Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Snow Queen was staring at him.

Tango had stopped by a convenience store on his way home from work, intent on a ham sandwich and a bag of chips, when he’d caught sight of his own face peering at him from the magazine rack, between a local newspaper and a GigaGab tabloid.

He halted in his tracks to stare back. It was a good photo, taken during one of her nightly patrols. The Snow Queen was standing under a streetlamp, icicles clutched in her hands and a flurry of snow drifting around her, sparkling in the light. Tango thought back to when this would have been taken. Right! A couple of weeks ago, when he’d tried to stop Muddler from wrecking a bunch of cars parked on the street. He hadn’t even seen the photographer, despite the fact that he looked as though he was making direct eye contact with the viewer.

Tango reached out and snagged a copy of the magazine to take a closer look. The Snow Queen was angry, her eyebrows pulled low and her lips set in a sneer. Her icy eyelashes glittered, sweeping out to the sides of her face like wings. The ice in her hair shone a bright white on the page, a halo behind her head.

His heart did a funny flutter in his chest. What the fuck? Why did this picture make him so happy? It wasn’t just the attention, the recognition. He knew that much.

You know why you feel like this. You just won’t admit it.

The magazine was a monthly news and entertainment publication local to Allayson. In big letters along the bottom of the cover, it read, “Let It Snow! The Scoop on Allayson’s Favorite Royal!”

Tango reached out and grabbed two more copies. He carried them up to the counter, sandwich forgotten, and bought all three.

"And that was Dr. Hekyll and Mr. Jive by Men At Work from their second album, released in 1982! One of my favorite bands, man. Hey, so how many of you have heard of the Snow Queen, huh? Anyone who pays attention to the super-scene here in Allayson, I’m sure!”

Tango groaned, pulling his earbud out and hiding his face in his hands. Skizz! What the hell was he doing, talking about her on his stupid radio show while Tango was at work! How the hell was Tango supposed to deal with his face heating up like this?!

He put his earbud back in and lifted his head to try and focus back on his work.

"...and I mean, sure, there are plenty of perfectly lovely superheroes and vigilantes workin’ their butts off out there every night, but it’s just so nice to see a lady of a certain age out there with all those young folks, y’know?”

“Skizz! What does that even mean?!” Tango bit out, struggling to keep his voice down. Despite his reddening cheeks and his annoyance with his best friend, Tango was actually feeling more… flustered than embarrassed. Obviously, Skizz was just saying these things because he liked to hype Tango up, but he was also paid to say things on the radio.

Which begged the question…. Were there other people who actually felt that way about the Snow Queen?

Tango’s face was on fire, and he couldn’t even risk using his ice powers to cool off.

"...if you see her, make sure to say hi from ol’ Skizz, will ya? Tell ‘er I like candlelight dinners and romantic walks on the beach. Aw, man, I talked too long!” Music began fading in as Skizz’s voice grew quieter, and his next words came out rushed. “This is Sign of the Times by Quiet Riot from their 1984 album Con—“ The rest of his sentence was completely overtaken by the lyrics, and Tango had to force back a laugh.

Skizz and his stupid bits and his stupidly sweet nature. Ugh! Tango hated the guy, really.

As the music continued, Tango let himself fall back into his work, fingers flying across the keyboard.

It was nearing the end of January, and Tango had been acting as the Snow Queen for over two months now. That didn’t seem like very long, and yet to Tango it seemed like he was living a whole other life.

It still wasn’t the life he’d yearned for all these years, but it was something. It was good.

Something was still missing.

Last year around this time, he’d barely been able to manage going to work and back. Everything was so dark and gray, bleak. Work left him exhausted, sleep left him exhausted. Skizz had gotten ahold of one of those sun lamp thingies to try and get him some light therapy, but it had been a struggle to even turn the thing on.

This year, Tango felt more clear-headed than he had in years.

He took a deep breath as he made his way to the train station. The cold morning air sank into his lungs, and he drank it down greedily, even tainted as it was with the scent of exhaust. It wouldn’t be long now ‘til the days started getting noticeably longer. These morning walks would be beautiful then, with the rising sun painting the city in shades of red and pink.

His morning walks were beautiful now, if he was honest. It was still dark, but the sky lightened up the longer he was out here, changing to a soft, dark blue. People passed him in the streets, sometimes silently, huddled in their thick coats; sometimes they whistled a tune, or gave him a smile as they passed. He would always return the gesture, feeling less like a boring, middle-aged man and more like a fellow citizen.

It was strange, how much that differentiation mattered.

It was strange, how much he owed to the Snow Queen.

Tango: you still good to join us for friday night hangout?

Jimjam: ofc! as long as youre fine with me showin up so late

Tango: not a problem. we’ll grab you some grub that reheats easy

Jimjam: oh you dont have to do that i can pick up somethin myself

Tango: the host always treats! one of the rules of friday night hangouts

Jimjam: ok but one of these days ill be the one hostin!

Tango: lookin forward to it!

“I know, Tango! I’m an excellent secret-keeper, I won’t say a word!”

“You can’t even make a reference Zed! No jokes, no passing thoughts, nothin’!” Tango was pacing back and forth from the fridge to the end of the couch, running his hand through his hair. “This is the first time we’ve had someone else in this group, and it’s way too risky to let him know about me! I mean I barely even know the guy. Agh, what was I thinking inviting him here?!”

"You were thinking that he needed a reason to get out of his house, and you needed a new friend,” Skizz said. He was seated on the couch, wings and arms stretched comfortably behind him. “Seriously, Top, calm down! No one’s gonna say anything, and if you get tipsy and start tryin’ to show off your party tricks, I’ll just stop you again.”

Tango groaned, grabbing his face with both hands. “Still can’t believe I did that.”

Zed snorted from the kitchen island. “I can. For someone hiding from the government, you sure do love showing off your powers when you’re drunk.”

“Zed!” Tango dropped his hands. “Look, that’s not gonna be a problem because I am not drinking tonight. That would be a disaster for certain.”

“Tango,” Skizz said. His voice was calm, and when Tango looked at him, he saw his head tilted back, a lopsided smile on his face. He lifted one hand and gestured him over to the couch. “Come sit down before you wear a hole in the carpet. It’s gonna be fine, man, I promise.”

With a sigh, Tango obeyed, plopping down beside Skizz. He leaned over and rested his head against Skizz’s chest and let his eyes fall closed. Skizz wrapped his big, strong arm around Tango’s shoulders and held him close. Ever so slightly, Tango began to relax.

Then the doorbell rang.

Tango jumped up, knocking Skizz’s arm aside, and dashed for the door. He stopped just shy of it and quickly rearranged his hair, then he opened the door.

Jimmy stood in the hall, his bright blond hair and brilliant blue-and-yellow wings shining with tiny water droplets. He was wrapped up in several layers of coats, as usual, and was in the process of removing his scarves. “Tango, hi!” he said. “So glad you answered, I was genuinely worried I would get the wrong apartment or something.”

“Well, get your butt in here!” Tango stepped out of the way so he could come inside. “Want me to grab you a towel? Didn’t realize it had started snowin’.”

Jimmy followed him inside the apartment and shut the door behind him. “A towel would be great, actually, thanks. Er, where should I put my coat?”

“Anywhere! You can drape it over one of these stools here if you want. Hey, Skizz! Can I grab one of your special feather skadoodler things?”

“Oh, you don’t need to—“

“Yeah, top shelf in the bathroom cabinet. Hey, Jimmy, nice to see you again!” Skizz stood and turned to face him, opening his arms up.

Tango slipped past him to go grab one of Skizz’s feather towels that were very explicitly not to be used for anything but Avian feathers. Skizz had stressed this many times, and it had still taken Tango until the last five or so years to stop using them to mop up spills.

He brought it back to the living room in time to see Skizz releasing Jimmy from an embrace, and to notice that Jimmy’s face was quite red. More than just a flush from the cold outside, he guessed. Tango handed over the towel with a chuckle.

“Thanks.” Jimmy took a step back so he could open his wings a bit, twisting so he could wipe off the worst of the wetness.

“Take a seat wherever when you’re all dried off,” Tango said, heading into the kitchen. “I’ll get your food warmed up.”

“Thanks, ‘preciate it.”

Jimmy settled onto the couch with Skizz, and Zed suggested the four of them watch a movie.

“Movie?” Tango asked as Jimmy’s dinner spun around in the microwave. “That’s at least two hours. Didn’t you wanna get home soon?”

Zed turned to him with big, wet eyes, their ears downturned. “Are you trying to get rid of me?” they asked in the most pitiful voice Tango had ever heard. “I see. You just want to replace me with Jimmy, don’t you?”

Tango rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Zed, that’s definitely been the plan all along. Dummy. You said you wanted to be in bed before one so you could get up early tomorrow!”

Zed snickered, his ears returning to their more cheerful position. “I did say that, didn’t I?” He shrugged. “Well, I won’t watch the whole movie, then!”

The microwave beeped, and Tango turned to grab Jimmy’s dinner out of it. “Well, what do you guys think?” he called over to the couch.

“I wouldn’t mind a movie,” Jimmy said. “But honestly, I’m fine with whatever you all normally do.”

“That would be… ‘not much,’” Tango said, handing him his plate. “We usually just sit around and shoot the shit.”

“Well, I don’t mind a bit of that, either!” Jimmy said as he started to eat. “Long as you don’t mind that I’m pretty boring.”

“Join the club!” Tango laughed. He sat beside Jimmy, maybe a little too stiffly. “I’m as boring as they get.”

“Well, I certainly am not!” Zed piped up. They held up a piece of the redstone project they were tinkering with, which was currently little more than a tangle of wires and quartz.

“Me neither!” Skizz leaned around Jimmy to poke at Tango. “And neither are you, Top.”

“Can I ask—“ Jimmy began, then stopped. “Er, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt! But, um, can I ask where that nickname came from?”

“What, Top?” Skizz shrugged. “Where all my nicknames come from, I guess.”

“All your nicknames?”

“Yep! I am the king of nicknames. We got Top over here, a’course. Over there bein’ a huge nerd is Zeddlebop.”

“If I’m a nerd, then you’re a dumb jock!”

“—and Impulse—you know Impulse, yeah?—he’s Dippledop. Now, you….” Skizz gave Jimmy a once-over, his eyes narrowing and the tip of his tongue poking out from between his lips. “...You are definitely a Jiggles!”

“Excuse me?”

Tango snorted out a laugh. “Jiggles? Where the hell did you get Jiggles, Skizz?!”

