Panic Mode I

Miss Mercury giggled while her fingers moved quickly over her phone as she typed.

… Uhu~hu~huuu~~ ♡!

Her face was flushed, and her eyes were wide with excitement as well as a little bit of craze. She leaned in so close that her nose almost touched the screen while her words poured out faster than she could even keep up with.

A bit of drool ran down her chin as she mumbled quietly to herself.

"Oh god… he's gonna love this."

She grinned, already imagining his reaction to her confession—and all the raunchy, filthy things she wanted to do with him. But as she continued, her giggles started to wane, and her typing slowed until she found herself staring at the recent message she'd just written:

[I want you to **** me so badly down there, and don't stop until I start ***** like a crazy shower…]

Her smile faltered.

She scrolled up to read the words she'd poured out in a frenzy, one after the other.

The explicit confessions.

The descriptions of what she wanted him to do.

Every intimate, dirty thought she'd just typed and sent without a second of hesitation.

Her face went white.

"What the heck?! I… I sound like a freakin' psychopath!"

She slapped a hand over her mouth, horrified, as she watched herself backtrack through her thoughts. With trembling fingers, she began deleting her current message, her thumb jabbing the backspace key frantically. But it didn't feel like enough—she could still see those terrible messages staring back at her.

One by one, she deleted each message while her fingers moved quickly and her breath coming in short, nervous gasps. When every message was finally gone, she held her phone at her side and stared up at the sky, which was starting to look gloomy.

"This… this was my chance…"

There was deep pain in her whisper.

"I finally got to talk to someone who actually respects what heroes do. And I go and… start talking about…"

She groaned and pressed her fingers to her temple.

"Who in their right mind wants that? Especially from a stupid, lame, corporate doll… like me?"

Biting her nails, she glared at the blank chat screen, willing herself to type something, anything, to fix the terrible silence between them.

Her stomach twisted.

If only he'd reply, she thought.

『Please, Nightwatch… just say something. Call me a loser, a freak, a desperate fool…』

In frustration, she pressed her phone against her breasts, kneeling down and covering her face with her hands. Her heart raced as she waited for the ping of a notification, hoping for some sign that he'd forgiven her for the mess of a confession she'd sent.

But silence was all she got.

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Scott stared at his screen, eyebrows raised, his usual laid-back expression slipping into one of mild surprise as he watched messages disappear in real time. Thanks to the System, he could still see every deleted confession glowing faintly on the holographic display, each one lingering as if it hadn't really vanished.

"Whew…"

He murmured and leaned back with a half-smile.

"That was… intense."

A small icon flickered in his peripheral vision as the System chimed in its usual matter-of-fact tone:

[Prediction: There is a 5% probability that the superheroine will send a reply within the next 30 minutes. If she does, an apology is the most likely outcome. Would you like to initiate contact to optimize emotional stability in the target?]

Scott chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah, why not? Lay out some options."

Immediately, three new responses populated his screen, each crafted to nudge Miss Mercury in a different direction:

⦿ [Option 1: You don't have to hold back with me, Miss Mercury. 😉 I kind of like it.]

⦿ [Option 2: That's quite the confession! Makes me feel like the luckiest guy on Earth. 😏]

⦿ [Option 3: Hey, that's… a little much, don't you think? 😬]

Scott looked over the options with a smirk on his face.

It was obvious where the System was nudging him to go, but his gut was saying otherwise. He paused on the third option and his smirk faded to make way for a more thoughtful expression.

"System… what would happen if I were to choose response option number 3?"

[Confirmation. She may retreat indefinitely. While her actions display an 80% likelihood of heightened emotional volatility, inconsistent variables may alter this probability. Encouraging her expressive nature would achieve immediate rapport.]

Scott shook his head.

With a calm breath, he slicked his black hair back.

"Look, sometimes the answer isn't the popular choice. I know these responses are basically my thoughts streamlined, but… sometimes it's the odd one out that's right. There must've been a reason I thought it, so why not choose it?"

He gave his phone screen a final look and felt a strange confidence in his choice.

"Go with Option 3."

[Acknowledged. Sending response…]

━ ━ ━ ━

Miss Mercury's phone gave a quiet ding, making her jump as her eyes flew open. She glanced down, hands trembling as she lifted the phone with a feeling of both hope and fear while she read Scott's response.

[Hey, that's… a little much, don't you think? 😬]

Her head dropped as though the words hit her like a punch to the gut. She felt her chest tighten, and her eyes started to sting as a tear slipped down her cheek. She took a shaky breath as her fingers hovered over the keyboard, while her mind swirled with self-doubt and shame.

