling back against the cold, hard surface of the stage. "Whatever, do you what you want." He laid there for a few seconds while the group chatted amongst themselves about the things they could do and it was kind of nice feeling more like Iron Man than like Peter Parker before the spider bite. He closed his eyes and breathed out, trying not to worry about those who had actually gone to the cave. Maybe they wouldn't even be able to get there anymore. Maybe the stuff was gone already.

When the chatter started dying down, Marko lazily sat up and rubbed at his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the past few nights and Gabe waking him up in the morning wasn't any help. He looked at the group who all looked back. "Wanna see what my powers can do?" They nodded their eager little heads and he didn't bother looking to Gabe for confirmation or a go-ahead this time. "Alright, look right here. Right at me. Are you looking?" They were. It was creepy and made him want to curl in a ball and tell them to stop looking immediately, but that would be dumb since he just told them to look at him. "You have no idea where the cave is. You're going to forget where we said we got our powers from." The sparkly-eyed looks he was getting faded into dull, blank stares and in the momentary silence, Marko just turned to Gabe and shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno how well it'll work, but we don't need them spreading the info. There's not much I can do about the ones who left already, though." He pulled his feet up onto the stage and laid down into Gabe's lap, yawning and closing his eyes. "You deal with them."

"They're not pets, Gabe, they're people." Gabe shrugged, looking rather indifferent on the matter. They certainly looked excited enough to be pets. "Whatever, do you what you want." Gabe swung his legs over the edge of the stage, his tail wagging slightly.

They started going quiet and Gabe started humming, deep in thought. "Wanna see what my powers can do?" Gabe glanced at Marko, but he just turned away and began biting his thumb. There was something dead weird about Jay. He didn't used to be like this. Strange, dodgy and violent. That was Jay nowadays. Gabriel frowned. "Alright, look right here. Right at me. Are you looking?" Gabe looked at Marko too but turned to look at the small group instead. They were bright, enthusiastic. They were the type of people Gabe would rather see with powers. Rather than Jay. Rather than the power-driven man they'd seen the day before. "You have no idea where the cave is. You're going to forget where we said we got our powers from." Their eyes went completely blank and after a few seconds, they were back to chatting. "I dunno how well it'll work, but we don't need them spreading the info. There's not much I can do about the ones who left already, though. You deal with them." Marko lay on his lap.

Gabe frowned. He didn't want to deal with the one's who'd left. Well, he would deal with most of the group but he didn't want to get hit again for no apparent reason. No sirree. He'd much rather sit in front of the TV with a blanket and some sweets and his childhood teddy bear. Then again, he'd rather do that than many things.

The real question on their hands would be if he and Marko would get that lucky again. It was insane luck that they got powers and one day later, some wannabe mastermind villain lets loose and wreaks havoc on the town. They defeat him, they get superhero fame and it's what they'd always wanted. But did it end there? Gabe was certainly starting to think so. Maybe they'd just be a week long craze. Loved on the internet by people much alike themselves. There could be no more rush of excitement, no feeling of victory as big as the one they had the day before. He let his body fall back onto the stage, Marko's head still on his lap.

A few minutes passed and the silence from Gabe obviously worried the small group. They got on the stage, crouching next to him. They prodded him in the sides but he just continued to stare at the ceiling, confused. Maybe he should have stopped Jay. He could have stopped him from walking completely. Could have tied him to the metal chairs as he had done to them. He didn't want anyone to get hurt and he knew that if Jay got powers, that's all that would happen. But maybe the place had caved in. Maybe there was no entry or they wouldn't find the bright light he and Marko had.

"Is he okay?" he heard one say. "Yeah, he's fine. He goes like this in the evening sometimes." Another said in a hushed voice. Gabe's eyes darted to make eye contact with one of them and he jumped.