“Same place I get all my nicknames! Like I just said!”

“stars, okay. Welcome to the gang, Jiggles!” Tango wiped at his eyes. “Good goddamn days, Skizz.”

“I, uh, I guess I’ll accept it, then? Thanks?”

“You’re welcome.” Skizz folded his arms smugly across his chest. “Now, about that movie?”

Zed left about an hour later, leaving the remaining trio on the couch with some generic action flick playing on the TV. None of them had really been paying too much attention to it, choosing instead to chat while it played in the background.

Once the movie ended, Jimmy stretched, his wing knocking into Tango’s shoulder. “Oh, geez, sorry,” he said, pulling them back in.

“It’s cool, don’t worry about it. I deal with Skizz all the time.”

“Rude!”

“Right, well. I should probably get going.” Jimmy stood. “Thanks again for inviting me.”

“’Course!” Tango scrambled to his feet, too. “Feel free to join us anytime. This was fun!”

Jimmy went over to the kitchen island to start pulling his winter gear back on, but then he stopped, staring at something with raised eyebrows. Tango followed his gaze to find one of the Snow Queen magazines he’d picked up recently sitting out on the counter. He felt himself flush.

“Huh!” Jimmy reached out and picked it up. “I hadn’t actually seen this picture.”

“Isn’t it great?” Skizz asked from just behind Tango, causing him startle. “That Snow Queen is a real pretty lady, eh?”

“I’ll say.” Jimmy laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I don’t usually get too invested in heroes an’ all that, but I hafta say that there’s a reason she’s getting so much attention.”

“Right?! It’s about the maturity, I think. Most superheroes start out pretty young and step outta the limelight before they’re, what? Thirty-five, forty?”

“Mm. The maturity is definitely part of her appeal, yeah. And she has this, like, very regal air about her, y’know?”

“Oh, dude, I totally know.”

“Also, she could probably kick my ass. That’s always hot.”

“She couldn’t kick my ass, but I agree nonetheless!”

Throughout the conversation, Tango found himself burning steadily hotter and hotter. Skizz! Why are you doing this to me?! He knew Skizz was riling him up, but that didn’t stop him from getting riled up! And if Jimmy knew they were talking about Tango, he would definitely not be saying these things.

“Tango, can’t help but notice you’ve been awfully quiet on the topic,” Jimmy said with a grin. “So? Feelings on Snow Queen?”

I am Snow Queen!

I wish I was Snow Queen. For real.

“Well, I mean, I’m not into women, so I don’t think I can give a good answer to that,” Tango replied, fighting to keep his voice even.

“Oh, you’re not? Like, at all?” Jimmy gave him a look—something Tango couldn’t identify—and bit at his lower lip. “That’s cool. I’m, er, also into men. I mean. And women, obviously.” He gestured with the magazine he was still holding, then cringed a bit. “Sorry, probably an awkward way to come out, huh?”

“Aw, Jimmy Jiggles, don’t you worry your pretty little head!” Skizz patted him on the shoulder. “For the record, I’m pan. Not real choosy, y’know?”

“Cool. Cool, cool, uh, good to know!” Jimmy cleared his throat and set the magazine back down. “Well, uh, I’m gonna actually leave now, so. Bye Tango, bye Skizz.” He pulled his coat on and zipped it up, his wings popping through the back. He reached behind himself and tugged at the velcro flap, pushing it into place to keep the warmth from escaping through the gap. “I’ll see you at work on Monday.”

“You got it.” Tango gave him a wide grin, following him to the door. “Have a good weekend, alright? And come join us next week if you’ve got the time!”

“I will.” Jimmy smiled, his warm brown eyes flickering merrily in the light, and then he was out the door and gone.

Tango lay awake far too late that night.

Images and sounds played through his head over and over again, and he knew what they were trying to tell him. He knew what they meant, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually think it, to form the words in his mind that would confirm it.

Snow Queen on the cover of a magazine.

“A lady of a certain age.”

The drape of a skirt.

“She. Her. Lady. Queen.”

Weight on his chest, the shape they formed beneath his clothes.

You know what it means!

Gem, with her antlers and her feminine… everything.

You know what it means.

You know what this is!

The Snow Queen, with her crystalline crown and her blue lips curving into a smile.

You know what it means, Tango.

Admit it!

“Hey, Skizz. You got a minute?”

Skizz was in the process of eating a microwave burrito, and he looked over at Tango with his mouth stuffed full. “Mm! Mm, mjunn gmmee mm mimmim,” he said.

“Uh, yeah, please chew and swallow that before we have this conversation.”

Tango plopped himself onto the couch. He felt jittery all over, like there were bees in his veins. His heart was beating hard in his chest, and he clenched his fists on his knees.

“Mm’kay, shorry, I’m done!” Skizz slid onto the couch beside him, turning so his back was to the arm, wings hanging over the edge. “Alright, homeh buddeh, what seems to be the problem?”

Tango took a shaky breath. How the hell was he supposed to do this? How the hell was he supposed to say this, any of this?

It wasn’t that he thought Skizz would judge him. Never. Skizz was the most loving person Tango had ever known. It was just… so hard to say this. Why was it so hard?! Coming out as gay hadn’t been this hard. Not to Skizz, at least.

Tango bit his lip so hard he nearly broke the skin.

“...Top? Hey, is everything okay?”

Skizz reached over and covered one of Tango’s hands with both of his own. Tango lifted his head to meet Skizz’s gaze, and he saw the worry there.

He took another breath, and another. He swallowed.

“Skizz,” he said, and he sounded so whiny and pathetic, oh gods, he couldn’t do this.

“Take your time, Tango,” Skizz said, voice soothing. “I’m here.”

He was here. Skizz was always here.

There had been a time when that wasn’t true. Back when Tango had finally started giving up hope of ever working with redstone again, back when he’d felt like he had to do one thing right, at least.

Tango and Skizz had been friends since childhood. They’d been inseparable. It had only made sense that they would fall in love, too.

They had dated for less than a year, and it had almost ruined them. It had taken several more years for them to get back to normal, to admit they needed each other, just not like that. Those few years had nearly killed Tango. They barely spoke, and when they did it was so polite and stilted.

But they’d pushed through it, and they’d arrived at where they were now.

And Skizz was here. He was always here. For Tango.

“I… I think I might be a woman.”

Skizz blinked at him. His hands tightened on Tango’s. Tango felt his heart climbing up his throat, and he swallowed it back down, his eyes never leaving Skizz’s.

“Are you serious?” Skizz’s voice was careful, his eyes searching.

Tango nodded once, a slow motion. “I. I am. I-I’ve been thinking about things a lot lately, for, uh, y’know. Obvious reasons. And I, uh, yeah. I think I’m a woman.”

Skizz held him like that for a beat longer, and then he leaned forward, throwing his arms around him and squeezing him tight, pulling him in and pressing his face into the crook of Tango’s neck.

“You know I love you, Top,” he said. “I’m happy for you, man—er, ma’am?—I will do anything to support you. And I mean anything, bud. All you gotta do is tell me, an ol’ Skizz’ll take care of it!” He pulled back, holding Tango at arm’s length. “I love you so much, Tango. So much!”

Tango laughed, one part relief and one part joy. “I know, Skizz. I love you, too. I have… no goddamn idea what I’m supposed to do now that I, like, have it figured out, or whatever. But, uh, if I think of somethin’, I’ll let you know.”

“You should talk to Zed about this,” Skizz said, pulling Tango back into a hug. He leaned back, pulling Tango with him so he was half in his lap, laying against Skizz’s soft chest. “I mean, unless you don’t wanna share this with ‘em? Which is totally fine, obviously, that’s entirely your choice, but—“

“I’ll probably talk to ‘em,” Tango agreed. He snuggled into Skizz, his best friend in the entire world, his best friend in every dimension. “I dunno how much they can help me, though, I mean. They basically went the opposite way I, uh, am. Y’know?”

“I mean, sure, but I bet he can do somethin’ for ya. Even if it’s just lendin’ a sympathetic ear, y’know?” Skizz pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

“Yeah. You’re right.” Tango let his eyes fall closed, relaxing into him. “Thanks, Skizz.”

“Always, Tango. Always.”

Chapter Text

It was only a few hours after Tango’s conversation with Skizz that Snow Queen was on the streets again.

With the beginning of February quickly approaching, the nights were slowly beginning to shorten. Soon, Tango would have to figure out how to be comfortable being Snow Queen in the daylight, if he didn’t want to cut her active hours too short. So far, Tango had been leaving the apartment with the Snow Queen outfit tucked beneath a long winter coat and a pair of baggy pants and stripping out of them once he came to a dark, hidden area.

That wouldn’t work when the sun was out. Tango would have to figure out a new way to sneak out of his apartment.

...Her apartment?

That was a thought for another time. For now, the Snow Queen was on duty.

“Alright, Zee, you still with me?”

“Roger that, Frosty!” Zed spoke over the earpiece as Tango began scaling the office building. “Nothing interesting on the scanner so far. Well, unless you feel like catching a cab to the Riverside district.”

“Not if I can help it, thanks. I’ll stick to my own side of town.” Tango climbed quickly, forming ice hand- and foot-holds and letting them melt when he had passed them. Once at the top of the building, he reached into his utility belt, intending to pull out a torch, but—

“I thought you’d be here.”

Tango screamed, high in the back of his throat, an ice spear already forming in his hand. Then he clocked who, exactly, had spoken.

“Oh, sun and stars, Cute Guy! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

Over the earpiece, Zed laughed. “Gotta keep your guard up, SQ!”

“Sorry,” said Cute Guy, who didn’t sound very sorry at all. He was standing a few yards away, wings open to either side of him.

Tango let the ice spear melt and raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?” he asked. When Skizz held his wings like that, it was either excitement or anxiety. Tango was really hoping this was excitement.

“I said I’d give you information when I had it,” Cute Guy said. His wings shifted, folding in closer to him. Anxiety, then.

“You also said you’d leave a note—oh, shit. The codes? You got ‘em figured out?” He took a few steps closer.

“Not entirely.” Cute Guy reached into his crop top and pulled out a palm-sized computer. It looked like an old smartphone—the kind with actual buttons, not just a touchscreen—that had been reconfigured and built upon. Tango’s fingers itched to take it apart, to figure out all the changes. “My contacts were able to figure out a few things. Here, take a look.”

Cute Guy’s fingers danced over the keypad, and the screen filled with text. He held the device out for Tango to take. “If you notice, each of the words in the documents contain an odd number of letters.”

