My first time out and about since the last mission, a little over two weeks after. Kitty and I have plans to surprise David at his place. I’m still a little creaky and bruised, but nowhere near the swollen mess I was right after. Now I only look like I got jumped by a normal thug!

I laid low for a few days after that brewhaha. I didn’t really want to be outside at all. Basilisk so graciously let me sleep in his pigsty, and I so graciously didn’t call it that to his face. It made me feel safer to have someone of his calibur watching over me. His moment of vulnerability showing his face was passed, so it was back to everyone masking up and using our codenames for one another 24/7. He and Meathead never once used that abomination CCHIP saddled me with, at least.

Basilisk. Clark Metzger. I googled him immediately, and it was like he never went online once. No social media, no hits anywhere. Outside of a birth certificate, a college degree, and his name still registered on that defunct hospital staff site, it’s like he never even existed. No one would know him from Adam.

Except, that’s not quite true, is it? Shiftra knew exactly who he was. Which means everyone at CCHIP knew as well. That confused me. Everything public they claimed about him was that he was identity unknown. They have a tip line open on us all and everything! What was the point of pretending like it was a mystery? I know he wouldn’t just go around popping people plainclothed, but what about someone who would actually kill just to do so? Why make so many people completely vulnerable just to keep up the masks schtick? 

Honestly, the thought scared me. How much do they know that they don’t tell us? Do they have everyone in the city on record? Do they have me already? I spoke to Meathead about it, because I knew that he monitors their database from his weirdo rigs. It turns out a lot of the designs of his contraptions were tweaked from CCHIP tech, so it was easier than not to worm his way into their files. It’s part of Basilisk’s grand plan that we always have eyes inside of theirs, whatever that plan is.

After a while, he confirmed that they really did have nothing on me. Outside my new info and my new, uh, list of crimes. My civilian life is totally blank. For now. One slip up and suddenly everything is over for me. I would never be able to shrug this all off and go back to my old life. Just like Basilisk. 

And yet, I’m stuck like this. The crystal in my heart, and on my nails. Basilisk promised me a way to control this all. But he can’t do that unless I help him, which means there’s no going back from my new job either. Besides, what else can I do if I can be exposed by so much as a bare hand or a bare chest? This is the only place I have anymore where I don’t have to hide.

Although Basilisk wouldn’t run me while I was recovering from the beat down I got. He has instead been helping me the last few days figure out the parameters of my powers. We tested on a few inanimate objects to make sure the fluke transformation was a one off, and I could still control it. It wasn’t fun getting tased without warning, but the cup in my hand stayed a cup. It really did seem like it was just that I both didn’t think it could happen, and thought I was about to die…

After that, he had Meathead pick up some live feeder mice from a pet store to experiment on. I wasn’t happy about it, but if it meant that I could learn how not to hurt people, it was worth it. And yes, I could poke the little babies and turn them into basically anything I wanted too as well. I zapped one up into a rat, and all that happened was that it squeaked up at me in approval of the upgrade. It was still alive, and well. Zapping it back down into a mouse was fine too. However, zapping the cup into a mouse just left me with a dead mouse. I couldn’t demand a spark of life from nothing, so no playing god for me. I didn’t want to, but I was convinced to try it with a live one, just to be sure. Zapping its arms metal and back left it able to move when fixed, albeit distressed. Zapping the whole thing metal and back, though, also left me with a dead mouse. I cried and called the tests over, Meathead holding me while I was being pathetic. Part of it was that I didn’t want the poor thing to die. Part of it was the knowledge that I really did kill Zero. I didn’t realize I was still hoping I could bring him back until I realized I couldn’t. 

They held his funeral in public, live streaming it to let the entire city mourn for him. Released his government name to the public too. Captain Garfield Johns. Not that it mattered to anyone; he was still going to be remembered as Protocol Zero. Barely anyone at the funeral called him anything else. It seemed like he dedicated his entire life to this job. He had no loved ones at the funeral, no family. It was all CCHIP hosting, with speakers both in uniform and capes who came in their masks to stay anonymous while looking respectful (and Spiderbyte in his entire costume for some reason.) Shiftra was the only cape with her face visible, as usual. No need to hide your face when you have no civilian identity at all. “Alternate dimensional being” is winning the poll on guessing where she came from on my forum, mostly because “space alien” clashed with the meme that it’s never aliens and “hidden island society” gets the GPS police whining about it being as ridiculous as the earth being flat. 

The forum managed to keep their manners throughout the funeral at least. Less so in my thread. Luckily they got bored with me not showing for a while, so it was mostly down to two guys arguing about what exactly the style of costume I was wearing was called. I wonder if it can make it to five pages before one of them gets heated enough to get banned.

The other place I made sure to keep up with was my group chat with Kitty and David; I didn’t want what happened when I got knocked out to happen again and have them worried sick. I turned down any visits saying I was busy with my cousin again. Turns out I didn’t have much to worry about this time, though. David had been pretty aloof too, not exactly engaging much in our convos and also turning down any visits. The only thing he would say is that he wasn’t really feeling it, though, or that he was too busy with work. That got Kitty worried; myself too, to be honest. So we decided that today we would surprise him with a spontaneous visit!