"Hey..." Gabe started, his voice wavering slightly. "Do we... have any ice cream?" He asked slowly and their eyes lit up. They all shook their heads and Gabe sighed, closing his eyes. It was only a few seconds until he heard a door slam and he sat up quickly, staring around. All the boys were gone. Gabriel looked down at Marko and saw his eyes were still closed, starting to flap his hands frantically. He wanted to know where the group had gone but he didn't want to suddenly move and let Marko whack his head against the stage. Gabe groaned and leaned over Marko, frowning. He was about to prod his face but he figured he had woken him in the morning already so Gabe sighed and ran his hands though the blond's hair.

Marko was expecting Gabe to go off and have something to say to the little group in front of him, but when he didn't hear anything for a while, he started to get worried. "Hey..." Relief washed through him when Gabe voice finally broke through the whispers of the others left in the room with him. Marko wasn't concerned with being seen as all touchy feely with Gabe because it was normal for them. It wasn't anything weird. They'd just known each other long enough for it to go unquestioned. Although, if anyone said anything to him about it, he'd feel a little embarrassed. "Do we... have any ice cream?"

Is now really the time for ice cream? The silence came over them again and Marko assumed someone said that there wasn't any ice cream--because why would there be?--before a door slammed in the back of the room and it got quiet again. Only this time, it was a little different. There wasn't any whispering or shuffling of feet or anyone opening their bags or asking questions. It was just quiet. Marko considered moving, but he mostly just wanted to take a nice, long nap and not have to worry about all the things he suddenly had to worry about.

When fingers ran through his hair, he sighed softly and decided he couldn't just sleep like this when things were going on around him. As nice as it felt, Marko opened his eyes and looked up at Gabe, trying to read his thoughts but not getting anything particularly important. It just sounded like he was wondering where the group went off to, which made him start to wonder the same thing. Did they all decide they couldn't handle it and go to find the cave? Why would they do that so suddenly, and all at once? It didn't make any sense when they seemed so loyal a few minutes prior.

With another sigh, Marko sat up and fixed his hair, leaning lazily into Gabe's shoulder and silently admiring the little height difference he had over the other boy when they were both sitting down. "I'm taller than you, you know," he mumbled suddenly. It was random, he knew, but he was tired and it was something better to think about than their powers. "By like, an inch. I can totally see the difference." He grinned a little and waved a hand between their heads before dropping it back down to his side. "I hope they didn't go after the other group. I kind of feel...responsible for whatever happens. This is kind of serious." He nervously bit into his bottom lip before giving Gabe a look. "Sorry. I shouldn't of said anything. I don't know what I was thinking."

Marko sat up and set his head on Gabe's shoulder. "I'm taller than you, you know," Gabe blinked. No he totally was not! "By like, an inch. I can totally see the difference." Marko grinned and demonstrated the difference. Gabe pouted, crossing his arms and kicking his legs childishly. "I hope they didn't go after the other group. I kind of feel...responsible for whatever happens. This is kind of serious." Marko said and the pinkette turned his head, blinking. Sorry. I shouldn't of said anything. I don't know what I was thinking."

Gabe leaned across the gap between them and swung his legs over Marko's lap, wrapping his arms around his shoulders from the size. His cheek was pressed on Marko's shoulder. "I would have done the same. You're not responsible. If anything, I got us in this entire mess. But they're smart. They probably would have found it out eventually by checking the news over the last few days. It's not in anyway your fault. You were as perfect as usual, Marko." Gabe closed his eyes, smiling until he heard the door open. He looked up, the group walking in with rosy, excited faces.

"We got it!" One said, running over and presenting something in a cone shaped wrapping. Was it... Ice cream? Gabe looked at Marko before turning to the boys. "We didn't know what type you liked so we got six and thought you and Marko could choose and we could have the rest!" Gabe blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did you bring something strawberry flavoured?" Judging by the excited looks and man scrambles, it was a yes. One of them, who Gabe recognised as Key, rushed forwards and presented him with the strawberry ice cream. It was his nickname, Gabe thought. Probably because he's usually on his computer. Short for keyboard, maybe. He couldn't remember.

