Gifts and treats

Alex had passed out after an entire day on the computer. He wasn't much of a gamer, so staring at a screen all day exhausted him…

Stretching his aching muscles, he reveled in the satisfactory feeling. So much so, that he had inadvertently stretched all four limbs out!!

"Shit!!"

Even being alone was embarrassing. He brought them all back with an awkward effort, spitting out many curses when his left leg and right arm somehow got entangled on their way. 

' ...Damn it! Why?! Of all the powers, stretching has to be my gift?! Fate, if you're going to force me into this position without my consent you might as well give me a better power!'

He rolled off of his bed and disregarded his routine.

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The things that had taken place over the two days he had been there flooded his mind. As he munched on his toast he replayed Stefani's "offer" and his new teammates, Hazel and Jason. 

Alex really couldn't find anything to dislike about Hazel, as everytime the two interacted it always filled him with a warm sensation. He always felt at ease when speaking with her , hell just being in the same room made him relax. 

'I just can't help it. I've only known her for a handful of days, but already I feel like I can trust her with my life. Her unrefined, unrelenting sense of justice and compassion really does encourage me to do my best as well..

...To be honest, I like her.  She holds herself with such an air of humility and understanding I can't help it. Gosh, she's just so different from Stefani, who has been my only friend for the past year, well besides a couple of classmates. It's like a breath of fresh air for my senses. To be so honorable, kind, loving and down to earth to wrap it all up, geez, if I could be like that…'

His mind wandered to Jason as he stared at his coffee, his own reflection staring back.

'I dunno what it is about that guy, but he rubs me the wrong way. It's just the way he is, I find him so intolerable. For somebody already born with it all, why should we help you? His aura makes me want to complain, ugh….And it's not like he's the nicest either…'

Just then, Alex had the memory of the girl flooded back. The image of her coloring on the ground intrigued him.

'And what does she have to do with all of this? If I could maybe figure that out,  I can figure out why it is that I have powers, what that slime was that gave me my powers in the first place, and what she and I have to do with all of this.'

Many thoughts ran through his mind, all storing up. In his gut he felt the butterflies of excitement begin to open their wings and flutter around his core. Instinctively, Alex felt like the past three weeks of his life had been like a game, as if somebody from the powers that be were setting up his life like a chessboard. He felt like pieces were slowly, meticulously being set in order. for everything to begin happening, he knew a piece had to be moved, but by which side he didn't know. 

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"Suit…?"

Alex had been studying the sketches Stefani had handed him not too long after locating him. The woman had apparently been much busier than he gave her credit for. Apparently, she had already been in contact with her own tailor, the woman responsible for making Stefanis simple, bold and sexy superhero uniform. The sketches she had provided him were concept drawings for his own suit. 

"I figured dark or colors aren't really your cup of tea, so I had Charmaine craft some lighter, more "bubbly" designs instead. Check this one out!" As the four sketches were laid out in front of him on the table, she pushed the farthest left one to him. He immediately cringed.

"Uh… Don't you think this ones a bit...Revealing..?" He gulped. 

The suit itself consisted of a large red cape, stripper boots and a neon pink speedo.

'..Just what kind of tailor is this? It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, I do and I figured this part had to come eventually, but still! What happened to modesty? Kids can still see this..'

Stefani crossed her hands and nodded slowly, a grin on her face. 

"I see, I see. In that case...What about…" 

She slid him another drawing. 

"This!" 

Alex prepared himself for the worst, but was pleasantly surprised. The suit was simple, minimalistic and cute. He picked up the picture to admire it more closely..

The majority of it was pink, with the middle part of the torso and the inner thighs being white. It even came with a yellow utility belt strapped snug against the waist.  All in all he was very pleased with its look and met Stefani's eyes.

"That one?" She questioned, her voice a level of calm and patient he hadn't heard often. It was warm and encouraged him.

He looked back down at it, already seeing himself in the suit.

"This...Is the one."

"Yes!!" 

Alex looked up at her confused. 

"What…?" He questioned.

"It's just that i'm the one who designed that suit in particular!"

"Should've known…"

Alex continued to admire the art she cleared off the table, putting the sketches into the trash, saving the one Alex chose in particular. As Alex watched on, Stefani began talking. 

