Page 53 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes
“…even you have to admit, this is an opportunity!” My mother was so worked up, I could feel her heat through the heavy door. “We may finally extract ourselves from—”
“Not like this, Tabitha!” my father boomed in reply. “I’m as eager as you to shed these chains, but this man cozying up to our son is nothing more than a disgusting…” His rant ended with a choked sound, as if he couldn’t even bring himself to accept that I was with a normie.
How dare he talk about Xander that way!
Before I could fling the door open and confront them, my mother’s quiet voice cut in. “So will this end like it did for Iron Axe?”
I furrowed my brow at her question, and the deafening silence that followed. Iron Axe was a legendary superhero from my parents’ generation who’d met a mysterious and untimely end. No villain ever claimed responsibility for his demise, which was odd, since many would have relished the infamy of taking him down.
What the heck doeshehave to do with my relationship?
My father sounded more weary than anything, implying it wasn’t the first time they'd discussed this. “Iron Axe was a means to an end—”
“It HURT, Harold!”Siren’s power pulsed threateningly. “Far worse than simply being physically apart. And now you want Butch to experience the same level of suffering?!”
“The pain will be temporary.” Vortexio’s powers answered hers in challenge. “But it will be worth it for him to not be permanently handicapped.”
I backed away from the door as if it were contaminated. While I didn’t fully understand what my parents were talking about, plans were clearly being made—without my involvement or consent—that would end with me in anguish.
And my only weakness is Xander.
Racing back to the guest room, I pulled my supersuit back on and escaped through the window. Back at the Gloucester, I tore down the stairs from the roof—practically ripping the front door off its hinges to get inside. My father could fly, and I didn’t plan on being anywhere he could find me once he realized I’d left without permission.
In my bedroom, I quickly stripped again and shoved my Lycra to the bottom of a drawer. As I straightened, my reflection in the mirrored closet door caught my attention. The last time I’d reallylookedat myself like this was the evening I’d first messaged Xander on Bangers, and the difference in my appearance was startling.
On the surface, I appeared the same, but my eyes were no longer dull and lifeless. There was a determination buried beneath my current anxiety that reminded me of how purposeful I’d felt after graduating Superversity.
When I believed a world of possibility lay ahead of me.
I remember how proud I was to officially succeed my parents as the defender of Big City—eager to prove to its citizens they could rely on me to keep them safe. It didn’t take long for me to realize my beloved city was treated like a corporate conglomerate, where only the most powerful supes and normies called the shots.
The only information I was given on my opponents was the bare minimum I needed to defeat them. For all Biggs talked of foiling plots and plans, no one ever bothered to show me any proof.
I’m nothing but a weapon to them.
When the only thing that brought me joy was creeping around Awakener’s Bay to crush on avillain, I knew something had to give. By the time I’d joined Bangers, I was desperate for anything to distract me from my reality. It was pure luck that I found someone like Xander.
He was the reason I no longer looked defeated when my mask came off. Xander may not be a supe—or my illicit obsession, Dr. Antihero—but he was the missing piece I needed for my life to feel whole. It was because of him I was learning to stand up for myself.
“No one should make you do anything you don't want to.”
Since Biggs had already given me the rest of the week off—barring emergencies—all I had to do was quickly pull on some civilian clothes and send two texts before heading out. The first was to Xander, letting him know I was back and already on my way over—trusting the answer would always be yes, like he’d said.
“Use your words.”
The second was to my parents, stating in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t interested in Gemstonia—or a relationship with any supe—out of respect for mynormie boyfriend.It wasn’t the most heroic way to break the news, but hopefully it opened the door for a future conversation.
Unsurprisingly, neither of my parents replied, but Xander fired back a text almost immediately with exactly what I needed to hear.
Daddy Xan:Welcome back, baby. I’ll be waiting for you at home.
CHAPTER25
XANDER
Butch was bad for my productivity, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. Sure, I was excited to tinker with my ray gun some more, but I needed to wait until I found a supe-normie relationship loophole before I could do something as monumental as revealing my secret lair.
I guess we’ll just have to suffer through more Netflix and chill.
