"Shouldn't you be out there, helping people? You can fly, you don't need to be here with me, you could-"
A pair of soft lips planted themselves gently against Taylor's. The kiss was tender. Her boyfriend pulled away slowly. He didn't move his head more than a few inches away.
"I don't want to be anywhere else. I want to be with you. Here." The reply was gentle and firm at the same time. His smile only got more dazzling the longer she knew him.
'Why do I keep telling him to go! I'm such an idiot!' Taylor thought to herself. She didn't want to tell him to go, all she wanted was to be with him.
When Alex had started working with the GDA she'd lay awake at night wondering if he would slowly drift away. She'd worried that he'd stop spending time with her or see her as useless. She didn't know how she would cope if he left her for a woman who had superpowers like he did.
None of that had ever happened. There was a romantic and always well-thought out date every two weeks. He took her on surprise flights to other states and even Canada and the Bahamas. It was like he was doing any normal job. He worked odd hours sometimes, but when he was with her he was always fully present.
His behaviour never gave her any reason to worry about their relationship. She didn't want to. She couldn't help it and she hated herself for it.
Occasionally he said the wrong thing or forgot to turn off the bathroom light, just like any boyfriend would. Sometimes she could almost forget that she was dating someone "different". Not that long ago he'd taken her to New York for their two-year anniversary. The restaurant was exclusive and expensive, her friends couldn't believe it when she showed them photos.
He spent all-day saving lives and changing the world. And then he came home to a girlfriend who couldn't stop herself from telling him to go, to go do something important, something that mattered.
He smiled at her. A scarf he'd gotten her for her birthday was twirled around her neck. He took her hand and let her out into the hallway. He smiled, his smile always reminded her of sunshine, "Let's go for a walk."
Taylor breathed out. The warm air from her chest produced a foggy white mist as it met the chilly early morning. They didn't talk. They just walked together quietly. The world gradually began to wake up around them.
The hand holding hers paused. She watched him peer happily into the window of a cafe. He turned and smiled at her, "Croissant."
He didn't say the word like it was meant to be pronounced. He put a weird heavy emphasis on the first syllable until it sounded more like "qua-sant".
"Croissant." She repeated the word. Her voice didn't have the same confidence or playfullness as his. But she started to smile, just a little.
His hand seperated from hers. She felt very suddenly that she'd lost something precious. He sipped his coffee and bit into a still warm croissant. She didn't touch hers. It stayed in the bag it had came in.
They kept walking. Her thoughts were all moving too fast. She couldn't think straight. Everything was too much. It was all she could do to stop herself from screaming.
She blinked. She hadn't realised when they'd arrived in front of a lake. There were a family of swans bobbing about amongst the reeds. A little girl accompanied by her mother fed peas to the ducks on the bank across from them.
Her boyfriend sat down on a bench. He looked out onto the lake without saying anything. The sunrise on the water glowed with soft oranges and yellows.
She sat down next to him. There was a distance between their bodies that felt immediately wrong. She wanted to move closer. Her legs wouldn't move.
He smiled at her. He scooched closer. His hand gently interlaced with hers.
"You ever seen a swan walking? They're rubbish at it." He said.
The sentence was so normal, so distinctly him in a way that she couldn't describe. She started to laugh. Then the emotions crashed into her. The rolling of her shoulders became great heaves that made her breaths sound like gasps. Tears streaked down her face.
She looked up from her hands and at him. She didn't see the calm and patient man who always wanted to hear about her day or go see a movie. She didn't see the perfect boyfriend who remembered her parents' birthdays and surprised her with roses. She saw someone who desperately wanted to have the right words, but had nothing.
For the first time in a long time, he felt human to her. She didn't realise how much she'd missed that feeling. She leaned her head into his chest. His arms wrapped around her. He didn't ask what was wrong or try to wipe away the tears. He just held her while she cried.
Taylor didn't know it, she didn't feel the vibration or see her boyfriend's head tilt. She didn't see the bracelet on his wrist flash with orange light. And she didn't see him twist his wrist and disable the alert.
"I think-" She wiped her face, "-I think I miss when you weren't always so perfect."
She heard what she'd just said. She broke away from his arms and held her head in her hands, "God how can I say that. I'm sorry-"
His eyes captured every ounce of her attention. He shook his head, "I don't feel perfect."
"I feel like I'm letting you down. I keep trying to do more, but it feels like I'm just making it worse. I'm scared that I'm losing you."
The man who could soar through the skies. The man who could fight off alien invasions and slay monsters in the deep-sea. That man sat next to her looking utterly and completely terrified.
She blinked. Everything she'd wanted to say left her mind. She looked into his brown eyes and saw the same fear that left her paralysed. She'd never thought-she'd never thought that he might be scared too. She thought that she was the only one who knew her fears. He never acted like anything was wrong, she always thought that he didn't know, that he thought everything was perfect between them.
Her voice came out raw and hoarse, "Why-why didn't you say?"
He looked at her. His voice was shaky, "I was worried you'd leave. I didn't want us to end. I hated that you were unhappy I just-I-I don't want to break up."
Her throat felt painful. It was as if the emotions were acid sitting on her voice, "I don't want to break up either."
"You don't?" He asked. The hope in his voice was so delicate that a gust of wind could have swept it away.
She shook her head frantically, "No! No, of course not! I thought-I thought that you would want to break up with me!"
He looked at her horrified, "What?"
