Page 35 of The Not So Super Hero

F unny how people changed without even realizing it.

Within the blink of an eye, Zane went from thriving off the serenity of silence to absolutely despising it.

However, that had more to do with who was with him during that silence rather than the silence itself.

If someone else were in the apartment Zane would see it as peaceful but with Bailey it felt like a consuming void.

For once, Zane had an urge to be rid of that void and replace it with something but his vocal chords had long since forgotten how to function.

“What do you want to watch?” Zane asked.

Bailey didn’t move from the entry. Zane kicked off his shoes, set aside his jacket, then searched for a movie.

Bailey slowly followed, making his way back to the bed.

He hesitated to sit, his brain immediately replaying their kiss that made his entire body tingle.

Who knew an inanimate object could be so dangerous to the mind?

“Whatever you want,” Bailey answered quietly, taking a hesitant seat in case the futon came alive to devour his soul.

Ten minutes of useless searching passed before Zane threw on a random action move.

Though that meant he no longer had an excuse to stall and should probably join Bailey on the bed…

where they just made out. He could sit on the floor, but that avoidance would be obvious and probably more awkward.

Oh no, Zane was becoming like Chris and worrying over everything. ..

In the end, Zane sat on the futon, leaving a small space between them. Bailey hid himself within the blankets that were tucked beneath his chin. They didn’t speak as the movie played. Bailey’s eyes grew heavy minutes later. His head bobbed, then swayed side to side.

“You can lie down,” Zane suggested when he caught Bailey leaning forward. As funny as it would be to watch the boy tumble off, it probably wasn’t the best idea. With his luck, he’d crack his skull open and Zane would have a dead body on his floor.

“Uh, I’m not tired. I’m fine,” Bailey said with abnormally wide eyes.

“Uh huh. I can sleep on the floor?”

“W-What?” Bailey sputtered out, going red up to his ears. “No, we can sleep together!”

Bailey was going to fucking die. He was going to jump up, leave the apartment and bury himself in the snow where he would freeze to death in order to escape his embarrassment.

Actually, he wasn’t sure even the snow could help cool him down after that complete fuck up.

Not that he thought he could save himself, but Bailey went on to at least try to do that, “Not together, I mean, like, on the bed together...”

Zane had to use every ounce of his willpower not to cry with laughter. He actually had to look away and cover his mouth, that was set into a wicked smile.

“I meant you don’t have to s-sleep on the floor. We shared a bed before! And I uh... nothing wrong with sharing a bed...to sleep.”

Zane lost it. He snorted, tried to suppress it, then full on howled with laughter.

“Stop laughing! I-It isn’t...you know what I meant!” Bailey made it worse. Zane was in tears.

Bailey would be mad, except it was kind of nice watching Zane fall to his side in a fit of giggles.

He buried his face in the covers to quiet the laughter, though his shoulders continued to shake.

Bailey was somewhere between happy and embarrassed, resulting in his silence and inability to decide what to do next.

He opted to give himself time to calm down.

“I’m gonna get a shower.”

“Want to share the shower?” Zane peeked out of the blankets.

“No, I do not!” Bailey hollered, actually kicking Zane in the side for it too.

Zane grunted, then buried his snorts beneath the covers. Bailey bolted to the bathroom, although that couldn’t save his dignity.

“There are clean clothes in my dresser.” Zane pointed to said dresser, which was small and located right next to the bathroom door.

Bailey blushed, realizing he didn’t have any spare clothes so he would have to wear Zane’s titan clothes. Picking out pants, Bailey found almost five inches’ extra worth of leg room. He fucking hated titans. Grumbling, he took the pants into the bathroom.

With Bailey gone, Zane sat up. Hearing the water in the bathroom, an extra pair of shoes and a jacket by the door was unfamiliar, except he grew oddly comfortable with the changes.

Then anxiety set in, the constant fear that it would change back to what it once was not because Zane chose for it to but because it was forced upon him.

Rebirth wouldn’t show mercy, they never did.

An organization filled with people of the same mindset, who didn’t care about anyone but themselves and their greed to grow stronger.

Bailey was in danger and Zane hadn’t decided on the best route to take yet.