Gabe loosened his arms from around Marko briefly to open the pack, before he kept one hand on the food and the other around Marko's shoulders, ignoring the looks from the small group. He tasted it and grinned. "It's delicious!" They smiled and looked at Marko. "Which one do you want?" Gabe asked, blinking at Marko.

Marko was well aware that Gabe liked other human contact. He assumed it was only worse now that Gabe was part puppy, or whatever it was that was in him now. He didn't complain, though. It was kind of nice knowing he wasn't alone in this whole new thing. It was him and Gabe. They went into it together and they would go through it together. They wouldn't get separated. They had to be a team. "I would have done the same. You're not responsible. If anything, I got us in this entire mess. But they're smart. They probably would have found it out eventually by checking the news over the last few days. It's not in anyway your fault. You were as perfect as usual, Marko."

Marko opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when a door closed and the group from before returned. "We got it!" Got what? Powers? They shouldn't remember about the cave though, that was stupid. "We didn't know what type you liked so we got six and thought you and Marko could choose and we could have the rest!" Powers? What are we talking about? Maybe he was more tired than he thought because he couldn't get that thought out of his head.

It didn't go away until icecream was literally being pulled out of the bag and shown to them. "Did you bring something strawberry flavoured?" The ice cream was presented to the two of them and Gabe chose out which one he wanted. Of course it would be something strawberry. Didn't he already have enough pink in his life? "It's delicious!" He forgot he was supposed to choose one until Gabe acknowledged him again. "Which one do you want?"

"I don't really..." He shrugged and picked the simplest one he could find that didn't have peanuts in it. It was just chocolate with vanilla on the inside, kind of like a klondike bar on a stick. He bit into it gratefully and smiled, licking his lips when the icecream started to melt. "Thanks." It was nice sitting and eating with the others. They talked a little back and fourth between each other, mostly about what went on the day before on the rooftop. It was a little nice being able to talk about it to someone who wasn't Gabe. Their sudden admiration was a little embarrassing, though.

After a little while of just talking and eating their ice cream, they finished up and Marko started to get paranoid about staying in one place for too long. He and Gabe needed to think of what to do before more people like the guy from the day before started up. Miners. Construction workers. Curious people like Marko and Gabe had been. Who knew who all else went down there. Who knew how long that entity of power had just been waiting for people to arrive. "We're not like Kick-Ass," Marko explained when someone started asking about it. The guy in that movie got his butt kicked and he didn't even have powers. It was a dumb movie. "First of all, we have powers. Secondly, that guy was an idiot who thought with his stuff and not his head." Marko took pride in being able to think things through. "And none of you are Red Mist so don't even try it. It's dangerous, okay?" He pinched Gabe's side. "Tell them it's dangerous."

The conversation was steered towards that film they'd all gone to see in the cinema a few years back. It was on the shelf of DVDs in the club. "We're not like Kick-Ass," Marko started, and Gabe looked at him. "First of all, we have powers. Secondly, that guy was an idiot who thought with his stuff and not his head. And none of you are Red Mist so don't even try it. It's dangerous, okay?" Gabe yelped when his side was pinched, looking at Marko with a betrayed gaze. "Tell them it's dangerous."

Gabe pouted. "Hear that kids? Daddy Marko says no screwing around and getting yourselves hurt. Or killed." The group laughed and one of them called him Mrs Sonnet. "Don't." He said in a dark voice and they were quiet. "If you knew the real Mrs Sonnet, you wouldn't be making jokes. You'd be trying to say her name as little as possible like Candle Jack or Beetlejuice just to make sure she doesn't turn up." Gabe said, pointing at each of them.

