Nameless Superhero

My dad said they ground the image. Make it so I don't 'scare the children' as he put it.

The smile that crossed my lips was brittle, but it was the first sign that everything might have a chance of being alright.

Two weeks later and my life lacked even a hint of the balance between my personal and professional life that I'd had before the incident. I poured time into my superhero work, putting off all my artistic commissions after informing them of a death in the family. They were understanding, telling me to take all the time I needed.

And how long is that I wonder? How long before my heart stops aching at every little thing that reminds me of him? Even my smile in the mirror feels like a betrayal, like I'm not showing his impossible generosity enough respect. Why should I get to be happy when he's no longer here?

I shook my head and advanced the two spaces in the deli line, feeling naked without the embrace of my suit. My teeth gritted as the sun reflected off of one of the tables to dodge the dark frames of my sunglasses to stab into my baggy, sleep-deprived eyes. Jerking my head to the side, I took a slow breath in an attempt to center myself. Thus when my phone began to ring I nearly jumped through the ceiling with an unfortunate activation of my power; something that would never happen were I not spread so thin. Pulling the blasted thing from my pocket revealed the number was unlisted. I tapped the earbud that I always wore, my link to Nexus and thus the happenings in both my town and further abroad.

"Take the call," Nexus' cool tone rang out through my earbuds.

Nexus has never steered me wrong before.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Hi is this... Kelly?" It took her a moment to find the name.

"It is. May I ask who is calling?"

"Oh yes, of course. I'm Remy. May I ask where you are right now? This would be much easier to do face to face."

I hesitated, pinching my lips to the side with uncertainty. My earpiece chimed once but there was no message.

Alright, I get it.

"Sure. I'm at Barney's Bistro, the one on fourth."

She let out a sigh of relief that could be heard through the phone. "Excellent. I'll be there in five."

Before I could say anything she'd hung up the phone. I considered calling her back to get some answers but I didn't think it would be worth the trouble.

How am I supposed to recognize her? I have no idea what she looks like. Whatever, I thought, grabbing my order from the counter. Either it works out or it doesn't. Whichever way is fine with me.

I was halfway through my sandwich when the caller walked in through the door. Recognizing her immediately, I couldn't help but admire her beauty. Her luscious hair and gentle face against a body that seemed like it was chiselled out of marble. My bite got lodged in my throat and I had to reach for my glass of water as she noticed me and walked over. Hovering nervously over the seat at the other side of the table, she seemed uncertain whether she should sit down or not.

Imperviwish! Why did she track me down? Is she gonna press charges? Fuck! I knew I shouldn't have put it off. I was just ashamed at how I'd acted.

"Kelly?" she asked in a small voice.

Shit! And how does she know my name?!

"And you must be Remy, I presume," my composure said, saving me and hiding the panic that lurked beneath.

"Yes, right. Remy, that's me," she said with an awkward wave. Coming to the conclusion that it was stranger for her to stand and talk down at me than to sit, she took a seat. She looked uncomfortable with being in public, her eyes darting around, but they always inevitably drifted back to my face. Remy stared at me like I was both her salvation and her deepest darkest secret.

"Hi," I said, taking another bite of my sandwich before looking away.

That expression was far too close to hero-worship for my tastes.

"Hi," she returned.

God she's still beautiful. I've always had a thing for her type.

I was careful to keep those thoughts from my face as I chewed, giving her time to think before she spoke.

"Are you... How are you doing?"

Does she know about Dad's dea-

I couldn't even finish the thought. My throat closing up and vision growing hazy as my eyes filled with fat tears that I fought to keep from falling.

Remy noticed. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that to you." She laced her fingers on the table and they shook with a white-knuckled grip. "Not that that's any consolation. This wasn't meant to be me giving you excuses. I just... I just wanted to apologize."

Huh? She's not talking about my dad? That can only mean that she's all chewed up over my new cock.

I laughed. For the first time since my dad had died, a genuine bubble of mirth issued from my throat. Once I started, I couldn't really stop. Receiving strange looks from around the cafe didn't phase me one bit, although it obviously made Remy even more uncomfortable.