[You don't need to worry…]

She sniffled a bit and typed a little more.

[…I'll save you the trouble… goodbye."

And before she could second-guess herself, she hit send.

Then, almost impulsively, she hit the block button.

Her phone screen dimmed to leave her in the painful silence as the weight of her actions pressed down on her chest. She couldn't fully explain why she'd blocked him or the sudden urge to shut him out completely.

But as she sat there, one thing was clear.

She blew it. And this time, there was no taking it back.

『I fuckin' suck, don't I…?』

She threw her head back and pulled her hair as if she wanted to yank it off.

"I just blocked my boyfriend!!"

Suddenly, she started stroking her chin and humming in a thoughtful manner.

"Well, I wouldn't call him my boyfriend, as much as I want to. I'd say he's more of a 'more than a crush, less than a lover' kind of thing, yeah? I remember Jessica Nocturne said it in that one episode of Vampire Romance, season three. I'd say he and I are more of a situationship type of thing… or maybe a 'special someone,' I guess?"

Miss Mercury immediately slouched and sighed.

"Look at me… still talking about him like I didn't just block his ass for telling the truth. Why do I have to act so immature when it comes to my love life? Am I always going to be so dramatic and insecure? I hate it…"

She stood up from where she was kneeling and walked away from the rooftop, lifelessly.

"I'm gonna need the girls to help me on this one…"

━ ━ ━ ━

Two days later…

The Michaels' house was quiet, bathed in soft morning light filtering through the windows, until the silence was broken by the sound of Gwen's soft footsteps as she strolled down the stairs.

She stretched, raising her arms above her head, and let out a small, satisfied sigh.

She was well aware of her curves and confidence—her crop top hugged her waist just right, showing off her toned, sexy stomach, while her tights fit snugly around her wide hips and thick thighs to highlight everything she had worked hard to maintain… a big, perky butt.

Gwen grinned, running a hand through her hair, her gaze dropping approvingly to her own reflection in the hall mirror.

『Yeah…』

She thought very smugly.

『Not every girl can pull off this combo: a big butt, a nice chest, and a flat stomach. But I've got it! Scott won't know what hit him. When he comes upstairs, out of sight from Aunt Grace and Uncle Micah, I'll pin him to the wall and ask if he wants some of this.』

Her hand instinctively grabbed her ass cheek.

『I know, I know… it sounds a bit daring and maybe a little desperate, but I saw it work in that adult movie I stole from Uncle Jeff's collection last night.』

She nodded confidently.

『It'll definitely work. Like any man, Scott has a functioning peen between his leg, I'm sure his sorry ass is gonna get so hard when I touch him the right way, gehehehe…』

Her giggle was a little too mischievous.

She almost sounded like a witch mixing her special brew.

Gwen's steps became more deliberate as she imagined how Scott would react. She pictured the look of admiration… or maybe even speechlessness, on his face.

The snug fabric of her tights meant Scott would notice every little jiggle of her ass cheeks. At first, she hadn't planned on doing this, but now she felt like she had no other choice.

She adjusted her walk, adding a slight sway to her hips, just enough to catch his attention without making it seem like she was trying too hard.

『Yeah… let him try ignoring me today!』

Her smile became that of an impish cat.

But halfway down the stairs, Gwen froze at the sound of labored breathing and a strange grunting noise echoing from the living room.

… Huh?

She blinked and squinted as she caught sight of her Uncle Jeff's obese body sprawled across… Scott's back?

"What the…" she muttered and tilted her head.

Scott was doing pushups with Uncle Jeff—her famously lazy, snack-loving uncle—spread across his back as some makeshift weight.

For his part, Jeff was munching on a bag of chips, barely glancing up as Gwen walked in.

"Yo, Gwen!"

Jeff greeted as he shoved another handful of chips in his mouth and waving a chip-dusted hand at her.

"Morning, girlie. While you were snoozin', I was workin' out!"

He patted his stomach, which jiggled under his hand, and flashed her a proud grin.

Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"Working out?"

She crossed her arms and gave him an incredulous look.

"Humph! You're not doing a thing except eating."

"Oh, yeah?"

The fat man scoffed as defensively crammed more chips into his stuffed mouth.

"This is a workout! Right, Scotty boy?"

Scott chuckled, still steadily pumping out pushups despite the additional weight. He looked up at Gwen with a grin and a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Oh, you're finally up?"

For some reason she immediately blushed.

Wanting to give them a moment, Jeff tried to lift himself off Scott's back, but he only managed to roll over clumsily onto the floor with a heavy thud.