He blinked repeatedly, as if her words might suddenly make sense after a certain number, "You thought I would want to break up with you?"
"Yes!" She replied. A laugh burst out from her lips. Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
Another giggle escaped. Her boyfriend looked at her with eyes so full of joy that it took her breath away. He held up a hand to his face. He started to laugh, "So both of us don't want to break up?"
She was openly giggling now. She shook her head and wiped a tear from her cheek, "No! That's the worst thing I can ever imagine!"
He leaned his head on top of hers. She could feel him chuckling softly. He whispered, "We're so dumb."
She gently took his face in her hands. She kissed him tenderly on the forehead, "I'm an idiot and I love my idiot boyfriend."
He started to grin. His hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer. He returned the kiss more passionately. The shared sorrow they'd both felt churned and transformed into a fire that screamed at them to feel the other's skin against their own.
He stood up and took her hand. His smile was dazzling, "Let's go back!"
She laughed happily and stood up. They started to walk and then suddenly without either of them saying anything they started to jog. Then they were running, laughing and holding each other's hands like the world might dissapear if they let go.
Hundreds of miles away, Cecil Stedman stood rubbing his temple and staring at streets reduced to ruin. Hundreds of dead green-skinned aliens lay lifeless amongst the rubble. The repair efforts to the city had only just begun after the first invasion. It had only been three days and already the efforts to rebuild had been completely undone. The damage was worse than it had been the first time.
Cecil sighed and turned to Donald, "What did Robot call them again?"
Donald swiped hurriedly on his tablet. He looked up, "The Flaxans sir."
Cecil kicked the dead body of one of the aliens. He said wearily, "All this time we've been scared of the fucking Martians, we should've been worrying about these guys instead."
He gave an order to the teams of technicians present, "Take it all back to the lab. Give the boys and girls something to sink their teeth into. These Flaxans managed to make decades worth of scientific breakthrough in three days. Maybe we can take a page out of their book."
Cecil tapped his foot, "Omega wasn't here."
Donald hesitated, "No sir, he's not scheduled to be on duty today. We sent him a request but-"
Cecil held up his hand, "I know, I know, I wrote the damn contract. Unless its a planetary-level threat he's got every right to refuse."
He scanned the destroyed streets, "Can't say I blame him. Don't think hell could be much worse than this place."
He paused and turned back to face Donald, "Omni-Man's kid sure packs a punch. Those lasers couldn't even scratch him. And that burst of strength when Atom-Eve was in danger, now that was impressive."
Donald nodded, he combed through reports of Invincible's performance in the battle, "Our data says he's more durable than the Immortal sir."
The mention of the name made Cecil's eyebrow twitch. The GDA's director sighed, "This whole world is one giant middle finger. Keep me updated."
The space around Cecil shimmered. Then in instant he was gone. Donald blinked. He turned his head slowly and looked across the destruction. He adjusted his glasses, "Will do sir."
In a secure GDA medical facility, Invincible, or Mark, flew through the corridors. He didn't notice a doctor cry out and fall to the ground as he jetted past. He tore open the curtain, "Dad! You're okay!"
Debbie smiled and laughed, she cut in, "No! He's not! But he is okay enough to come home!"
Nolan smiled. His chiselled jaw and the greying sides of his hair painted a handsome picture. He happily greeted Mark, "Son!"
Mark blurred forwards. In an instant his arms wrapped around his father, "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Nolan half-smiled and half-winced at the same time, "My ribs!"
Mark hurriedly pulled away. Nolan looked at him proudly, "Mom says you've been keeping the planet safe for me."
Mark smiled sheepishly and looked away, "Mom's exaggerating."
Nolan laughed, his proud eyes never left Mark, "Tell me everything."
The Grayson family returned home. They sat around the dinner table, laughing and catching up Nolan on the things he'd missed while he'd been "asleep". Omni-Man repeatedly enquired about Mark's participation in repelling the Flaxan invasion.
Debbie was happy to see Nolan take such a strong interest in Mark's life. Since Mark's powers had emerged she'd started to feel that the way Nolan looked at him had changed. It was a relief to see him so looking like this. None of the Graysons turned on the TV. They didn't see the headline that was sweeping across the world.
"Alex!" Taylor called out anxiously.
The urgency in her voice sent him immediately into a state of alert. He vanished from the spot and appeared at her side. He rapidly scanned the room for threats and prepared to evacuate. The crushing weight of losing her had only just lifted from his shoulders. He wouldn't allow anyone to take her away.
The gust of wind from how fast Alex moved swept Taylor's hair into the air. The fierce protectiveness in his eyes made her feel warm inside. She forced herself to ignore the pleasant feeling.
She could feel his murderous intent. It was the way he stood with his fists clenched like he'd tear apart anything that moved. She remembered the same look from when he'd saved her from the demonic attack at the restaurant. That was when he'd first revealed his powers to the world.
She hurried to explain, "Everything's okay! I'm not in any danger! It's just-"
When Alex had whooshed and appeared suddenly at her side, she'd subconciously held her phone to her chest. She held it out in front of her where Alex could see and hit play on a video.
The distinctive sound of a news channel intro played. The video cut from a series of graphics to a serious looking reporter. A picture of several shadowy figures was displayed next to the reporter's head.
"Where are the Guardians of The Globe? There's been so sign of the iconic heroes for over a week, leaving the local champions to pick up the slack. People are asking, what has happened to our greatest protectors?"
The video ended and the screen turned to black.