I clapped three times and my laughter died down to a random fit of giggles. Waving my hand in front of my face, I then beckoned her in close. "If this about... My new friend." I dropped my eyes down low. I gave her a small smirk. "You don't have to worry about it. In fact, you should send me a bill for the damages I caused you the other day."

"Wait, you're... Okay with it?"

"I know. It was a little bit of a surprise to me too." Dipping a homemade waffle fry into a bit of ketchup, I popped the whole thing into my mouth, smiling easily.

Remy was speechless, her mouth gaping open wide, but there was a hint of hope that lurked in the back of her eyes. Then the whole thing soured into frustration and she slammed her hands down against the table as she stood up, her chair tipping back to crash onto the floor. "You can't just dismiss it that easily!"

Behind the strange woman, one of the cafe's workers was bringing out a pot of coffee to offer a refill to one of the patron's cups. Surprised by the sudden noise and distracted by the falling chair, she caught her foot on a stray tote bag. Unbalanced, she went to catch herself and in doing so, sent a wave of hot coffee toward Remy's back. The scalding hot liquid flew through the air on a direct path. I barely had time to open my mouth to issue a warning before something strange happened.

The coffee... Stopped.

It was less that it stopped, and more that the liquid disappeared before it could reach her. The stunned waitress gathered herself, praising her fortune as she stared at her still full pot of coffee. The strangest part of the whole thing was that Remy never even reacted. Never gave any indication that she was even aware of the danger.

It's like her power activated without her knowing. But there's a fair distance between teleporting coffee and having someone grow a penis. Just what the hell is her ability? Besides that, her words kind of pissed me off.

I finished off my meal and grabbed my tray, rising from my seat, I stood tall but failed to meet her impressive height. "I'm sorry about breaking into your home and assaulting you. That was... a mistake. But-" My eyes blazed with emotion as my pride reared its ugly head. "-If you think that gives you the right to tell me how I should feel, then you've got another thing coming. I hope you have a fine life, Remy." I went to walk past her and dispose of my trash while returning the tray.

She stopped me by grabbing my wrist, her anger having left her. The hope I saw earlier was at the forefront of her face, her feelings clear as glass. Mingling with the hope was a healthy amount of fear. But of what, I didn't know.

Is it me? I never meant to make her afraid.

Like a pincushion to a balloon, the fear deflated my indignation and I softened my expression.

Her voice came out small. "I didn't mean it like that." She hesitated, as if on the verge of saying something more and I waited.

"Would you..."

Please fix your window? Tell you that I'm fine with my new cock again? Come with you to get it removed so you don't have to think about it? As I waited for her to speak, my mind tried to guess how she was going to finish.

"Please go out with me? You know... Like to dinnerb or something."

Despite my attempts at anticipation, I was stunned by what she'd said.

Did I hear that right?

Now that it was her turn to wait for me to break the silence, she slowly wilted as the seconds passed without my answer. It broke my heart a little to see such insecurity.

Ahhh. What the hell. It's only one date. What's the worst that could happen?

"Sure. Sounds good." I tugged my arm free of her slack grip as her eyes widened with surprise at my response. "Just let me know when and where, as it seems you already have my number." I gave her my winningest grin as I cleared up my meal and exited the establishment, using my power once I was out of sight to take off before she could catch up to me and anything stranger could happen.

Thus, three days later, I found myself seated across from the woman I'd once thought killed my father. My eyes remained plastered to her face. Not only because it was beautiful, but also because they kept wanting to roam across her body. A body that was only accentuated by a navy blue dress whose material seemed to sparkle like stars had been woven into the fabric. I wasn't short by any means but her height made me feel that way. Everything together had the effect of sending a low-level charge of arousal zinging through my body.

"You look lovely."

She seemed surprised by the compliment, a cute little blush dusting her cheeks. I rose and pulled out her chair for her.

"Thank you. I don't get out too much."

"I find that surprising," I told her honestly as the waiter arrived with the menus.

"Why?" she said, glancing at me over the top, hiding behind the laminated folds.

