Super Science

Ch. 149: A Date with a Demon

"You want to see me, Professor?" Rogue asked from the doorway as she entered Izuku's office.

"Yes, come in. You remember when Magneto attacked us a few days ago?" Izuku asked as he jumped off his seat.

Rogue made an uncomfortable expression as she answered, "I do."

"Well, I remembered what he said about you and his quirk, and that got me thinking. You know how no matter what we try, we can't seem to get the automatic absorption of your quirk in check?" is what you could continue to ask.

"I'm aware," Rogue replied.

"So if Magneto's quirk can allow you to touch him, and if you hold onto someone for long enough, you gain their quirk permanently. What if we simply had you take Magneto's quirk full time, and you can touch things without killing them!" Izuku exclaimed with excitement.

Rogue gave a half-hearted expression as she told the young man, "That's a great idea, honey. But you seem to forget that Magneto fled back to America."

"That's where his daughter comes in," Izuku tells her while holding up his index finger as if to make a point. He walks over to a part of his office where something is covered with a sheet. He explains, "Lorna has an exact copy of her father's quirk, and I have already gone through the process of making a splinter from her and re-engineering it so you can have the magnetic shield instead of literally everything else." He yanks off the sheet, and underneath is a tripod that holds a single splinter that is colored green. Around the splinter, small bits of metal condensed from the air. "All you have to do is hold onto it for long enough to absorb it fully," Izuku tells her.

Rogue glances suspiciously at the splinter, then turns to the teen and asks, "You think that'll work?"

"What do we have to lose if it doesn't?" Izuku offers with a shrug.

Rogue takes an unsteady breath, removes her gloves, and says, "Alright."

She halted momentarily as she reached for the splinter, but eventually worked up her nerves. She grasped hold of the crystal with both hands and felt the power within drain into her body. Despite the pain and spinning feelings that made her want to vomit, she continues to hold on tight with all her might, wanting to see if this experiment could truly allow her to experience physical touch finally.

After what felt like hours, she finally let go of the splinter and fell to the ground, breathing hard.

Izuku rushed to her side and exclaimed, "Anna! Are you okay?"

Rogue caught her breath and, standing up on shaky legs, she replied, "Sorry bout that, sugah. I kinda forgot what it was like to hold onto something for so long. Felt like I was stuck in a washing machine on high spin."

Once she had calmed down a bit, Izuku inquired, "Do you feel any different?"

Rogue thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Not particularly. Maybe we should test it out with a-." But Izuku quickly grasped her hands, making her panic and scream while trying to pull them away. "Izuku!"

But Izuku held tightly to her hands, making the woman freeze up as Izuku assured her, "It's okay. See, you're not hurting me."

"I can…touch you?" Rogue asked in confusion. Holding the teenager's hands, she felt the structure of each finger before bringing one hand to his face and caressing his cheek. "I can touch you!" she exclaimed in joy, and tears sprang from her eyes. She then grasped Izuku in a hug and, between sobs, said, "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Izuku said nothing back. Instead, he returned her hug, and the two sat there for several minutes in the embrace that they both so desperately needed, for longer than they realized.

However, the moment was broken when Angelo suddenly burst into his office and exclaimed in a chopper voice, "Oh, Izuuuuuuuuuuku!" He followed the trail before seeing the scene before him and asking, "Izu-oh! Am I interrupting something?"

"You already did, sugah." Rogue hissed at him while pulling away from the teen.

"Oh, then you won't mind if I take him," Angelo quickly said, appearing from Izuku's side and grabbing his shoulders.

"Wait, I didn't say-." Rogue tried to argue, but Angelo opened a portal at their feet and pulled the boy into it, making Rogue yell as she tried to grab him, "Izuku!"

Izuku screamed as he fell through the portal. When he emerged on the other side, he scrambled away from Angelo's grasp, lurched onto his knees, and breathed heavily to calm down. After catching his breath, he fixed his glasses and noticed Angelo standing behind him.

So, in one swift motion, he tried to take a sloppy swing at him while yelling, "What do you want, Angelo?!"

Angelo easily dodged the attack, but still looked shocked to see him try. So he asked, "Whoa there! What's with the hostility?"

