Control and Power

The grit of the alleyway was rough against Rin’s back, doing little to alleviate the gnawing discomfort of hunger and thirst.

“We have no food or water, we literally lost and God knows what we might be at the other side of Earth and not only that there’s trackers in these chokers and these chokers stop us from using our powers and will alert our kidnappers where we are!” Rin rattled off, his voice tight with panic and frustration.

He pushed off the wall, running a hand roughly through his black hair. Every nerve in his body felt frayed, the inability to access his predator-like instincts a suffocating weight.

Beside him, Pietro looked equally dishevelled, his silver hair falling in his face.

There was a haunted weariness in his blue eyes, a kind of resignation Rin recognized as bone-deep exhaustion.

“I think… we are in Metropolis,” Pietro said, a slow, considering cadence to his words as he raked his hand through his hair again, pushing it back from his forehead.
Rin’s eyebrow shot up.

He glared at Pietro, his dark eyes sharp and impatient. “Tch, that’s no help,” Rin muttered, sinking back down to the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. Metropolis. Gotham.

What difference did it make when they were trapped?
Pietro just offered a small, almost sad smile. “You’re kinda like my sister, Wanda Maximoff.”

Rin scoffed, the sound sharp and dismissive. Until he registered the name. Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch.

“You mean the Wanda Maximoff that has those… creepy powers??” Rin asked, a flicker of something akin to morbid fascination lighting his eyes.

Then realization dawned. He looked at Pietro with newfound intensity. “Wait. You’re Quicksilver then?! Shouldn’t you be… dead?” He blurted out, the question almost rude in its directness.

Pietro chuckled, a low, humourless sound. “Well, these kidnapper guys brought me here a long time ago when everyone thought I was dead. But I was not.” He offered a hand to Rin, helping him back to his feet with a surprising gentleness. “Come on, kid, sitting around isn’t going to magically make food appear.”

“And as I was saying,” Pietro continued, pulling Rin along the alley, “if we managed to get to Gotham, we can ask the Bats for help…” He trailed off, a hesitation creeping into his voice.

“Did you piss them off or something?” Rin questioned, his cynicism returning. Anyone with dealings with superheroes usually ended up on their bad side, from what Rin understood from fragmented news snippets.

Pietro shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. “When the Hydras – when me and my sister were still under their… influence,” he corrected himself, his voice tightening slightly, “we came to Gotham to ‘help’ with the… export successfully.”

Rin groaned, cutting him off. “Don’t tell me you’re already on their bad list?” He didn’t need another complication.

Pietro smirked, a glint of mischief returning to his eyes. “Let me finish, kid. So, as I was saying, we met the Bats. Let’s just say our meeting wasn’t exactly the most memorable thing in a good way. But,” he paused, his expression shifting again, becoming softer, almost wistful, “being their prisoner and them keeping an eye on us… wasn’t all bad either. Damian, that little sneaky assassin kid, I managed to coax him into calling me Pietro. And… and I ended up hooking up with Jason and Dick.” His face softened further, a genuine, tender smile gracing his lips for the first time since Rin had met him.

But the smile faded quickly, replaced by a heavy sadness. “We fucked up, Rin. Hydra always had an influence on us, even if we didn’t realize it then. We left, even when they tried to stop us… I’m pretty sure if I go back, my head would be decorating Wayne Manor. They will never forgive us, or at least not me. Especially Jason and Dick. I broke their hearts, after all. Everyone thinks I’m dead.” Pietro sighed, looking down at the grimy alley floor. “If they can help us…”

Rin considered this, the jumble of information swirling in his head. Quicksilver. Hydra. The Bats. Romantic entanglements. It was a lot to take in.

“If they can help us,” Rin repeated, his voice firmer this time, nudging Pietro back to the present. “Your feelings aside, we need to focus on getting to Gotham. We’ll walk if we have to. After all, we’re lucky Metropolis is near Gotham.

Unless…” Pietro’s words trailed off, a new, sharper edge to his voice, a sudden tension in his shoulders.
He didn’t get to finish his sentence.