Tango nodded, holding the screen away from his face. Stars, he wished he had his reading glasses with him. “Yeah, we noticed that, too.”

The computer screen only displayed a few lines of text at once. “Unity 252 Place 12 Grandfather 129 Eagle 689 Shallow 48 Ostracize 856,” were what he could make out.

“What you need to do,” Cute Guy continued, “is to pinpoint the center letter of each word.”

“Okay. That gives us… I-A-F-G-L-A. ...I assume there’s more to it than that.” Tango gave a wry chuckle.

“The number immediately following each word.” Cute Guy reached for the computer again, pointing to each one. “That’s the number of times you need to shift the letters to make the actual words.”

Tango squinted at the screen. His mind whirred as he did some quick calculations. “M’kay, I 252 becomes A, A 12 is M….” he muttered to himself. “A-M-E-T-H-Y. Amethyst?”

There was silence for a long moment, and Tango looked back to Cute Guy. His mouth hung open, and when he noticed Tango looking at him, he snapped it shut with an audible click. “...How did you do that so quickly?”

Tango shrugged. “Uh, I dunno. Just what I do, I guess?”

Cute Guy gave a little hum of interest, then shook his head and turned back to the computer. “Right. So most of the documents become perfectly readable if you translate them that way. However, there are a few bits that still return absolute nonsense. There must be another layer to those ones we haven’t figured out yet.”

Tango nodded. He turned his head to the right, away from Cute Guy, and pressed his earpiece. “You got that, Zee?”

“Oh boy, do I!” Zed sounded cheerful as ever in his ear. “I’m already going through a file now! Can’t believe I didn’t realize this before; it’s a very simple code, after all.”

“See if you can crack the rest of it, then. Thanks, buddy.”

Tango turned back to Cute Guy, whose head was tilted now as he, presumably, watched him through his dark glasses. “Didn’t realize you had an earpiece,” he said. “Who are you talking to?”

Tango cleared his throat. “Friend of mine. Don’t worry about ‘em. Now, what can you tell me about the documents?”

The feathers on Cute Guy’s head ruffled up, then quickly laid flat once again. He snatched the computer from Tango’s hand, pulling up another document. This one was written in plain text, perfectly translated. “Most of what you gave me was inventory sheets and invoices,” he said. “Not very useful, honestly, but at least that confirms they were definitely not watch makers.”

Redstone, Unrefined | 30,000 units | Bakkin Mines Inc.

Nether Quartz | 2,000 units | Bastion Ind.

Wire, Copper | 23,000 units | DigE LLC

Most of the stuff on this list were pretty standard electronics parts. Copper, redstone, and Nether quartz were used in everything from torches to vehicles.

Further down the list, however, were several suspicious items.

Amethyst, uncut | 1,500 units | Spyglass Gems

Amethyst, cut | 200 units | Spyglass Gems

Lapis Lazuli, uncut | 200 units | Bakkin Mines Inc.

SLK-3.21 | 50 units | —

“What the hell is S-L-K-three-dot-twenty-one?” Tango asked. The amethyst, he figured, was used as a redstone enhancer in some of the sketchy devices the company made. The lapis, he wasn’t sure of; he’d never heard of the stuff being used in machinery. But the last item was the strangest of all.

“I have no idea. Searching it up returned absolutely nothing.”

“Zee? Anything?”

“Nope, never heard of it. If I had more information, I might be able to make some guesses.”

Tango frowned, tapping one foot on the ground. “And there was nothing in any of the other documents?”

“None that were decoded. Maybe in one of those that’s tougher to crack, though.”

“And the video and audio files?”

“Still working on those.”

Tango held out his hand. “Can I see one of the docs you couldn’t figure out?”

Cute Guy nodded and pulled up another file, handing the computer over. Tango squinted at it.

“Performer 22 Salvation 3 Burial 5 Slice 22 Treat 6 Exact 13”

Kdwekn? Well, that’s not a word. He tried it in reverse. Sxmmyn? Also not a word! “Is it in a different language?”

“Not that I can figure out.” Cute Guy blew out a huff of air, a cloud of steam appearing in the January chill. “My contacts tried every language they could find translators for. They tried combining it with every code they knew of. They tried backwards, forwards, multiplication, everything!” He threw his arms up, wings opening with the motion. “There has to be a key somewhere. If we can find it, we can—“

“Did they try going from the bottom up?”

Cute Guy froze, staring at him. “...Did they try what?”

“From the bottom up.” Tango scrolled down to the bottom of the page and moved backwards. “It looks to me like the document itself is reversed in this one. Let’s see… ‘The testing phase of…’ What the hell is this?! Oh, it’s an acronym. Or whatever. ‘The testing phase of S-three-five-eight is reaching its conclusion.’” He stopped, lifting his head to look at Cute Guy again. Cute Guy was gaping at him, his mouth hanging open. “Er… you okay there?”

“Frosty, if I weren’t in a loving relationship already, I would be so turned on right now by your big brains.”

“How did you do that?!” Cute Guy grabbed for the handheld computer again, bringing it up close to his face. “M— my contacts didn’t even think of doing that.”

Tango’s face was hot. He pushed more frost to his cheeks to keep them cool and blue-tinged. “Uh, I mean. It seemed like the logical next step?” He cleared his throat. “The, uh, first word on the page seems to be a. A, um. A misdirect-ificator. Thing.”

Cute Guy handed the computer back to him. “I can not do this without a pen and paper nearby,” he said. “Read the whole thing out for me, will you?”

So Tango did. Neither he nor Cute Guy fully understood what the document was about. It used a lot of codewords (S358, KE593, R90) without providing any descriptions. They were all devices of some kind—Tango could at least tell that much—that were being actively tested at the factory. Some of the tests were nearly completed, some just beginning, and others were failures, apparently. There was nothing here that seemed important to the two of them, not without more information.

That is, until they neared the end of the document.

“’...though the first iteration of G-nine-four-zero was a failure, E-H-D-A—‘ Wait, what? EHDA?” Tango blinked.

“Keep going.”

Tango obliged, heartrate picking up speed. “’...a failure, EHDA has requested that we begin work on a new prototype. As we only have so many people skilled enough for the work, we will have to put aside several lower-priority projects in order to continue.’” Tango shook his head. He gripped the computer harder . “What… what does that mean? ”

“We won’t know until we figure out what the codenames are for,” Cute Guy said. “Hopefully, it’s written in one of the files you took.”

“No, not— not that. I mean the thing about EHDA. What does it mean, ‘EHDA has requested…?’ Weren’t they…. I mean, the watch factory thing was a cover-up, right? So why would EHDA, a government agency, be, like, working with them or whatever?” It just didn’t add up.

Cute Guy’s mouth twitched into a frown, lips tightening. “...No, this doesn’t surprise me one bit, actually.”

“What?” Tango balked. “Why not?”

“Oof,” Zed’s voice in his ear. “Uh, Frosty, there’s more.”

Cute Guy started to say something, and Tango held up a finger to silence him. He turned away again, pressing a hand over his earpiece. “Zee?”

“Well, er, I’ve decoded another document while you were parsing through that one,” Zed began. “And it details several rather… shady dealings, shall we say?”

“Shady how?” There was an anxious flutter beneath Tango’s ribcage.

“Shady like supplying goods to a known human trafficking ring, for starters.”

The flutter became a tremor, vibrating up and down Tango’s spine. His breath caught in his throat, eyes flicking over to Cute Guy. “...Human trafficking?”

Cute Guy didn’t react past the tightening of his wings.

“I think you were right on the money that the kidnappers you caught were connected to the guys who attacked Cute Guy later. There’s something big going on here, Frosty.”

This didn’t make any sense. How could EHDA be connected to those goons he’d fought? Connected to people who had tried to kidnap Pearl, who had attacked Cute Guy?

It didn’t make any sense.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Tango muttered.

Cute Guy shifted on his claws. “Look, don’t— don’t think about it too hard, right now,” he said. “Go home and take a break, look over the files when you can. We’ll figure it all out later.”

It had to be a misunderstanding, right? EHDA might have worked with those guys for some reason, but they didn’t know about the other things they were up to. That would make sense. But, also….

“Why did Wraith burn down the factory?” Tango turned and began pacing along the rooftop. “If they were into some real fucked-up shit like human trafficking, you’d think a supervillain would at least leave them be, right? And Wraith was there when I went to check it out. They were hiding evidence, right?” Tango whirled to face Cute Guy. “Do you have any idea why Wraith would just turn around and burn it down like that?”

Cute Guy took a step back, folding his arms over his chest. “...I have a good idea,” he said.

“And that would be…?”

His lips twitched. “... I don’t think I should share that information.”

“What? Why not?”

“Listen.” Cute Guy took a few steps closer. “I appreciate your help with this little mystery of ours, but there’s still a lot you don’t understand.”

“Then tell me!”

“I don’t trust you.” Cute Guy let his arms drop to his sides. His wings opened up wide behind him, and with a great flap, he launched himself into the air. “Goodbye, Frostbite. I’ll be in touch.” He pivoted, wings shifting gracefully, and flew off into the city.

Tango bit his tongue hard, watching him go. Anger rose up in him, red-hot fury, and he stomped his foot against the rooftop, dragging the sole of his boot across the concrete. When that didn’t help, he dropped to his knees and balled his hands into fists and slammed them into the roof until they ached. The heat slowly faded from his mind, and the sounds of t he city night returned to him: car horns and engines, sirens and occasional shouts. It was all normal, the same as it ever was; and yet, Tango felt like some part of the world had shifted irreversibly. He didn’t know what was true anymore. Not right now.

“Come on, bud,” Zed’s voice, soft and calming. “Go on home for the night. We’ll figure it out in the morning.”

Tango took a deep breath, staring out over Allayson. Then he turned, and began climbing down the building.

Chapter Text

Tango was starting to regret smashing the factory’s computer.

Sure, yes, it would have been burnt to a crisp when Wraith and their gaggle of supervillains destroyed the place anyway, but still. Surely there had been something important on there, something that would make it abundantly clear that EHDA did not, in fact, have anything to do with the shady dealings.

With a groan, Tango swiped his glasses off his face and leaned forward to let his face fall into his hands. His head ached from deciphering the code and piecing everything together. He had come over to Zed’s place before noon to work on this, and now it was nearing dinnertime. They had found two more mentions of EHDA, both implying that they were working with the organization, and Tango was sick of it .

Beside him, Zed heaved a sigh, reaching over to pat Tango on the shoulder. “Hey, let’s take a break, okay?” they suggested. “We’ve been at this for a while, and I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry.”