She doesn't seem to be fishing for a compliment. I think it was a genuine question. No reason not to be honest.

"I would've thought you get more than your share of attention, considering the way you look."

"Oh. Really? No. I'm far too private for things like that."

"And yet, here we are." I prodded her with my eyes. Curious about a number of things that led to us being here.

Judging by the way she's protecting herself with the menu, there's something beyond the norm going on. Still...

After the waiter took our orders, I folded my hands on the table and patiently stared at her until I caught her nervous eyes. Once I had them I began to speak.

"I need to apologize about what happened when I broke into your house."

"There's no need."

"Please, for my own ego if nothing else."

Frowning, she dipped her head into a short nod.

"Thank you. It's important to me to apologize because I pride myself on my due diligence. I make sure that I have the right culprit. I check and double-check to make sure that I'm not condemning an innocent- supered, villain, civilian or otherwise -for a crime that they did not commit. I had no business getting involved with the case. I was too emotionally involved."

"Everyone makes mistakes. It wasn't your fault."

"It was my fault. Looking back I feel like one of those characters on a soap opera, jumping to conclusions and making accusations without even giving you a chance to defend yourself. All I had to do was ask a few questions and everything could have been resolved, and you could've gone back to fiddling with your bean," I told her with a smirk.

She didn't get it at first, her brow furrowed while she mouthed the words back to herself. Once she did, her cheeks bloomed with an adorable red color.

I couldn't help myself from continuing. "That shade is quite lovely on you. Really matches your eyes."

The blush grew more prominent, and another smile crossed her face at the compliment.

"You're too much," she said in a whisper that was filled with warmth.

I'm too much? Who does she think she is? Going all adorable as well as gorgeous?

"Thinking you might have made a mistake bringing me here?" I teased.

"Not at all," she remarked as she took a sip of her own water.

The tilt of her head sent her luxurious black hair swishing and my eyes latched onto the lines of her neck, watching carefully, tracking her swallow. Gulping loudly, I accidentally snagged her attention. Her eyes danced with mirth as she caught me staring.

This time it was my turn to blush.

"I think I was right to seize the opportunity presented to me. Also, Kelly, I think your own shade is beautiful, in its own right. But would look even better up next to mine," she flirted, far more forward than I would've thought at the start of the meal.

I stifled a chuckle with my hand.

She's finding her footing and seems to be genuinely interested in me. We've put the past behind us. I was a little nervous about how this might go, but now I'm thinking it could be fun.

And it was. We had an enjoyable dinner where we talked about mostly inconsequential things to get comfortable around each other. I got the sense that she tended to take things a little too seriously, although I'm hardly one to complain about that, and that she certainly wasn't used to taking people out on dates.

Which is something I find quite curious.

I felt like I managed to be fairly charming, reigning in the worst aspects of my usual teasing and inquisitive nature. I also managed to keep my grief in check, only excusing myself to the bathroom once to cry. She didn't ask me about it when I came back to the table with splotchy eyes. Taking my hand and giving me a kind smile, she did her best to comfort me without pressing. So I told her about what had happened. My father and the robbery and Poly. The whole kit and caboodle. At the end of it all, she remained silent. Keeping her hand in mine, she kicked out her chair and pulled me up from mine into a hug. Her large strong arms wrapped around me and I stiffened for a moment. Then I melted into her warmth, returning her embrace by cautiously wrapping my arms around her. She smelled of some sort of flowery perfume and for all her impressive muscles her skin was surprisingly soft and velvety. It was intimate and comforting, helping me forget the loss and loneliness for a moment. And then it was over and she calmly walked back to her seat. I dabbed at my splotchy face with my cloth napkin. Remy filled in the gap by talking about her online consulting business until I was ready and I told her about my paintings that I did over my own website, suggesting she might help me out with its rudimentary layout. She assured me that it probably wasn't that bad until I pulled it up on my phone and she visibly winced. I laughed as she tried to find something good to say about it and told her not to bother. She said it was, and this is a quote, "An affront to the internet."

Whatever that means.

