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Another day.
Another fucking day.
Why was he so fucking weak?
Laserblast glared into the middle distance as he swirled a lollipop around his mouth and wished, not for the first time, that he had a cigarette instead. Maybe that was what he got for trying to kick the habit. Nicotine wouldn't have helped with the soreness he was feeling, but it would've at least made his brain a little quieter.
There was another villain attack on P.O.I.N.T. headquarters that day, just a few hours after sunrise. Thankfully, the team was able to defeat the villain, just as they always did, but it wasn't without some difficulties; El-bow got overwhelmed by indecision at a critical moment, allowing the villain to get past him and destroy the front hall. When that happened, massive chunks of rock flew through the air - some of which hit Foxtail, bruising her ribs and spine pretty substantially. Thankfully, she didn't have any injuries that were too bad, but after the fight, during a medical check, a doctor gave her orders to immediately rest, only signing off on extremely light work until she healed.
With Foxtail too injured to assist during the fight, it took the team longer than usual to win. When they finally did, they were faced with a daunting task; without Foxtail's assistance, clean up and reconstruction would be a very long, drawn out process. Relying on the community to produce a few volunteers wasn't a bad thing by any means, of course, and even helped strengthen community relations, but it took quite a while to get enough people to step up; unfortunately, despite her best efforts, not even Silver Spark's powers could fully make up for the damage caused and who they were missing. The team would have to clean up further tomorrow, and start rebuilding and repairing damage after that. And, despite none of the problems they faced technically being his fault, Laserblast still couldn't help but blame himself for it.
What good were lasers against an enemy with an impenetrable chassis? What good was the ability to siphon energy when you couldn't get close enough to do so? He could've done a better job. He could've moved faster, been more agile, could've found a way to win sooner. Instead, he was weak.
Pathetic.
And now here he was, sitting on the edge of his bed while Silver Spark took a shower in his bathroom. He'd been of two minds about inviting her over tonight; on one hand, he was sure she hated, or even pitied, him for his failure today, his inability to fix things, while on the other hand, he felt selfish, and needed the comfort her optimism and kindness provided. In the end, his selfishness won out.
The shower shut off, the handle's telltale squeak as loud and damning as if a doomsday ray had fired inside the apartment. Laserblast buried his face in his hands, preparing himself for her to come out. How could she bear to look at him like this? How could she stand to be around him, knowing that he let the team down, that he was useless?
Her footsteps were quiet, but her happy sigh announced her presence as she stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her hair and another towel wrapped around her body. "Cob, I needed that," she exhaled, humming happily to herself.
He grunted noncommittally, unable to look at her. Would she see him sitting there, the sad, pathetic wretch of a man that he was, and be appalled? Would she leave immediately, finally showing her disgust for him? Would she finally reveal that she's secretly looked down on him all along?
She crawled onto the bed behind him, her weight shifting the mattress. Her hands, warm from the shower and so unbelievably strong, gently wrapped around his shoulders. She leaned over him in a partial hug, the scent of his soap on her skin overwhelming and her heat calming.
"Hey..." she said softly in his ear, her voice a caress almost as soothing as her touch. He stiffened, heart beating in his throat as he waited for the shoe to drop. Instead, she murmured, "Are you sure you don't wanna take a shower? Water's still warm."
He let his lip twitch just a little, a smile to accompany the laugh he couldn't quite release with his current mood. It was just like her to worry about him.
"I'm okay," he replied, rubbing his face and finally lifting his head. "I took a shower at HQ, remember?"
She sat back, addictive warmth drawing back with her. Thankfully, her hands remained on his shoulders, and she began to massage them. "I know, but the showers at HQ never get that warm! You need some heat to get these knots out!"
This time, he chuckled softly, smiling again in spite of himself. This was why the selfish side of himself had won out; she was too good at lifting his mood, even when - or maybe especially when - he didn't deserve it.
Maybe one day he would finally tell her about how weak he was, he thought to himself. Maybe she would cheer him up about that, too.
"No, no heat," he smiled at her reflection in the mirror across from him, though she didn't immediately notice, too busy rubbing his shoulders. Her tongue was a cute little pink dot where it stuck out between her lips because of her concentration.
