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Thundercrash (w/DeviousFish)

"Don't worry about it. I get so much vitamin C that colds fear to come in my general vicinity." He chuckled a little. "Well, that's probably what you were thinking too, right? And you still caught it. I guess sometimes there's nothing you can do." He leaned against the doorframe. "But there is something I can do, Dawn. I can make sure you're eating enough. Let me run and get you a can of soup okay? I'll be back in a few minutes. Is that okay?"
 
"Vitamin C... right. Haha. Can't go a day without it."

Dawn fidgeted nervously. He was just offering to bring her soup. Not a big deal. She could handle that, right? And besides, she was pretty hungry.

"Alright... " she said with a sigh and looked down. "I guess I need to eat something...Thanks."

While he was gone, she'd use that time to get dressed and clean up and make sure she was composed. Or not composed. She needed to look sick, right? Maybe she should scatter some tissues around the room...
 
Ethan smiled warmly at her through the crack in the door. "Alright. I'll just make a dash to the store--oo, do you have any medicine? NyQuil or anything like that? I mean, since you don't get sick a lot, it wouldn't surprise me if you didn't. And I wouldn't mind grabbing you some. So, soup and maybe medicine. Yes? No?" He waited for her reply before dashing off down the stairs.

It was a little over twenty minutes later when footsteps could be heard rushing up the stairs, and there was another knock on Dawn's door.
 
Dawn turned down his offer for medicine saying she had taken some. There was no point in having him buy something she would never use.

When he left she quickly dressed, but kept her hair up in a towel. There was an extra wig in a box next to her bed, but her hair was too wet to put it on. Catching a whiff of the old oatmeal from yesterday smelling rank, she quickly dumped it down the sink. She scattered a few tissues around the couch and places some ancient throat lozenges on the table. Maybe that looked convincing? When she heard a knock at the door, she shuffled over to it quickly. But then, at the last second, she spied her bright blue trademark boots on the floor. Quickly, she stuffed them under the couch. So long as it didn't shift, they shouldn't be spotted.

"That was fast," she said and opened the door, smiling weakly.
 
Ethan smiled back, flushed and a little sweaty. "Well the drugstore is just a couple of blocks away," he said. "And you're worth running. Can I come in and fix your soup?" He held up the plastic bag, through which she could faintly make out the red and white label on the can. "I mean, I know you can fix it yourself if you want, but I'd like to do something nice for you. Plus you should lay down. Alright?"
 
Of course flying, Dawn could have gone there and come back in half the time. Considering her long trek the night before, she'd developed a new respect for those stuck on the ground. She felt bad for making him work so hard under somewhat false pretenses.

"You didn't have to run..." she said, smiling at the flush on his face. "I'm not going anywhere."

She hesitated. It would probably be safest to just send him away. But as much as she told herself that she needed to be alone, having someone around kept her thoughts from wandering to dangerous places. The door swung slowly open for him, even as she argued with herself. The need for distraction won out.
 
"Oh, well, you know, I just figured you were hungry." He stepped in, looking around at her little apartment. "Uh... nice place. So. Microwave? Or do I have to use," he took a deep breath for dramatic effect, "the STOVE?" He chuckled as he opened the sack and took the can out. He'd never been in Dawn's apartment before, though he had long known where she lived. He had offered to walk her home many times, and been turned down again and again. He was glad she had never run into trouble, but sort of wished she had let him accompany her anyway. Still, this was nice. But, he reminded himself, she's sick. Don't try to take advantage.
 
"Hungry, yes. Dying of starvation? No." she said smiling. "No need to sprint on my account."

She laughed at his question and the dramatic flair he put to it. The first real laugh since the night before. Yes, this was what she wanted. He would distract her from what had happened. For a while at least, she wouldn't have to face it. None of Sparkler's worries right now. Just be plain, simple Dawn. It felt a little bad, like she was using Ethan. He had a crush on her, she knew, and she had no intention of returning his feelings. Too many complications. But she needed a friend right now and she hoped that would be enough for him.