It was around this time that the check arrived and Remy snagged it, insisting that she would pay it, being the one who asked me out.

Although if you ask me she still feels guilty over the whole making me grow a cock thing.

I reluctantly agreed but promised her that I would get it the next time we went out. She seemed pleased by the implication and we went our separate ways, Remy by ordering an Uber while I decided to walk the streets. I thought about the enigmatic woman, fiddling over her incongruencies like a tongue worrying over a piece of food caught in my teeth. A smile had clung to my face ever since I placed a chaste kiss against Remy's cheek outside the restaurant, making my cheeks feel weird as I stretched the atrophied muscles.

She couldn't have baited a better hook for me if she was trying. Which, from what I could tell, she was doing a reasonably good job of doing anyway, even discounting the mysteries.

The crafty lady even managed to bypass my intention of paying for our next meal by inviting me to dinner at her house, which I agreed to two days after the first.

Sly. Too sly by far.

The same thought reoccurred to me as I approached her door apprehensively at the agreed upon time, the house vividly reminding me of the last time I was here. I knocked on her door, the loud sound making me wince as I recalled the sound of breaking glass.

One for two. My percentages are improving for respectable entrances.

I heard a noise. Followed by a muffled curse. Followed by something crashing. Eventually, after maybe three minutes or so, a surprisingly put together Imperviwish opened the door.

"You came!" She exclaimed excitedly. Just before realizing how awkward and embarrassing it was to say it like that. "I mean..."

As much as my natural inclination was to pour gasoline over that particular fire, I decided to let her off the hook. "I did. And this time I used the door. Proof that I can be taught."

She laughed a nervous little chuckle, relief clear on her face. I took the moment to look over what she was wearing.

Hot damn.

Her clothing was like it was pulled from the depths of my sexiest fantasies. Casual with hints of skin along her shoulders and thighs it was all baggy, ephemerally thin cloth that lent her every motion a sort of wispy grace. My mouth went dry and I had to swallow twice before I could find my voice. "You look... I mean... Wow. You look great."

She seemed pleased, fussing with a few of the folds of her top. "Thank you. I wasn't sure... but if you like it."

I couldn't help myself to a little familiarity, moving in close to place a kiss on her cheek and give her a short hug. "I do."

"Good." She smiled at me for a second before taking a step back into her home. "I'm sorry. Come in, come in."

"You promised me dinner, but you never really said what we're having."

"Oh, it's a sort of roasted chicken dish with a brown sugar glaze. I don't really have a name for it."

I followed her into the house with a frown.

That sounds a lot like one of my favorite meals my father used to make. What game is she playing?

"Wine?" She asked, holding up a bottle of red.

I nodded, not really a connoisseur but enjoying a glass or two from time to time. Her fingers were warm as she handed me the glass, and a smile flitted across her lips but it was brittle and didn't last long.

She's serious about something.

Taking the roast pan out of the oven, it smelled lovely as it rested. She joined me at the table and took a healthy sip from her own glass.

"Before we eat, I want to talk about what I did. About what I did to you. About how and why I violated your body autonomy." Her voice was thin and cracked several times but her eyes burned with determination.

I wanted to argue the point but that would work against me receiving any answers. Therefore I took a sip of the wine and nodded for her to continue.

"When I did that to you, it wasn't the first time I used my powers on a person."

She looks like she's talking to a firing squad. This is supposed to be a date and if she wants to get this off her chest that's fine. But there's nothing saying I can't loosen the tension and make it more palatable for everyone.

"Oh, so there's another one of these-" I grabbed my crotch and suggestively bounced my eyebrows. "-out there swinging around?"

To my relief, the joke landed.

She laughed, the sound light and delightful. "Not quite. The first time my powers activated, I changed myself."

Oh.

She saw my understanding and sympathy and it helped her power forward. "Yep. Because, as a gawky horny eighteen-year-old kid with few friends and fewer prospects for love, what more was there to wish for than to be strong and beautiful. I was something of an astronomy nerd." She said it like she was ashamed of that fact. As if her hobby was something to be derided.