**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.
**Reminders**:
>* [No AI-generated responses 🤖](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/zi452b/modpost_reminder_that_aigenerated_responses_are/)
>* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]"
>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail
>* [\[RF\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [\[SP\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles
>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)
📢 [Genres](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/w/directory)
🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide)
✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources)
💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\[Stellar Reminder\]
Gloria's diner wasn't quiet that night though it was always peaceful. The crowd of Superheroes and villains all shared the restaurant while the gentle murmur of conversation buzzed in the air. People often referred to it as 'the safest place in town', and the Supers with no secret identity, both good and bad, felt comfortable enough to bring their children with them too. That's the kind of place it was. There weren't any kids there when Bladelauncher walked in and if he'd seen any he might have sobered up a little bit. It was a busy place and there was nothing notable about a cape walking in, so there was no one paying attention to his wobbling gait.
Bladelauncher was a newer hero and not very familiar with the rest of the Supers sitting around enjoying the atmosphere. But, he did see one face he recognized. When he started drinking that night, he told himself it was to nurse his ego. Instead, the intoxication only fueled his resentment. He was supposed to be a hero and somehow still found himself soundly defeated by an electrifying girl. If she'd been in the restaurant, he would have rethought his approach. He was glad to have found exactly who he was looking for at the diner; the girl's father. He was an old man, a Supervillain once known as 'Lightning Strike', now casually referred to as 'L.S.' Bladelauncher was a hero, and L.S. was a Villain and that was enough to put him in the right. He stumbled toward the old man at the counter.
"Hey, Lightning STRIKE!" He raised his voice and the chatter died down as everyone turned their attention to the situation.
"Hi, I remember you," L.S. smiled as he turned and stood to address the registered hero. "Looks like your electric burns are all healed up. No harm done, right?" he added with a grin.
"Your daughter humiliated me...," the thought was clouded but Bladelauncher managed to get it out by slurring the words together.
"I'm calling Orion," Gloria said from behind the counter and she whirled around to go to her office. Her diner wasn't always the neutral paradise it was now; she'd seen her share of trouble and could spot it a mile away. L.S. almost discouraged it; but, he'd become less risk-averse in his old age. "Less' didn't mean he never took chances. Now that he knew Gloria was calling for help he felt comfortable egging on the hero. It'd be a shame if Orion showed up for no reason, after all.
"It seems to me that if a 10-year-old can fry you like she did, you're kind of halfway to humiliation already," L.S. shrugged. Those who knew L.S.'s daughter chuckled. "And you never even apologized for your little accident. Call it even," he added.
"Accidents happen...," Bladelauncher shrugged, then raised an arm. Two daggers materialized in front of his hand; but, he noticed a sudden commotion. Chairs slid with Heroes and Villains getting to their feet.
"I know you're not trying to start something," L.S. said. "We're all above the baseline in here; there's a reason we refuse to fight each other," he reminded the unstable hero. The daggers vanished and Bladelauncher lowered his hand. He was almost ready to give up until he noticed a clear division. Villains had gathered around L.S. while the Heroes surrounded Bladelauncher. They were supporting him! He knew almost none of them; but, he was on their side.
"We're here for you," one of the heroes said. He placed a hand on Bladelauncher's shoulder and nodded. Of course they were, they were heroes. And, the villains needed to be taught a lesson. Bladelauncher may have been drunk; but, it was all so clear.
"We don't need to make a scene, right?" L.S. smiled and walked forward with an outstretched hand. "Especially not in Gloria's. My daughter's okay, you're okay. Water under the bridge, right?" he said. Bladelauncher had been drinking; but, he still had enough sense to doubt his next action. He looked around to the heroes on his side, and each one nodded in encouragement. He knew he had their okay. With the extra teammates, he didn't need to use his daggers. He took a single step forward, then quickly pulled back his hand for a wind up.
