Pick Your Poison
Heat 5.4
[Wednesday, December 8, 2010]
Following us having launched Coco at the moon and possibly space beyond, we set upon ourselves the task of gathering the bodies of our fallen and trying to identify them. In the cases where Coco didn't leave the head intact we were forced to use their ID Bracelets or their wallets in the cases they did have them on them. It was grueling work, both physically and emotionally, especially for Danny and Adam, who both worked with a lot of these people for a long time in their respective capacities.
When Taylor eventually came home from Karachi with the rest, she cried all of Sunday night into Monday. Thankfully she had Rachel who, despite not being very social or emotive beyond her dog traits, practically snuggled her the whole time with Rebel. Something about Taylor needing support from her 'pack'. Thankfully they both understood that Pantera and I were busy with the cleanup and memorials. I had my own tears too after all, especially with the people I got to know the names of like Robert.
Once they were all buried and their names etched onto our own memorial wall behind the Bay Platform, an idea that Adam put forward, we got back to work trying to start picking up the pieces. The Merchants were currently crippled. We had no boots on the ground, and Sherrel agreed with Adam and I that we were going to move the remaining Jeepers to the Creepers and Peepers. Tie-Dye wasn't happy about that, but the only reason he was even alive was because he was helping out in Karachi.
As for the MS13 with Coco aside, Miss Militia had put Silbon down with a barrage of artillery fire from outside his range. Thankfully once he died, his recent victims like the PRT HQ almost instantly awoke, but his older victims that hadn't died yet were still in a light coma. Finding out he was also a Case 53 grated on me. Cadejo though, surprisingly, actually fought Reverb off and has taken off, dragging Cipito, Chupacabra, and Siguanaba with him. I vainly hope that they left the city, but I doubt it. To say Reverb is even more pissed off would be understating things too, so I'm hesitant to badger him to arrange a meeting with Cauldron.
Still even so, thankfully Taylor and I had Monday and Tuesday off school to continue to work things out, clean up, and plan for the future. It was common practice in the USA to give underage capes a short buffer to gather themselves before trying to pretend the world wasn't a doomed, hopeless place. That made today the first day back to school, which none of us really wanted to do, but had to in order to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Rumors always sprang up around those who didn't immediately return from an emergency break from school.
So here we are, back at Winslow, which of course decided to hold yet another seminar about the procedures in the case of an Endbringer Attack on the city during school hours. Sure, like we need more fire drills and Endbringer Shelter locations and routes pamphlets. Taylor was still a bit unresponsive even now, so thankfully Emma was willing to help try to get her back to a semblance of normality when she wasn't responding to me during the seminar. Once it was over, we were heading back to class when I felt the familiar sensation of being yanked aside.
I wasn't expecting to face Sophia being so amourous so soon. "You're being...rather touchy-feely rather than punchy-feely." I commented in bemusement to Sophia, who had pulled me aside from the hall into a utility closet for what I expected to be a usual hasty makeout session. However she instead seemed content to press against me, rub her left thigh between my own thighs-oh~ that...that feels so good...both erotically and more...intimately. "Whoa~..." I began sniffing her hair, taking deep whiffs, enjoying her scent as she grinded on me.
"Hm, you like how I smell? Here." Sophia pulled herself up further, pulling my head down into the crook of her neck, and I began to breathe deeper, my heart pounding, my head getting fuzzy. She smells so good…. "Unf...getting frisky?" I'm biting her neck. I lick her to taste. What is happening here? "Damn that blond bitch is smart. Glad she gave me some tips." Wha? Wait….
"Uh...what? Tats told you to try this?" I pull away, I feel dizzy, a bit more than usual. Her smell...holy shit her smell. It's like a cocktail of some sort of fuck-me drugs or something.
"She said violence may get you going, but being more…." I hissed as she slid her hand down the front of my pants, surprisingly past my groin, and then began rubbing my inner thigh. Holy. SHIT. I am BEYOND turned on now for some reason. "Intimate, will get your rocks off. She said since you're a lizard, your thighs are your weak point. You also make really strong smells there that turn girls on or something she said." Sophia held the offending hand to her face and gave a whiff, which made her visibly perk up even more. "Fuck. Thats awesome."
"B-but I'm wearing my collar!" I weakly defended, and Sophia smirked her vicious predatory smile before she suddenly attacked in a firce kiss, grabbing and tugging at me like usual, which I responded to with a snarl and reciprocation, before she broke away and I growled at her giving me blue balls and suddenly turning tail instead of egging me on more.
