Possessive Behavior

"You know..." Luisa said as she ran on the treadmill next to mine. Much faster of course. This body wasn't very athletic. "I've worked out here every morning whenever I could for years, most of the time alone. It's really nice having someone else here."

"Well, you know how it is. Gotta keep fit somehow, and I hate crowded gyms. I always feel so awkward."

She laughed at that.

"Can't say I relate, but I think I get it. You new in town, or has your old gym just gotten too popular?"

"Yeah, I'm an LA newbie. Always wanted to live here but could never afford it. But recently I got a big promotion. Do IT stuff, work from home. So now I can go and spend some cash. Most of it is used for rent though so I ain't living the luxury life."

Lu took a sip from her water bottle.

"Now that...that I can relate to. Rent here is basically robbery. Don't even mention property prices. Ridiculous."

"Oh, yes. One hundred percent. But you can probably manage. The price for a membership here is outrageous. Don't think I'll be able to come back here after my free day is up. Gotta enjoy the sights while I can." I said, looking at her.

Some women would have taken that pretty badly coming from a relative stranger, but I knew her. Inside and out.

Predictably, she chuckled and shook her head, amused.

"Slow down there, Missy. The merchandise is not for sale."

"Oh, a damn shame. You taken already?"

Suddenly, her tone darkened, the mood shifting noticeably.

"No...I mean, yes....kinda.....It's....It's complicated. Whatever the case, I'm not looking for someone right now."

Damn. This wasn't what I expected.

Back when she shook my hand, my loan body's Power activated itself. Her mind-reading ability was very different from mine. Flat out worse, in fact.

Firstly, it could only be activated while touching someone.

And secondly, it only gave you a vague idea of what the other person was feeling or thinking about.

When she touched me I felt...a barrier of some kind. A metaphorical dam, holding herself back from getting too attached. Was this what it was about?

I had to shift the topic quickly.

"I know how it is. Romance is complicated. There are a lot of other good distractions to be had here though. The local music scene is amazing. I discovered a little Indie-Band named Midsommer Deathtones, and I've been hooked ever since."

Luisa was caught so off-guard that she actually had to hop off the treadmill to avoid stumbling.

"Oh, no way! Are you serious?!"

MD was a very small band that played the local Power Rock Circuit, making music solely with their abilities, without instruments. Very niche, and probably kept afloat solely by Luisa buying every track and album they release a massive number of times each with generous tips to inflate the sales numbers. I had never heard of them before she introduced me either, but I had become somewhat of a fan. Not that I had listened to any of their recent work.

"Yeah. Still making my way through their Discography, but they are goddamned geniuses. Utopia Falling is especially amazing."

She stood there for half a minute as if she short-circuited, before launching into a large ramble about the different songs, albums, and eras of the band.

I was able to hold the conversation and give my input at key points, keeping her engaged. Before I knew it two hours had passed and the little mood-dampener from earlier was forgotten.

The conversation was cut short by her phone beeping. She pulled it out, looked at the screen, and cursed.

"Hey, sorry to have to end things here, but I really need to leave."

I waved it off.

"It's fine. We had a great time. T'was nice meeting you."

She ran toward the changing room but then turned around.

"Say, if you could go here for free, would you be a regular? In the mornings, to be specific?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"I mean...I guess. It's pretty cozy here. Sure. But..."

"Wonderful. Don't worry about anything, I'll buy you a lifetime membership."

My jaw dropped.

"Are you serious? I can't possibly accept that."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

She shrugged.

"Believe me, I have more money than I know what to do with. I could give away a thousand lifetime memberships here and barely notice the difference. And besides, I can't just let a potential new gym partner slip away, especially one who is a Deathtones fan. It's really no big deal."

I sighed.

"Okay. If you insist. See you tomorrow then?"

"You bet."

Before she vanished inside I called out to her again.

"You look kinda familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"I just have one of those faces." she said and went to change.

.The forced positivity melted off my face as I submerged myself in my racing thoughts.

There was a lot to consider.

