Page 50 of Not All Himbos Wear Capes
Jesus, I really am moving fast!
My superpower better not be codependency.
Dr. Ownit’s building was closed for repairs following the Masculine-Renegade fight, and he didn’t believe in teletherapy, so unloading on him wasn’t an option. Kai would have been all ears to listen to me cry over my forced separation, but she was gone most evenings now because ofRocky Horror.
This left me with an unfamiliar—and slightly terrifying—sense ofloneliness.After three decades of conditioning myself to not needanyone, I was suddenly faced with the harsh truth that my apartment feltempty,and my daily life even emptier.
You still have your work, Xan.
And fried chicken.
When I found myself lingeringat Sun-Mart on Wednesday afternoon to chat withFelix,of all people, I knew I needed to find myself a new project. Tinkering with my microplastics-extracting ray gun was on hold while I waited for a part to be delivered, so I did the unthinkable.
I willingly visited the Suarez family compound.
The look of abject shock on my mother’s face as I strolled through the front door was worth the discomfort of her company—if only for a fleeting moment.
“What on earth areyoudoing here?” She did a quick body scan, perhaps looking for missing limbs that would render melessuseful to the clan. “Our family dinner isn’t until Sunday.”
I tensed. It wasn’t that I’d forgotten father’s ‘invitation,’ but I’d definitely buried it like a repressed memory since Violentia delivered the summons outside The Gloucester.
Plus, I’ve been distracted by a mountain of muscles.
“I’m here for the archives,” I announced. My parents had amassed an impressive collection of supe artifacts and historical documents over the years, and all the Suarez kids had unrestricted access to their curated collection.
Knowledge is power, after all.
She pursed her lips together in thinly veiled exasperation. “Xanny, there’s nothing else to find. Youdon’thave powers. Accept it.”
Oh, you want to play, mother?
Even though the real reason for my visit was to find a legal loophole that would let Butch into my world, I was eager for a fight. “Maybe my powers are simply dormant.Ihavebeen feeling a strange tingling sensation beneath my skin lately.”
And a murderous rage when separated from a hot himbo normie, no big deal.
“Is that so?” The acuteintereston my mother’s face caught me by surprise. My parents—and my siblings, by extension—had long given up on me joining their ranks. Even though I was being honest, I hadn’t expected her to take me seriously. “Who have you been spending your time with?”
That extremely specific question nearly made me drop my mask of indifference assomethingnudged at my awareness again.
“Oh, you know me—just fucking my way through the local bar scene.” I gestured dismissively, keeping my tone sarcastic as I tacked on a pointed question. “Should I be concerned aboutwhois ending up handcuffed to my bed?”
The indomitable Glacial Girl wrinkled her nose in disgust. Supes with lofty standards stayed away from normies unless they were horny and desperate. It was considered ‘slumming,’ but a powerless supe would never attract a more powerful one, so my family let my extracurricular activities slide.
Since nobody enjoys dealing with me when I’m not getting laid.
“Not if they’re worthlessnormies,”she predictably huffed, making me bristle.
The suggestion that Butch was anything other than the dazzling ray of sunshine he was inspired a fresh pulse of aforementioned tingling in my fingers. My mother’s cold gray eyes shot to my hands with predatory intent and, for a moment, I worried she would not only detect the surge, but interpret it as a threat.
It would be a good excuse to eliminate me.
Instead, her calculating gaze returned to my face. “Perhaps you’re alate bloomer.Have fun in the archives. I’ll send Wolfgang to assist you with your research.” Assigning my older brother—otherwise known as The Hand of Death—to chaperone me sent a clear message.
Don’t step out of line again.
It was such a novel experience to be seen as worthy of such a warning that I let her stalk away with the last word. I’d never heard of a ‘late bloomer’ before. Most supes had powers manifesting before they could walk, so I’d often wondered why my notoriously detached parents had kept me around when I turned out to be powerless.
Maybe it’s the high IQ.