"I have a microwave, but it's pretty ancient," she said as she gestured over to the kitchenette. "If you stand too close while its running, you might start glowing or something."
 
"I'll take extra precautions. You lay down and rest, okay?" Ethan poked around and located a can opener and a bowl. Once the soup was in the microwave, he dug around for a spoon. "So, I don't get to see you that often. I swing by the registrar when I can, but... how are things with you? Anything interesting going on?" The microwave beeped, and he carefully extracted the hot bowl, bringing it over to her. "Careful with it," he warned.
 
"C-can you find everything okay? Do you need any help?" she asked, not sure what else to do. He seemed to find his way around her kitchen pretty comfortably. There was nothing else to do but sit.

It was impossible for her to lie down. Now that it came to it, she felt pretty weird having Ethan wait on her. It wasn't as if she was really sick after all, and even if she had been, being fussed over wasn't something she was accustomed to. She did manage to sit on the couch where she tried her best not to feel awkward.

"Oh... nothing much. Just same old same old, you know?" she said, trying to think of something more interesting than that. What did she have to talk about that wasn't work or hero related? Sometimes she would see a movie or visit her grandparents or get a new sample for a collection, but nothing newsworthy. A change of subject was in order. A mutual acquaintance, perhaps. "Did you hear about Emma? I heard she moved off an got married to that one guy. I can't remember his name..."

She took the soup from him and smiled at his warning. If the soup had been boiling it wouldn't have bothered her. But she blew on the spoonful anyway before she put it in her mouth.

"And what about you?" she said, swallowing the brothy liquid. "How is grad school?"
 
"Oh, you know. Well, I guess you don't cause... why else would you ask?" He wasn't sure what to do; he didn't want to sit down without asking, but he didn't want to bother her with such a trivial question while she wasn't feeling well. "It's... kinda stressful, but mostly in bursts. Like there are long periods where I don't have to do all that much, and then every month or so there's a huge crunch. And this is one of the light periods, in case you were wondering. Plus it's put me in contact with a lot of interesting people. But uh.." He looked up at Dawn. "None of them as interesting as the people I meet right here."
 
She nodded in response as he spoke and she ate her soup. His voice was warm and pleasant, if not a bit nervous, and she enjoyed listening. Although, him standing, hovering over her, made her feel uncomfortable, so she patted the sofa cushion for him to sit down. When he spoke the last phrase, her eyes met his.

"Uh oh," she thought. He was too nice a guy to make a move right now, but there was definitely some subtext there. But what had she expected? She knew he had a crush on her, so why had she let him in? After what happened the night before, shouldn't she want to run every man near her away? It bothered her, but she just cleared her throat and kept talking.

"Um... yes, there are all kinds of interesting people around here. And at the university too," she said smiling, trying to play dumb. "Its why I like it here."

Her spoon was scraping the bottom of the bowl now. She hadn't realized it, but she had devouring it like a starved animal. Running her finger around the rim of the bowl, she sopped up the last bits.

"I'm glad to hear everything's going well with you," she said, looking down at the empty bowl. "I honestly don't know how you cope with those crunches. I remember thinking I was going to die my last year."
 
Ethan smiled slightly, noticing how quickly she ate. "I'm sorry, I should have brought more than one can. I always eat two of those anyway. I mean, I'm a little bigger than you, so that's--that's entirely not important. You haven't had anything to eat all day, have you? One was not enough." He glanced around, looking for somewhere to sit where he could still carry on a conversation, but the apartment didn't really seem designed with guests in mind. The only place was on the couch, next to Dawn, and he couldn't intrude like that. Except...
"Do you mind if I sit down?" He nodded to the spot next to her.
 
She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, actually. But she decided not to tell him that.

"Don't apologize, silly. You didn't have to bring what you did," she said, shaking her head. "I probably shouldn't eat more or I'll feel sick...er."

It was true her apartment wasn't designed for guests. If she wanted to meet with friends, Dawn would go out. And she certainly hadn't had any male company in here. It was generally to risky allowing people in her apartment anyway. She tried to keep it free of obvious superhero paraphernalia, but there was always that risk. Hearing his question, she nodded and patted the couch cushion.

