Page 29 of The Not So Super Hero

W ith classes canceled, Bailey had a lot of time on his hands.

Unwanted time. He didn’t have work either, so he sat in the hotel room watching TV.

He already spoke to his parents. They suggested a break from the remaining semester.

They panicked on the phone, talking about how they didn’t want their boy in the city when villains were attacking regularly.

Almost every day there was another attack on the news, and now Ringgold was added to the list of recent tragedies.

The death toll continued to rise, what with the collapsing buildings that were still being searched.

His parents took some time to convince. Since the attack, heroes were pouring in, they were keeping more and more in larger cities in case of another assault, which relieved his parents a bit.

They said that if something happened again; they were going to force Bailey to take a break.

Apparently, the world was “too crazy.” Bailey agreed to some extent.

Earlier, Ryan mentioned something about the two of them going out to get food, but Bailey declined. He claimed he was still tired. Whether Ryan believed him was undetermined, but he told Bailey to call if he needed anything and left.

Bailey curled into the blankets, wrapping them up to his nose. His eyes were strained from the new glasses. He took them off to rest for a moment.

He thought of Zane, if he was alright. Bailey hadn’t seen Zane get physically injured, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t hurt.

Sometimes mutants’ abilities had repercussions.

Sometimes, using their powers after so long of ignoring them could cause immense physical pain.

Like when someone tried working out after having not done it for a while and their muscles screamed back in agony.

Imagine that, but ten times worse. Bailey got the feeling Zane didn’t use his mutation very often, and that left him worried.

Did Zane even want to see Bailey, though? After what happened—he told Bailey to leave, like he didn’t want to be around him. Did that mindset remain? Was he ashamed of what he did, worried, or what?

Bailey bit into his lip, reaching out blindly for his glasses. The world came into view while he continued mulling over his options. Visit Zane or don’t visit him. Thank him or don’t thank him.

About 5 minutes later, he was on his feet. Though from time to time Bailey hesitated to change, or stood in front of the mirror with a worried expression, he ended up leaving the hotel. If one good thing happened from yesterday, it was the fact that Bailey’s car survived. Yeah, shocking.

Bailey wondered if Zane even remembered that he knew how to get there.

He snickered, then worried about Zane being upset.

Another moment of hesitation outside his vehicle, resulting in him standing in the blistering winter wind.

With a deep breath and some small amount of courage, Bailey got into his car.

If Zane ignored him, he would thank him, then leave.

The car ride didn’t ease Bailey’s anxiety. The closer he got to Zane’s place, the faster his heart beat until he found himself in the parking lot. Resting his forehead against the wheel, Bailey took deep breaths, tapping his fingers to no beat in particular.

“Get over it, Bailey,” he ordered. “Zane saved you. You need to thank him.”

Before he realized it, he was in front of Zane’s apartment, legs shaking while he raised his fist. Wasn’t knocking supposed to be simple?

Yet Bailey couldn’t work up the nerve to do it.

He lingered in silence, standing awkwardly before the door with his fist in the air.

Then he knocked. The sound echoed, bombarding him until his eyes actually watered.

However, there was no movement. Bailey frowned and tried again, and again, and again.

There was the chance that Zane wasn’t home, but he seriously doubted that.

He had the distinct feeling that he was being ignored.

“Zane, if you’re in there, please open up?” Bailey cleared his throat. “Are you okay? You disappeared yesterday, so I couldn’t ask. I’m not leaving until you answer. I’ll sit out here all day if I have to.”

Bailey wasn’t exactly sure where his stubborn nature was coming from, but he was grateful for it.

Then the lock clicked, and a chain rustled.

The door didn’t open, though. Bailey pushed the door open, peering into darkness.

The curtains were shut. Not even the TV was on.

The only light came from the open doorway, pouring inside to reveal the dim outline of Zane’s body beneath the blankets.

“Zane, I’m turning on the light,” Bailey said.

He didn’t get a response.

Frowning, he flicked on the light, then shut the door.

Bailey remained as quiet as possible, though the room felt tense because of his presence.

The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention.

His body broke out in goosebumps. The temperature of the room dropped until Bailey felt like he had suddenly been thrown outside into the cold winter air.

