Autumn & Winter (A Villains & Monsters Novella)

Chapter 1

Short, but more feels. -Rae

Simon stepped into base from outside and shook the snow from his jacket, shoving his cold hands into his pockets. It was around two in the morning, and the snow had just started coming down.

A minor plus about not being able to use his powers was that he could enjoy winter without the ice and snow melting too quickly in his hands due to the fire in his blood, but it was bittersweet. He missed his flames, missed being able to turn invisible and missed being able to stop time just to clear his head. His mother said it would be a while before they came back because the burn-out was so severe and even life threatening.

So, he was patient. It had been four long months since losing Sean, going to prison, escaping prison, shredding Ian into pieces and then finally, temporarily losing his powers.

When he got to his office, he tossed his jacket on the rack near the door and sighed loudly as he sat in his spinning chair. He had been at base more often than anywhere else, fighting, torturing, studying the heroes, perfecting plans, numbing the pain, but mostly, just trying to hide how much of a mess he'd become lately.

Right as he organized some of the papers on his messy desk, there was a tiny knock on the door. He looked up to see Sierra standing at the doorway. She had her usual smile, but her eyes held other emotions.

"Hey!" His seventeen year-old sister beamed as she lifted up a plastic bag with a few containers, probably full of food. "I haven't really seen you around much, so I thought I'd visit you."

"Sisi, it's almost two-thirty," he said quietly as he sat up. "Shouldn't you be sleeping? Don't you have a big test coming up?"

Her smile faltered. "That was a week back, remember?"

Fuck. It was.

"I'm sorry," he said as he dragged a hand down his face. "I've been so busy lately. What's up?"

She reached into the bag and pulled out a small, gray container that was carefully wrapped and topped with a bow. As he accepted it, he asked, "A present? What's the occasion?"

"Happy twentieth birthday, Simon."

He froze, and at his puzzled expression, her smile vanished completely. "I know it's two in the morning, but it still counts as your birthday. January twenty-eighth. Did... Did you forget?"

"Of course not," he immediately scrambled to lie, and he plastered a huge smile on his face. "You're so sweet. Thank you so much." He opened the package and revealed some freshly baked chocolate cupcakes that were frosted to perfection. "These look great! Again, thank you."

Sierra just stared at him, and the sad look in her eyes worsened.

Uh-oh.

She placed the other container of food on his desk and quietly said, "Mom made dinner earlier, and I thought I'd bring you the leftovers. We were hoping you'd show, but you didn't. She talks about you a lot. Dad does, too. Sasha and Silas miss you," her voice then lowered, and she no longer tried to hide the sadness as she concluded, "I miss you."

"I swear, once I'm not as busy, I'll be-"

"Austin says you've been spending way more time in the lower units lately."

Austin, you fucking snitch.

She must have used her powers and heard his thoughts, because she winced. "He's worried about you, just like the rest of us- Wait a minute," she stepped closer and angled the lamp towards him then asked, "Is that a bruise? Who did this to you?"

"I've been sparring. Sparring comes with bruises."

"I've watched you spar for months. You never ended up with a bruise on your face. Show me your hands."

"Sierra, I-"

She looked irritated now, and her face reminded him so much of their mother. "Show me your fucking hands. Now."

He sighed, defeated, then pulled his hands out of his pockets, revealing the bruised knuckles. Any anger from her face faded, and she looked back and forth between him and his knuckles, and the closet to the left of him.

When she walked over to the closet, he panicked, "Hey, you can't just-"

Too late. She opened it, and some of the near-empty and empty liquor bottles toppled out and tumbled to the floor with faint, clanging sounds. His heart started racing as silence fell between the two.

"...You're drinking."

"Don't tell Mom and Dad," he said immediately. "I promise, it's not as bad as it looks. I'm fine-"

"You're drinking, fighting more, spending more time downstairs, not coming home to talk with us, the entire team is worried about you, and you forgot your birthday, which is something you've never done before." As she listed things off, her voice began to crack. "And you're telling me that you're fine? Simon, what the hell are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to get things figured out, okay?!"

"We're all trying to get things figured out, damn it!" she snapped, and Simon's eyes widened in surprise. "Now more than ever, we all need each other. Mom buries herself in work, Dad is trying to keep everyone together, but he's so damn tired, and I can't keep making up stories to explain to Sasha and Silas why you're not there!"

Her eyes watered, and the crack in her voice grew louder. "We've all given you space to deal with this, and you promised you'd come to us if you needed anything, but you didn't, and now you're destroying yourself. Do you expect me to just sit here and let this happen?!"

The guilt threatened to eat him alive, and his heart shattered as she finally started crying, "Simon, please don't do this to me. I can't lose another brother. I can't, I can't, I can't." She buried her face in her hands to hide herself, but Simon knew the shaking all too well.

"Sisi," he said quietly as he approached his little sister and pulled her into a comforting hug, like when they were kids. "I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry. I never meant for it to get this out of hand."

As she continued crying, he thought about what he let life become the last four months. It was hard to sleep and harder to focus, especially when all he could think about was just how badly he failed his little brother. He couldn't save him. By trying to numb himself, he shut out his friends and family, who were also hurting from the loss in their own ways.

"I'm gonna get better," he whispered to her as he stroked her hair, trying to stop himself from also bursting into tears. "I promise, I'm gonna get better."

She pulled back from him, wiping the tears from her face as she said, "Come home. Please just come home and talk to us."

He knew that going home would end with him spilling the awful truth to his parents. His whole life, he had barely been able to keep secrets from them. He was incredibly nervous, but he knew that enough was enough. This wasn't something he could numb and run from any longer.

He faced Sierra and gave her a firm nod. "I'll come home."

Finally, she smiled. Genuine, relieved, happy, like the Sierra he always knew. "Come on," she said as she put the containers back in the plastic bag and reached for his hand. "The snow is still light and pretty, and I figured we could take the long way back to our cars and walk through it so you can enjoy it."

He returned her smile, and it was just as genuine. "That actually sounds great."