A voice, strong and familiar, called out, “Pietro?”

Pietro froze, his body rigid. He turned slowly, reluctantly. Rin followed his gaze, his eyes widening as he looked up.

Hovering in the sky above the alley entrance was a figure that seemed to radiate power and light. Broad shoulders, a strong jaw, and a familiar curl of hair. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“That’s –” Rin muttered, his mind racing to put a name to the iconic silhouette.

“Uh, hi Clark, long time no see?” Pietro said, his voice strained, a thin thread of forced casualness attempting to mask the fear Rin could now clearly detect.

He desperately hoped the tremor wasn't visible in his tone.

He watched as Superman’s blue eyes, impossibly bright even in the shadowed alley, seemed to bore right through him.

He could practically feel Rin and Clark's eyes burning holes into the side of his head. Superman floated closer, his blue eyes, usually so full of warmth and hope, were currently narrowed in scrutiny.

He descended slowly, landing softly a few feet away, the gentle breeze from his descent ruffling Pietro’s silver hair.

"Pietro?" Clark said again, his voice still soft, yet laced with a hint of disbelief and something else...worry? Or maybe suspicion? Rin couldn't quite tell, but Superman's gaze was intense. "We all thought... the reports..."

Pietro rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he thought he'd kicked years ago. "Yeah, well, reports aren’t always accurate, are they? Turns out dying is a bit of a nuisance to prove definitively."

He tried for a light tone, a charming Quicksilver smirk, but it felt rusty, unnatural.

Rin, who had been silent and observing, couldn't hold back any longer. "What the hell is going on?!" he hissed, pointing at Superman rather rudely. "And why do you know Superman?!" His voice was laced with a mixture of confusion and irritation, the kind usually reserved for Sae who he despise a lot.

Superman turned his attention to Rin, his expression softening slightly, the suspicious edge fading a little. "And you are?" he asked, his voice gentle but commanding attention.

Rin puffed out his chest despite his weakened state. "Rin Itoshi," he stated, though his tone held a defensive note. "And this idiot," he jabbed a thumb at Pietro, "is supposed to be some dead speedster who knows way too many superheroes for someone who claims to be a victim of kidnapping."

Pietro groaned internally. Rin was not helping. At all. "Kid, dial it down a notch." He shot Rin a warning look before turning back to Superman. “Clark, this is Rin. We… uh… we’ve been, shall we say, involuntarily relocated to Metropolis.”

Clark’s eyebrows furrowed. "Relocated? Involuntarily? Those chokers..." His gaze fell to the metal bands around their necks, a hard edge returning to his voice. "Those are power dampeners and trackers. Who did this to you?"

Pietro sighed, the relief of being recognized warring with the dread of explaining everything. "Long story, Clark. And honestly, not one I want to yell in the middle of... wherever we are." He glanced around.

They were in a narrow alleyway, bins overflowing, the smell of stale garbage heavy in the air. Definitely not a place for a heart-to-heart with Superman.

"He's right," Rin agreed, surprisingly. "We need food, water, and a place to actually think. And these things," Rin gestured to his choker again, "are making my head pound."

Clark nodded slowly, his eyes still assessing Pietro. "Follow me." He turned and began to walk, not floating this time, but walking like any ordinary man down the alley.

Pietro and Rin exchanged a surprised glance before hurrying after him.

"So, you know Superman," Rin muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as they walked. "Just casually acquainted with the Man of Steel. Anything else you've been hiding? Maybe you're best friends with the Flash? Or perhaps you moonlit as Batman's sidekick?"

Pietro rolled his eyes. "Look, it's complicated. And frankly, I'm starving and dehydrated. Can we save the interrogation for later? Please?"

Rin huffed but fell silent. He was hungry and thirsty, and honestly, the appearance of Superman was a massive stroke of luck, even if it was tied to this frustratingly cryptic Pietro.
Clark led them through the alley and out into an abandoned building.