Page 52 of The Not So Super Hero
“When you ask it like that, it feels like you’re already giving me an evasive answer.”
“That’s definitely not what I meant.”
“Seems like it’s what you meant.”
Bailey’s shoulders slumped forward, his body curling in on itself. He felt so stupid for asking, and the pain in his chest was only getting worse. Embarrassed and pained, he looked to the floor, attempting to shield the water building in his eyes. It didn’t work. Zane saw it.
Shit, shit, fuck, damn it, shit! That was not ok in Zane’s book. He had no idea what to do, so he blurted out whatever came to mind, “I like being with you and I want us to be dating! I didn’t mean for it to come off as trying to evade the question or something.”
Bailey met Zane’s gaze, eyes blinking rapidly because he thought he was dreaming, even more so when he noticed something peculiar; Zane was blushing. Not nearly as obvious as Bailey’s, but there was definitely a pink dusting beneath his eyes, even a bit on the tip of his ears.
Zane kept talking, unaware that he had already saved the situation; “I’m sure you have realized that I come with a lot of baggage. Even after all this is over, it’s not like anything will ever be normal.”
Baggage? Bailey didn’t like how Zane said that.
“You don’t honestly believe that they’re just going to let me go after all this rolls over, do you?
?” Zane continued. “They will say I’m not a prisoner here.
They will claim that I have every right to leave if I want, but I’ll never actually be alone, which means you would never be either.
If you want any semblance of normalcy, you won’t get it from being with me. ”
Zane stopped there because he wasn’t sure if I could handle speaking further.
It was hard enough thinking about the truth, but speaking it aloud was a whole other story.
It physically hurt to say, and he wished it not to be true.
Sadly, ever since he was eleven, he knew that his life would never be ordinary, even if he had always tried his hardest to obtain it.
Bailey gave Zane that sense of normalcy that he always wanted.
Sure, at first he wanted nothing to do with trouble incarnate, but as time went on, somehow trouble became exceedingly ordinary to Zane.
Perhaps that wasn’t what became normal, but rather the relationship between them felt normal.
The desire to be together, to hang out, go see a movie, do something simple together just because they could.
That was normal, wasn’t it? And it gave Zane a small glimmer of hope that he could grasp that mediocre life he always dreamed of.
Their own form of grand that others found boring.
It hurt more than anything to realize it wasn’t going to happen.
Zane would never be normal, even if Bailey was a part of his life and he wasn’t going to blame Bailey for not wanting any part of it either.
Why would he? After all the shit they already went through, it was understandable if Bailey wanted out, but Zane seemed to forget who he was talking about.
Bailey had bad luck his entire life. He had faced hardship for as long as he could remember. While Zane certainly had far more extreme troubles than he ever imagined, Bailey didn’t plan on leaving.
“Don’t say that,” Bailey ordered, his tone firm.
“Don’t say that you have baggage like it’s somehow wrong.
We all have our own issues, and while some are more extreme than others, it doesn’t make any of us a pain to be with or undesirable.
I know I haven’t got the whole story yet, and I know there’s even more to you than I see now.
I understand that and if I wasn’t willing to accept it, then I wouldn’t still be here, so get it into your head already that I like being with you too! ”
Bailey’s burst with heat while Zane’s eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull.
Somehow, Bailey’s words echoed through the apartment like they were on repeat.
They continued to beat into him like he was a body bag and it caused his entire body to tingle.
Most of the time, Bailey wished his mouth kept itself shut.
He was tired of it digging him into a hole every other second.
Except, maybe the hole wasn’t too bad because once Zane finally returned to reality, all was made right in the world.
Bailey found himself in another unexpected, but totally appreciated, kiss.
Zane grasped Bailey’s cheek, caressing the warm skin with his thumb while kissing like their lives depended on it.
Somehow it was the most innocent kiss they had, yet Bailey’s heart beat in a way it never did before.
Perhaps it was the same for Zane, but he sure as hell wasn’t willing to admit to it just yet.
The kiss ended as quickly as it began, leaving Bailey breathless, kind of confused, and unbelievably happy. He was having all kinds of strange feeling combinations lately and he wished he had a larger vocabulary so he could explain it.
Zane didn’t pull away. Instead, the two sat closely, their foreheads pressed together, allowing them to feel the warmth that radiated between them.
Bailey felt Zane’s breath fanning over his cheek.
Zane felt the occasional movement of Bailey’s lips.
It was comforting and sweet and everything they needed, all in a simple gesture.
“It’s getting late,” Zane spoke so softly that his baritone voice tickled Bailey’s ears. “We should get some sleep.”
“Uh huh.” Bailey couldn’t form a coherent sentence even if he tried to.
Zane smirked and, sadly, pulled away, leaving Bailey chilled.
He got up, stretched his arms high above his head before walking around the couch to head to his room.
Bailey hopped up as well, following after Zane before hesitating in the hall because, by the way, Zane stood in his doorway. It almost felt like an invitation.
“Oh, are you sleeping with me tonight?” Zane asked in a tone that screamed it had a second meaning.
“W-What? N-No!” Bailey’s shaking voice was not convincing.
“That’s probably for the best,” Zane said, that devilish smirk on his lips that made Bailey’s heart palpitate. “If my boyfriend was in bed with me, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.”
And with that heart stopping statement, a snickering Zane left a sputtering Bailey in the hall…
Bailey slept in his own room that night. Zane planned to tease him about it in the morning.