"Doesn't change what you really are, predator." Sophia leered at me and then huffed. "But time's up. Gotta get to class. Don't be a stranger babe." Sophia then kissed me more intimately and gently than usual but ended with a bite on my lip, before she then left me alone in the closet with a painful pent-up sensation in my groin like usual. Fucking teasing bitch.
I straighten up, but as I'm doing so, I notice a piece of paper in my left pocket that wasn't there before. I took it out in curiosity and opened it. A note, reading that I should meet up with her after school at Fugly Bob's. What? I-is Sophia fucking Hess asking me to go on a date? I mean, I've gone with Pan, Rach, and Taylor, but that ended up so badly, don't I owe them a proper date first? Ugh! I have so much work to do! I can't waste time on teenage socializing!
[Pick Your Poison]
"I can't believe this…." I grumbled to myself as I walked down Lord Street towards the currently being refurbished Boardwalk and the greasy fast-food diner/bar/shack named Fugly Bob's at the edge of the Market by extension. I brought up Sophia's wish for a rendezvous to the others, but instead of being told to tell her to fuck off, I got mixed levels of support.
Taylor, while mildly irritated, sighed and told me to go have fun, that she still needed more time to herself for now as well as 'girl time' with Emma. Rachel shrugged and said she didn't own me, then went back to training Rebel and some strays she'd picked up. Pan wanted to come, but she was rather busy with everything else going on and smoothing Geno's temper. Beyond my girlfriends -god I still feel like a douche having more than one girlfriend- Sherrel and Adam were all for it, saying I needed to be a kid while I could, and that my request for jellyfish would still be a day or so away from being fulfilled. Especially since I requested one specific type.
So here I am, dressed in leathers like I was at the concert but with a grey sweater, looking like a biker with no bike and my spiked collar, heading to Fugly Bob's for a date with the meanest bitch I know besides Rachel, and I really like Rachel more than her. "About damn time!" I looked up with irritation at the impatient Sophia, who was wearing her school clothes, her usual lazy T-shirt, jeans, and vest doing nothing to hide her Surge augmented body but still being decent for the public. "Nice leather." I preened a bit at the up-down scan she gave me in approval.
"Thanks. Figured you'd appreciate it if I dressed up a bit." I also figured she went for the 'bad boy' types anyway, now that the girls have filled me in on the topic. "I'm surprised your part-time job let you have the day off." I commented before we entered the greasy spoon.
"We get benefits like this. Still not on the job until the weekend." Sophia huffed in irritation, running her fingers through her cornrows like she wanted to pull her hair. "Can't stand it. Hate being benched."
"So why call me out? Way I understand it, you go out solo often, so why this instead?" I asked as we moved towards the counter and got behind someone already at the register, so it wouldn't take long to order. Hm, even with my new saurian metabolism, aka: I can eat half a damn cow, I don't think eating a Challenger would be a good idea. Might draw too much attention, and with us being towering slabs of muscle and curves respectively, we already draw enough.
"Because I've got babysitters." Sophia tilted her head towards the street-facing window, and I casually looked outside only to see nothing conspicuous, but didn't comment. "And it's about damn time I actually spent some time with the guy I want beyond a few hot and heavy minutes in a bathroom or closet." I grunted at Sophia punctuating her statement with a hearty pat on the back that made a fairly loud meaty thud. Fuck she packs power in that body, more than a good many other Surge altered folks who weren't also altered by Primal.
"And why do you want me? Seriously I mean." I asked as we approached the cashier. "I'll have two gut busters with fries and a strawberry milkshake." I ordered immediately and looked to Sophia who made a noise of consideration.
"Same, but with a chocolate shake." Sophia stated, and the greasy teenager behind the counter looked a little nauseated at the amount of food we ordered, which was usually enough for four to five people.
"Uh, that'll be 37.76 in total." The scrawny teen guy, probably from Arcadia, informed us, so I took out my wallet and produced two twenties, paying for both of us. Besides, we are on a date. "Your orders will be up in a few minutes."
"Thanks." I idly responded as I dropped the change in a donation box before following Sophia to a corner booth which she gladly scooted into the deepest spot of. "So, back on topic. Why me?" I asked as I sat at the end to still be able to look at her directly.