She hummed thoughtfully, her eyes finally flicking up to meet his in the reflection. She smiled at him. "How about a massage, then? I can work 'em out myself!" She flexed one arm and winked at him, confidence dripping off of her.
Wave of jealousy rushing through him, he quickly looked away, fighting the bitterness as best he could as his mood plummeted again. "Oh, no, it's fine-"
"Aww, come on!" she cajoled, nearly begging. "Y'know, it's no good keeping all that stress locked up inside you; it can totally mess you up in the long run!"
More than being weak in a superpowered society could? he wanted to ask, but didn't.
Exhaustion from the day getting the better of him, he sighed and acquiesced. "Alright, alright, don't have to tell me twice..." he smiled tiredly over his shoulder at her.
She grinned, bouncing slightly on the mattress with her excitement. Scooting back some, she gestured at the bed and said, "Okay, just take off your shirt and lay on your stomach, then I can work my magic!"
He winced as he pulled his top off, his aching muscles straining now that he was moving them again. "I think you just want my shirt off because you're gonna steal it from me later," he joked as he crawled up the bed properly, then rolled over and lay down.
She giggled mischievously, eyes narrowed. "What? No way, I wouldn't do that!" she lied as she began to rub his back.
"Yup, just like Greyman would never eat all the donuts in the break room before anybody else could touch 'em," Laserblast chuckled, relaxing into the bed.
She giggled again but didn't reply, which he didn't mind; at least, like this, she was proving she wasn't completely disgusted by him, since she was willing to touch him. Why he deserved it, he had no clue, but he didn't want to ruin it by questioning it out loud.
Her hands really were like magic, he quickly realized. In no time at all, he felt like he was melting under the gentle kneading, with muscles he didn't even know were tense being coaxed into a deeper relaxation than he'd felt in a long time. Her skin was soft, her hands warm like the heat of a sauna, and her touch sure and steady; it was like she'd done this a million times before.
"What power are you using?" he wondered, voice dreamy. He felt like he was far away, his worries and fears left far, far away. Distantly, he wished he always felt this relaxed; it was a hell of a lot better than the envy that often plagued him.
Her voice was quiet, both thoughtful and concentrated as she admitted, "I'm not! I actually learned how to do this back when I was a masseuse."
He hummed curiously, eyes slowly blinking open. He turned his head to look at her until she clicked her tongue pointedly. Getting the hint, he resumed his position, eyes closed.
"You were a masseuse?" he questioned, barely able to hold the furrow in his brow long enough to finish a sentence. "When?"
She giggled nervously, her hands pressing just a little harder and faster; it was by no means uncomfortable, but it was still a notable change of pace that eased him even deeper into serenity. "Oh, uh- a few years back. I took on an apprenticeship when I was 18 or 19, y'know...."
Under her skillful ministrations, he could barely feel the prickle of jealousy that often hounded him when reminded of her miraculous powerset. "Seriously?" he asked, speech nearly slurring thanks to her talented hands. "I didn't see that on your P.O.I.N.T. application."
She breathed in through her teeth, drawing out her reply. "Yyyyyyeah... I... didn't... put it on there," she finally admitted, seeming ashamed.
He hummed curiously.
"Well, it's just..." she let her voice drift as she massaged him, clearly debating her phrasing. Eventually, she said, "Actually, I... when I was younger - not anymore, of course, not since I joined the team, hehe - I, uh... I worked at a lot of different places..."
"Oh?" He urged, though he was more focused on trying to stay awake. Seriously, she was able to learn how to do this as just an apprentice? She really was the perfect woman in every single way, and, with as relaxed as he was, he didn't even feel bad that he couldn't compare.
"Haha, yeah, I, uh... I worked there long enough, to, um... weeeeeellll.... to... learn their powers," she said quickly, as though trying to rush through it. "Then I would quit."
The admission made Laser's eyes finally open again and he couldn't help the snort he let out, or the laughter that followed it and shook the bed.
"Seriously?" he chortled. "You just went in to snipe powers and then left?" He could feel her blush in the way her hands grew hotter while she continued to rub his back; it seemed like she was unintentionally using a thermal power, a cute little quirk he didn't feel the need to seethe over just then.