"Sure, sit down," she said, smiling. Then, remembering to act sick, added a weak cough. "I'm not much of a conversationalist right now, but we can still chat a bit or watch TV if you can find the darn remote."
 
"Yeah, right... heh..." Ethan tried to disguise his nervousness and excitement as he sat down next to her. It wasn't a big deal, really it wasn't, but then again, it sort of was. He'd been rather smitten with Dawn for years, and this was as close as he'd ever been to her--emotionally as well as physically. He scolded himself for thinking that way; after all, Dawn was sick, and he needed to be a good friend and look after her. This certainly was't the time to make a move, but then, what other time did he have?

He glanced around, looking for the remote she had mentioned, but couldn't find it. At least, not without getting up from the seat, which he didn't want to do yet. "So uh, you mentioned Emma. I did hear about her getting married... didn't get invited to the wedding, but that's okay, I probably couldn't have made it. Um..."
 
Just keep talking, she thought. That was the best thing. They had known each other a while, the unease would pass, she was sure. While reaching to pull the nearby quilt around her, she saw him look for the remote, and tried to help.

"It's probably under the couch or in the cushions..." she said, laughing. "Don't worry about it."

Maybe bringing up their friends romantic ventures hadn't been the best subject. Too late now, though. She herself couldn't remember if she'd been invited to the wedding or not. It wasn't the sort of thing she worried much about.

"Erm... it was kind of a small wedding, I think. And sudden, too," She said with a shrug. "I don't think a lot of people from the office went."
 
"Yeah, I could see that. A small, quiet wedding, that would be Emma's kind of thing." Ethan was resisting the urge to reach out and put his hand on Dawn's; he knew it would be unwelcome. He was trying to be nice to her, not take advantage of her, after all. "So..." He let out a weary chuckle. "This is awkward, isn't it? I'm sorry, you'd think we'd have loads of catching up to do but I can't think of anything interesting to say."
 
"It is a bit awkward," Dawn said with a chuckle. "Its my fault as much as anything. I don't usually have guests in here. I'm not really sure what to do with myself."

Dawn shifted in her seat and looked down. It was also awkward because she was trying to keep up a ruse. She wasn't sick, and he was keeping her company under that impression. This wasn't the first time she had lied to protect her identity, but this was the first time she remembered feeling bad about it. She was questioning everything right now. So she decided she'd risk a bit of truth. Just a small portion of it. If he got mad and left, so be it. She'd be fine without him, right? But it was better than sitting around and keeping this bottled up.

"I have a small confession to make..." she said slowly. "I'm not actually sick."
 
"Oh. Oh! Um, I won't tell anyone. So..." Ethan had no idea what that meant or how to feel about it. If she wasn't sick, what did it mean that she'd let him in her apartment? She was probably just maintaining her ruse, but part of him hoped here was something else going on. He shoved that part aside--either way, she hadn't gone to work, so something had to be off. He needed to be there for her. "So, are you just... not feeling good? Do you wanna talk about it?"
 
"You- you're not mad?" she said, blinking at him. "Thank you, though... for not telling."

He probably should be angry. If someone had lied to her face, whatever the reason, she would have been furious. Especially if she were Sparkler. As such she would have lit into anyone with a self-righteous tirade about the virtues of honesty. The hypocrisy of that had not occurred to her before.

"I just... I had a really crappy night. And no, I don't want to talk about it," she said, sternly. She had to be firm about this, lest she let something slip. As nice as Ethan was, she suspected he was not prepared to bear the burden of the whole truth. "Suffice it to say that getting locked out of my apartment at four in the morning was the least of my problems."

She sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. Then began rambling again. "I am sorry I lied. I kind of thought you would leave after I said I was sick. Then when you brought me the soup...I ... well... I realized I didn't really want to be alone right now. Not after-"

Her throat tightened. She hadn't meant to say that much. It was true that she wasn't sick, but she was far more vulnerable than she had ever been. For a minute, it panicked her. Should she ask him to leave now? Yes, that would be the best thing to do. Before she fell apart in front of him. In front of this... citizen who she was supposed to protect.
 