"Whew…"

He gasped, splayed on the floor and too lazy to get up.

"I'm… so… tired."

Scott looked up at Gwen again, still smiling as he continued his pushups without losing momentum.

"How'd you sleep? Sounded like you were making funny noises last night. I hear a lot of girls get freaky after 3 a.m. or so. Should I be worried?"

Gwen felt her face heat up.

『Fuck, he heard me last night──?!』

Last night, indeed…

The way she mindlessly stabbed her squelching insides with her slender fingers and stifled her hot, heavy moans by chewing desperately on her pillow, as though she were a mother in labor.

Or how she mercilessly sniffed Scott's sweaty tank top, the one he'd worn while jogging the day before, to get herself in the mood.

Maybe even how she whispered his name and pictured his sweaty body on top of hers.

The memory was becoming very shameful.

But perhaps the greatest shame was how she became even more aroused on the spot after remembering that little "session" last night.

『Wh-, When did I become such a… such a FREAK?!』

She crossed her arms defensively as her mouth opened to deliver some quick-witted retort—only to be completely derailed by the sight of Scott's muscular back flexing.

『Uhhhhh…』

Every pushup made his muscles stand out, hard and defined under his tank top.

She swallowed the saliva from her watering mouth as her eyes lingered a moment longer than she wanted to admit.

『Ugh, why is he so… annoyingly ripped?』

She bit her lip until a small moan slipped out.

『FUCK──!』

Gwen turned very furious.

"Shut up!"

She snapped at him, then turned and stomped back upstairs, trying to keep herself from giving away her frustration.

She was the one meant to be seducing him, not the other way around… especially with such little effort!

As she climbed, her thoughts sprinted.

『Why is he acting so weird? Always on his phone, scrolling Instaflick, barely paying attention to me, my body or even the skimpy clothes I've been wearing recently… And he says he doesn't have time to apologize to Mom, yet he has time for social media?』

She paused halfway up the stairs.

『Could it be…?』

She folded her arms and frowned.

『Is he still hung up on Maya? Or… could it be someone else, maybe?』

A sudden, fiery jealousy flared in her chest.

Her eyes narrowed as she pictured Scott's phone lighting up with some other girl's name.

『Who would he even talk to? There's no way… right? I mean, aside from that one girl, Elena, but he told me nothing happened between them. Right? RIGHT?!』

A loud crunch echoed from downstairs to snap her spiraling mind back to reality.

She clenched her fists as her teeth ground together.

『If he thinks he's gonna ignore me for some other girl, he's got another thing coming!』

Suddenly, the sound of Gwen's fist slamming into the banister startled Scott and Jeff, making them look up in alarm.

"SON OF A BITCH! I'M GONNA SEDUCE THE CUM OUT OF YOUR DAMN BALLS!"

She shouted it so loudly.

"Fuck──!!"

Her hand quickly slapped over her mouth.

Downstairs, Jeff and Scott exchanged nervous glances.

Jeff stuffed another chip in his mouth, looking half-curious and half-terrified.

"So… you gonna check on that?"

Scott raised an eyebrow, not entirely eager to approach Gwen in her current state.

"You're the one who's her uncle…"

He muttered and went back to his pushups.

Jeff sighed while waving his hand dismissively.

"Naw, it's way too early to deal with an angry Gwen. I need more chips first."

He reached into his bag and crammed his mouth full again with a look of satisfaction.

"Whatever…" Scott chuckled.

The morning, it seemed, was off to an interesting start.

━ ━ ━ ━

Gwen shut the door behind her with a thud before taking in deep breaths.

Her chest climbed and fell as a both frustration and heavy confusion mixed inside her.

Gwen could feel it in her chest.

She paused for a moment as her eyes fixed on the tank top resting on her bed.

It was still wet and sticky.

But no, it wasn't… sweat.

Gwen frowned as a wave of heat rose to her cheeks.

『Maybe a little sniff will… calm me…』

She carefully picked up the tank top and sniffed it, trying her best not to overthink what had just happened.

"Ugh… that's just… that's just great!"

She muttered to herself as she tossed the shirt back onto the bed.

Then, she paced the room as her mind went into its usual overthinking sprint.

『Who the hell could've seduced my Scott? It was that Elena bitch, right? It had to be. I mean, I didn't even get a good look at her, but… her name tells me she's a latina. I'm not gonna act like I haven't seen those big booty latina memes!』

But another thought came into mind.

All the times Scott looked at his phone, it didn't feel like he was flirting with anyone.

『It felt like he was hoping for someone… is a woman ignoring his messages… maybe?』

She stopped mid-step and her face puffed up in child-like annoyance as she planted her hands on her hips.

