Missy walked towards Chris's desk. She handed him a small stack of papers while Lisa observed them from her cubicle. "Hey Chris," Missy said with an innocent smile.
Chris shot his head up at the sound of her voice. His eyes widened like he had reason to be afraid of her. "H-hey... Missy."
"Here are those papers you gave to Piggot yesterday, it looks like you had some spelling mistakes."
Chris gulped, and snatched the papers from her hand. Missy glanced down at his desk, noticing the sketches Chris was drawing up. "I like how you found your specialty now, remember how I used to always throw ideas at you? It looks like you won't need my help anymore."
"Don't say that!" Chris said in a high pitched voice, "of course I need you!"
Missy tilted her head, "really?"
"Yeah, that doesn't mean I don't need you around anymore!"
Missy gave him an innocent smile. "Really?"
Chris shook his head again, mimicking a bobblehead. "Yeah, in fact, um... Missy, do you want to-" Chris froze mid sentence. Doubt hit him like a ton of bricks, and instead of asking her to meet with him off duty, he said, "hand my papers to Piggot after I'm done?"
"Goddamnit man," Lisa yelled across from her cubicle. Chris and Missy stared at Lisa's office space. Lisa said, "sorry about that, internet troll is pissing me off." She typed at random keys on her keyboard to try and sell the lie.
Missy turned back to Chris, "sure thing, Chris."
Missy didn't think twice at Chris's reddening face. Lisa made a mental note to be more direct.
XXX
Brian's mentorship was going well. In fact, most of the Protectorate members felt he was already ready to graduate. Given a few more months of time, his probation would be over and he'd gain the same liberties as the other Protectorate members had. Maybe he'd failed a villain, and he never thought of himself as a true hero, but with the Protectorate assuring him a good home for his sister, none of that mattered to him.
Brian stepped into the break room to take the jug of water he'd kept in the fridge. Colin's training was intense, but he preferred being pushed to his own limits. While most people agreed that Colin wasn't exactly sociable, none of that mattered in the training room. Brian was just a natural fighter, and there were even a few times where he'd impressed Colin when they sparred together outside of costume.
He drank his water while leaning back at the coffee counter. That's when Sophia stepped in. Brian hadn't changed out of his gym clothes yet, so Sophia had the privileged to intoxicate herself with the smell and sight of Brian's sweaty body.
"Hey Brian," Sophia said, deciding to lean close and next to Brian. Their arms touched, and she made sure to put on her best smile and posture for his pleasure. "I hope Colin didn't go too hard on you today."
"No, Colin is a good trainer." Brian said wiping his mouth of water. "I know most people can't relate to him, but when we're boxing together, that hardly matters."
"Still," Sophia wasn't subtle in her advances. She made sure to lean her body closer to him when she spoke, "you shouldn't be on probation anymore. All you did was rob a bank, those guys don't have to be pricks to you because of it."
Brian rolled his sore shoulders, "that hardly matters. Honestly though, I'd rather be here than the birdcage."
That makes two of us, Sophia almost said. "Still, you deserve a break from those guys. Do you have any plans after duty?"
"I still have curfew, Sophia. Besides, any time I get off, I'd rather spend that visiting my sister."
'Who gives a shit about that prick? Hello! Hot athlete standing next to you!' Sophia knew better than to insult his decisions. She rested the palm of her hand on his forearm, "I still can't believe you used to be a villain. You don't act like it, you're probably the nicest guy around here."
Brian smiled, flattered by the compliment. Before Sophia could peck a kiss on his cheek, Lisa walked into the break room.
'Oh fuck', Lisa thought, fully aware at what Sophia was doing. She shifted into a casual tone. "Hey Brian, long time no see."
"Hey Lisa." He greeted.
"Hey Lisa," Sophia said, moving herself closer to Brian. Sophia glared at Lisa for a mid-second, letting her know that she wasn't welcomed there.