“Yeah, sure. I could go for some grub.” Tango straightened up, stretching his arms up over his head. “Zed. This shit is fucked up.”

That startled a laugh out of Zed. “Oh, Tango my friend, I couldn’t have said it better myself.” He closed his laptop rather decisively and placed it on the coffee table, shoving a few redstone components out of the way. “Now, shall I order in, or should we try our hand at cobbling together something edible?”

“Do you have anything more nutritious than instant ramen?”

Zed hummed in the back of their throat, one ear flicking. “Probably not, no. Maybe some marinara sauce in the fridge if you want to add that to your ramen.”

Tango made a face. “Thanks, but no thanks. If you’re cool with it, we can order something from the pho place down the street?”

“Of course! You want your usual, then?”

“You got it!”

While Zed placed their dinner order, Tango excused himself to the bathroom to wash up. Though Zed lived alone, his partner came by fairly frequently, and the small bathroom was packed with hygiene and specialized hair-care products.

The mirror, which was half-obscured by all the items on the shelf in front of it, sat just above the sink, and as Tango washed his hands, he couldn’t help but stare at his reflection.

It was the same as ever: a permanent crease between his eyebrows, dark bags under his eyes, thinning hair. He dried his hands, lifted them to his face, and swept them across his eyes. Tiny ice crystals now clung to his eyelashes, and his cheeks tinted toward blue.

The chill, ever comfortable, did something to his skin, and the eye bags all but disappeared. He smiled at his reflection, pointed teeth flashing.

And suddenly there were butterflies in his stomach, because he’d remembered that he hadn’t only come here to work on breaking the code with Zed. He’d also come to have a conversation. A scary conversation.

Tango took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and stepped back into the living room.

Zed was still seated on the couch, typing something on his phone. He glanced up as Tango sat down, then did a double-take. “Er, Tango? Everything alright?”

Tango bit his lip. Telling Skizz had been hard enough. He told Skizz everything. But Zed? Why did it feel so much harder to tell Zed? It’s not like they would judge him for— for this. Of all people, Zed would be the one to understand this the most.

But still. Tango’s chest was tight, and he felt nauseous.

“I’m… good. Yeah. Uh, listen, man, can I… can I ask for your… gah, I dunno!” Tango put his hands on his cheeks, letting frost coat his skin.

“ Hey .” Zed tilted their head, watching him carefully. “Calm down, bud. I’ll help you with whatever you need.”

Because they were a good friend, and they cared about him, and Tango just needed to tell him, and it would all be perfect.

“Okay. Uh. Here goes.” He let out a shaky breath, steadying himself. Hands fell to his lap. “Zed, I, uh. I need… your help. Um. I think… I’m pretty sure that… uh. I’m a woman…?” Tango cringed at the way his voice broke and petered off.

Zed gasped, clasped their hands together. “Are you really?” Their voice pitched higher.

Tango watched them, watched the way their face lit up and their eyes sparkled. He gave them a trembling smile. “Yeah. Yeah, uh. I… I already kinda talked it over with Skizz?”

“Okay, excellent! Wonderful, even! So, should I be using she/her for you, or would you rather use a different set?”

“Oh, I, uh.” Tango cleared his throat. “I-I guess I haven’t actually thought about it too much? Uh. I mean. If I’m a w-woman, what else is there?”

Zed gave a little chuckle. “Oh, Tango. You can use any pronouns you like! You can continue using he/him if you like. Or there are tons of neopronouns if you want to check those out!”

“Well, I. Um. Can I decide on that later?”

“Absolutely. You can change your pronouns whenever you want.” Zed grinned at him, then leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a side hug. “Sorry if I come on too strong. This is just so exciting for me! Ah!” They released him, pulling back to see him better. “So how did you figure it out? If you don’t mind sharing, of course.”

“Well, it’s probably pretty obvious, but, uh. The whole… Snow Queen thing, really.” Tango gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Uh, I dunno, just something about everyone calling me a woman and saying I’m, uh, pretty and stuff.” He twiddled with his thumbs, remembering the conversation Jimmy and Skizz had had over the Snow Queen magazine cover. His face heated up, and he forced more cold into his cheeks. “Also, the, uh. The breast plate. Um. That— that definitely, uh. Helped.”

Zed’s smile only grew. “I’m glad to hear it! I was actually a bit worried when I gave it to you. I thought it might make you feel, mm, emasculated, I suppose. But it gave you gender euphoria instead! Oh, happy days!”

“Yeah, I guess so. I, uh. Would you be willing to, um, answer some questions for me?”

“Tango, I would love to.”

Their food arrived, and the two of them continued their conversation throughout the meal.

“Aren’t I too old to have a gender crisis or whatever this is?” “Tango, you are never too old to have a gender crisis.”

“What is this gonna change?” “It doesn’t have to change anything, if you don’t want it to. You can be as open as you like, or just keep it to yourself or your friends.”

“Do I have to, you know, get hormones or whatever?” “Only if you want to. That’s a big step and involves a lot more people, so take your time considering it.”

“...Can you use she/her for me? For a while, at least? When it’s just you and me, I mean. And Skizz. ...And Impulse. I still gotta tell him, agh, what is he gonna say?” “Of course I will! Impulse will support you just as much as Skizz and I will.”

“You know,” said Tango, as she was packing up her things to catch the train home, “you’re a real good friend.”

Zed beamed. “I try my best.” He leaned in to give her another hug, squeezing tight. “See you at work tomorrow. Have a good night!”

“You too. Thanks, Zed.”

And of course, Zed was right.

Impulse was just as happy and supportive of her as the other two.

“Tango! Hey, I had somethin’ I wanted to ask you.”

Jimmy was already in the office lobby when Tango exited the elevator. His winter layers had been shed, bundled up under his arm, and the feathers of his wings were a little out of place again. Despite that, he had a wide grin on his face.

“Oh, yeah?” Tango stepped toward him, her own much lighter jacket slung over her forearm. “What’s up, Jimjam?”

Jimmy snorted out a laugh, and his eyes shone brighter. “It sounds funnier out loud than through text,” he said. Then, “Mm, right! Well, me an’ some of my friends are gettin’ together this weekend, and I wanted to know if you’d like to come along?”

Tango blinked, taken aback. How long had it been since someone had invited her somewhere? Someone other than her immediate friend group, that was. A while. “Uh, well!” She cleared her throat. “Well, maybe! Uh, when?”

Jimmy’s expression had dimmed a bit. “Oh, Saturday. Early afternoon, I think? Er, you don’t have to come along, if you already have plans or anything.”

“No!” Tango stopped him before he could continue with that line of thought. “I mean, yeah! Yeah, sure, I can come. Uh, if you’re sure an old fogey like me wouldn’t put a damper on things!” She chuckled awkwardly.

“You are not an old fogey!” Jimmy sounded almost offended. “It’ll be tons of fun; we’re gonna go bug Gem at the aquarium.”

Tango’s interest was piqued further by the mention of Gem. “The aquarium? That sounds great! I’ll bring my swimsuit.” She feigned nonchalance, leaning against the closest wall.

A dusting of pink bloomed at the tops of Jimmy’s cheeks, and he laughed. “Yeah, uh, I’m sure the eels would love an in-person visitor!”

Tango made a face, scrunching up her nose and sticking her tongue out. “Okay, let’s nix the swimsuit idea.”

Jimmy’s laughter was accompanied by the soft ding of the elevator. The doors slid open, and a handful of people walked out, heading straight for the door. Among them was Impulse, who made a beeline for the two of them.

“Tango, Jimmy! Hey, good to see ya!”

“Hi, Impulse,” Jimmy greeted. “Oh, shoot, I gotta go clock in. Have a nice night, you two!” He waved, adjusting his bundle of winter clothes in his arms and heading for the elevator. “Tango, I’ll text you the details! Bye!”

“Bye, Jimmy!” Tango called back. When the elevator doors slid closed behind him, she turned her attention back to Impulse, who was looking at her with one eyebrow raised. “What?” she asked.

“What details is Jimmy texting you?” Impulse asked. The two of them started for the doors, Tango tugging on her jacket as they walked.

“I’m gonna hang out with him and his friends on Saturday,” she replied. “Goin’ to the aquarium in the afternoon.”

Now both of Impulse’s eyebrows rose. “Gem’s aquarium?”

“That’s the one.”

Impulse hummed low in his throat. “I’ll have to go see that sometime soon. Gem’s real proud of her work there, ya know. She talks about it quite a bit when we play together.”

“Why don’t you just come on Saturday?”

“Um, because I wasn’t invited?”

Tango paused mid-step, then quickly regained her senses and continued on her trek. That’s right, the invitation was only extended to Tango, wasn’t it? That was weird. Did Jimmy not like her friends? She’d thought for sure he liked Skizz quite a bit (and she would never blame anyone for that), and he hadn’t seemed to dislike Impulse. But was she wrong? That was worrying. Friday night hangouts would be difficult if everyone didn’t get along.

Of course, maybe Jimmy had intended to invite everyone, but got distracted when he realized he hadn’t clocked in yet. That sounded plausible.

Well, Tango would just have to ask him about it when he texted her later.

Chapter Text

Jimjam: hey so were gonna meet up at the train station nearest the aquarium n walk over

Jimjam: sound ok?

Jimjam: here ill send directions

Jimjam: [link]

Tango: sounds great! Are you inviting any of the other guys or just me?

Jimjam: oh I actually didnt think of that. they can come if they wanna

Tango: I’ll let them know then. Thanks Jimmy!

Jimjam: no prob! :)

Saturday morning, the first weekend of February, Tango and Skizz left the apartment together and made their way to the train station. It was a chilly morning, and Skizz grumbled about having to cover his arms. The sky was an open, clear blue, and the sun shone brightly up above. The city was full of life, and as they neared the station, Tango could smell a variety of fried foods from a series of food trucks parked nearby.

“Shit, I could really go for some fries right now,” Tango sighed wistfully. It was nearly lunch time, and Tango could feel her stomach gurgling as she was assaulted by the delicious odors.

Beside her, Skizz laughed and swatted her between the shoulder blades. “We’ll get somethin’ when we get there,” he said. “Can’t let my bestest buddy starve to death, after all!”

Tango snorted and bumped her shoulder into his, and the two continued onward.

The train stop was a simple bench beneath an awning sitting beside the light rail tracks, with a ticket machine nearby. There were several people waiting nearby, and Tango and Skizz joined them for the few minutes until the train clattered up the tracks.