He finished his ice cream and wrapped his arms back around Marko. "Besides, what makes you think I'd be the mother?" Gabe mumbled, frowning. The group laughed and started stating a whole bunch or reasons as to why, including how girly Gabe was. "Okay, okay! I get the point! But yeah, Marko's right! Do not go off and do something stupid! I mean, seriously. Don't. We're not gonna save your sorry butts."

The group all nodded and went back to a different conversation. Something about some the new Marvel films to be released in the next few years. Gabe turned to Marko. "Hey, when the others get back, how about we go back to your house and you get some shut-eye while I make the posters we've been procrastinating, eh?" He said, grinning.

Gabe looked up as the door opened and light filtered into the dim clubroom, other than the spotlight. Some silhouettes stood in the doorway and Gabe couldn't see who they were. He clung to Marko, until the people walked in and he looked up, spotting the group who'd left a good while back. Some seemed angry, some completely depressed and dejected. Two or three of them looked indifferent. "I'm guessing... I'm guessing it didn't work, huh?"

"Was it definitely that cave?" One asked, and Gabe nodded, but another had already begun talking. "Of course it was that cave! We still haven't found Sissy and Jay! We searched everywhere! They wandered off in the cave somewhere."

Gabe sat up in Marko's lap, his ears perking up. He turned to Marko suddenly, his eyes wide. "He has Sissy." Gabe said, biting his lips. "I mean, maybe one of them got powers!" His voice was a quiet whisper, leaning forwards and whispering into Marko's ear. "What do we do?"

"Hear that kids? Daddy Marko says no screwing around and getting yourselves hurt. Or killed." Marko was glad for Gabe's input, even though it was basically everything he'd already been trying to say. He laughed when someone suggested he was Mrs. Sonnet and laughed even more at Gabe's reaction. "Don't. If you knew the real Mrs Sonnet, you wouldn't be making jokes. You'd be trying to say her name as little as possible like Candle Jack or Beetlejuice just to make sure she doesn't turn up. Besides, what makes you think I'd be the mother?" Marko liked to think all the reasons presented were pretty considerable. He nodded his head in agreement at all of them. "Okay, okay! I get the point! But yeah, Marko's right! Do not go off and do something stupid! I mean, seriously. Don't. We're not gonna save your sorry butts." Normal conversation when back once that was over with and Marko felt himself beginning to nod off again. Gabe must have noticed when he turned to him. "Hey, when the others get back, how about we go back to your house and you get some shut-eye while I make the posters we've been procrastinating, eh?"

As if on some sort of director's cue, the doors opened and Marko knew instantly that it was the other group. To be honest, he hadn't expected them to return so soon. The cave had taken a while to get through. He and Gabe had to go in deep until they ended up lost and too far in to turn back at some point. It was sort of...strange, now that he thought back on it. Almost like a dream. "I'm guessing... I'm guessing it didn't work, huh?" The entire group seemed to be a mix of either anger, confusion, or just generally being down. Immediately, Marko noticed missing people. Sissy and Jay, someone said. "He has Sissy." Marko twisted his hands together. That was bad. Sissy seemed...sensitive. Worried. Jay was harsh and a bit on the violent side. Did they continue going further down whatever right path there might be while the others gave up and turned back? "I mean, maybe one of them got powers!" He jumped when there was a voice too close to his ear. "What do we do?"

Marko blushed and put a hand to his ear and gently shoved Gabriel away from him, feeling like a little too much of his personal space had been violated. It was always super creepy when people whispered in his ear. It was just weird. It gave him goosebumps and made him feel like he had to take a shower or something. Maybe that was just the teenager in him. It wasn't what he needed to think about right now, though. They had a situation on their hands. The group returned with two people missing, and it was the worst two. Marko knew what Gabe was thinking without having to read his mind. They were thinking the same thing. Jay and Sissy had gone further in. They might be lost, they might be hurt, they might be in danger. Or maybe...