Lisa walked closer to Brian. She took him by the hand to examine his knuckles, "Brian, you really have to gear up more. You'll get sore here if you don't cover up more."
"It gets in the way," Brian said chuckling. (A chuckle, which only made Sophia more attracted to him.) "I've pushed myself further, you know that better than anyone."
Lisa laughed, "yeah, you'd train for hours while I watched." Sophia gritted her teeth. Lisa asked, "really though, you've been long overdue for a break. How about you and I meet up off duty? We can eat together like we always used to."
"He's busy," Sophia answered for him. "He has better things to do."
Brian added, "honestly Lisa, I just haven't had time for that lately."
"I understand, but next time you go visit Aisha, can I come along? I need breaks from work too."
Sophia interrupted, "excuse me, but aren't you the reason the Undersiders got arrested?"
Lisa shrugged, "miscalculation on my part. We didn't expect all the Wards to show up at the bank robbery."
"Pretty stupid mistake, if you ask me."
The end of Lisa's mouth twitched, "right, says the girl that's still on probation after two years of therapy."
"You bitch."
"Stop," Brian said stepping away from Sophia's side, "both of you knock it off. We're all on the same boat, getting under each other's skin doesn't help anyone."
"How the hell can you still talk to her?" Sophia pointed at her, "she's the reason you got arrested."
"We have history together," Lisa said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder. She winked at Sophia to imply a closer relationship. "Deep down, that comradarie doesn't go away."
"Fine, whatever," Sophia turned around, not willing to make herself look any worse. "I'll be on patrol if you need me."
Aaaaand... She might kill someone tonight. Yep, I'm definitely gonna pay for this later.
As soon as Sophia stepped out the break room, Brian turned to Lisa, "Lisa, what was-"
"She'd have you leashed if she had the chance. And not in the kink way."
Brian squinted at her. "What?"
"She's a manipulative liar, Brian. She was trying to seduce you so you'd go out with her. And she'd have you whipped and chained if you ever hooked up with her."
Brian rubbed at his forehead, "you're serious? That's why you were talking trash to her, to get her away from me?"
"She's a ticking time bomb." She needed to drive the point, "Sophia is narcissistic. She lies to everyone to get what she wants. She'd make you throw your own sister under the bus if it meant her having a chance with you."
"And you're assuming I'd let that happen?" Brian stared at her with a disappointing stare.
"No," Lisa said, lying to not damage their relationship. "It's just that Sophia is manipulative. She's lied to people before, gotten boys to break off friendships for her sake."
"So you really think that little of me?"
Lisa bit her lip, "you're not listening anymore."
"You don't have to take care of me." Brian spoke in a scolding tone. "It's not your job, and we might be friends, but you can't treat me like a child."
Lisa paused, wanting to make him understand, "you saw attraction in her, I saw that."
"A relationship is the last thing I need on my plate right now. And even if something did happen between me and her, I wouldn't let her take advantage of me."
"I was just trying to-"
"My personal life is my business," Brian interrupted. "And its not your job to watch over me like that."
Lisa scrunched her lips. She stayed quiet, knowing that Brian had shut himself down to her own personal logic.
"A few things," Brian said, "First, do you really doubt me that much?"
Lisa swallowed, "to be fair, I doubt everyone."
Brian ignored her reply. "Second; It's none of your business anyway."
Lisa's face contorted. "Alright, look," she rubbed the templates of her nose. "Maybe cockblocking her was stupid, but believe me when I say this; Sophia is psycho. A relationship with you and her would end in a train wreck. So can you at least... Take my word that she'll only cause you trouble?"
Brian let out a deep breathe. Lisa's powers gave her surprising answers:
Growing desire for affection
"I'll take your word for it," Brian finally said. "Just promise me you won't try making decisions for me like that. I get that you're trying to help me out, but you can't decide who I should match up with. Alright?"
Lisa nodded. Inside her head, she was already deciding who she could match up with Brian.