They filed inside and took their seats. Someone nearby had brought their dog onboard, and they spent their trip carefully cleaning mud from its paws. Someone else started playing music loudly from their phone, quickly scrambling to plug their headphones in with a muttered, “Sorry, sorry!”

The whole journey took about half an hour, during which Skizz and Tango mostly played around on their phones, occasionally leaning in to show the other something and laugh about it. The city passed by the train’s windows, the announcer’s voice crackled through the speakers, and passengers came and went

“Next stop: 5^th and Riverside. Exits to the left.”

Tango nudged Skizz, who nodded and tucked his phone away. They stood, grabbing onto the railing, and carefully made their way to the door as the train screeched up to the station. Tango peered out of the window and managed to spot Jimmy and Grian standing on the sidewalk, along with a large man Tango didn’t recognize.

“Hey!” Tango called as she and Skizz approached the group.

Jimmy turned, flashing a grin. “Tango! Oh, and Skizz! Hi!”

“Hey there, homeh buddeh,” Skizz said. “Hope we’re not late!”

Jimmy shook his head. “Nah, nah, we’re still waitin’ on Pearl, actually.”

“Plus, me an’ Mumbo literally just got here,” Grian piped up.

Tango turned his focus on Grian and the man—Mumbo—standing close by. Grian was bundled up in a heavy, oversized red sweater, his thick glasses perched high on the bridge of his nose. His expression seemed a bit less stoic than when Tango had first met him at the bar. He had one hand tucked into the crook of Mumbo’s arm and a canvas messenger bag hanging on the opposite side.

Mumbo held out his free hand to Tango. “Hi, I’m Mumbo. It’s nice to meet you!”

Tango shook his hand. “Likewise!” Mumbo was tall. Taller than Skizz was, and much fatter. He wore a white dress shirt and red tie—knot pulled casually away from his neck—with a pair of black slacks, and he had a black-and-white cardigan over the top of it all. His hair was slicked back, and two pointed ears stood at the top of his head. They were tawny-colored, with little black tufts at the tips. His mouth was half-hidden by the rather impressive mustache he sported; it was clearly well cared-for and styled.

Mumbo turned his gaze to Skizz and offered him his hand, as well. “And you! You must be Skizz. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from this one.”

“Mumbo!” Grian hissed, digging his elbow into Mumbo’s side. Mumbo yelped.

Skizz shook Mumbo’s hand, laughing. “Skizz Elman, that’s me! Yeah, the G-man’s my number one fan, ain’t that right?”

Grian huffed. “I only said I listened to your show sometimes when I’m working! I said nothing about being your fan.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, man! I know the truth, you can admit it.” Skizz laughed, and Tango poked him in the ribs, smirking.

“Skizz is so conceited. Just tell ‘im to fuck off. It’s what I do.”

Skizz gasped dramatically. “Uh, excuse me? You’re just jealous of my legions of screaming fans!”

“Sure, Skizz. Keep tellin’ yourself that.”

Pearl arrived just a few minutes later when the next train arrived.

Skizz suggested they all grab lunch together, and it only took a bit of arguing before the group agreed to a little sandwich shop nearby. Skizz insisted on paying for everybody, no matter how much they all protested. Sandwiches acquired, they ate as they walked and chatted as they ate.

The aquarium was located along the river, which was wide and placid. The river split the city in two, and Tango could see the sun glittering off of the windows of the skyscrapers on the other side. The exterior of the aquarium building wasn’t anything too impressive: dark brick walls and a sloping metal roof with a sign hanging from the second story reading “Allayson Sea Labs Visitor Center.” There were three steps and a ramp leading to the front doors.

Inside, however, it was much more impressive.

The walls had been painted in varying shades of blue, with murals depicting stylized fish, aquatic plants, and other things found in rivers. Above their heads hung several fiberglass fish—Tango thought they might be trout, but she’d never really thought about fish all that much—and the reception desk had two small tanks on display, each housing several species of aquatic plants and some snails.

Tango and Skizz both stopped just inside the doors to admire the decorations; the other four made their way to the reception desk without them. A snail in the tank nearest the door poked out of its shell.

“Hi there,” Pearl said to the receptionist. “Don’t suppose Gem’s around, is she? Gem Tayfield?”

The receptionist smiled. “Hi again, Pearl. Yes, she’s here. I’ll get her stamp of approval and we’ll get your discount. Are you all together?”

“Yep! There’s…” Pearl turned to glance over everyone. “...Six of us here.”

“Big group today!” The receptionist typed on the keyboard. “We’re happy to have you here, as always. Oh, Gem!” He turned as a door behind him opened and Gem stepped out. “Some friends of yours stopped by.”

Gem beamed at the group, and Tango felt her heart stutter. Gem was dressed in a deep blue jumpsuit today, with her bright orange hair pulled back behind her ears into a braid. Her antlers were bare, but no less prominent. Don’t stare, don’t stare, you’ll come off as a creep! She couldn’t help it, though! Tango had had a hard time keeping her eyes off of Gem when they’d seen each other at the bar, for reasons she couldn’t quite put into words. But now, Tango had started coming to terms with some things about herself, and she knew that what she was feeling was a sense of comraderie, of kinship.

She forced her gaze away from Gem and looked over to Skizz, who was peering closely at the wall mural. “Hey, Skizz!” she muttered, catching his attention. “You gonna say hi?”

Skizz straightened up, eyes brightening. “Oh! Hi, Gemstone!” he said, hurrying over to the counter. Tango followed along behind him. “Good to see ya again! Impulse was tellin’ me somethin’ about some kinda crayfish tank you set up recently?”

Gem immediately launched into a spiel, gesturing for the group to follow her as she led them into another room. Tango watched her from behind Skizz, taking in her animated expressions and the way she seemed to shine, solidly in her element.

Tango didn’t notice when Jimmy broke away from the group until he bumped her shoulder with his own. “Hey, Tango,” he said quietly. “You alright? You seem kinda… I dunno. Out of it?”

Tango shook her head, sucking in a deep breath and turning toward Jimmy. His blond hair shone blue in the aquarium lights. “No,” she said. “I mean, yeah! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, nothin’ to worry about! All good, I promise.” She put on her best approximation of a reassuring smile, and Jimmy relaxed a modicum.

“Alright,” he said. “Just checkin’ in. …So, ah, what d’you think?”

“Uh, think?” Tango blinked at him. She watched his eyes crinkle at the corners as he laughed.

“About the aquarium.” He nodded toward the tank nearest them, which had a few different species of fish in it. “I guess you haven’t been here before, right?”

“No, I haven’t. I don’t get out much, remember?” She quirked an eyebrow at him, teasing, and he snickered.

“Fair, fair. I’ve been here twice, but only because my friends dragged me. It’s nice though, right?”

“Yeah.” The group had moved further into the large room, peering into a tank at the other end. Gem’s mouth moved and her hands waved as she talked, but Tango couldn’t hear her over the sounds of the water in the tanks and the hum of redstone wires. Tango started after them, Jimmy by her side. “Yeah, it is! I like the artsy stuff, that’s fun. Especially for somethin’ small like this.”

“Right? Last time we came, my sister and her kids came with. We could barely get ‘em to leave the lobby ‘cause they wanted to identify all the fish in the paintings before they moved on.”

“Cute! I didn’t know you were an uncle.”

“Oh, yeah. Li’l Cherry an’ Coral. Hang on, I’ve got pictures!” Jimmy pulled his phone from his pocket and started scrolling. He had a lot of pictures, judging by how long it took him to find what he was looking for. Finally, he said “Here they are!” and turned the phone so Tango could see it.

Tango had not brought her glasses with her. She took a step back, squinting, and then grinned. “Aw, that’s adorable!”

The picture was of Jimmy on a couch with two kids. One of the kids was an Avian with white wings and yellow head feathers, standing on the cushion beside him with their hands on their hips, and the other was a Faun with cow-like brown ears, laying with their head on Jimmy’s leg. Jimmy was grinning, and off to one side, almost out of frame, was a woman with pink wings and head feathers and a matching expression.

“Yeah, I love ‘em to bits!” Jimmy tucked his phone away again. “I don’t get to see ‘em as much as I’d like to, though. Got to see ‘em on the solstice, though! That’s when the picture’s from.”

“Do they live far away?”

“Nah, they’re here in the city. It’s just, well. I’ve got a lot goin’ on, y’know?”

Tango did not, in fact, know. It seemed to her that someone like Jimmy, who worked only five hours a night and had weekends off and didn’t seem to leave his apartment much, would have ample ability to go hang out with his sister and her kids. But what did Tango know? She hadn’t done more than call her parents on her birthday every year since her late twenties.

Jimmy cleared his throat. “Anyway, look! Cod!”

Tango let Jimmy direct her attention to the greenish-brown fish swimming in the tank Gem was currently pointing to.

“—these guys are a vulnerable species, unfortunately. We do have a decent population nearby, but there’s still a long way to go before the species is fully recovered.” Gem was saying.

Skizz nodded. “That is so cool! So these guys are like, rescues?”

“No, they were born in captivity. These guys are actually part of the conservation efforts to increase the population!”

Skizz was enraptured as Gem continued talking, and Pearl was leaning on her from behind, her arms wrapped around Gem’s shoulders and her chin propped on her head, behind her antlers. Grian and Mumbo had wandered over to a different tank, Mumbo pointing something out and Grian still holding onto his elbow.

Tango turned back to Jimmy. “Hey, so, what’s your favorite part of the aquarium?”

Jimmy made a low noise in the back of his throat, rolling his shoulders as he thought. “Well… I am partial to the cod, actually,” he said. “I just think they’re cool, you know? I like their coloring.”

“Interesting. I wouldn’t have taken you for a cod guy, honestly.”

He flushed a bit, looking back at the tank. “W-well, I mean, it’s not like they’re my favorite thing ever. I went to the big aquarium once, y’know, downtown? And they had this whole room dedicated to the mimic octopus! It was really cool, those things are masters of disguise and so sneaky—“

“Jimmy,” Gem cut him off, voice cold. “You are not talking about that goddamn octopus again, are you?”

Behind her, Pearl laughed, straightening up. Skizz turned to look at Jimmy, too, a question in his eyes. Jimmy’s face turned bright red, his ear feathers fanning closed.

“I—! Yes, yes I am! I will not apologize for thinking the mimic octopus is cool!”

Gem stamped a hoof at him. “This aquarium is dedicated to local aquatic fauna and flora! There are no octopods here!”