"We'll find them," Marko announced. He looked at the group in front of him. The group who'd returned had converged with the group who stayed behind. They'd all been talking until he said something and stopped to look back up at him on the stage. He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Gabe and I will go to the cave to make sure they're alright. Something might've happened to them. It's a big cave. It goes down deep. They might've gotten lost or hurt and need our help. So, so we'll go. Right?" He looked at Gabe for an affirmation. For pure payback purposes, he leaned into Gabe and cupped a hand to his mouth. "Maybe we should change."

"We'll find them," Marko announced to the group. Gabe turned and stared at him. "Gabe and I will go to the cave to make sure they're alright. Something might've happened to them. It's a big cave. It goes down deep. They might've gotten lost or hurt and need our help. So, so we'll go. Right?" Gabriel nodded, and raised an eyebrow as Marko leaned in a whispered in his ear. Maybe we should change."

Gabe turned his head, his mouth near Marko's ear, before he leaned up and bit hard on it, pulling back and frowning. "Don't try and implement some sort of double standard here, man." He said, crossing his arms with a look of confusion as he ignored all reactions, either from Marko or the group. Gabe stood up and seized his backpack, walking towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Someone piped up and Gabe raised an eyebrow.

"Um." He started, tilting his head to the side. "Away? I need to change. So does Marko. C'mon Marko!" Gabe went into a cubicle and quickly changed into his Chorus costume, slipping his mask on. He saw Marko was already done. He grabbed Marko's arms and they ran into the other room. There were quite a few oohs and aahs, some applause. "Me and Mr Brightside are going to go save you're friends! Make sure you have dinner by the time we're back." Gabe grabbed Marko's arm, running out the door.

He knew the club was in a rather unpopulated area so he held onto Marko tightly and jumped, this time only leaping instead of levitating over town. They arrived at the cave soon enough. Gabe shivered from the cold air around the place. "Oh man, why wasn't I weirded out the first time we came here...?" He walked in, Marko close behind, and blinking around in the darkness. "Alright. Let's just walk in and see what we find."

They only walked a few metres though before the small amount of light in the cave completely vanished and Gabe lost his grip on Marko. His eyes went wide as he felt something, no, someone pass through him, his entire body going colder than it ever had before. Gabe fell back onto the cold floor, his body shaking. He crawled, feeling around for Marko. "Did you feel that too?" He asked, his tail wagging. The light returned and he sped forwards towards Marko. Standing, Gabe ran out of the cave. "C'mon!"

There stood Jay, but he was partially translucent. He looked completely dark, no pupils or anything. Like light detail. Sissy was unconscious, slung over his shoulder but Gabe couldn't see very well. "Jay, put her down right now."

Marko's yelp echoed through the small theater when Gabe bit down hard on his ear. A hard blush brightened his cheeks, but it was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or anger, or maybe just a mix in between. "Don't try and implement some sort of double standard here, man." A string of colorful curses shot through his head in reply, but none of them managed to leave his mouth as he followed Gabe to the restroom to change. He finished up first and Gabe came out moments later, both of them more than ready to go.

He remembered the other day when Gabe suggested going to the cave all because of the mysterious article in the newspaper. He remembered being scared out of his wits just walking up to the mouth of the cave and begging Gabe to go home. He remembered going in and being able to feel the strange, all-consuming darkness envelop them until they found that strange, glowing object. He didn't remember much after that. "Alright. Let's just walk in and see what we find." He didn't want to, but he followed along anyway. He kept a hold of Gabe as they wandered inside and wondered how they were ever going to find anybody in the darkness.

Eventually, his hold on Gabe was released and only seconds after that there was a soft thump behind him. Marko swallowed his panic and hoped it was only Gabe tripping over something. "Did you feel that too?" He waved his arms around blindly in the darkness until a bit of the light returned and the sight of the other boy become clear. "C'mon!" Obviously, Gabe had seen something Marko hadn't, but he followed along like usual, and gaped when they spotted Jay standing just outside the cave, Sissy in his arms. "Jay, put her down right now."