"You know why!" Izuku yelled while pointing a finger at his face.

"I do?" Angelo asked, making Izuku glare harder at him. The half-demon doubled back and exclaimed, "I mean, I do!"

Izuku gives him an unamused expression as he surmises, "You have no idea, do you?"

"Not a clue," Angelo admits while slumping over in defeat.

Izuku growls and yells at him, "I'm mad 'cause of what happened last time!"

Angelo thinks about what he means and then asks, "You mean when the fruity jew with metal powers tried to kill you while I was busy with the witch in the gimp suit?"

Izuku shook his head and stated, "No, not that! I saw the camera footage. I understand why you couldn't come while you were still here. And yeah, that outfit was atrocious."

"Oh, then what?" Angelo's questions are now more confused than ever.

"When you tried to kill Wanda!" Izuku exclaimed.

Now Angelo looked upset as he half yells back, "Oh, come on! I thought I had already explained that. I didn't want to kill her; I had to kill her. And it's not like I enjoyed it. And you found a solution that I can easily implement. Case closed."

Izuku slaps his forehead and shoots back, "It doesn't detract from the fact that you immediately chose violence instead of talking it out with me. I thought there was some kind of understanding between us!"

Angelo rolled his eyes with arms crossed as he argued, "I explained that, too. I had already tried everything in my power to help the other scarlet witches, but nothing worked. So I gave up."

After this, Izuku turned away from him, feeling his emotions take over and nearly causing him to explode into a fit of sound like a toddler. So he stopped himself before he could and slowly let his anger escape. After he seemingly calmed down, Angelo approached Izuku from behind and said, "Come on, you can't be mad at me forever. The Christian faith does not allow such-."

But before he could finish that, Izuku whirled around and told him, "Don't you talk about that when you commit every sin under the sun on a daily basis! And you wonder why you'll never get into heaven!" realizing what he just said, Izuku covered his mouth as Angelo's expression quickly fell into shock and then depression as the green teen tried to apologize, saying, "A-Angelo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-I wasn't thinking-"

But Angelo stopped him with a hand and told him, while looking away, in a depressed tone, "It's okay, you're right. But you know, when you view your life in all its factors, especially religious, you just tend to not give a damn about the things you do." Angelo walked away from Izuku, hands in pockets, as he looked at the ground with shoulders slumped in sadness. Izuku wanted to comfort him, but decided against it as he pulled his reaching hand away. So he waited for Angelo to be the one to start, and when he did, the half-demon said to him, "And look, I'm sorry too for not explaining the situation when I should have and trying sneakily to hide it from you in the first place."

"I almost forgot about that," Izuku admitted, getting an awkward aura off of Angelo as he admitted that.

Angelo stopped being sad and, taking a deep breath before turning around, he retook his old peppy and flirty additude as he offered, "So, how about I make it up to you? On a date."

"A date?" Izuku questions back, a bit of red on his face.

"Yeah, you and I are doing something fun!" Angelo prompted while putting his arm around his shoulder.

"That sounds like hanging out," Izuku observed flatly.

"Romantic hanging out." Angelo pointed out with a dumb expression.

"That sounds nice and all, but I-." Izuku began to say, but Angelo cut him off.

"Have nothing to do? Great! Let's go!" Angelo exclaimed while grabbing his hand and pulling him into another portal.

"No, wait, I didn't say-!" Izuku tried to argue but was cut off as he fell into the portal.

When he exited from the other end, Izuku found himself falling through the sky! As soon as he realized this wasn't a dream or illusion, he screamed with all his might as he lay face-first against the wind! As he looked around in a panic, he saw Angelo having the time of his life, spinning, diving, and performing all kinds of tricks around him like some aerial acrobat. He could hear it past the wind, but he knew Angelo was laughing and shouting with glee! All Izuku could do was scream into the silence and flail his arms.

Eventually, Angelo saw that Izuku did not share his sentiment and changed strategy. He grabbed one of his flailing arms, sprouted wings, and caught the breeze like a parachute. They both stayed suspended in the air, allowing Izuku to stop screaming and calm down.