“I didn’t say there were! He just asked me what I liked, so I told him! Although, maybe you should have a mimic octopus here! It’s way cooler than anything else you’ve got here!”

“Local fauna, Jimmy! Local! Those things are from a completely different continent!”

“Well then, maybe we should encourage some mimic octopuses—er, octopi?--to live in the river!”

“What?!”

“Yeah, think how cool it’d be to see a mimic octopus down by the shore, huh?”

“Jimmy, the ecosystem! It doesn’t belong here, Jimmy! The ecosystem!”

“Yeah, that fight never gets old,” Grian said wryly, and Tango turned to see he and Mumbo had returned. “Let’s see how far we can get without them noticing we’ve gone.”

Tango followed the two of them into another room, followed closely by Skizz. Pearl stayed with Jimmy and Gem, looking far too pleased with watching the argument unfold.

This next room was dedicated to species of plants in the Viridis River. There were fish and mollusks and other things swimming around in the tanks, but most of the information was on aquatic plants.

The light was also different in here: no overhead lights, just bright lights from the tanks. Grian squinted and grumbled, fishing around in his bag for a pair of sunglasses, which he swapped with his regular glasses. These sunglasses were just as thick as his normal ones; prescription, Tango figured.

“Do they do that kinda thing often?” Skizz asked. Grian nodded.

“Everyone loves to bully Timmy,” he said with a grin. “That’s what he gets for being friends with us. And Gem’s easy to rile up, if you know how to push her buttons.”

Skizz cackled. “That’s true friendship right there,” he said. “Now, hey, Mumbo! This is our first time getting’ to know each other, so why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

Mumbo’s mustache quivered. “Oh! Well, not much tell, is there? I’m not very interesting, really.”

Grian tightened his grip on Mumbo’s arm, expression morphing into something devious. “Oh no you don’t, Mumbo Jumbo LeGrand! You are going to stand here while I brag about you.”

His mustache quivered again. “Please don’t,” he whined, tugging at his arm. His ears were lying flat against his head.

Grian held firm. He turned to Skizz and Tango. “Mumbo here,” he said, “is a master redstoner.”

Tango felt her stomach flutter. Just a little! But there was definitely some fluttering happening. “Oh?” she asked.

Grian nodded. “He’s got a doctorate and everything! He works at this big company that works in exploration of the End. Mumbo helped design their most recent rocket!” Grian puffed up his chest, as though describing his own accomplishments.

“Oh, wow, that’s huge!” Skizz enthused. “Mumbo, man, that’s awesome!”

Mumbo rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flicking away from them. “Ah, well, thank you, but it’s really not that impressive.”

“Not impressive?! Dr. Mumbo, a rocket scientist? Not impressive?! Are you kidding me?”

“Well, I mean—I just like redstone, you know? It’s fun for me, so I don’t really—“

Tango couldn’t breathe.

He works in End exploration tech?

When Tango was in college, that had been her goal. She wanted to be a redstoner. She wanted to be an aerospace engineer.

I wanted to go to space. To the Nether. To the End.

She’d worked so hard, sacrificed so much, to achieve that goal. And what had she gotten for it? What had she become?

A goddamn quality assurance engineer. An office worker who hadn’t touched unrefined redstone dust in almost fifteen years.

And now there was this guy, who seemed to have everything Tango had ever wanted, who was everything Tango had ever wanted to be. And Tango couldn’t breathe, because how were you supposed to breathe when you were staring down who you could have been?

“—very cool. My closest friends are all redstone people, y’know, but I can’t even wrap my head around how batteries function, so what you do is like practically magic to me!” Skizz laughed.

Tango forced herself to seem normal. Normal and not petty and not jealous. Just someone mildly interested in the conversation.

“Is that right? If you’re interested in learning a few beginner projects, I could show you sometime. They’re really quite simple, once you know the basics—“

“’Really quite simple,’” Grian muttered in a teasing tone. “You always say that, and then you pull out words like ‘capacitors’ and ‘pie—’ er. Pie-zo…?”

“Piezoelectricity?” Mumbo supplied, and Grian nodded.

“That fucker,” he said, and Mumbo laughed. His ears were standing straight back up again, relaxed.

“So, how long have the two of you been together?” Skizz asked, and Grian and Mumbo both paused, looking at each other.

“Well….” Mumbo’s ears flicked back, then forward again. “I suppose that depends on your definition of ‘together…?’”

“However you wanna define it,” Skizz said. “I’m not big on enforcin’ strict definitions, ya feel me?”

Grian rubbed his thumb across the fabric of Mumbo’s sleeve, chewing his bottom lip as he thought. “...Well. We’ve been friends since college. We met, what? Eight years ago?”

“I think so.” Mumbo cleared his throat. “Um, well, and after that. We became queerplatonic partners about five years ago, I think?”

Tango frowned. “Queerpla-whosie-whatie?” she asked.

“Queerplatonic partners,” Grian said. His grip on Mumbo tightened. “Have you never heard the term?”

Skizz and Tango exchanged a glance, then turned back to them. “Uh, nope,” Tango said.

“Oh. Well, it’s a relationship. Like dating or marriage or what have you.” He wrinkled his nose as he said this. “But it’s not romantic. It’s purely platonic.”

Tango glanced at Skizz again. “Platonic dating?” she asked weakly.

Mumbo nodded, then shook his head. He looked thoughtful. “Well, you can think of it that way, if you like. A queerplatonic partnership isn’t a one-to-one with any sort of romantic relationship.” He poked at Grian’s shoulder with his free hand, causing Grian to let out an indignant squawk and bat his hand away. “What’s important to understand is that we, well. We love each other, in an entirely platonic way.”

Skizz met her eye again. She could see a flash of recognition in his gaze. Tango swallowed and turned away. That was a conversation for another time, she decided. She tucked that information into the back of her skull, alongside her petty jealousy and her kinship with Gem. She was determined to have a normal, fun outing with friends.

It took another ten minutes before Jimmy, Gem, and Pearl caught up with them near the sea snail tank.

“I cannot believe you just left me behind like that. Jimmy I understand, but me?!”

“Hey!”

Pearl cackled behind them.

Chapter Text

Tango had been the Snow Queen for almost four months when it happened.

She went out as usual, hiding her costume under a big winter coat as she left her apartment. The weather was starting to warm up ever so slightly, and she knew she’d soon have to find a new, clever way to hide her costume. Once she reached the edge of the Lantos district, she ducked down an alley and hid the coat away, adding the finishing touches to her disguise.

“Hey, d’you read me?” she asked. She tilted her head back to look up at the dark, overcast sky above.

“I’m here, Frosty,” Skizz said in her earpiece. “Looks like it’s all clear for the moment.”

“Thanks, Ess.” Tango let the ice form under her feet and shot off down the street. She had been working on this move a lot at home with Skizz; even though their apartment was small, she could cross it in an instant, and the tight quarters gave her plenty of practice with quick maneuvers. To minimize both the risk of someone injuring themselves and of being tracked by baddies, she also melted the ice behind her, her path quickly fading from view.

When she didn’t have an emergency to jump into, Tango made a point of stopping by the office building where she and Cute Guy had met. The climb up was fun, and it got easier every day. She could form the hand- and foot-holds almost instantly now, almost without thought, and melt them away the moment she no longer needed them.

Atop the building, she quickly checked for signs of Cute Guy or anyone else; finding none, she made her way over to one of the hulking AC units. Tango dropped to her knees and reached beneath it, pulling out a rusted metal lockbox. She shoved her hand into one of the pouches at her waist and withdrew a key, with which she unlocked the box.

Empty.

She relocked and replaced the box, then stood again, dusting her knees and wincing as they creaked. She may have been exercising more and loosening up her muscles, but that didn’t stop her body from showing its age.

Suddenly, she heard a ruffle behind her.

Tango spun around, ice spears forming in both hands. There was another figure on the roof, their features hidden by shadow. All Tango could see was that they were facing her, silent.

“Who are you?” she called, icicles held at the ready.

“A friend,” came the voice. The figure stepped closer, and Tango could make out a few features: close-cropped hair, small horns atop their head, lips drawn into a small smile. Their eyes glinted briefly in what little light there was. They were a Dex, or possibly a Faun with small or pinned-back ears. They wore what looked like business attire; white dress shirt, dark pants, dark jacket.

“I don’t know you,” Tango said. Hairs stood up on the back of her neck as they stared each other down.

“Allow me to introduce myself, then.” The person put their hand into the inside breast of their jacket, and Tango tightened her guard, watching closely. They withdrew from their hidden pocket a small white rectangle, which they extended to Tango. “I’m Myra Richards, recruitment officer for the Enhanced Human Defense Agency. We’ve had our eyes on you for a while, Snow Queen.”

In her earpiece, Skizz sucked in a gasp but didn’t say anything. Tango, however, let out a little squeak. Her stomach fluttered uncomfortably.

She melted one icicle and reached out to take the card, stuffing it in her pouch without looking at it. She knew what this was. It had happened many times throughout the years: A vigilante pops up, gets some attention, EHDA swoops in and gets them situated as an official superhero. They would be pardoned for the crime of forgoing registration—the only way to be pardoned, if it was ever discovered that you were hiding your powers—and join one of the many superhero squads tasked with protecting the city.

It was, in all honesty, exactly what Tango had been hoping would happen to her when she started coming out here. If she couldn’t keep going as a vigilante, like Cute Guy did, she wanted to be a part of EHDA. Not to simply disappear from the spotlight or, stars forbid, become a villain.

...Now, however, she didn’t know what to think. After she had found out that EHDA had been funding that factory and supplying them with something, she didn’t exactly trust them. She wasn’t sure she believed that they were entirely in the wrong, but she certainly wasn’t about to jump into their arms right this minute.

“I’m not interested in becoming a superhero,” she said. She let the remaining icicle in her hand melt and folded her arms over her chest. “I’m happy being a vigilante.”

“That’s understandable,” Myra said. “But I’m sure you can understand that EHDA doesn’t like having enhanced humans running around without oversight. And by joining us, you’ll have a team of people behind you, keeping you safe. Doesn’t that seem so much better than running around alone all night?”

“I do just fine on my own,” she said. “I appreciate what EHDA does for the city, but it’s not for me.”

“You’ll receive a generous paycheck,” Myra said quickly. “And we have an on-campus medical wing for any injuries or sickness you may incur. Think about it.”

Why did they seem so desperate? Tango let the cold creep further up her fingers, focusing on the comforting sensation to keep herself from freaking out. “No, thank you,” she said firmly. “I intend on remaining a vigilante, like Cute Guy.”

