Wilbur/ Y/N POV

I glanced around with a grim smile. I shot a grin at Zaeim, who looked terrified.

"Echo..?" He asked quietly.

I chirped, smiling again.

The look of horror on the No. 1 hero's face when he realised I had taken over his friend's body was amusing. Why was he so attached to this person? They didn't seem to be useful in any way, apart from gathering intel.

I tilted my head slightly, my gaze lingering on Swift.

"Just leave Echo alone and you can go!" Zaeim snapped, frowning. Although he was clearly trying to look unbothered, there was an undertone of fear to his voice.

Swift shot him a look, but nodded in agreement. "Let Echo go, Spectre."

I sighed. It was good to know how attached to this brat some of the heroes were though. Might be useful in the future...

——

I let out a yelp, stumbling slightly as Spectre reappeared, running down the street and going invisible.

"What happened?" I asked, looking between Swift's frown and Eret's relieved expression.

"Spectre has this thing where he can kind of... take over people's bodies. And he used it on you." Swift paused. "Do you not remember anything?"

"No. I just remember him grabbing my arm, and now I'm here. Did I say anything?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing bad, but your voice sounded really weird... and your eyes were just... completely black." Eret shivered at the memory. "Come on, lets get out of here- we need to get Swift back to Headquarters anyway." He gestured to Swift's sliced and bleeding wings.

"Oh, yeah, of course! Do you need help getting back to Headquarters?" I asked Swift gently.

"I'll be fine! I'm not that old." He joked. "I can handle a few cuts." Swift paused. "I think I'll walk though."

"You might want to change into your civilian cloths and hide your wings." Eret suggested.

"You can hide your wings?" I queried.

"Yep. But it doesn't feel very nice. I have to do it when I'm not on hero work so nobody guesses who I am."

"Ohh, I get it. I'll leave you to go that then." We both waved as Swift walked away, taking a turn into a more deserted street.

"Are you ok?" Eret asked quickly.

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"My neck's a little sore but I'm fine otherwise." He said with a shrug.

"Let's head back to Headquarters then."

He agreed, and we began walking.

——

I glanced down at my phone as a notification for news popped up.

A new hero has been spotted, going by the name of Echo!

I smiled.

It had been a few days since the fight (or, as Karl had begun to refer to it, the Cafe Battle) and lots more people had been recognising the hero Echo as an official hero- which I wasn't yet, but it was still a nice thought, a taster of what I would have in a year or so.

Some more great news- I had finally managed to get my own place! It was only a dingy two room apartment, but it was mine! I was independent!

I was thinking about this happily when one of my favourite regular customers, Will, walked in.

"Oh, hey Will- my god, what happened to you?!" I asked, staring at his face.

He had a large purple-blue-black bruise on his right eye, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

The brunette let out a snort of laughter. "Rude. I got in a fight, and I've been busy at work lately."

"Ah, I see. What can I get you?" I queried.

"Hot chocolate." He muttered. As I was making the drink, he added, "Have you heard about the new hero Echo?"

"I have, actually! Any thoughts?" I asked, trying not to let my pride show on my face.

"They seem more like a spy than a hero. You know, super senses." Will shrugged. "Pretty lame if you ask me."

"Oh. I mean, I think they're pretty cool." I muttered with an off-handed shrug.

"I mean most people do. It's just my personal taste in heroes." Oh thank god, it's just Will that thinks I'm lame-

"One hot chocolate!" I said, trying to brighten up as I handed Will his drink. He thanked me quietly, payed, and sat down at the table by the door.

I hummed quietly to myself, making a mental note to talk to Cara about the coffee machine, which was acting up a bit here and there.

I glanced up as Tommy walked in. "Happy eighteenth birthday, raccoon boy!" I cheered.

"You remembered!" He said brightly.

"Mhm. I got you a little something, actually!" I grabbed the raccoon plushie from under the desk. "Ta-da!" Will he like it? What if he doesn't like it?

"While I reject and resent the name raccoon boy, I will take the plushie." He said happily as I handed it to him.

"Someone's been spending too much time with Will. Glad you like it, though. Do you want a drink?" I asked.

"Mhm! Black coffee!" He declared. "I'm an adult now, I need to try new things."

"If you say so." I muttered with a small smile.

Once I had finished making it, I handed Tommy the drink, and watched in amusement as he sat down, took a sip and immediately spat it out with a disgusted expression.

"That is disgusting!" He yelped. "How do people drink that stuff?!"

I giggled. "Hey, you chose it, buddy. Want a hot chocolate instead?"

"Yes, please." Tommy pushed the black coffee away from him.

"I'll get you it now. Happy birthday, raccoon boy." I laughed as he started resentfully muttering to himself.

"I'm not a raccoon boy... I'm a big man... Hmph, raccoon boy..."