Angelo then closed his wings and dropped the two of them again, and this time, Izuku clung to the demon for dear life! But Angelo opened one wing, allowing them a more cruise control descent, and suddenly whistled into the air. A portal opened, and a huge wolf the size of a three-story house burst out and caught the two on its back. As the two boys got settled on the wolf's back, Angelo in the front and Izuku behind, arms around his waist and face buried in his back in fear, Angelo kicked the wolf and made it run through the air before landing on the ocean and running along its surface!

As they ran, the wolf used its claws to cut open a portal and teleported to a new area of the world. It did this two more times before Angelo realized that Izuku hadn't taken his face off his back.

So he forced Izuku off him, sat him in front, and yelled at him over the much slower wind, "Come on, Izuku! Let loose and have a little fun! The world is your oyster! Get out of the shell and see the pearl!"

After a bit, Izuku raised his head and opened his eyes. There, he saw the world sprawled out before him as the wolf ran at full speed. For a moment, Izuku forgot his fear and watched as the wolf opened portals with its claws and jumped into new scenes—a forest, a jungle, a great ocean, a massive city, mountain tops, and vast plains of snow! Izuku watched this all like a panoramic slideshow, captivated in awe by the wonders of the world!

He even got to see some of the wonders of the world, from the pyramids to the Great Wall, and even the Hanging Gardens! He saw cities and counties he thought he'd never get to view besides for business. It had been so long since he was outside that he forgot how much he missed it. The wind, the heat, the cold, all of it! It was like he was experiencing it all over again for the first time!

Eventually, the wolf opened a portal to an open field, and Izuku took a brave stance, standing up on the wolf's back. He almost fell over, but Angelo was there to hold him up. Izuku looked out ahead of them, spread his arms, and shouted in acceleration, causing the wolf to howl in tune.

When Izuku sat down, Angelo gave the wolf a hard whistle, which caused it to jump into the air and cause an explosion under its feet, boosting it into the air! This motion kept the wolf airborne, and it bounded all over the sky! But this time, Izuku wasn't frightened; he was elated, screaming in ecstasy with each explosion or sharp turn!

Eventually, the wolf shot down from the sky. Just before it hit the Earth, it opened a portal, and it came out on the other side, towards the sky, looking over New York City. It was nighttime in the city, and fireworks were going off all over the place, no doubt celebrating the 4th of July. The wolf jumped over several of the fireworks before landing gracefully on top of one of the skyscrapers.

As the wolf caught its breath and shook itself, Izuku and Angelo watched the fireworks explode in mid-air. The dark sky was lit up with shining colors and a crackling sound. Angelo slid off the wolf's back and stood on the rooftop to watch the display. But when Izuku tried to follow, he slipped and was unable to catch himself.

Luckily, Angelo caught him under his armpits and held him aloft as the two stared at one another. When Angelo brought him down, using his body as a center point, the two of them came close to one another and stared deeply into one another's eyes. A firework exploded not too far from them, and Angelo held Izuku close as he planted a kiss on him.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds before Izuku pulled back, his face red, and opened his mouth, saying in a flustered voice, "A-Angelo!"

Angelo made a fake shocked expression at Izuku's and said, "Oh, sorry. Too soon? I was always something of a speedrunner." He then put on a coy expression as he sang, "Guess that means I stole your first kiss." However, Izuku suddenly snorted and burst out into full-blown laughter, confusing Angelo so badly that he froze at the reaction. "What's so funny? Quit laughing." Angelo told him in a somewhat pathetic and pleading tone.

After Izuku got a hold of himself and calmed down enough to speak, he told the perplexed man, "Im sorry, Im sorry, it's just…first kiss? You didnt steal my first kiss. This isn't even my first with you."

"It wasn't?" Angelo asked back in confusion, not remembering.

"Don't you remember when I told you that we fixed Wanda's problem? You kissed me then." Izuku explained.

Angelo turned to the side, and with a hand on his chin, he thought for a bit before finally remembering the event and saying, "Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that."

"Also, you aren't my first kiss," Izuku added.

"What?! Then who?" Angelo demanded with jealousy.

"Melissa," he answered.

Angelo's eyes went wide, and he exclaimed, "Melissa! Wait. From the tone of your voice, it sounds like there's more to you and her than just a first kiss." He prompted, narrowing his eyes at him.