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That evening I binge-listened to every Midsommer Deathtones track I missed.

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"So, you have a Power?" I asked as I spotted her while she lifted.

"Wow. Talk about being direct." she groaned, exerted.

"Do you?"

She laughed.

Being unflinchingly direct and persistent was something she had always really appreciated.

Slowly but surely the character of Laura was morphing into a person specifically designed to appeal to Luisa.

"Yeah. But before you try, I'm not comfortable blurting it out just like that. Ask me again in a month or so. If I haven't driven you away by then. How about you?"

I smiled. This was going to be interesting.

"I do. It's a bit lame. I can read minds."

She flinched, lowering the halfway-up weight back onto the rack.

"Read minds?"

"Yeah. But it sucks! I get like, vague flashes of what the person might be thinking about. Not very useful."

She nodded, deep in thought.

"Hey, snap out of it. You still had 50 reps to go. Now you have to start from the beginning. Remember, it's for the Apple Soda!"

Apple Soda is one of her favorite drinks, but she rarely indulged because of the high sugar content. "Laura" had coincidentally brought one to this session, and offered it as a reward for Luisa breaking her rep-record.

She shook her head and looked at me with determination as I wiggled the sweet drink over her face.

"Just wait and see. I'm getting that soda."

"I'll believe it when I see it, old-timer."

Abd with that, she began again.

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The next day I had a plan.

I had hounded her to join me for an Ice Cream after the workout, told her I knew a really good shop.

She was very reluctant at first, that dam still in place, but with persistence and gentle ribs, I eventually managed to convince her.

"It's a bit farther away than I'd like, but I know a shortcut." I said and led her to a very specific alleyway. "Through here."

Luisa crossed her arms.

"Really? We can go the long way, I don't mind."

I giggled.

"What, you think I'm going to rob you or something? Or are you scared of a little dark alleyway?"

Her nostrils flared like they always did when she was pouting.

I found that really cute once.

"I'm not scared. But it could be dangerous."

I shook my head and shrugged, keeping up a jovial tone.

"Dangerous, shmangerous. I go through there all the time, it's fine. And even if something is wrong, you look like you can handle yourself. Now come on, you big baby."

"I.....I guess." she relented. I could see the barest hint of a smile forming on her lips. "You're cheeky."

"That's me." I said, grabbed her hand, and dragged her inside.

After the first corner, I could feel her grip slowly relaxing.

"See? It's not so ba-" I started but was interrupted by a fireball scorching the ground in front of my feet. Three figures in red emerged from little nooks and crannies.

Just three, huh? Bad timing on my part, I guess.

In Villain circles it was well-known that this series of connected alleys was currently claimed by Midgardsummer for some sort of smuggling operation. Only members and people aligned with them could pass through freely.

Luisa's grip immediately strengthened again, so much it started to hurt a bit. This body was really damn dainty.

Right now this grip wasn't purely out of protectiveness. Not yet, anyway. Hero Training prepares you well for multiple situations, and right now she had to assess whether or not I was involved in this.

Ambush Baiting is a popular tactic employed by villain groups to get a single hero alone into a place or situation where they have the advantage.

For my plan to work, I couldn't let that possibility stay in her mind for too long.

"Well, well, friends, what do we have here? Two cows walking away from the enclosure and right to the slaughterhouse." one of the grunts said.

"Don't be too hasty. They probably just got lost. If they're good and give us a little...donation, we could guide them back to their pasture safe and sound. What do you gals say?" another continued.

"Who are you calling a cow, asshole?" I growled, lifted my left foot, and ground my heel into his toes.

He cursed and stumbled backward a few steps.

I looked back at Luisa, who stared at me with an open mouth.

"Don't let these guys intimidate you, they're all ta-"

I was cut off by a burning fist slamming right into my face.

The punch itself wasn't too bad.

The heat was way worse.

I could feel my skin blistering. I couldn't make out the extent of the damage quite yet, but I would probably have to consult a mage later to avoid scarring.

