Shackles Ch. 07

"You're right," Radiance conceded. That could have been the end of the conversation, but after a whole minute had passed, she said: "I spent most nights here, though."

That was really, truly appalling to hear. In spite of everything, Trinity immediately found herself thinking about how it would feel, spending night after night in a small, empty room like this, all alone.

"Sounds lonely." She couldn't help saying it.

"It is," Radiance agreed. There was a shifting motion under the covers that Trinity took for a shrug. "But that's the life. Right?"

"I guess," Trinity replied. But then she thought for another moment, and propped herself up on one arm. "Wait. No, it isn't. Not for most heroes, anyway. Plenty of them are more public about it than you, and even if they don't give their identities away, they clearly don't live in holes like these. They date. They have fun. What's up with that?"

"I..." The superhero seemed to be taking a few moments to compose her words. "Look. Being a hero is a hard job, at the best of times. It can be pretty thankless. I don't begrudge anyone for seeking whatever comforts they need to make it bearable."

"But not you?" Sincere curiosity was getting the better of the villain.

"No."

"You've gotta be perfect, huh?" Trinity baited.

"That's right."

Trinity was floored by how serious Radiance sounded. There was no irony to her words. She thought about the room they were sleeping in. Radiance was determined to be perfect, and it had taken over her entire life. No wonder she was going off the rails.

"Don't you think that's a little..." Trinity couldn't find the right words. Why was she even trying? She shouldn't care.

"It's my life," Radiance replied tersely. "Look, Shimmer, maybe we shouldn't-" She broke off, and laughed ruefully. "God. I know your name now, don't I? It's Trinity. I have absolutely no idea if I should call you that, or Shimmer."

"God, just 'Trinity', please," Trinity snorted. "I'm not like you. Not wedded to any cool codename. 'Shimmer' is just a lame moniker from the media."

"You got it, Trinity."

Hearing that felt very, very weird.

"Do I get to know your name?" Trinity ventured.

"Nope," Radiance told her. And that was that, clearly.

Trinity could have left it there, but there was just one more pressing question on her mind, and in the quiet, oddly intimate atmosphere that lay across them, she felt like Radiance might actually answer it.

"So... you're done this before, right?" she asked slowly. "Not exactly like this, I mean. Not with a villain. But, um. You know. Kink. Domination."

There was a pause. For once, Radiance actually seemed embarrassed. "Yes."

"You've done this a lot." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes," Radiance repeated.

With that bridge crossed, Trinity was a little unsure what she wanted to ask. "How does that work? For a superhero, it seems a little... I don't know, dark?"

"Dark?" Radiance seemed bemused by that. "I wouldn't say so. Neither would the people I play with. They always enjoy themselves. I make sure of that."

A few butterflies danced in Trinity's stomach.

"But, since you ask," the hero continued, "I... I like control. It feels good. Out there? In the streets? I'm not in control. Not really. There's always too much going on. Too many people. I'm just one woman, trying to make some kind of order out of it all. It gets confusing, sometimes. But I can control just one person. I'm good at that. When I'm in control, it's all very, very clear."

There was a long pause as Trinity digested what Radiance had said.

"I don't know why I told you that," Radiance added quietly

Trinity didn't know either. But she got it, intimately. She often felt something similar. Future City, so big and busy, had a way of making her feel small sometimes. Domination was the perfect antidote. Who knew if she was ever going to be able to taste that again?

"Goodnight," Radiance said abruptly, and rolled over onto her side, facing away. Trinity decided that was a clear sign the conversation was over.

"Goodnight," she replied, and started making herself comfortable.

Trinity did her best to ignore it, when she heard the clear sounds of Radiance touching herself.

And the next morning, she tried to pretend she hadn't woken up to find the superheroine, her rival, the idol of Future City, clinging to her arm.