Maybe Doc was just paranoid.

The past day Bdubs had been radio silent and something about it felt wrong.

He tried calling him again.

Doc bounced his leg as he leaned over on his couch and bit his nail.

He listened as his phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

Voicemail.

For the fifth time that day, he looked to the key sitting on his coffee table.

Before he left, Bdubs had given him the spare to his apartment.

"Show up whenever you want," he had told him with a shrug.

"That still doesn't make me feel creepy about it," Doc muttered out loud, carefully picking the key up.

-

The moment he stepped into Bdubs' apartment he knew something was wrong.

He spotted his bedroom door open, a glint in the doorway.

One of his daggers was lodged into the wood, the other still on the nightstand.

The comforter was folded back and disheveled, but when he fixed it he saw tiny pieces of glass.

Colored glass, in the smallest fragments.

Warlock took Bdubs.

He recognized the crystal beside the knife on the nightstand to be the one Bdubs used to change into his costume. His phone was still there too.

A newfound rage set his blood ablaze.

Warlock was going to pay.

-

Perhaps it would've worked better to be stealthy, but Dynamight didn't care.

He ripped the front doors off the entrance, carelessly tossing it aside as he stormed the hideout.

Every door was either kicked down or pulled from its hinges and crumpled.

Inside the large room where the contraption was being built, it was empty except for a single piece of paper in the middle and a familiar piece of red fabric laying slant on the top right corner.

'I know your weakness' the paper read.

Exploding the paper into a pile of ash, Doc carefully stored the bandana in his toolbelt, where he was keeping Angel's daggers and crystal safe.

The hero continued to tear apart the base until he stumbled upon a room full of crystals. Feeling frustrated and scared that he hadn't found his boyfriend, he blasted the room to bits. But, not before snatching a few healing crystals.

-

Everything hurt.

His nerves were practically numb from the amount of pain coursing through his body.

Bdubs' wrists and ankles were bound by iron cuffs. His wrists were chained together but his legs weren't. They were burning, screaming for freedom. He was on his knees, heavily breathing. His cheeks were stained from the never-ending tears that were dripping from his eyes. Since he was kidnapped late last night he had been stuck like this, physically unable to move from the amount of pain he felt.

More explosions shook the underground bunker.

Doc was coming closer, and he hated it.

He didn't want the hero to see him in this state. With his red eyes, sweat-stained pajamas, and overall disheveled appearance.

"You're so pathetic," Scar laughed, making him flinch by petting his hair. There were iron rings on his fingers which might as well have been lava dripping on his head.

Angel dared to mutter something through his gritted teeth. Warlock grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look up at him. With a tight hold of his chin, burning his skin he lowered his face to be close. "What did you say?" He quietly asked.

He narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to kill you," he repeated, louder and slower than before.

Scar simply laughed and slapped his face. "I was going to make you such a powerful weapon. You have no idea what I had planned for you. And now it's all for nothing because you decided to be an ungrateful little shit," he spat.

Bdubs lunged forward, biting down as hard as he could on his hand. He had started to taste blood when Scar ripped his hand from his mouth and grasped his hair, shoving him to the ground.

He rammed his foot into his gut.

Angel curled up, his body trembling as he whimpered.

The door burst open and he flinched.

"There you are," Scar sighed. His fingers dug into Bdubs' hair again, pulling him back up to his knees.

Slowly, Bdubs met Doc's eyes, feeling utterly embarrassed.

"Dynamight," he wearily whispered, dropping his head.

"What have you done?" The hero quietly snapped, the palms of his hands sparking with potential explosions.

"You have t-"

He gritted his teeth, trying not to cry as Scar pressed his fist to his temple, pushing the rings against his head.

"You even lift a finger against me, and I'll kill him right in front of you," Scar threatened, slowly pulling his hand away.

Angel watched as Doc's fingers twitched. "Angel, you're going to be okay," he quietly assured him.

He sighed. "I really wish I could believe you," he muttered. With the amount of pain he was feeling, he wanted nothing more than to pass out until it all went away. But, Scar would just wake him up again.

"Of course, you can always try and reach me before I kill him, but then, would you have enough time to save the city as well?" Warlock continued as he cocked his head.

"What? Save the city? Why wou-"

A loud boom was followed by the room shaking and the faintest of screams.

"Right on time," Warlock noted. "I'm afraid Pharaoh isn't going to stop until the city is flattened. Something about wanting to... rebuild into his empire?" He spoke with a sing-songy tone, a smile dripping with taunt spread across his face.

-

Doc felt like his entire being was split in two.

"Doesn't this remind you of that one trolley problem?" Warlock thought, tapping his chin. "Only this time, the track with five people has an entire city's worth population."

He knew he should leave and save the city before more damage is done.

He also knew other heroes probably wouldn't consider saving a villain over their city.

Most heroes probably wouldn't date a villain in the first place.

"I'm- I can't just let you die," he protested, staring at Bdubs who looked like he was in pure agony. It destroyed him that he couldn't rip the cuffs off of him.

"Tick tock Dynamight. Your little Angel isn't looking so good," Warlock taunted. The room shook once again and the screams still hadn't stopped. "I wonder if anyone up there has died yet. Surely one more wouldn't matter?"

Why wouldn't Bdubs meet his eyes? Why couldn't he make this decision? His feet were cemented to the ground.

His boyfriend sighed, leaning forward slightly. "For fucks sake you dumbass!" He shouted. "You're really going to make me say it? Go save everyone! Go be a hero! It's what you're supposed to do!" His voice was trembling from the weight of his pain.

Angel might as well have smashed his heart against the wall and let the shards scatter across the floor. "But- Angel you'll-" he began to protest, his voice cracking.

"I'll what? Die? Dynamight I'm not some helpless damsel in distress! I can handle myself!"

Warlock scoffed. "I'm sure you can, Angel. Or should I just say Bdubs? After all, Dynamight you didn't seem too surprised to see him out of costume. You know when I told him to seduce you I honestly didn't include revealing himself."

Doc's heart plummeted through the floor.

That wasn't true.

It couldn't be true.

He stared at Bdubs, whose face was covered by his hair.

Look at me. Please, just look at me, he screamed in his head.

More crashes and screams.

Angel lifted his head, his eyes watering and his lips pressed into a thin line.

Dynamight breathed out the tiniest breath of relief. "Don't die on me," he murmured so softly and hastily he didn't know if he was heard. Without missing a beat he darted out of the room.

-

"No, please, wait," Bdubs whimpered, leaning forward. "It's not- it's not true. Please."

He wasn't entirely sure what the hero said before he left, but it sounded something along the lines of; 'you lied to me'. It ripped his heart to shreds to think Doc believed that Bduds didn't love him. 

But he did. Bdubs truly loved him.

Warlock clicked his tongue, holding his cheek and gently drawing him back. He caressed his face, burning his skin. "Such a shame, really," he mocked in a condescending tone.

Bdubs stared up at him, the burning fire on his face pulling more tears from his eyes. "W-We're not- I- You-" It hurt too much to speak.

Scar crouched, rubbing his thumb on his face. "If you had told me you were going to pursue Dynamight, maybe this all wouldn't have ended up like this."

He dropped his face and Angel tried to regulate his breathing.

Doc may hate him now, but if he could just make it out alive, he could fix it.

He's running out of time, his body slowly giving up on him but he can't let it happen.

Not yet at least.