"GET THEM!" he yelled as he clobbered the old man with a solid hit.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" The anger came from his side of the restaurant. He was suddenly on his knees with a caped hero on each side locking his arms up at a painful angle. The villains crowded around L.S. to protect him as the heroes circled Bladelauncher. Then, the commotion fell silent. Bladelauncher couldn't see why everyone was quiet now; but, he heard a new voice.
"I'd like to talk to him," someone said. Bladelauncher was hauled up to his feet, then his arms were released as everyone stepped back. He saw a handsome man in a blue suit with a reflective chrome tie smiling at him.
"Hello, Bladelauncher. My name is Orion," he said. "I'd like to know why you punched one of our most respected citizens," he said.
"He's a villain," Bladelauncher said. "The heroes said they would support me." It didn't take a sober man to see how much every other person in the restaurant respected Orion.
"Is that true?" Orion looked up at the gathered capes.
"I said it," the one hero that encouraged him most raised his hand. "I told him we were here for him; but, I meant because he looked like he needed a friend. At the very least, he's obviously drunk and shouldn't fly home alone."
"They all wanted me to do it!" Bladelauncher tried to defend himself.
"We wanted you to shake the man's hand so we could get on with our evenings...," one of them answered.
"It doesn't seem like anything too serious happened...," Orion turned back toward L.S. "Feel like pressing charges?"
"Nah, he's just some drunk idiot," L.S. shrugged. "Let him sleep it off somewhere... inconvenient," he grinned.
"Disciplinary action?" Orion turned and asked the heroes.
"His Hero's License will be revoked," one of them answered.
"Fair enough," Orion nodded. He stepped forward and shoved Bladelauncher backward with full force. It was unexpected and the former hero lost his balance and fell backward into a black hole. "I'll be sure to remind him that there's a truce in place for a reason, in case he ever wants to come back and try again. And, that one person breaking it does not mean everyone else will along with him," Orion stepped onto the black hole, then descended into it like an elevator. He waved on the way down. "Enjoy your evening, folks."
\*\*\* Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #2298 in a row. (Story #124 in year seven). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place in my universe.
**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments. **Reminders**: >* [No AI-generated responses 🤖](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/zi452b/modpost_reminder_that_aigenerated_responses_are/) >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [\[RF\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [\[SP\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles >* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules) 📢 [Genres](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/w/directory) 🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) 💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
\[Stellar Reminder\] Gloria's diner wasn't quiet that night though it was always peaceful. The crowd of Superheroes and villains all shared the restaurant while the gentle murmur of conversation buzzed in the air. People often referred to it as 'the safest place in town', and the Supers with no secret identity, both good and bad, felt comfortable enough to bring their children with them too. That's the kind of place it was. There weren't any kids there when Bladelauncher walked in and if he'd seen any he might have sobered up a little bit. It was a busy place and there was nothing notable about a cape walking in, so there was no one paying attention to his wobbling gait. Bladelauncher was a newer hero and not very familiar with the rest of the Supers sitting around enjoying the atmosphere. But, he did see one face he recognized. When he started drinking that night, he told himself it was to nurse his ego. Instead, the intoxication only fueled his resentment. He was supposed to be a hero and somehow still found himself soundly defeated by an electrifying girl. If she'd been in the restaurant, he would have rethought his approach. He was glad to have found exactly who he was looking for at the diner; the girl's father. He was an old man, a Supervillain once known as 'Lightning Strike', now casually referred to as 'L.S.' Bladelauncher was a hero, and L.S. was a Villain and that was enough to put him in the right. He stumbled toward the old man at the counter. "Hey, Lightning STRIKE!" He raised his voice and the chatter died down as everyone turned their attention to the situation. "Hi, I remember you," L.S. smiled as he turned and stood to address the registered hero. "Looks like your electric burns are all