This is when Izuku clammed up and refused to reply as a harsh blush rushed through his face. But Angelo didn't let up as he continued to stare him down. Only for his question to be answered from a nearby jumbotron broadcasting a baseball game.

"And he slides into second base!" shouted the announcer as the crowd went wild, and Izuku's face turned an even brighter shade of red.

Angelo realized the implications and asked, "You're joking?" Izuku said nothing and continued to look away while covering his face in embarrassment. Angelo turned around and said to him in a hushed tone, "That crafty little banshee. She's good. I'll give her that."

Even though he thought he was silent, especially with Izuku distracted, the green teen could still hear him. And knowing how things would go from here, he decided to break the tension and state his piece.

So he pulled his arms from his face, fixed his glasses and hair, and said, "Angelo, I know."

"You know what?" Angelo tried to act dumb.

Izuku sighed and replied, "About the deal you and Melissa made. In regard to me. To see who could swoon me first."

Angelo gave an awkward expression as he looked away and stated, "Oh, so you were there for that. I thought I sensed another presence. I really should start listening to my gut more often." suddenly his stomach growled and patting it, Angelo said, "And it says it wants a New York-style hot dog."

"Angelo!" Izuku exclaimed.

Angelo put his hands up defensively and said, "Okay, okay, I'm just funing. But seriously, what do you think?" Izuku gave him a confused look, and Angelo explained further, "About, you know, Melissa and me."

Izuku sits down on the edge of the building, legs dangling. He puts his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands, and he gives a deep sigh. Angelo joins him soon after, alongside the giant wolf who sits behind them. After Izuku mulls over this for a bit, he admits, "I-I don't really know. I've known Melissa for longer than I've known you. I know her really well; we have the same interests, and she's the first woman I've had a healthy relationship with who wasn't my mom. Then again, she's the only person I've had a healthy relationship with that wasn't my mother." his face turns a bit red as he explains, "Then there's you. I've known you for such a short time, but you bring things out of me that I never knew were there. Excitement, yearning, curiosity, slight bouts of destruction." Angelo chuckles at this, making Izuku laugh a bit before he finishes off saying, "Melissa keeps me in my comfort zone, and you take me out of it. And in some ways, that helps me. Helps me think outside the box and maybe even let go a little. Like today," he gives another deep sigh before telling Angelo, "I won't lie, I do like you both for one reason or another, but I have no idea how to handle romance or well…" he says vaguely while pointing to the sky.

Angelo dumbly looks up but quickly realizes what Izuku is referring to. In a casually loud tone, he says, waving off his concern, "Oh, don't sweat it; God doesn't care if you're bi."

"He doesn't?" Izuku asked in genuine confusion.

Angelo nods, then explains in more detail, "Sure, the good book says not for a man to sleep with another man as if he were a woman. But at the end of the day, it's a sin. God may see all sins as equally bad to one another, no matter what ethics humans put on it, but all humans have it. If he didn't, his flock would be much smaller, and God loves every member of his flock."

"Even me?" Izuku asks while pointing at himself.

"Especially you." Angelo confirmed while pinching his nose before telling him, "So long as you keep his word, he won't hate you for kissing boys."

Izuku smiles, and then another firework goes off nearby, grabbing both boys' attention. The two boys settle in next to one another and watch the explosions. Eventually, Izuku gets so comfortable that he leans his head against Angelo's shoulder. Angelo smiles and leans back.

Only for the moment to be ruined as Angelo asks, "So, you wanna make out?"

"Don't ruin the moment," Izuku growls, shutting Angelo up.

They both sit there in one another's company until the last firework goes off. Then, they both stand up from the roof, and Angelo asks the green teen, "So, what are you thinking?"

Izuku gives him a half-hearted expression while shrugging and replying, "I don't know. I don't know if I can make a decision right now. I need more time."

"You can always date both of us." Angelo offers entirely.

"Melissa wouldn't like that." Izuku countered.

"True." Angelo agrees with a small, despondent expression.

Izuku looks around the roof, realizes he cannot return, and turns to Angelo, asking, "Could you take me home?"

"Oh, right," Angelo says while slapping his forehead.