Or as much of a surprise as you can get when you’re an adult. We did call him to make sure he knew we were coming, and that we wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. Eventually he relented and agreed that some time with us would be good. 

I’m the first to arrive, this time. Me and Kitty may live really close together, but David is way on the far side of the city. He actually makes enough to be able to afford a nice place, with its own yard and everything. That means that I was closer in Basilisk’s compound than Kitty was over at our apartments.

I ring his doorbell, and then rock on my feet back and forth a little in anticipation. I cough a little, humming to try and lock in the voice I’m supposed to have. It might seem silly, but spending so long in disguise made it a little difficult to stick to my actual voice! 

I feel a big goofy grin coming onto my face. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to this visit. I’ve still not gotten the work-life balance quite right yet, and while getting eye candy time with Meathead isn’t half bad, I haven’t spent enough time with my friends. The door opens wide and I close my eyes, waving. “Heeeey David!”

David’s voice knocks me back down to reality. “Oh my gawd, what happened to your face?” I sheepishly smile a little, scratching the back of my head softly. I guess I wasn’t as healed up as I thought I was. He seems fine, albeit a little dressed down for him, in sweats. “Are you ok, dude?” He’s looking concerned, though, ushering me into his place quickly.

“Don’t worry about me, man,” I said, closing the door behind us. “I just tripped and gave myself a black eye the other day. You know how much of a klutz I can be. Trust me, I’m fine.” 

He throws me a drink, and sits down at the table, popping his own tab. Bleh, light beer. I wish I could zap this into something tastier… 

“Jason?” Be honest with me,” he starts, more serious than I want him to be. “Every time you go visit that cousin of yours, you come back injured. He’s not doing anything to you, is he?” 

I giggle at him, sitting down too. “Dude, are you serious?”

“Yes, I am. I know you don’t speak to your parents after they kicked you out, I get wanting to be close to some kind of family. But if he’s hurting you–”

“David!” I interrupt him, soft but firmly. “Dude, trust me. I’m fine, he’s not doing anything to me. He’s a good person. And don’t bring up my parents, man. I cut them out, not the other way around. It’s not like you’ve ever had to do that.”

“Yeah, I have. Not my parents, sure, but I do have family I don’t speak to anymore, after he showed what kind of person he was.” He stared at me for a minute before sighing, taking a swig of his beer. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m just worried about you. I don’t need you getting hurt too.”

Too? I take a small sip of my drink, looking at him sullenly swirling his drink in his hand. “What does that mean? David, what’s up? Talk to me.” 

He sighs again, quiet for a moment. “A couple weeks ago, a coworker of mine got attacked. What’s worse, I was with them just a few minutes before that happened. I know if I just stayed with them, I could have stopped it, and they wouldn’t have…” 

He’s goes quiet, staring at his beer can. Something about his story isn’t hitting right with me. “When was this? Weeks ago? And that’s why you’ve been so…” He curls in a little more, and I cut myself off. Instead, I walk over to him, pulling him to his feet, and give him a tight hug. “It’s not your fault, big guy. You couldn’t have known, right?” 

He stands still for a bit, before wrapping me up in a return hug. “I feel like it is my fault. I know that I have’ta stop blaming myself, but how can I? I left, I assumed they would be fine, I–”

“Shhhh.” I nuzzle into his chest, letting the deep blushy feelings and the strange deja vu pass over me. He needs me to comfort him, not melt like a horny idiot. “It wasn’t your fault. And I’m safe, you don’t need to protect me. Trust me, I could drop anyone who came at me like that.” I try to snap, but it doesn’t really work with my leather gloves on. 

He laughs, breaking the hug. “Oh sure. Tiny thing like you? I bet they shake in their boots when you come at them.”

I smile back up. Oh, you don’t know how right you actually are. 

We stand there smiling at each other for a good minute. Honestly, it feels great to be there in his arms; magical, even. Right. Honestly, I was fighting every instinct to just lean up and kiss him here and now. The look in his eyes screamed hunger, too.

Luckily for me, the doorbell rings out, dousing both our engines with a little cool water. I back up, blushing, looking down at the floor. “You go let Kitty in. I’ll grab some cards. They’re still in the silverware drawer, right?” 

He looks red as a beat, too, nods and runs off. I hide a sheepish little grin as I skip over to the kitchen proper. Now might not be the right time, but damn. I might not be the most observant guy in the universe, but even I can tell that there’s something here. Any fear that this was one way was just gone. It’s freeing. He does like me! 

A frown can’t help but form on my face, rummaging through his cabinets for a deck, pulling it out in my gloved hands. He doesn’t know about that part of my life, though. It’s the only thing about me he doesn’t know, probably will never know. What kind of monster would he think I am if he did? 

