For Outer Space, You Need to Be Strong

"Bobby, are you okay?" Chloe shouted over the cacophony.

The ringing in his ears muffled her voice. It sounded like cymbals crashing, rhythmically matching the bass drum pounding in his skull. A groan escaped him, silenced by PSI blasts firing off before them, and he pressed his palm to his brow, bloody dots pooling in the scratches across his face.

Pushing a curly lock of hair out his face, he blinked his eyes open. A lense in his glasses had cracked, splitting Chloe's face in two. Closing that eye, he focused on her knit brows and intense stare, her patience seemingly endless as she waited for an answer.

He swallowed, his chest heaving when he felt his heart thundering in his ribcage. "Yeah, yeah, that bastard didn't knock me out," he managed to mumble, working his jaw.

A figure dashed out of the corner of his eye, which was quickly followed by a fiery streak. In the darkness of the night, the flames were made all the more brighter. Flicking his head over, he caught Phoebe darting past the entrance of the alley, her hands alight with flames, Mikhail hot on her heels. PSI blasts boomed like gunshots at them. Mikhail summoned a shield and repelled them towards the sky. Phoebe ducked and aimed another wave of fire from her left palm, the enemy they had been pursuing continuing his retreat.

"Son of a bitch, I'm gonna throttle 'im," Bobby hissed, pushing up on his elbows only to pause.

When he twitched his ankles, he realized he was not on solid ground. The pavement should have been below him, but his legs were in the air. He knew he was not levitating, the pain in his brain too strong for him to even consider his strongest ability. What made matters stranger was that Chloe was not kneeling next to him, instead standing at her full height and looking down at him.

The PSI blast which had struck him had been powerful enough to propel him off the ground. He had slammed into the building. His back had crashed first, followed by the left side of his face before he slid down. The bricks had shot out around him and landed in clumps in the dark backstreet, dust kicking up in the air around them.

When he mulled it over, he also should have been flat on his ass like the bricks. He felt nothing underneath him. He hadn't even fallen to the ground. Why was he in the air with his legs bent and knees sticking up?

Chloe tilted her head, her helmet shifting slightly. "Should I put you down or are you hurt somewhere?"

As soon as the question left Chloe, Bobby was keenly aware of her arms looped around his body. Her right arm was cupped behind his knees, her fingers toying with the frayed threads from a hole in his jeans. He felt her other arm around his back, and she tightened her grip on his shoulder, offering a small smile when he realized the situation.

Heat burned his face a deep scarlet when Chloe reiterated her question. Words became lodged in his throat. He tried formulating a response in his head, hoping to sound smart or coy, but the mere concept of being carried by Chloe as she pressed her hand to his forehead, firmly asking if he was in pain, took his breath away.

Phoebe tackled the man in front of the alley. She rolled to the side, Mikhail hurrying next to her. He raised his hand, digging in his heels. Up went their enemy and he curled his fingers into his fist, trapping the man in his telekinetic grasp. As he struggled, Phoebe lunged to her feet and pulled a PSI lock out of her shoulder bag. She clipped it around his head, subduing his PSI blast before he could fire it, leaving their assailant seething and red-faced as his rage bubbled in his brain with no chance of release.

Phoebe wiped sweat off her brow and gripped her hips. Breaking into a grin, she said, "Well, that only took an hour of cat and mouse."

"True but worked out in end," Mikhail said, lowering and raising his struggling captive like a yoyo.

She nodded only to suddenly gasp. Shock overtook her as she blurted, "Hey, what about Bobby? Didn't he get hurt somewhere over-? Oh!"

Phoebe pursed her lips as Chloe sauntered towards them. She nodded at them, stating that Bobby was not gravely injured. She still held Bobby in her arms, his posture entirely frozen. Looking up, Chloe informed their enemy of their intention to bring him to headquarters for questioning due to his participation in a series of psychic kidnappings happening in New York.

Bobby was very acutely aware of their cohorts' attention zeroed in on them. Phoebe glanced between them, her eyes darting from side to side like a ping pong ball between expert players. Mikhail pulled back, nodding his head in silent agreement. Although Bobby could not fathom what it was Mikhail was implying, he still flushed red under their gazes but made no effort to vacate Chloe's grasp.

"Hell's with you two? Haven't seen a guy get carried before?" he demanded, his pitch scratchy as if trying to save face. "Thought you two were progressive or something'."

"Oh, no, no, no," Phoebe quickly said as they began walking down the sidewalk. "We're just...glad everything worked out in the end, you know?" She flashed a smile at Mikhail. "It's all peachy, right, Misha?"

"Peachy keen," Mikhail added, keeping pace with Phoebe. He peered over his shoulder at Chloe. "So, didn't realize you had strong biceps. Impressive build under baggy attire, yes? Very good."

"Well, astronauts must stay fit. My bones and muscles could be negatively affected by gravity if I am not," she said, Mikhail nodding. She readjusted Bobby, his hair wobbling as she pulled him closer, grinning. "Holding my boyfriend is part of that regimen."

Bobby immediately covered his face with his hands. A soundless scream emitted behind his closed lips. But even though his palms did their best at concealment, they all noticed how his cheeks rose between the space of his thumb and forefinger. The splotchy scarlet hue coloring his entire face was also made apparent with his sky blue hands contrasting with them, his embarrassment and glee intermingling as they returned to their base.

"Do you want me to put you down?" Chloe asked.

"No," he immediately replied, and he extended his middle finger at Mikhail and Phoebe, their smirks all the more smug.