"Why not you? I mean, fuck dude. You're a walking talking fountain of masculinity ever since you grew a pair and decided to get in my way. I was getting interested even when you were a fatty. Nobody stands up to me like that, and you just kept escalating. I fucking hate you, but I...UGH, I can't explain it. I wanna be with you even though you piss me off and I like it." Sophia snarled to herself and rubbed her forehead. "You make me feel excited, and not just physically."
"So what? I make you happy?" How the fuck does making her hate me make her like me?
"Not yet. You make me excited, that's the closest to happy I get outside of a fight. When I fight you though, it's better." Sophia licked her lips and tugged on her shirt collar. "Fuck, just thinking about it is getting me hot. Can we talk about something less serious? Like, what do people on dates talk about?"
"Hobbies, likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams?" I put forward, at least having had some experience thanks to that walk I shared with Taylor.
"Well shit. I don't exactly have anything that's not my part-time job." Sophia huffed as she flicked the salt and pepper shakers. "Well, I like fighting and strong people. I hate weaklings and not doing anything. I hope to kick serious ass and dream about being the top predator." She wears her thoughts on her sleeves doesn't she…? "What about you? What makes a fat ginger that nobody cared about into a fucking hot alpha male?"
I winced. Trying not to think of the lab fire and the utter sensation of hopelessness, that I was betraying someone who Needed me-NO! No. I'm not there. I'm not. I'm not about to die when I'm Needed-QUIT it! I'm not about to Fail someone who Needed me-STOP! Gah! This is the first time I've actually looked back on it with my emotions back! "I Triggered." I growled quietly as I clenched my hands together while glaring at Sophia and I saw her actually wince in sympathy.
"Fuck. Sorry. Well then, what about your hopes, dreams, whatever?" Sophia quickly tried to change the subject, really badly I might add. She doesn't do this often does she? Just talk to people I mean. I sighed and took deep breaths to calm down. Move on. Forget.
"Well, I like helping people and making things. I hate stupidity and racism. I hope to be a good friend and lover, and dream of fixing this fucked-up world." I had some time to consider myself since that walk with Taylor, and I figured delivering it the same way Sophia did would make her open up even more. She's been oddly...hm. "So what brought this all on anyway? Why the change Sophia?"
"What do you mean?" Sophia asked with honest confusion, and I thought of how to phrase it.
"You're not a complete evil bitch anymore. You're still a bitch, but I can get to like you now unlike before." Sophia clearly didn't take umbrage with me outright calling her a bitch, and instead seemed a bit shy all of a sudden, pulling on one of her long braids and looking away.
"Well...I'm sure you know that since you helped out New Wave, Panacea's been seeing a shrink the Protectorate brought in?" I nodded and gestured her to continue. "Well, the shrink, Jessica Yamada. She's fucking good at her job. I mean, the first couple of times I saw her I just sulked on the couch. But after that I got sick of just laying there with her staring for an hour and started talking. It...it helps. A lot. I'm really fucked in the head dude. I get that. But I'm still the top bitch in the room and people better know it. I'm just not gonna go so far I get shot for it anymore."
"Well, that'd be fine with me, if you didn't have competition." I hinted as I rubbed my neck nervously. If Sophia was serious about wanting to get more emotionally involved, she deserved to have full disclosure.
"Hebert? Pfft. I'm fine with you getting some action on the side dude. I can't be there all the time. Besides, since she managed to woman up she's gotten pretty hot, nowhere near Emma though." Sophia made an hourglass gesture with her hands. Okay, is it me, or are all females affected by Surge bisexual? Did it throw off their hormones that much? I mean, testosterone develops muscle better, maybe I better ask around if their preferences have changed?
"Not...just her…." I added on, wriggling in my seat at Sophia's surprised expression.
"...Holy shit. You've got a fucking harem?" Sophia squeaked, and I jumped a bit in my seat.
"Shh! Not so loud! I feel like a douchebag already and I'm not the one who encouraged it, though I'm not gonna complain. Well, besides having to consider the feelings of so many significant others." I grumbled before I looked over at the counter. Where's our food?
"Great. Of course the Alpha Predator has several bitches already. Why are you even humoring me then?" Sophia asked in an unnaturally defeated manner. Nope. The bitch doesn't get to be mopey, that's Taylor's thing. She's the adorable brooding one.
"Because I'm a weak guy who can't say no to a beautiful girl." I admitted. Because seriously, if I was an upstanding, strong-willed guy, I would've just had Pan as my girlfriend, let Taylor down gently, distanced myself from Rachel, and told Sophia to fuck off with a splintered rake. Instead here I am, the only male in a web of confusing romantic bullshit. UGH.