The first thing to go through Marko's mind was, they did it. Out of the entire group that had gone in the cave, only Jay and Sissy had come out with powers. It was getting darker in the setting sun, but it was still clear that Jay's physical form was not all there. He looked translucent. Ghostly. Like an apparition. It scared him. "Jay? Are you okay? The light hit you, too, right? Shouldn't you be out like her?" Marko bit his lip and took a cautious step towards the other boy. He tried to read his mind but stopped cold in his tracks when Jay looked directly at him and grinned. He couldn't read anything at all.

For another moment, he was speechless and confused and scared and all he really wanted to do was sit down and say he couldn't handle this, but that was a Marko thing to do and he was Mr. Brightside right now, and Mr. Brightside needed to do something because it was very obvious that something was very wrong. Marko reached forward to touch Sissy and had his hand slapped away. In the next moment, there was a foot to his chest and he was falling on the ground with a pained, winded huff. "What're you doing? We're on your side!"

Gabe kept a weary eye on Jay, his stance defensive. "Jay? Are you okay? The light hit you, too, right? Shouldn't you be out like her?" Marko walked towards him and Gabe followed behind, not wanting to leave Marko on his own with Jay. He wasn't sure what happened after that. His vision kept fading in and out, his hearing wavering. "What're you doing? We're on your side!" Jay was grinning at Marko, staring at him on the ground and Gabe rushed forwards as quickly as possible, staggering every time his eyesight seemed to fade.

He managed to focus after a while and he finally reached down, tugging Marko up. "Jay, please. Come on, let's just go back to SFX and we can talk things through, yeah?"

Jay laughed. "I don't need you guys anymore!" he said loudly, gesturing at himself and Sissy. "I don't need any of you." Gabe's eyes widened as Sissy started to stirr. Jay apparently noticed too and he began fading away, Sissy fading with him. Gabe ran forwards, reaching for the two of them, but there was nothing there and he fell to his knees.

Gabe started growling. "Jay! Jay!" he stood up and kicked the ground, sand rising up. "Goddamnit!" Now Jay was gone, his hearing started returning to the level it had been since they went in the cave and he groaned, turning back to Marko. The boy strode towards him quickly, patting his shirt and back, his hands finally ending up cupping his face. "You're okay, right? Yeah? Please say you're okay! Did he do anything? I mean, my hearing was all weird but I don't know, maybe he did something like the mindy thing but not the mindy thing. I don't know. God, what a douche!" Gabe rolled his eyes, but then looked back at Marko. "But yeah? You're okay? You're okay. I'm sure you are... Are you?"

All Marko could register as he was being pulled to his feet was a distinct ringing in his head. It was loud and obnoxious, but painless. It wasn't exactly like the ring he knew people heard in disaster situations--more like that tiny one that comes out sometimes without any logical reason, only louder. He wasn't able to shake it away until Jay started talking. "...need you guys anymore!" He lifted his head up and frowned. What was he so angry about? What did they ever do to him? Was it just the new powers? Maybe Jay had always just been a closet villain. "I don't need any of you."

When Jay disappeared, Marko's head cleared and he turned to Gabe, frowning. "Jay! Jay! Goddamnit!" There wasn't much they could do about it now. Neither of them had specific seeking powers. They wouldn't be able to find Jay like this. Hands found his face and he found himself staring back into worried eyes. "You're okay, right? Yeah? Please say you're okay! Did he do anything? I mean, my hearing was all weird but I don't know, maybe he did something like the mindy thing but not the mindy thing. I don't know. God, what a douche!" It would've been almost funny if he wasn't so worried about what might happen to Sissy and how they were possibly going to find her. "But yeah? You're okay? You're okay. I'm sure you are... Are you?"