"Charmaine is really neat, you'll love her. Not to mention she's fast as heck, she'll have your suit done within a few days. She does need your measurements though, so let's go." 

"Now..?" Alex looked jumped. "I look terrible!! I gotta shower or something-" 

Stefani waved him off, grabbing his wrist. "Dude, it's fine. You look fine, she won't care. So let's go." 

"Of course…"

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"Alright, just hold your arms out for just….Done!" 

Alex stood in a "T" shaped pose while Charmaine measured him out. She was a middle aged woman with shoulder length wavy hair, a curvy build, a round nose and very kind pale green eyes. Her voice was smooth and smoky, whenever she spoke it gave off the feeling that she was quite exhausted. Alex thought that despite being relatively young, she gave off an aura of wisdom.

She stepped back and scribbled down some things on her wrist. She gently placed the tape measure down and looked at the two. 

"Should be done in about two days!" Holding out her hand in a peace motion. "I'll just give you a call and you can swing by whenever you want!" 

"Great!" Stefani gave her a bow. "We appreciate all your hard work! " 

"Yes! Thank you so much!" Alex mimicked. 

The older woman scratched her head and gave a small laugh. "I should be the one thanking you! This commission should help me get back into the creative spirit! Now, can I see which suit you chose?" 

Nodding Alex handed her the sketch. She looked over it and gave Stefani a look. "Ah well, maybe next time…" She neatly folded the paper up and clapped her hands together. "Okay! You two can hang around if you want, I'm gonna get started!" And with that she ran off into the back room of her large studio.

"You can wait here, I'm gonna go chat with her for just a second." Stefani gave Alex a soft tap on the shoulder before walking off. He watched after her as she too disappeared. 

'Huh. Must be about her own suit, I guess…' 

He turned to survey the entirety of Charmaine's studio. It was large, much larger than he anticipated but at the same time it felt small and compact. The entire place was situated inside an old building after all, so he figured it would have to have some sort of old run down aesthetic when in reality it did not. Charmaines "office" was set up near the entrance, with a large wooden desk with many drawings, miniature figurines and other accessories decorated all over the place. Her corner of the studio was the perfect combination of messy and organized.

'Controlled chaos...How appealing. I wonder what sort of genius it would take to engineer a suit for a specific power, to fit their needs and desires into the suit, and not only that but to fit their taste as well? Nice. It can't be easy to take somebody else's vision and craft that into reality, adding in your own touch, so that it all comes together in the end. Wow..'

As his eyes wandered to the many sketches of suits pinned to the wall, soft music playing in the speakers, he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay? You looked really spaced out just now.." Stefai asked with a look of concern.

"Oh uh," 

'Crap!' 

"Yeah I'm good. Just looking at these concepts..Ready to go?"

She nodded and held out her arm for him. As he locked his own arm with hers, he noticed the bag in her hand.

"What's that?"  He pointed out. They began flying.

"Silver wrist cuffs! They're the newest addition to my suit. Apparently they're built in with technology that'll help me regulate my flow of energy, or so I'm told. Honestly I think they just make me snazzy!" 

"Huh.." 

'I thought she had control over her powers, though? Was I wrong? If someone like Stefani, who was born with her skills needs aid like that, what about me?'

He quickly shook his head. 

'No use in stressing over something I barely know about. For now, I just need to play my part and see how things play out. Man, what pain.'

When they landed, he was confused to find they were not back at the house.

"I thought we were going back..?" 

She shook her head. "Nah, we have to get your paperwork done. It's not that hard but it is tedious work, so I figured we get the boring stuff out of the way first!"

She began marching towards the giant doors for the building and it was only then that he noticed the large, flashy sign above:

[ HERO SIGN IN ]

Below on a little animated board read: 

' Behind these doors lies the key to your new life! Just sign up and join the ranks as one of the Cities defenders! Do you have what it takes to protect the helpless from evil? Sign up today and become legendary tomorrow! '

He gulped.

'Just how the hell do I keep getting dragged into this shit?!' 

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When he first entered, Stefani had walked him to the front of the line. He tried his best to ignore the angry stares and glares from the many, many people who had already been waiting for hours. He hid his face behind his hand in embarrassment as they cut to the front. 

'Geez…Sorry guys..'