Ethan bit his lip. "It's okay. That sounds really rough. But, you're okay now." By now, Ethan's romantic impulses had all but subsided; she needed a friend right now, and that's what he wanted to be. The result, though, was the same--the comforting gesture of gently laying his hand on hers.
 
Her hand jerked. Except for Theresa, it was the first physical contact she's had since... No, she wouldn't think about that. The tears were already burning too much behind her eyes. She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded at what he said. It was true.

"You're right. I'm okay now."

Then, before her brain caught up with what she was doing, she leaned over, wrapping her arms around his neck, and hugged him.
 
Ethan was stunned, but after a moment he reached his arms around her to hug her back. "It's okay. You're alright." He continued to mumble soothing phrases to her for a while.

Even though she had told him she wasn't sick, Ethan was clearly still concerned for her, as evidenced by the fact that he seemed unwilling to leave right away. He didn't want to abandon her in her time of need, after all, so stayed around for a few more hours, doting on her, comforting her. Only when it seemed she was starting to doze off again did he bid her good night and slip out.
 
She herself had been a little surprised at her own outburst of affection. Why had she done that? Maybe because he had uttered the words she had so needed to hear. You're Okay. It was true, she thought. She was okay. Alive, strong, and free, she could fight another day.

Ethan's presence she found oddly comforting after that. Nothing romantic, just restful, like a warm blanket. In fact, she nearly dosed off. When he left, she got up, locked the door and prepared herself for the next day. She would compartmentalize her feelings for a time when she could deal with them. Tomorrow she had work, and that was all she need think about.

-------

The next day at work went relatively well. She actually arrived early for once, and after some extensive apologizing, managed to smooth things over with her co-workers. Her boss gave her a lecture about skipping work unannounced followed by a short sales pitch for some new immune system boosting vitamins. Afterwards, she decided to not only stay the full day, but work extra hours. She wasn't exactly prepared to don suit and mask again, so what else did she have to do but work?

On the way home, she decided to stop at a small store for some groceries. Suddenly, she heard a name that made her freeze. Looking around, she frantically searched for the source. There, on a television screen mounted to the wall, she saw a figure that made her face pale and her heart skip. It was him. The anchor was reporting on his latest exploit, but for a second all she could hear was his voice echoing in her head.
 
"--latest attack by Faire City's newest and boldest threat, Silver Soul." The reporter spoke over black and white footage that was probably from a bank's security cameras. Despite the lack of color and poor resolution, there could be no doubt that the man striding confidently into the bank was indeed the monster she had faced but two days before. His entire body was cloaked in shining energy, no doubt since his costume was in tatters. The bank's security officers converged on him, and a large sword appeared in mid air. In one brutal sweep, it dismembered the guards. The lucky ones were beheaded; the rest fell to the floor in pieces, no doubt in agony while they bled out. After that, Silver Soul spread his arms; arcs of electricity coursed through the air to him, and the footage stopped, cutting back to the concerned reporter's face.

"The footage stops here, unfortunately, as the power went out in the building at that time. We cut to Sergeant Jane Wrede."

The screen now showed a stern-looking woman in a police uniform and sunglasses. "The assailant siphoned off the electricity from the bank and nearby buildings through an as-yet unknown method, disabling many of the bank's security measures. We know that the door to the vault was torn from its hinges, and based on the impressions we found in the metal, we believe it was kicked down. After emptying the cash from the vault, the assailant took one of the bank employees, Amy Jackson, hostage." It clearly pained the Sergeant to say the next bit, but she pressed on. "Police had not yet arrived on the scene, so it is unclear at this time what the assailant's intentions were, but he carried the hostage with him when he flew away. The assailant has not made contact or issued any demands as of yet. We are focusing all our efforts on finding miss Jackson."
 
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