But then, actually. Something about that all feels… Funny. Off. His story was eerie. Too many coincidences. It’s starting to feel a little–

“Jason!” Kitty calls from the doorway, making me jump. “What’s taking so long in here?” I turn around, beet red, and she grows the largest Cheshire grin I’ve ever seen on her. “Oh my. What did I miss? Did you two…” She waggles her finger back and forth suggestively, and I feel like I could die right then and there.

“Shut up!” My blush turns a deep crimson. “No, of course not! I mean. No! Maybe?” She laughs in my face, walking closer and patting my head. “He was giving me vibes.”

“Vibes?”

“Vibes.”

She pinches my cheek softly, and I swat her hand away. “What kind of vibes?”

I shrug, trying to will the blood out of my cheeks. If only I could actually zap myself… “You know, vibes!”

“Oh girl, no I don’t! Are we talking ‘slow dancing in the living room’, are we talking ‘innuendo after innuendo’, are we talking ‘seconds from holding you down in a mating press’?” She counts the different suggestions off on her fingers one by one. Nevermind, now I know I’m gonna die of embarrassment standing here.

I grab her wrist, marching out of the kitchen with her laughing at me. “Shut up! I’m not gonna talk about this with him right out there!” 

David pops his head up from the couch, looking right over at us, stopping me mid step. “Talk about what? What am I missing out on?”

Kitty grabs the cards from my hand, tossing them over to him with ease. “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Just a little girl talk.” 

I blush hard at that, biting the inside of my cheek to keep myself grounded. Kitty winks at me and sits down in the only chair across from the couch, which essentially forces me to sit next to David. Oh well, if I have to.

I gave Kitty my beer (who happily gulps it down, being the only person who likes this stuff of the three of us; I have no idea why David even buys it when I know he hates it too) and sat a very respectful distance away from him. Which, over the course of the games, may have gotten less and less respectful. I may or may not have ended up lounging on his lap at one point or another. I may or may not have lost all my pocket change and gave up playing myself, instead helping David lose all his cash too. How Kitty hasn’t opened an extra bank account just to hold all my money for me I don’t know. 

“You two seem comfortable over there,” Kitty interjected at some point, later into the afternoon. The cards had gone away, but I haven’t moved from my new favorite seat in the house. She hadn’t mentioned it while we were playing. It would have been unsportsmanlike behavior! I see the ‘make Jason blush as hard as he can’ game is back on now. I’m not gonna let Kitty win this one, though! 

I stick my tongue out at her, and then nuzzle into David a bit, lounging my arm up around his neck. “Oh, incredibly!” I giggle, winking at her. 

She shakes her head, huge smile on her face. “Oh my god, he’s become shameless. David, we’ve created a monster.” 

I look up at him, totally beet read, stammering like an adorable lug. “Uhhh, I… We…” I giggle, kicking my feet happily. 

Kitty smiles at us both. “I’d say get a room, but–”

David’s beeper goes off, like it does every time we’re together. Boo! Things were just getting good! He picks it up and clicks it off, but the sound doesn’t end. He stares at me. Oh yeah, I have one too. I reach for it to click it off, holding it up against his nearly identical one.

Kitty sighs, getting up. “Okay, that’s just creepy. Guess date night’s over. You two late for the blowjob convention or something?”

I barely hear what she’s saying, instead staring at our twin beepers. It’s starting to all click. The deja vu. The things he’s been saying, the story he told. Hell, the twinge in his voice, that huge adorable build of his, the…

My throat goes dry, and I look up at him. He’s staring back down at me, jaw slack. I think he’s got the same thoughts going through his mind too. 

“Hello?” Kitty moves her hand in front of our faces, breaking my thoughts. “Earth to the lovers. I’m gonna head out, you two have fun doing whatever you’re doing. Love ya booooys.”

Kitty walks out, but neither of us dare to move at all for minutes, especially when it’s just us two. It’s not until his pager goes off again that he springs up, sliding me awkwardly into a laying position, sheepishly grabbing his coat. “Uh,” he stammers, “I gotta take this. I assume you…?”

“Uh, yeah.” I bite my lip, slowly standing up myself. “Sorry. Uh, you’re?” 

“Yeah, I’m… Do you… Maybe we should…” He stops and sits down, before shaking his head softly. “Uh, we should talk about…” 

“Next time.”

“Oh yeah, definitely next time.”

I sit down again, looking every way but at him. “Uh, see you later. Have fun at your IT thing.” 

He gets up again, before gesturing at me. “It’s my place. Have fun with your coffee thing.”

“Right! Right, right, yeah. Your place. I leave.” I blush deeply, rushing over to the door. I turn back quickly, blushing deeply. “See you later?”

“Yeah, later.”

“Later.”

“Later.” 

I bite my cheek hard, and run out quickly, blushing like a madwoman. Fuck, fuck me. It’s just a thought, and I need to make sure. But, I think my life just got a lot simpler, and a lot more complicated all at once.

I think I have a crush on just one guy after all.