"Aishh! My Scott is perfect. Any woman who could even think about ignoring him is clearly missing out. Like, seriously, what is wrong with them? His physique is ridiculous. His jawline could cut glass. Who the hell wouldn't want him?"

She twirled her golden locks and looked away, shy.

"I mean… I would…"

She flopped down on the bed dramatically as her mind spun with images of Scott's flawless physique.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, a thought struck her.

"Wait… who else could it be?"

The image of her innocent niece, Felicity, suddenly popped into her mind.

Gwen's eyes went wide, and she gasped.

"No way… that little girl──!"

She shouted, nearly tumbling off the bed.

"That seductive little bitch!"

The thought of Felicity cuddling up to Scott, calling him "Uncle Scott" as he fed her bits of branzino fish from his plate, made Gwen's blood boil.

She squeezed her pillow until it nearly popped.

"Felicity?!"

Gwen shouted, now on her feet, her eyes blazing with fury.

"You think you can just waltz in here and steal my man?!"

Gwen stormed out of her room and down the stairs, only to see Felicity innocently playing with her doll in her unsurprisingly pink room. The sight made Gwen pause while her eyes narrowed as she prepared herself for a confrontation.

"Felicity!"

She pointed directly at the little girl.

"Stay away from my man!"

Felicity looked up at her, her big, innocent eyes blinking with confusion.

"Huh? What's wrong, Cousin Gwen?"

Gwen's hands clenched into fists as she glared at her niece.

"Don't act all innocent with me, little girl. I saw you. You were all over Scott last night, hugging him like you own him. It better not happen again, or I swear—"

Felicity tilted her head, clearly not understanding what all the fuss was about.

"Eh?"

Gwen paused, realizing she was about to start a fight with a kid who could barely spell "boyfriend." Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she sighed deeply, letting her shoulders slump.

"I'm sick in the head, aren't I?"

She patted her niece on the head as sweetly as she could muster, then quickly turned and stormed back upstairs, still fuming but trying to act like it wasn't a big deal.

---

Back in her room, Gwen threw herself onto her bed again, this time feeling even more exasperated than before.

Her mind ran in circles.

"Who the hell could it be?"

She stared at the ceiling.

"I need answers."

Her eyes flicked toward Scott's violated tank top lying innocently on the dresser.

『I'm glad that tank top's not alive… the things I did with it last night… I could end up in jail ( ⚆ _ ⚆ )』

Still, a plan began to form.

"I could always steal his phone and check his Instaflick and Chatterbox messages."

She nodded slowly.

"I'll just… ask for his phone, right? But no, of course he's not going to trust me with it. So… I'll just steal it."

Her lips curled into a mischievous grin.

"Yep, I'm doing it. I'm taking that phone and finding out everything about this mystery woman."

━ ━ ━ ━

Meanwhile…

Down the hall, Scott stood in front of his bathroom mirror, peeling off his sweaty shirt and preparing to step into the shower. He glanced at his phone, noticing once again that Miss Mercury hadn't messaged him.

He frowned.

"Still blocked, huh… What's going on with that? Does she not want to talk anymore?"

He stared at his phone.

There was a sense of frustration bubbling up in him.

"Did I make the right choice?"

He asked aloud, half to himself, half to the mysterious voice of the System.

[According to calculations, there's a high probability the superheroine has gained emotional stability through social interactions with her friends. It is likely she will seek physical contact tonight.]

Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Wait… physical contact? Like she's gonna come here to see me or what? Wait, what do I have to do? Just wait? That sounds a little too convenient…"

[Simply stream tonight. It has been three days since your last broadcast, and your fans are eagerly awaiting your return.]

Scott smirked, feeling a bit more confident.

"Well, that's easy. I can do that."

He grabbed his towel.

But before he could step into the bathroom, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

There, in the misty reflection of the mirror, something was watching him.

He froze for a moment.

That shapely but faint silhouette was very familiar.

It was the sexiest mist he'd ever seen.

… Hrmmm

He could feel someone's eyes on him, even though they hadn't said a word.

It was Gwen.

She was still in her mist form, invisible to him—but not to the System. It was as if she were waiting for something, or maybe… watching him?

Ignoring it, Scott walked into the bathroom.

『Finally, he's gone!』

Gwen's eyes darted to Scott's phone, but at the same time she was also looking at the freshly sweaty tank top as well as his boxer shorts.

She groaned painfully.

『Gwendolyn, is this what you've become…?』

━ ━ ━ ━

N/B: We do not wish to know what Gwen did to that innocent tank top.