Bubble Boy

Troy ran through the dimly lit streets, his heartbeat syncing with the pounding of his feet against the pavement. The cool night air rushed past him as he took a sharp turn into a secluded alleyway, stopping in front of an unassuming brick wall. He reached into his pocket, pressing a hidden button on his communicator.

A mechanical click echoed, and a section of the wall slid open, revealing a steel corridor leading underground.

Jace's hideout.

Troy stepped inside, the door sealing shut behind him. The passageway was sleek and high-tech, with LED strips casting a cold blue glow along the metallic walls. As he descended, the space opened into a massive underground lair filled with advanced computers, weapon racks, and training equipment.

At the center of it all, Jace sat at his workstation, clad in his usual dark tactical gear. His mask was off, revealing sharp, calculating blue eyes beneath messy black hair.

He didn't even turn around. "You're late. So where have you been Troy?"

Troy rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, yeah. Got caught up."

Jace swiveled in his chair, arms crossed. "Got caught up with what, exactly? Skipping training? Running solo missions without backup?" His voice was cold, but there was an edge of concern beneath it.

Troy sighed. "I can handle myself."

Jace stood, stepping closer. "That's not the point. I know you have a team you been working with, you think I don't keep up with superhero news. You keep dragging other people into this. Jackson, Carter, Emily… High-class kids. You're playing with fire."

Troy frowned. "They want to be heroes. I didn't force them into anything. And they're strong. Way stronger than me. And I thought having a team was a good thing."

Jace scoffed. "They're strong, that's exactly why you shouldn't trust them." He turned away, walking toward a weapon rack and picking up a sleek black baton. "High-class kids have always been on top. They don't know what it's like to fight for survival. And when you go out there to play vigilante, you actually fighting for survival."

Troy clenched his fists. "You don't know them like I do."

Jace glanced back. "I know enough. Power corrupts, Troy. The only reason they're playing hero right now is because it's fun for them. But what happens when it's not?"

Silence stretched between them.

Then, Jace tossed the baton to Troy, who caught it clumsily. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, you're miles behind on training."

Troy barely had time to react before Jace launched forward. And threw a right spinning back kick directed at Troy's throat , Troy just barely blocked it with the baton.

The next hour was brutal.

Jace didn't hold back. Every strike was precise, every movement calculated to push Troy to his limit. Troy dodged, countered, and threw out bubbles to create distance, but Jace tore through them with ease.

"You rely on your powers too much," Jace muttered, sidestepping another attack. "That's why you keep losing."

Troy's lungs burned. His arms ached from blocking blows, his legs felt like lead, but he refused to stop. He'd been slacking, and this was his punishment.

By the time Jace finally stepped back, Troy was on the ground, gasping for breath.

Jace smirked. "Not bad. You're getting faster."

Troy groaned. "I think you broke my everything."

Jace chuckled and tossed him a water bottle. "You'll live."

After the session, they sat at Jace's sleek steel dining table, digging into greasy takeout burgers, fries, and milkshakes. The high-tech hideout felt oddly cozy in the dim lighting, the sound of Jace's butler, Arthur, moving about in the background adding to the strange domesticity of it all.

Troy took a huge bite of his burger, sighing in satisfaction. "Man, rich people really do get the best food."

Jace smirked. "Perks of being me."

Troy glanced at him. "Speaking of which… how are you so rich?"

Jace leaned back, wiping his hands on a napkin. "You really wanna know?"

Troy nodded.

Jace exhaled. "Fine. My parents were the kind of rich that makes other rich people look broke. Old money. Real estate, stocks, underground dealings, you name it. But they weren't exactly… good people. I always stood against the things they done and stood for. So they payed government officials to get rid of me because I got in their way, I had a option go to prison for life or serve 15 years in the military. So I chose to join the military. Everything was okay until I got deployed, I killed a ton of people and the horrors I saw was indescribable. Thats when I decided that I won't kill anyone anymore because all lives are precious. And I met Arthur when serving. When I was done with my service. I returned home and found out my parents died, but you know what's funny, they loved me, they left me everything. Instead of following in their footsteps, I took the money and built this." He gestured around the hideout. "And with a little creative investing, I made sure I'll never run out."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "Creative investing?"

Jace grinned. "Let's just say the stock market is a lot easier to predict when you have access to classified information."

Troy whistled. "And here I thought you were just running some underground fight club or something."

Jace smirked. "Wouldn't be the worst idea."

Troy laughed, then hesitated. He swirled his milkshake around before finally speaking. "Hey… you're good with relationships, right?"

Jace arched an eyebrow. "In what way?"

Troy scratched the back of his head. "Like… with girls."

Jace grinned. "Oh, really? Who's the lucky lady?"

Troy scowled. "It's not like that."

Jace leaned forward. "Come on, spill it."

Troy exhaled. "It's Annie. We were walking home, and I mentioned Kasey… and she just snapped. Slapped me, ran off. I have no idea what I did wrong."

Jace stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. "Damn. You really are an idiot."

Troy frowned. "Excuse me?"

Jace chuckled, taking a fry. "Annie likes you, dumbass."

Troy blinked. "What?"

Jace rolled his eyes. "She definitely have a crush on you. And you're over here ranting about another girl right in front of her? Of course she slapped you."

Troy groaned. "But we're just friends! She's never said anything!"

Jace smirked. "She doesn't have to. It's obvious."

Troy ran a hand through his hair. "Great. So what do I do?"

Jace shrugged. "I dunno. Probably apologize. Maybe tell her you're an idiot. That usually works."

Troy stared at him. "That's your advice?"

Jace grinned. "Hey, I never said I was a nice relationship coach."

Troy groaned, slamming his head onto the table. "I'm so screwed."

Jace chuckled. "Yeah. But hey, at least you're finally starting to notice."

Troy sighed, staring at his burger. "I don't even know what I want."

Jace leaned back. "Then figure it out before you break her heart."

Troy didn't reply.

Because for the first time, he realized he might actually have to make a choice.

And that scared him more than any fight ever could.