Tell Bailey and let the boy live in constant fear and worry that something bad was coming his way.

Let him look over his shoulder, lose nights of sleep, jump at every noise and fear closing his eyes because he had no idea what was waiting for him in the dark, or let him remain oblivious, go through his days as usual with a smile on his face and no fear in his heart.

Allow him to live his life while Zane kept his eyes on him, which would mean if anything happened to him, Zane would be to blame.

Zane bit his lip with such ferocity that it bled, not that he noticed.

However, a moment later, his lip was tenderly pushed away from the pain.

Blinking, Zane found Bailey leaning over the bed, his hair dripping wet, to press his thumb against Zane’s bottom lip.

Then Bailey wiped away the small trace of blood from his mouth.

“Are you ok?” he asked.

That was a surprisingly tough question to answer, so Zane didn’t answer it at all and instead said, “Give me your phone.”

“Uh, sure?” Bailey questioned his decision, but, honestly, when wasn’t he?

He retrieved his phone from the coffee table.

Ruffling his wet hair with a towel, he tossed Zane the phone.

If Bailey stopped blushing after his shower, then it didn’t last long because he was definitely blushing again while Zane seemed to put in his phone number.

So he could text him or call him without worry that he was bothering him?

Because normally if you give someone your number, that means you want to talk, right?

“Here.” Zane returned Bailey’s phone. “Call me if you need me.”

It was a sweet sentiment, if not for the nagging suspicion in the back of Bailey’s mind why Zane said that.

After what happened on campus, though, perhaps he was only worried?

There was a lot going on, villains around every corner, it seemed.

With Bailey’s luck, he would run into much more before the police really got a handle on things.

“Ok.” Bailey agreed, even if his mind was screaming at him to argue and ask why. “You’ll do the same, though, right?”

Zane hesitated. His mouth opened, then shut.

He looked away, snapped the hair tie on his wrist. That felt like a trick question because if he said yes, it felt like he was implying something, but if he said no, then he would sound like an asshole.

Wait, when did he start to care if he sounded like an asshole?

That was his full-time occupation, after all.

“Nope,” Zane teased, peering back to Bailey, whose lips had fallen into a scowl. “Why would I bring catastrophe itself to an already troubling situation?”

“Fuck you.” Bailey took his spot next to Zane, regardless of the man’s annoying snickers.

With the movie about over, Zane changed.

Bailey had made himself comfortable in bed, or was trying to.

His feet kept getting tangled up by all the extra fabric of his pants.

Zane rolled his eyes, watching Bailey wiggle beneath the blankets.

After about five minutes of struggles, he settled.

Zane joined him, sleeping on the outer edge while Bailey took the wall.

The warmth beside him lulled Bailey into sleep.

Feeling Zane’s back pressed against his caused his body to relax.

Much like the first time Bailey slept over, the boy whispered quietly, “Goodnight, Zane.”

Zane didn’t hesitate to reply, “Night.”

Bailey wasn’t sure how much time it took for him to fall asleep, but he was sure it wasn’t much. However, Bailey found himself in a similar situation, one where he “awoke” within a dream, only this time he knew it was a dream.

Bailey rested on a red velvet couch by a warm hearth. There was something different about this dream. It didn’t leave Bailey with a lingering feeling of fear, replaced by an overwhelming sense of curiosity.

The fire danced within the hearth, cracking softly while casting a warm glow across the room.

Sitting up, Bailey took in the massive, two story room around him.

Spiral staircases moved up either side of the room, leading to the second floor.

The second floor mirrored the first, with books reaching from floor to ceiling.

Even the shelves couldn’t hold them all, with stacks of books being sat on side tables and even the floor.

A shimmering chandelier hung at the center that screamed luxury with shining golden accents and crystal clear gems. It certainly wasn’t a place Bailey had ever seen, nor did he ever expect to see.

The room belonged to that of a mansion, the hardwood floor giving off a luxurious feel.

Its deep brown color matched the shelves and went beautifully with the rich red walls.

“Where am I?” Bailey whispered.

He stood, spinning on his heel to take in the unfamiliar environment. There were a few more armchairs, some desks spread out through the vast room, yet it was completely empty save for him.