Something in Myra’s expression tightened. “I see. Then, I’ll give you one more chance, Snow Queen. Join EHDA, or you’ll regret it.”

Tango swallowed around a lump in her throat. The flutter in her stomach had turned to something sharp. “No, thank you,” she said again, barely above a whisper. “I have no interest in joining EHDA.”

Myra’s mouth turned downward in a heavy frown. They shook their head. “Wrong decision. If you change your mind before the inevitable happens, give me a call.”

“The inevitable? Wha—“

Myra lifted their arms, and despite the fact that they had no visible wings, they launched into the air. It was silent; no schwiff of feathers beating the air, no hum of redstone. They were simply standing one moment, and the next, they were in the air. “Farewell, then,” they said, and flew off over the city.

Tango stared, dumbfounded. She had never heard of a flight power; only Avians could fly without the aid of machines. And Myra Richards wasn’t a name that rang any bells, so they weren’t a superhero, right? And yet they worked for EHDA.

What the hell is going on here?

“Hey, Frosty, you alright?”

“I don’t know, Ess,” she said, staring after the EHDA officer. “That was…” she let out a shaky exhale. “...Really fuckin’ scary. Did I make the right call?”

“After what we found in those files? I’d have called you a fool for sayin’ yes.”

“I’m gonna…. I gotta tell Cute Guy.” Tango dug around in one of her pouches until she came up with a small notepad and a pen. “They must have approached him about this too, right? He’ll tell me if I’m an idiot or not.”

She wrote a quick note.

CG—

EHDA offered me a place. I said no.

They said I’d regret not joining them.

Did I do the right thing? Kinda freakin

out right now.

I trust your advice, so. Got any advice

on avoidin “the inevitable” or

whatever for me? Please?

—Frostbite

She was reaching under the AC unit for the lockbox when she froze.

“Shit,” she muttered.

“What’s up?”

“That EHDA person, Myra. They showed up right after I put the box away. They musta seen me messin’ with it. This thing is totally compromised.”

“Shit,” Skizz agreed. “What’re you gonna do?”

“I don’t know when I’ll see him next,” she said. She collected the box, pulling it into her arms. “I have to leave a note. I’ll have to move it, though.” She looked around. There were several other AC units on the roof, but she didn’t trust that EHDA wouldn’t check under all of them now that they knew about the box. She couldn’t take it off the roof, either, because how could she possibly communicate to Cute Guy that he needed to check elsewhere?

She chewed on her lip. What else was there? A concrete ledge built along the edge of the roof. A few vents opening up here and there. A doorway, presumably leading down into the building proper; rooftop access for maintenance purposes.

Tango stood and made her way over to the doorway, lifting one hand to run her fingers along the frame. It was metal, and it felt pretty solid. There were a few patches of weathering, but nothing too big. She put her hand on the door’s handle, tried it. Locked. There was a space at the bottom of the door, where it didn’t properly meet the doorjamb. It was only a gap of a couple of centimeters, but Tango had an idea.

She set the lockbox down and dug around in her utility belt for the key. Unlocking it, she removed the lock and placed it in her pouch. Then, she took her note and folded it around the key. Carefully, she slid the note and key into the space beneath the door, until it was just barely visible. Finally, she carried the lockbox—sans lock—back to the original AC unit and placed it back where she’d found it.

Tango took a deep breath to calm her nerves, looking back over the city. “Okay, Ess,” she said. “Got any crimes for me to stop?”

Jimjam: cant make it to friday night hangout this week 😞

Jimjam: somethins come up im sorry to say

Tango: no problem bud! there’s always next week.

Jimjam: tru!

Jimjam: btw whos hostin then?

Tango: Impulse. is that okay?

Jimjam: yeah thats fine

Jimjam: would it be ok to invite gem n pearl since they go there all the time anyway

Jimjam: or is it like a sacred guys night or somethin

Tango: LOL no it isn’t that’s totally fine!

Tango: i mean i’ll have to ask impy and the others but I’m sute they’ll be cool with it.

Tango: *sure

Jimjam: ok! sounds like a party 🥳

Sometimes, when she got home from work, Tango would stand in front of her bedroom mirror and stare at her reflection.

Sometimes, she stood there in her work clothes. A turtleneck or dress shirt in neutral colors, paired with gray or beige slacks held up with a dark leather belt. Her reflection was familiar, like this, but it no longer felt like her reality. It felt like a disguise, a costume she wore to keep herself safe. There were bags under her eyes and a permanent crease between her eyebrows. Her hair was growing thinner.

Other times, she would strip herself out of her work clothes, tossing them all into the laundry hamper. She would pull out very specific items, and she would carefully put them on. Fleece leggings into winter boots, a silicone breast plate beneath a light blue dress. She would draw her hand across her face, run her fingers through her hair. She would stand in front of her mirror, and she would look.

Tango loved seeing herself like this. She was regal; she wore ice like beautiful gems, spiking up from the top of her head in a crown and sweeping back through her hair, lengthening it. Her eyelashes were heavy and glistening with ice crystals, lips and cheeks tinged blue with cold. She wore a smile on her face, and it fit her. She was so right.

And sometimes, Tango would strip herself out of her work clothes, tossing them all into the laundry hamper. She would walk a few steps to her closet, and she would pull out her favorite, comfiest T-shirt, a pair of sweat pants, and her silicone breast plate. She would carefully put everything on. She would draw her hand across her eyes. She would march over to the mirror, and she would look.

This was how Tango was supposed to look. This was how everyone should see her. Casual clothing with gentle, rounded curves beneath her shirt. Eyelashes glittering with frost. Maybe her hair was still thinning, and maybe she would always have that crease between her eyebrows, Those things didn’t matter; what mattered was that this was her. This was Tango. This was her, more than she was Snow Queen, more than she had ever been Tango before.

And she would leave the mirror behind, and she would go out into the living room. She would pull a beer from the fridge. She would go over to the couch, and she would crack the can open, and she would drink and watch TV until Skizz came home. And Skizz would see her, as she was meant to be, and he would grin and pull her into a hug.

It was hard to worry about whatever EHDA had planned for her when she felt this happy.

Chapter Text

There was no way that EHDA agent would be on the roof again, right? Surely there wouldn’t be anyone lying in wait up there, ready to attack when she went seeking a response to her message? Would EHDA even attack her? Tango still wasn’t certain of EHDA’s intentions. All she knew was that they were connected to some real bad stuff, and that they were keeping secrets. Everyone kept secrets.

She couldn’t just not check the roof. She had no other way of contacting Cute Guy, save listening to the police scanner and hoping he’d be mentioned. She at least needed to know whether someone had found her message.

So, taking a deep breath, Tango slid into the alleyway and began hoisting herself up the side of the office building.

“Pretty active out there tonight,” said Impulse in her ear. “I’ll let you know if there’s anything in your area.”

“Thanks, Eye.”

“Be safe out there, okay? If anything happens—“

“I know, don’t worry.” She pulled herself up the last icy handhold and crawled over the ledge onto the roof. She paused, listening; all she could hear were the distant sounds of the city. She was alone. Hopefully. “I’m on high alert right now. If anyone tries to sneak up on me, they’ll get an icicle to the face.”

“I mean it, Frosty. The minute things look bad, get outta there. Okay?”

“I know,” Tango repeated. “Now, shh. I gotta be stealthy.”

She didn’t move for the AC unit the lockbox had been hidden under. If it was compromised, anything that had been placed inside it was suspect. Instead, she went for the rooftop access door, sliding across the roof in a couple of seconds. She ignored her pounding heart and the twisting in her gut. She tried to, anyway. Her eyes flicked back and forth, trying to take in the entire rooftop at once. No movement. She was still safe. For now. Probably. She took a deep breath and crouched beside the door, reaching for the little gap at the bottom.

“Snow Queen. I hoped I’d find you here.”

Ice billowed out from under her feet as she spun toward the voice.

Wraith stood behind her, arms akimbo. They were a few feet away, closer to the AC units than to her. Their dark motorcycle helmet caught the scant light, glinting briefly.

“What do you want?” she hissed, glaring. An icicle formed in her hand, and she lifted it, pointed it straight at their chest.

“Frosty! Are you okay? What’s happening?”

Wraith lifted their hands in a placating manner. “To talk,” they said. “Just to talk. I don’t want to fight.”

Tango paused, staring suspiciously at them. She didn’t lower the icicle. “Talk about what? Sorry to say, but I don’t make a habit of conversing with supervillains all that much.”

They made that garbled noise, the sound that Tango could never place. “I get that. But, please, make an exception for me.”

What kind of trick were they trying to play? Tango had no clue. Were they trying to get her to lower her defenses so they could attack her? But then, why announce themselves at all? They could have stayed invisible and caved her skull in while she was distracted. Maybe Wraith was the distraction? Could they be working with EHDA somehow?

“Talk to me. Can you hear me? Frosty!”

No, that was stupid. Even if EHDA was involved with some fucked up shit, they wouldn’t be working with a goddamn supervillain to get back at her.

So what did Wraith want?

She exhaled slowly, watching them closely for any sign of deception. Any suspicious movements at all. After a moment, she was convinced enough to lower the icicle ever so slightly, the tip falling an inch toward the ground. “Okay, then,” she said reluctantly. “Talk.”

Something in Wraith’s posture relaxed. A settling of their shoulders, or maybe of their hidden winds? “A little birdie tells me that EHDA offered you a position.”

“What’s it to ya?” She forced herself not to glance at where she’d hidden the note. Was that how they knew? Had Wraith found the note?

“You made the right decision.”

A startled little snort erupted from Tango. “Of course you would say that.” She still wasn’t fully convinced she had made the right decision.

“Yeah, I mean. I am a ‘supervillain.’” That noise again. “And I was hoping, Snow Queen, that you would join me.”

She stepped back involuntarily, her back hitting the door behind her. It rattled. “Join—you?”

Wraith nodded. A single, quick motion.

“Look, bub, I don’t know what’s goin’ on in that head of yours, but just ‘cause I’m not with EHDA doesn’t mean I’m a villain. I’m a vigilante! I protect people from guys like you.”

Impulse let out a quiet breath in her ear.

“No, see, that’s the thing.” Wraith took a step forward. The distance between them narrowed dramatically. “I don’t think you do.”

She glowered at them. “Just ‘cause I mostly deal with petty crimes doesn’t mean I—“

“You’re after the Chrono Logics guys,” Wraith interrupted. “And the people behind the kidnappings. The random attacks.”