Bailey forced himself to spit out, “How are you feeling?”

Zane wouldn’t look at him. He had himself wrapped up like a child hiding from his parents. Biting his lip, Bailey approached Zane, hesitating time and time again as if he expected Zane to suddenly lash out on him.

“You…you don’t need to go to the hospital, do you?” Bailey asked, concerned by Zane’s silence.

Finally, he reached the bed to sit down next to Zane. He reached towards the blankets. Finally, Zane made a move. He brushed Bailey off, his hold of the blankets tightening to state he wasn’t coming out. Bailey couldn’t help but be reminded of someone who did that once before, a long time ago.

“Don’t be like that,” Bailey said, rolling his eyes. He tugged on the blankets that Zane refused to release. “You’re acting like a kid.”

“What do you want?” Zane asked softly.

Bailey pressed his hand to Zane’s back. He felt the warmth beneath it, then a shiver that caused his fingers to grip the blanket between them. “What do you mean?”

“Why are you here?”

“I was worried,” he said, a little offended Zane didn’t know that. He realized he had left without a word, right? Because Bailey had a lot to ask, a lot to say, and Zane just, poof, vanished! “We could have been killed yesterday, and you didn’t even stay behind to—”

To what? Check on Bailey? Check on himself? To just be there, by Bailey’s side. He wasn’t sure, so he didn’t say, simply hoped that Zane got the hint. Because he didn’t respond, Bailey took that as he understood, but didn’t want to admit he did.

Before Bailey could go into a lecture, Zane said something that caused Bailey’s chest to cave in on itself. “You sure as hell looked like you didn’t want me to stick around.”

That…it wasn’t true, even if Bailey understood why Zane felt that way.

“Don’t even try to tell me you aren’t frightened just by being in the same room as me,” Zane said.

“I’m not,” Bailey argued, which pissed Zane off enough to move.

He shot off the bed. The blanket dropped to curl around his feet.

There wasn’t time to process a thing, to think over what to say before Zane faced Bailey.

His eyes were red, bloodshot. Not a single ounce of white was left.

There were remnants of blood beneath his nose and around his ears.

His hair was matted, like he had been tearing at it.

His lips set into a scowl that shook when he pointed accusingly at Bailey and said, “You didn’t like what you saw.

Don’t argue against that. I know exactly what you were afraid of, and it wasn’t just Sasha. ”

Bailey couldn’t argue that he wasn’t frightened, Zane frightened him, but not in the way Zane seemed to think. The way Zane looked at him, as if he honestly believed Bailey thought so little of him, that he feared Zane, it sent rage through his veins.

“If you know exactly what I was afraid of, then you should know why I was afraid to begin with,” Bailey argued.

“You seemed to know exactly what you were doing. She apparently knew you, that you were an objective, that Rebirth is after you. Yeah, I’m frightened by that, frightened for you, so why don’t you explain to me how or why that’s so wrong because I’m drawing a blank? ”

Zane took a step back when Bailey abruptly stood and with a stern voice said, “I didn’t come here to argue.

I came here to make sure you were ok, and yeah, I have a lot of questions I want to ask, but there are more important things right now, like getting you cleaned up.

So, you can either let me take you to the hospital or sit the fuck down and let me take care of you. It’s your choice.”

Zane had an expression of disbelief and slight annoyance as he glared at Bailey, who was happily glaring right back.

They remained like that for a few minutes, in a duel to see who would cave first. Then Zane released a grunt and stomped towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

Water ran from the shower. Bailey took the time to head for the cupboards.

His hands shook while he searched for anything Zane might have to eat. It took a few minutes for Bailey to compose himself. He was somewhere between pissed off and distressed but wasn’t sure what to call it or which he felt more. Honestly, it was pretty evened out.

He was pissed at Zane for honestly believing that Bailey feared him.

He was gloomy because part of him understood why.

There was also some annoyance in there that Zane was likely going to be a handful because of it.

Can’t the guy be an open book and tell Bailey everything?

He tired of all the mysteries; it was only hot in the movies.

Except he couldn’t even lie to himself about not finding Zane and his annoying ways attractive because the bastard had to come out of the bathroom at that exact moment.