Marko nodded and brushed the dirt off his clothes as best as he could. "I'm fine. It didn't hurt too bad." He bit his lip and looked around warily, making sure they weren't being watched. "I know you're all worked up, but we can't go looking for them right now. We should regroup and try figuring out where they might've gone. If Jay can teleport, if that's what that just was, then we don't have a chance. They could be in Greenland for all we know." He dropped his hood and ran a hand through his hair before looking back over at Gabe. He wasn't sure how they could find them at all, actually. It wasn't like either of them were rich or either of them had parents with access to top secret government technology. Unless his dad had been lying to him all these years. In which case, they were going to have a serious talk. But he doubted it.

"There was something weird about him, wasn't there? I couldn't read his mind. Was that just me or did something happen to you, too?" He grabbed Gabe by the arm and looked him over to make sure he looked alright too before leading him away from the cave. The less time they had to spend around it, the better. He didn't like the feeling of being watched. "We should go to the club and tell them...that everything's alright." Everything is so not alright! We're gonna die! Sissy's gonna die! We're all doomed! "And then you should go home for the night."

Marko was brushing the dirt of his clothes and Gabe sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm fine. It didn't hurt too bad." Gabe took his hand away from his eyes and looked at the blonde, a small smile on his face as he nodded. "I know you're all worked up, but we can't go looking for them right now. We should regroup and try figuring out where they might've gone. If Jay can teleport, if that's what that just was, then we don't have a chance. They could be in Greenland for all we know." Oh man. It would be great if they had some sort of tracker on him. Like in the Hunger Games or whatever. They should have implemented a tracker rule every time someone new joined the club, just in case one of them decided that the best career for them in the future had to be psycho-villain.

"There was something weird about him, wasn't there? I couldn't read his mind. Was that just me or did something happen to you, too?" Gabe's arm was grabbed and he blinked, being brought away from his thoughts. Marko dragged him away from the cave but Gabe couldn't help but wonder: did the cave affect people's personalities? Because it seemed like the only two types of people exiting the cave were villains and heroes. But then again, Jay did seem to be edging towards the dark side before he left. "We should go to the club and tell them...that everything's alright. And then you should go home for the night."

"Huh?" Gabe said, his tone surprised. "Oh, right. Yeah, let's get going back." He held the sleeve of Marko's jumper in his hand and they began walking. Well, maybe telling them that everything is alright would be a bit hard but maybe Marko could do the mindy thing and make them forget about the cave altogether, like he had to the small group of people who'd decided against going. But then they'd be enthused about it again and they'd want to know where they got their powers from and it would all just be one huge mess and- Wow, I should just walk. Gabe thought. He wasn't one to think his actions through all that much so maybe it was kind of a bad idea to start now.

It was making his head hurt.

All Gabe wanted to be clear about was that Jay wouldn't turn into some crazy killer and turn Sissy into the same. That would be the epitome of sucky. It would suck so, so much. Well, maybe before he got home he should pick up a meal or something. He doubted his mum actually wanted to cook that night. She rarely did, and his dad was probably working late. Oh man, it sucked. Were they near the club yet? Gabe finally looked up. He grinned when he saw the club at the end of the street. "So, Marko, what's the plan? I mean, are we just gonna tell them what happened or am I gonna see some the awesome mindy thing going on?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Yeah, let's get going back." Marko nodded and they went on their way, putting distance between them and the eerie cave with the glowing anomaly that gave some people powers and some people nothing. He didn't really understand how anything like that could exist. Any which way he tried to think about it, it just seemed more and more impossible, and yet, there it was. Even from a distance, he could still feel its presence in the cave, like it was waiting for something, but he wasn't sure what. Maybe it was waiting for disaster. That sounded right, somehow.