Tango froze, staring at them. She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know that?”

Wraith ignored her. “I’m after them, too. I think if we work together, we could track them down and take them out.”

She stared at him a moment longer. The tip of her icicle was pointed almost straight down at the ground. There was no way what they were saying was true, right? Wraith was messing with her, trying to trick her. But why? Why her, why Snow Queen?

They can’t be with EHDA.

She shook her head. “I’m already working on it with someone else. Someone I trust way more than a villain.”

“Cute Guy.” Wraith spoke it as a statement, not a question. They already knew. “You trust him? You’re sure?”

She lifted the icicle again, tightened her grip on it. “You’re not gonna manipulate me into questioning my loyalties.”

“I’m not trying to.” Wraith was quiet for a moment. Then they stepped forward again, closing the distance between them and effectively trapping her in the doorway.

She moved quickly, the icicle’s deadly point pressed against the slim strip of skin visible between their helmet and jacket. Flick. Wraith froze. Swallowed. The ice shifted with the movement.

For a long moment, there was no sound but that of the city below them.

They stepped away, and Tango let them.

“Listen,” they said, shifting on their feet. Tango could hear the quiet shkff, the tip-tip-tap of talons on the concrete. “If you trust Cute Guy, you can trust me, too. Talk to him about this. About me.”

Alarms blared in her mind. “Why should I?” she bit out. “He told me to stay away from you.”

“Just— Listen. Next time you see Cute Guy, tell him—“ Wraith cut themself off. They paused, moved back to their original position nearer the AC units. Tango could breathe again; she still didn’t lower the icicle. Wraith shoved their hands into the pockets of their leather jacket. Somewhere in the distance, a siren blared. “...Tell him ‘feathercloak.’ Please.”

“...Feathercloak? What—“

“I’ll leave now,” Wraith said. There was a soft schwiff, and a breeze wafted over her. They opened their invisible wings. “Just please think about it. And remember, okay? Feathercloak.”

And then they were gone. Vanished into the night. A few audible flaps of their wings, and it was like they’d never been there.

Snow Queen slid down the door to sit on the roof. She stayed there for several silent minutes, her back pressed to the door. Then she reached backwards and ran her fingers along the gap beneath the door; nothing. It was empty.

She heaved a sigh, pressing her earpiece. “Eye,” she said. “Things keep fucking happening.”

Snow Queen didn’t always go out twice in a single weekend. Usually, she skipped Sundays (so she would have enough rest for the next day at work); once, she had skipped a Saturday (because her Friday had been hectic and she’d needed the break). After her, er, conversation with Wraith, however, she went out again the next night, as soon as the sun went down.

Skizz was on watch duty tonight, keeping his attention on the police scanner. He had explicit instructions to inform her of any Cute Guy sightings. He had tried to keep her at home that night, worry etched into the lines of his face, but she had refused. Yes, she was scared. Yes, she felt like her stomach was being tied into knots that would make an Obsidian Scout green with envy. But she had to get to the bottom of things. Get to the bottom of everything.

Tango steered clear of the office building, instead heading to a different part of the distict entirely. She didn’t want to set foot there unless she absolutely had to. She couldn’t even risk popping by to leave another note there; she had no idea if Cute Guy was even aware of the jeopardy of the rooftop.

She stopped a burglary in progress. She froze a would-be mugger to a wall. She smiled and waved when someone recognized her. It was business as usual, except for the anvil perched precariously above her head, ready to fall at the slightest provocation.

“Cute Guy! There’s a villain attack on City Hall. Cute Guy’s working with ConVex; be careful!”

Tango was off as soon as she knew the location. Her feet were a blur as she slipped and slid over her ice path, dodging and weaving around traffic and pedestrians. She didn’t care that Cute Guy was with the top-tier superhero squad, EHDA’s best and brightest; she could hide out until the fight was done, wait until he separated from the others, get his attention then. What mattered now was that she got there in time, and that she kept him in her sights.

Allayson City Hall was located downtown, near the waterfront. It was a big building, squat but long. It consisted of three stories, originally built of white bricks that were now more gray than anything. As Tango neared the building, she could see that the front doors were blown open, their frames crumpled and hanging off the hinges. Glass glittered on the cement. Three figures stood nearby, peering into the building with various degrees of defensive posture. There was a TV camera crew and several people with microphones and notepads on the sidewalk nearby.

Tango ducked into an alley between a cafe and a boutique across from City Hall. She crouched behind a dumpster to watch the scene. “ Ess,” she murmured. “I’m on the scene. Let me know if anything changes with CG, okay?”

“You got it. Be careful.”

“Always am.”

It was tough to see anything from her vantage point. A flash of light; a shower of glass. A shadow fell from an upper-floor window, and another leapt from the roof, wings spreading as they dove to catch the first.

The camera followed the movement.

Someone screamed, and the press crowding around the area scattered. Something heavy slammed into the sidewalk where they’d been standing. Chunks of concrete erupted upwards and outwards. Another shape tackled the something, and they grappled with each other.

A fire broke out, somewhere in the building. Flames flickered. Alarms wailed. Tango clenched her fist against her thigh, nails digging into her palm. There was a distant BOOM, a distant crackling, and a portion of the second story wall crumbled into bricks.

Throughout the mayhem, Tango could hear voices. Snatches of conversation, battle orders.

“Where’s Jackhammer? Get him—”

“—up on the roof. Need back—”

“—ven of ‘em! Can’t—”

“—Protector! Get back, use—”

“—down. Three left—”

She could barely follow the action. The lone camera operator could barely follow the action, angling this way and that to get the best footage. People shifted and darted around like shadows. Tango had to fight the urge to get closer, to jump into the fray and join the fight. Even if she wasn’t wary of EHDA, she wouldn’t stand a chance in the middle of all that chaos.

At last, the villains were subdued. The fires were put out. The press regrouped on the sidewalk, avoiding the massive hole that had been left in the cement. The heroes stopped moving around so much, stepping into the light to talk to the press. Tango could actually see them now. Not quite clearly, but enough to identify those she could name.

Cuboom stood at the forefront. He wore a dark blue jumpsuit beneath a long white cloak, decorated with splashes of color. He had a strong build, broad-shouldered and narrow-hipped, and he always spoke with such confidence.

Behind him stood three other heroes—all members of ConVex. One, Tango didn’t recognize; not a surprise. They were probably new. Two, however, she did.

Amanita stood just behind Cuboom’s left shoulder. She wore a wide-brimmed hat in the style of a mushroom cap, red with white spots, and a white jumpsuit. She was short and lean. She and Cuboom were both Dexes.

The man behind Cuboom’s right shoulder, however, was a Pax. He stood taller than Cuboom, with a brown beard and dark pointed ears atop his head. This was Protector. He wore teal body armor and carried a shield in his offhand.

Off to one side stood Cute Guy, dressed the same as ever.

Cute Guy smiled for the camera, playing up the flirtatious act he always did for the press. Tango watched him carefully, waiting for her chance.

Tango’s calves were starting to cramp up. She winced, trying to ignore it, but it was no use. Carefully, she straightened her legs to relieve the pain, until she was no longer crouched but instead standing, bent in half at nearly a right angle to keep herself hidden. The dumpster groaned, shifting ever so slightly, and she froze. Her eyes were still locked on the scene across the street. No one seemed to notice; good.

The interview wrapped up when Cuboom tilted his head back to speak with one of his teammates. They began collecting the restrained villains, urging them to stand and follow them. A distant set of police sirens was drawing closer. She bit back a growl of frustration.

The press started leaving, heading to their vehicles in search of the next story. The camera crew packed their things into their van. Cute Guy was still hanging around Cuboom; it seemed like they were talking, leaning their heads in close together. Comparing notes on the crime, maybe? Tango was growing impatient. Her back sent a sharp protest up her spine.

Three police cars pulled up, lights flashing, and as if on cue, Cute Guy’s wings extended outward and gave a great flap, carrying him up into the sky. Tango cursed under her breath. Of course he would fly away. How was she supposed to follow him now? Tango’s icy speed was great, but she really didn’t want to draw the attention of an EHDA superhero squad as she ran by, least of all ConVex. And how was she supposed to get Cute Guy’s attention from the ground? Fuck.

She took a deep breath and focused. Cute Guy had been heading east, toward the Riverside district. If she left the alley out the back and made sure to melt her ice behind her, she could probably circle around and catch up to him. Follow him at a distance, until they were far enough away from any superheroes. And then… well. She’d figure that out when it happened.

She straightened her back and moved further into the shadows in one smooth motion. Her spine and knees both creaked. She winced, but no one was close enough to have heard that. Tango pivoted to leave.

“Frostbite!” A pointed whisper from the shadows.

She froze, eyes locked on a figure between her and the alley’s back exit. Pink and black and white so bright it looked almost blue in the darkness. “Cute Guy?”

“Follow me,” Cute Guy said, and turned away.

She did so, following him out of the back alley and around two corners into a narrow dead end squished between two shops. Cute Guy turned to face her again. His wings drooped behind him.

“Thank the stars,” he said, surprising her. “I was worried you’d been— That something had happened.”

Cute Guy? Worried about her? That was… unsettling.

She shook her head. “I’m fine. You got my note?”

“Yes. You said EHDA offered you a position. I assume the box was compromised?”

Tango moved closer to Cute Guy, pressing them both deeper into the shadows of the alleyway. “I met Wraith,” she whispered, instead of answering. She watched his body language, searching for answers; he didn’t so much as twitch a feather at her words. He just kept his face pointed at her, his wings folded behind him. “They said they knew about the offer.”

“Did they?” Cute Guy’s tone remained neutral. His lips twitched. It was a small movement, but it meant something. What, though? Tango’s stomach started tying itself in knots again.

“What aren’t you telling me, Cute Guy?”

“A lot of things,” he said. “That is the nature of a secret identity, isn’t it?”

She huffed, but it came out more like a whine. So many things were happening, and she was trying really hard not to feel like her world was warping all around her.

“I need a straight answer,” she said. She looked him in the eye—well, at his glasses—and asked, her tone level and serious, “Do you work with Wraith?”

“Is that what they told you?” Again, no hints in his voice, in his stance.

“They told me to tell you ‘feathercloak.’”

There was a beat of silence. Then, Cute Guy broke into a wide grin, his feathers ruffling along his wings and the top of his head. “Well, this is excellent news! Welcome to the resistance, Frostbite.”

“What,” she deadpanned, and in her ear, Skizz echoed her.

“What?!”