Stefani slammed down an interesting looking card on the counter of the desk, however the woman who sat there just stared at her. The elderly woman adjusted her glasses and gave both her and Alex a look over. She then looked at the card Stefani had slammed down.

"You're here to sign your friend up, I assume?" The woman asked, her voice nasally. Alex found it annoying already.

"Yes! As you can see, I am the third ranked B-Class hero in Hollow City. As you may already known, My hero alias is Li-" 

"I know who you are." The woman was dismissed. Stefani stood there awkwardly while holding Alex's wrist, she began to sweat nervously.

"Right! Of course you do! So as the woman that I am, I suppose you'll allow me to gain easy access to a hero application for my comrade here, right? So-" 

"You're only a B-Class, kid. A-Class and above get that sort of treatment. Back in line!" 

"..."

"..."

Stefani began to sweat even more. "But-But I'm Liberty! The Red Comet hero! Y'know?! Defeater of the Heinous Henry's?! Founder and leader of J.A.S.H?" 

"Jash?" Alex questioned.

"Our hero team. The names still in the works-" 

"BACK IN LINE!" 

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"Hello, welcome to the Heroes Entry Office. My name is Dorthy. Are you ready to start your new life as a hero?" 

Stefani and Alex stood, annoyed beyond all hell as they had been waiting in line for so long it began to get dark. 

"Yes," Stefani said through gritted teeth. "I would like to help my friend here sign up.." 

"Certainly," Dorthy said. Her voice was monotone and bored. "May I have your ID?" Alex dug through his pockets and retrieved his wallet. He handed the ID over to Dorthy who took it. 

After a few moments it was given back. 

"Okay here," she slid a small packet of paper to Alex. "You can sit in the waiting room as you fill this out, or you can return another day with it completed. The sooner you have this done the sooner you can become official, just so you know." 

Alex listened closely as she spoke. He flicked through the stapled papers and was surprised to find it was so short. 

"Wow...I thought there'd be more.." He thought aloud. Dorthy just stared at him, clearly bored of the conversation. "Just get it done." 

"Thank you." Stefani began dragging Alex away and to the waiting room.

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'What the hell are these questions?!' 

Alex had finished most of the paperwork, the first two pages mostly consisting of basic health and family history, etc. The last page however contained questions like "What do you plan to do as a hero?" And "What is it that you want the public to remember of you when you retire?" And even, "If you gained a large enough fanbase, what would you refer to your fans as?" 

He sighed and filled out the questions reluctantly.

'These must be a way for the higher ups to gain more of an understanding of a hero's psychology,' he concluded. 'But I guess if that were the case, why not actually test me? I can't believe how easy it is to sign up..' 

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a nudge to his stomach. He looked over at Stefani. 

"Hey, when you reach the superpower part, maybe don't mention the slime..Stuff? Say something like, "I'm a late bloomer" y'know?" 

He blinked. "You want me to lie? Why?" Stefani just shook her head and pointed to the application. "It's not lying, you're just...Leaving out the details! Yeah!" 

"I dunno…"

"Hush and do it!" 

"Okay!!"

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As they stepped out into the night, Stefani shooting Dorthy a few unsavory looks, Alex rubbed his arms as they began to walk down the street. By then it was almost completely dark, the sky illuminated by the many lights and bold signs of the city. Alex had never really had the chance to admire the livelihood of the place he called home, especially at night. 

'Wow… I've lived here my whole life, yet I never knew how beautiful this place really is. It's so.. Breathtaking. Hollow City really is one of a kind…' 

The two walked in silence for a while. By then it was just the two of them, the isolation of the streets at dark reminded him of that night..

' Left. '

He stopped walking. 

"What..?"

' They'll come from the left. '

Just then, from the corner of his eye a flash. 

Stefani sensed his change in behavior and looked over to him. 

"Did you say something?"

"What is happening..?" He whispered. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked around.

"Well I thought we could get something to eat, there's this bakery in walking distance. …" She trailed off as she noticed something. a

"What was-"

Before she could say another word, Alex dived and tackled her to the ground. A crashing sound followed, accompanied by a few yelled out curses.

As the two friends scrambled up, Alex heard the silky smooth voice of an all too familiar ram man, the snorting of a pig, the chomping jaws of an alligator and a new, low growling of a fourth .

"Hello friend. It's so nice to see you again."