Dave

Thursday, January 23

3:37 AM

I was exhausted by the time I left the Mist Mobile at the safe house with Mindy and began the long walk back to my house. Things between Mindy and I were still sensitive, but getting better everyday and I hoped that we would soon go back to normal.

I missed my best friend, and I somehow felt like our relationship had irrevocably changed the moment she pressed her soft, warm lips to mine and I felt- No! I could not think of Mindy like that.

"Hey- HEY! Kick-Ass!" someone shouted, and I tensed and turned, one hand drifting towards the batons strapped to my back. Dammit! I had been so distracted by unhealthy thoughts of Mindy that I hadn't been watching my back. She would kill me if she knew. I had also forgotten to change out of my Kick-Ass suit, which meant that I had to double back after I got rid of this guy- is he wearing a costume?

"Kick-Ass!" the guy panted, coming to stop in front of me. "You are so cool man!" he was wearing a costume. A cheap black jumpsuit, cape and facemask. "I am Battleguy."

"Hey, Battleguy," I replied. Unlike Mindy, I enjoyed meeting other super heroes, even if they weren't 'real' as she put it. But I hadn't been real either, when we had met.

"So," Battleguy's eyes darted to the side and back again and I could swear that he looked embarrassed. "I was wondering if- if- ifyouandHitgirlwantedtoteamupwithmeandwecouldfightcrimestogetherandyouguyscouldtrainme."

"What?" I asked, confused by the jumble of words that came out of his mouth faster than most teenage girls.

"Nothing, it was stupid." He replied, definitely blushing now, his head turning toward the sidewalk.

"Well," I said with a smile, "I wouldn't know, considering I didn't hear a word you said."

"Oh, well, I was wondering if you and Hitgirl would consider working with, well, with me."

Oh, fuck.

I hated it when they asked me that. Because I would love to train some of them. I thought it could be really cool to be part of a group.

But Mindy? She wouldn't hear about it. Said she was already busy enough babysitting me, and now that I was starting to be able to take care of myself she had decided she was never doing it again. While I might not agree with her some of the time, I always, always followed her lead when it came to our alter egos.

So I shrugged and said "Sorry, dude, me and Hit-Girl work alone."

He looked so dejected that I couldn't help but throw him a bone, "But I'll let you know if there's ever a vacancy."

He brightened immediately, "Really? Man, that would be awesome!"

I froze; something about his enthusiasm seemed familiar, almost as if I knew him. Then I shook my head, thinking that I must be imagining things.

We said goodbye after that, but I was too preoccupied with wondering who he was to remember what was said.

I continued to think about it as I returned to the safe house. The walk seemed to take longer than it ever had and I almost wanted to cry with relief when the warehouse came into view.

When it took me three tries to correctly type in the code, I decided to spend the night because I figured I'd crash before I got home if I tried to walk.

I stumbled tiredly through the hallway that lead to the training room and into Mindy's living area. I peeled my bodysuit off with a wince, feeling every muscle ache before stepping under a stream of hot water.

I stayed there until the soreness began to leave my body. I pulled on sweatpants walked into the bedroom. I glanced at the bed and froze. What had Mindy been thinking?

Fuck.

She was naked. She was sleeping in the bed I was about to climb into, as naked as the day she was born.

She lay on her stomach, the sheets pulled across her waist, one leg thrown out, the way she always slept. But I had never seen her without clothes. The soft globe of her breast pressed against the linen bed sheets. My mouth watered at the hint of dusky nipple accentuated by the white fabric.

If I crawled into bed with her, I could roll her under me and she would let me. Her thighs would part and I would crawl between them and feast.

She mumbled something and curled into the fetal position and suddenly she was fifteen again, and I felt sick and disgusted with myself.

What the fuck was wrong with me? How could I allow her to give me an erection this size? Katie had never turned me on so much, and she really knew what she was doing. You're sick, Dave.

I turned abruptly and left the safe house, making sure the doors were pressure locked behind me. I would hate for some other poor bastard to find her, because she would kill them, and I was feeling mean enough to want to murder someone myself.

I tried to put Mindy out of my mind as I walked home, focusing instead on the odd familiarity of Battleguy. It wasn't just that I had seen him before; it was as if I knew him. Small things, like the way his voice cracked when he was excited, or the way he walked. I turned the puzzle over and over in my mind, which made the trip home feel a lot quicker than it actually was.

I was thankful for my exhaustion because it made it easy to keep from thinking too hard about Battleguy. As I crept up the stairs and crawled into bed I let the encounter run through my head. Every time my mind tried to wander to what I had seen in the safe house I shut the thought down and returned my attention back to Battleguy.

Moments before I fell asleep I sat straight up in bed. I knew who he was. Battleguy was Marty.