He whistled to the giant wolf, who sat up, spun around, and cut open a portal for them to walk through. When the two boys walked to the other end, they found themselves back in the NIP building and inside Egon's office. The said man was still in there, talking frantically to an equally frantic Rogue.

Since they hadn't noticed them yet, the portal closed behind them, and Izuku said, "Hey, guys."

Both adults stopped at once and turned to the voice of the teen. After seeing that it was him, they both ran up to him with a hug and exclaimed, "Izuku!"

"God, I was so worried about you! Don't ever let a demon steal you away again." Rogie practically cried.

"Steal? I borrowed him. It's not the same, considering I brought him back." Angelo argued, cueing both adults to pull away and look up in shock at seeing the half-demon standing there, not noticing him before.

Trying to calm the situation before it got out of hand, Izuku explained, "Yeah, we were just…"

"On a date!" Angelo answered for him, putting his arm around his shoulder.

Both adults started at the two in utter silence. Not a word or showing any expression of reaction. Honestly, it was the lack of any response that scared Izuku more than something volatile.

That is, until Egon grabbed Izuku away from the demon and told him, "Izuku, I forbid you to date this thing."

"This thing has a name, you know." Angelo angrily stated while flicking his forked tongue. Egon turned to face off against the demon. Before anything else could happen, Angelo's expression shifted as he reached into his coat and threw something at Egon, saying, "Oh, and before I forget, this thing has something for you."

"What is it?" Egon asked while clumsily catching the object.

"It's an envelope," Angelo answered.

Egon looked down at the object, saw it was an envelope, and shot back, "I see that; I mean, what's in it?"

"A letter," Angelo answered smugly.

"From who!?" Egon exclaimed, not wanting to play along.

"My mom," Angelo answered casually.

"Your mom? What's it say?" Egon asked while tearing it open.

Angelo shrugged and replied, "I don't know. I don't snoop through my mom's letters. The last time I did that, he made me regret it!" He said with a horrified expression before stating casually, "Besides, I'm just the delivery boy."

Egon pulled out the letter and, fixing his glasses, he read aloud, "Dear Doctor-DOCTOR?!" he exclaimed at being written to in the title he didnt prefer.

"Aren't you technically a doctor, professor?" Angelo vexed him with an impish smile, making Egon glare at him before reading the letter aloud to the room.

Dear Doctor Egon Crystallo,

It has come to my attention that in the past few weeks, my son, Angelo, has been spending an awful lot of time in your facility, specifically around your ward(?) stepson(?) co-worker (?) close friend(?) Izuku. It seems that he has taken a keen interest in him and your facility. And from what Im told, he has every reason to be.

He's buzzed for days talking about his time, no matter how short or long, spending it there. In addition, from what I've heard from my child and my exorbitant number of siblings, I have enough foresight to realize that our paths are bound to cross many more times. So, I would like to be the first to extend an olive branch of goodwill to you and begin to form a relationship so that no complications arise in the future.

I plan to hold a dinner for both our families to meet and mingle this Friday at 6:00 pm. Please write your response on the back of this paper. I completely understand if you need time to think. If I don't receive an answer by Thursday, I will assume it's a no. The address to my home is also included in the envelope if you haven't already found it.

Best wishes and warm regards,

Astieal Zalman

"Astieal?" Egon questioned the signer's name.

"Yeah, that's my mom's name," Angelo told him.

Egon thought about this for a bit, fixing his hair before telling the half-demon, "Well, you can tell your mom we will be there."

"We will?" Izuku asked in confusion, not expecting that response.

Egon then pulled Izuku aside, and away from Rogue, who was practically all but glued to him in protection, and said to him in a low tone, "Aren't you as curious as I am about what kind of life he lives? Plus, we don't know how his mom will react if I say no. I mean, look at him and how he reacts to stuff! Plus, I want to talk with her about her son."

"I can hear you." Angelo had a large bat-like ear on his head, making the man jump. The eras vanished, and Angelo assured him, "But don't worry, my mom is chill. You gotta try really hard to piss him off. So I'll see you on Friday. Chow." and Angelo vanishe dinto a flock of crow that flew out in all directions.

Once he was gone, Egon turned to izuku and told him, "I'm serious about not dating him," making Izuku frown unamused in response.

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