The two of them walked back to the club in virtual silence. By the time they got there, he was feeling more tired than thoughtful. He wasn't sure what exactly either of them could do to fix this situation, but it was obvious that they were the ones who had to do something about it. He didn't understand how or why he, of all people, got pushed into this situation. He could see Gabe in the hero role. Gabe screamed superhero protagonist. He had the enthusiasm and the spunk and the sense of good will, the natural brightness and kindness towards others that set him apart from the rest. But not Marko. Marko was just a cowardly little nerd who liked holing himself up in his room for extended periods of time and sleeping during the day. He didn't deserve the role he'd been given. "So, Marko, what's the plan? I mean, are we just gonna tell them what happened or am I gonna see some the awesome mindy thing going on?"

He put his tired gaze on Gabe and resisted the urge to shrug his shoulders. He didn't want to give Gabe any worries over the situation, though, so he just looked away and placed his hand on the door of the club when they reached it. "I'm not going to do the 'mindy thing,' Gabe." He didn't see the point. Even if he did what he'd done earlier, it would eventually end up biting them back in the rear end later on. If he was a real superhero, Marko would convince himself that the only reasonable way of solving the problem would be making every single one of their friends who knew their identity and knew about the cave forget. Forget everything. He'd make them forget who he and Gabe even were as people. But he didn't have the heart to do that, especially not to Gabe.

"I'm just going to tell the truth," he explained. He nodded to himself as if he were trying to convince himself that this was really the only way when he knew for a fact that it was just him weaseling his way out of doing the hard stuff. They entered the club and were bombarded with questions that came too fast for either of them to answer, so Marko hopped up on the edge of the stage and waited for them to calm down before answering. "Jay and Sissy are alright. They made it out of the cave. They... Er, Jay, got the powers. I don't know why it worked for us and not for some of you." He shrugged and leaned back on his hands. "Gabe and I are going home. You guys should too. We're tired. We'll answer more questions some other time."

"I'm not going to do the 'mindy thing,' Gabe." Gabe grinned and put his hands on his hips. "I'm just going to tell the truth," The pink-haired boy shrugged, nodding in agreement. He was glad Marco wasn't gonna do the mindy thing, in a way. A lot of things would be easier with insane mind powers but it would be harder for him and, more importantly, Marko. Gabe couldn't even imagine the guilt Marko felt. He remembered the time Marko first discovered his power via his dad and, well, he was freaking out. He didn't want Marko to become too... carefree with the mindy thing. Though he trusted him not to.

Before he noticed, Marko was already inside the club and Gabe stumbled in behind him absentmindedly, his eyes glancing around in wonder like he'd never seen the place before. He was shocked by the noise and Gabe became somewhat absorbed in the crowd swarming Marko with incessant questions. Gabe slipped away as they followed Marko to the stage and he wandered off to pick up his bag. "Jay and Sissy are alright. They made it out of the cave. They... Er, Jay, got the powers. I don't know why it worked for us and not for some of you."

And that was that. No one said anything. They just glanced at each other occasionally. Gabriel looked up at the group who had gone eerily silent as he slipped his trousers on over his clothes, as well as his hoodie. Getting dressed would be such a bother. Gabe was just dying to get home and, well, the yawn currently leaving his lips said enough. "Gabe and I are going home. You guys should too. We're tired. We'll answer more questions some other time."

They hadn't done much that day, really, but Gabe felt like he was about to fall asleep any time soon. He wasn't tired. He just missed the comfort of his bed, the warmth of his duvet and the feeling he was safe. Being outside brought a slight fear something might happen to his parents while he was out. Not that his mother couldn't bust her way out of a situation. He slung his bag over his shoulder, grinning. "Well, you heard Marko. Scram. Get to sleep or something. I'm gonna go home or something. Hell yeah, I'm gonna go home and get in my bed and sleep for like, an eternity and when I wake up it's gonna be 3067 and they're gonna call it EXPERIMENTAL YEAR 30-AZH-67 and you guys are all gonna be androids and-" Someone cut him off by hitting him lightly on the head. "Hey! You never know! Tonight could be the night I sleep for a million nights." Gabe looked at Marko.

"Shall we go then? I wanna drop by the convenience store on the way home. Pick up some sweets and stuff, maybe."