"...One, that was disgustingly pathetic and cheesy. Two...thanks." Sophia smiled genuinely, and then scowled as she scooted out of the booth. "Hey! Where's the food we ordered over ten minutes ago?!" I sighed, content to sit back and watch Sophia gut the wimp at the register. Damn, she makes even the act of being a bitch hot. I think she might actually grow on me.
[Pick Your Poison]
The rest of the date with Sophia had gone surprisingly well. We had similar tastes in action films, had a similar sense of grim humor, and even shared an odd love for dipping salty foods into milkshakes. The tonsil hockey at the back of the shadowed booth was also quite enjoyable. Sadly we couldn't make more of the date, since she had PRT goons watching her like hawks, so no going somewhere after or me taking her to Haven to give her a tour and meet the others.
After we finished eating and talking, an hour had gone by, so we swapped numbers and parted pleasantly. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'm looking forward to seeing Sophia again. My phone buzzed only 20 minutes after I left Bob's, and I checked it only to immediately snap my phone shut at the picture she texted me. Fuck. Do I respond? I mean, she just texted me a photo of her topless in the mirror of a bedroom and smirking viciously. My phone buzzed again, and I hesitantly opened my phone, only to snap it back shut. Damn, stupid, sexy, bitch.
Am I going to have a ton of fap material soon? Another buzz. I'm not checking that. I ignored the intermittent buzzing from my phone as I backtracked towards Haven, using my superhuman speed to cut through alleys and hopefully throw off any PRT watchers who thought I was suspicious or noticed I was on an actual date with their Ward despite her picking the most hidden seat in the place. No way of knowing if a plainclothes officer went in to watch us anyway.
Regardless of all this, my phone must've buzzed at least a dozen or so times before it finally stopped on the way to Haven. Once there I took out my phone to call on a van, and choked at the last photo she sent. I wiped my brow and I ardently resisted the powerful urge to scroll up and instead called on a van. Once in, I hurriedly walked towards my lab/apartment, stormed up the stairs, and nearly got past Taylor and Emma who were on the couch. "So how'd it go?"
I froze. I mean, I was given permission, but how do I go about this? "Uh...really well, honestly. Almost too well." I gulped and tugged on the collar of my sweater, before I took out my phone and nervously handed it to Emma. "Ch-check the texts...I haven't had the guts to look at them all." I fidgeted, and couldn't stand it anymore, so I started getting my vest and sweater off, a bit hard to work past a spiked collar, but harder to work past quills.
"OH MY GAWD! Soph you sexy bold bitch! Pic sexting after the first date?! She's practically masturbating! I think she did!" Emma declared with her face matching her hair in color and licking her lips as Taylor gawked at my phone next to her.
"Whoa! She's got a fucking washboard for a stomach! And did she…?" Taylor's face quickly matched Emma's, and she even seemed to shimmy in her seat a bit.
"Crack a walnut with her ass and then crush a watermelon with her thighs, and follow with a shot of her in a bubble bath? Fuck yeah! Andrew, you've gotta respond to this!" Emma was ecstatic, and I wasn't sure that was a good thing.
"W-what?! H-how?!" I tugged on my false hair, fretting, nervous.
"Obviously you pic sext back! Strip!" Emma ordered excitedly and moved towards me, only for Taylor to grab her arm.
"Whoa, whoa, no! Down girl! Not yours." Taylor possessively stated, before getting up. "Now then. Strip!" Taylor ordered of me instead with matching glee to Emma. "I wanna help, this seems stupid fun!"
"I'm not just some piece of meat!" I weakly defended, backing away from the two hungry-eyed girls.
"Andrew, you're one of the hottest guys around now that you've dropped a hundred pounds of fat and gained two hundred pounds of muscle. My friend has sent full-blown porn to you and you're gonna damn well reciprocate!" Emma demanded, and Taylor nodded eagerly, clearly excited just to participate in this ridiculous event.
"...Fine…." I'm so pathetic. I can't withstand one of my girlfriends demanding something, even if it's something so demeaning and invasive.
"Besides, I'm gonna copy every picture we take and make an album in case you're away for a while." Taylor declared, and then I suddenly find myself in my boxers as she had approached and pantsed me in a disturbingly smooth motion, before tugging my collar off, making me squawk in indignation as my scaly self appeared. Then they herded me towards the bedroom. What is wrong with my life?!