I fell backward into Luisa, who caught me gently. Her eyes were cold and I could see determination steel her gaze. Good.

"Sorry..." I whispered weakly, but she shook her head, made sure I could still stand and then turned toward my attacker.

"You wanna take on someone your own size, champ?" she spoke calmly and stepped forward.

The guy laughed. "Dude, she deserved that. We were just offering you a safe escort out of here. What's happening now...." His fist caught on fire. "...is just self-defense."

Once again, he went for the face, hitting Luisa square in the jaw, but she just took it. Her face grimaced slightly in pain but she was not deterred.

.

"Thank you. That should be enough to take all three of you out."

The guy laughed again.

"Oh.., we have a tough girl here. Try your best then, I'm wide open."

"If you insist."

She prepared to land a punch of her own as the gang member opened his arms wide to accept whatever may come, but as soon as Luisa attacked a fiery cocoon enveloped his body.

Her fist made contact, to my surprise. Solid Fire was an exceptionally rare ability. The flesh on Lu's hand began to sizzle and a distinct cracking sound could be heard.

It did not take me long to scope out the culprit. The hoodlum in the very back had both hands outstretched toward his comrade, and as soon as he lowered them the shield vanished.

"Still think you can take all three of us out?" the guy in front taunted.

"Of course. A kindergartener could wipe her tiny shoes with your sorry asses." Luisa said with a bloody smile.

She was in the Zone. It would be over soon.

"Didn't they teach you in school, lady? Cockiness is a surefire way to get yourself killed."

Another firey punch connected with Luisa's face, and another audible crack reverberated throughout the alley.

But this time, it wasn't her bones that were breaking.

"Aaaaah!!! What the-"

Before he could finish, Luisa lunged at him. His friend reacted quickly, surrounding him with his glowing hot barrier of flames, but it was no use. The hardened inferno shattered into pieces. Her fist, not having lost any momentum, connected with his face, knocking him, and 8 or 9 of his teeth, out cold.

The shielder said nothing, just turned and ran.

"Hey! Where the fuck are you going, coward?!" the remaining one yelled. That little distraction was enough to seal his fate.

Luisa, Honeybadger, got stronger the more she was hurt. And the boost is exponential. With almost lightning speed she took off, closed the distance, and punched him right in the stomach. He fell, clutching his midsection and struggling to breathe.

With practiced motions, she pulled out her phone, tapped a few times, and put it away again.

Heroes have a special app that immediately notifies the police and sends the user's whereabouts, with a bunch of pre-written parameters to include, like danger level, resolved or in-progress, number of criminals, nature of emergency, and so on. A basic but still very useful little tool.

She turned to me and hurried over, her eyes softening instantly back into that kind and concerned glow I once fell in love with. But not this time.

"Wow....I knew you were tough, but I didn't think..."

She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. Her cheek had a nasty red patch, just like mine.

"Yeah. I have some experience with fighting bad guys. But never mind that, are you okay?"

I nodded, cupping my burned cheek and wincing with slight exaggeration.

"I'm fine. But I....I wouldn't have been. You saved my life. If you hadn't come with me today...."

To add to the scene I let a few tears well up in my eyes.

"Hey....It's okay. You're safe now. Alright?"

She hesitantly reached her hand out and took mine, squeezing softly to reassure me.

And that's when I felt it. The Dam.

It wasn't breaking, not yet. But there were cracks. Cracks through which genuine sentiment and lasting affection leaked very slowly despite her best efforts.

I had to fight myself to avoid letting a wide grin stretch across my face.

Once there were cracks in the foundation it was only a matter of time before the whole thing collapsed.

And once this river flows freely, once the flowers of love begin to bloom....

I can pour poison into the stream and watch as the waters kill and corrode everything they touch.

As I looked into her vibrant, shining eyes, genuine excitement grew within myself, something I sorely needed after all the shit I went through lately.

But this alone made it all worth it.

It would be so much fun....

"I'm so glad I met you, Lu."

To watch that light leave her eyes forever.