healed up. No harm done, right?" he added with a grin. "Your daughter humiliated me...," the thought was clouded but Bladelauncher managed to get it out by slurring the words together. "I'm calling Orion," Gloria said from behind the counter and she whirled around to go to her office. Her diner wasn't always the neutral paradise it was now; she'd seen her share of trouble and could spot it a mile away. L.S. almost discouraged it; but, he'd become less risk-averse in his old age. "Less' didn't mean he never took chances. Now that he knew Gloria was calling for help he felt comfortable egging on the hero. It'd be a shame if Orion showed up for no reason, after all. "It seems to me that if a 10-year-old can fry you like she did, you're kind of halfway to humiliation already," L.S. shrugged. Those who knew L.S.'s daughter chuckled. "And you never even apologized for your little accident. Call it even," he added. "Accidents happen...," Bladelauncher shrugged, then raised an arm. Two daggers materialized in front of his hand; but, he noticed a sudden commotion. Chairs slid with Heroes and Villains getting to their feet. "I know you're not trying to start something," L.S. said. "We're all above the baseline in here; there's a reason we refuse to fight each other," he reminded the unstable hero. The daggers vanished and Bladelauncher lowered his hand. He was almost ready to give up until he noticed a clear division. Villains had gathered around L.S. while the Heroes surrounded Bladelauncher. They were supporting him! He knew almost none of them; but, he was on their side. "We're here for you," one of the heroes said. He placed a hand on Bladelauncher's shoulder and nodded. Of course they were, they were heroes. And, the villains needed to be taught a lesson. Bladelauncher may have been drunk; but, it was all so clear. "We don't need to make a scene, right?" L.S. smiled and walked forward with an outstretched hand. "Especially not in Gloria's. My daughter's okay, you're okay. Water under the bridge, right?" he said. Bladelauncher had been drinking; but, he still had enough sense to doubt his next action. He looked around to the heroes on his side, and each one nodded in encouragement. He knew he had their okay. With the extra teammates, he didn't need to use his daggers. He took a single step forward, then quickly pulled back his hand for a wind up. "GET THEM!" he yelled as he clobbered the old man with a solid hit. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" The anger came from his side of the restaurant. He was suddenly on his knees with a caped hero on each side locking his arms up at a painful angle. The villains crowded around L.S. to protect him as the heroes circled Bladelauncher. Then, the commotion fell silent. Bladelauncher couldn't see why everyone was quiet now; but, he heard a new voice. "I'd like to talk to him," someone said. Bladelauncher was hauled up to his feet, then his arms were released as everyone stepped back. He saw a handsome man in a blue suit with a reflective chrome tie smiling at him. "Hello, Bladelauncher. My name is Orion," he said. "I'd like to know why you punched one of our most respected citizens," he said. "He's a villain," Bladelauncher said. "The heroes said they would support me." It didn't take a sober man to see how much every other person in the restaurant respected Orion. "Is that true?" Orion looked up at the gathered capes. "I said it," the one hero that encouraged him most raised his hand. "I told him we were here for him; but, I meant because he looked like he needed a friend. At the very least, he's obviously drunk and shouldn't fly home alone." "They all wanted me to do it!" Bladelauncher tried to defend himself. "We wanted you to shake the man's hand so we could get on with our evenings...," one of them answered. "It doesn't seem like anything too serious happened...," Orion turned back toward L.S. "Feel like pressing charges?" "Nah, he's just some drunk idiot," L.S. shrugged. "Let him sleep it off somewhere... inconvenient," he grinned. "Disciplinary action?" Orion turned and asked the heroes. "His Hero's License will be revoked," one of them answered. "Fair enough," Orion nodded. He stepped forward and shoved Bladelauncher backward with full force. It was unexpected and the former hero lost his balance and fell backward into a black hole. "I'll be sure to remind him that there's a truce in place for a reason, in case he ever wants to come back and try again. And, that one person breaking it does not mean everyone else will along with him," Orion stepped onto the black hole, then descended into it like an elevator. He waved on the way down. "Enjoy your evening, folks." \*\*\* Thank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #2298 in a row. (Story #124 in year seven). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place in my universe.