"They were all entry-level positions, so it's not like they were losing much when I left!" She defended herself, embarrassed. "What was I supposed to do, not train my powers?!"
"And you didn't put all that job experience on your P.O.I.N.T. application because...?" He pressed, biting his tongue so he wouldn't laugh in her face.
"Oh, come on, you can't tell me you guys would've accepted me if i showed up with a list of 200 jobs I didn't stay for longer than a week at!" Her voice cracked with her embarrassment and her hands were sweating where they touched his back.
"Aw, what?" he chuckled. "You still don't know our criteria for invitation. Maybe we would've accepted you sooner if you had!"
She gasped above him, hands stilling while she leaned into him. Her towel brushed softly over his skin and her weight was a familiar comfort, one he found himself wanting more and more of every single day. She drew even closer to him, almost pressing herself fully against his back.
Slightly too loudly, directly into his ear, she chirped, "Seriously?! You would've?!"
"I didn't say that!" he quickly corrected her, grinning mischievously. "I just said we might've. If you stay at P.O.I.N.T. long enough to become a fully fledged member, maybe you'll find out for sure!"
Even without seeing her, he could imagine the pout that accompanied her soft grumble. "Oh, trust me," she huffed, "You're not gettin' rid of me any time soon. Heck, P.O.I.N.T.'s part of why I took all those jobs in the first place!"
"Good thing I don't want you to go anywhere, then," he smiled, soft and sincere. She didn't reply, but he felt her blush return, heating his flesh again.
They both stayed quiet as her hands resumed their movement. Once more, he felt his eyelids grow heavy, his body turning to jelly under her touch. He groaned happily as she undid years of stress without any struggle. She was, he was positive, a miracle worker, and she did it all without complaint. How did he ever get so lucky?
A few minutes later, she hummed thoughtfully. "Hey, you've got a pretty big knot right here..." she trailed a finger over a tight spot in his back. "I can get rid of it, but it might hurt.... Your choice."
He blinked himself back to some semblance of consciousness, humming sleepily. Lazily, he looked over her shoulder at her. "Do you know what you're doing?" he asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"Of course!" she agreed immediately, sounding almost offended that he even asked. Her brown eyes were wide, as though surprised he was questioning her at all.
He smiled and closed his eyes again, laying his head upon his arms once more. "Then go for it."
The pain was far from the worst he'd ever felt as a career hero, but it certainly caught him off guard as she pressed down onto a spot that made him see stars.
"Shit!" he hissed, every muscle in his body tensing. His eyes flew open as, accidentally and without being able to stop it, his energy-draining power activated. Silver Spark gasped, then slumped forward onto his back.
"Sparks?!" he asked underneath her, worried to move in case she was hurt. "You alright?!"
A moment later, she giggled, the noise bubbly and light. Her warm breath tickled his back and her cheek was soft where it pressed against his muscles. It was such an comforting and endearing sound that he couldn't help but smile in his relief.
" 'm fine," she replied, sounding almost drunk with exhaustion. "Hold on a sec."
He expected her to use some sort of power to restore her energy, or maybe to at least telepathically move herself. What he didn't expect was for her to drain his energy in return, hands still pressed to his back where she'd been massaging him a moment prior.
It was an odd feeling, one he had often wondered the sensation of but was never able to experience for himself. It almost felt like the way her massage did, his body turning mush, but it also came with an exhaustion that settled deep inside of him, not just into his muscles, but into his mind as well.
"What're you doing?" he asked, voice muffled from where his face was pressed into the blankets. He suddenly felt no desire to move, and suspected he wouldn't be able to even if he tried.
"Payback," she giggled again. In his mind, he could envision her mischievous smile, her sparkling eyes.
He hummed, unable to come up with a good retort. The best he could manage was a slurred, "Y'wanna take a nap?"
"Uh huh," she agreed immediately, yawning. She lightly nuzzled against his back, her long eyelashes tickling his skin as the towel on her head fell down, partially covering him as well as freeing some of her endless hair.
For once, as the two of them drifted to sleep together, he found that he didn't feel jealous of her or anybody else. In fact, he was so tired, and so relaxed, that the only thing he could feel was an outpouring of love and appreciation for her.