The Date [Valkyrie]

The Date

     "That was such a bad movie, though!"

     "Right? Totally unrealistic."

     "Of all the movies," she teased, "you had to get tickets to that one."

     The man across from her scoffed good-naturedly.    "It wasn't my choice! I told you I didn't buy them myself."

     "I never said you bought them."

     "Oh come on!" Alex cried, voice rising above the chatter of the crowded restaurant. He glanced around and, quieter, added, "I didn't steal them, honest."

     Maddie rolled her eyes. "Sure, Icarus."

     He raised an eyebrow. "I thought we weren't using our aliases. You don't want to be caught on a date with a supervillain, right, Belladonna?"

      Maddie resisted a frown. He was right, of course; the last thing she wanted was for anyone to find out about the "date" with her nemesis. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of admitting it, though.

      "More like you're afraid of having your identity revealed. Besides," she mused, "can you really call yourself a supervillain?"

      "Pardon?"

      "Well, you've never used any powers that I've seen. Being on par with superheroes in fighting ability doesn't automatically make you super. So...?" 

      "So... what?"

      "Do you have a deviant ability or not?"

      Alex's steel-grey eyes turned stormy, but only for an instant. 

      "Good question," he said, flashing his usual confident lopsided grin. "What do you think?"

      Her lashes fluttered under coffee-brown bangs as Maddie considered her answer.

     "You do," she stated, leveling her gaze at her enigmatic companion. "You're too confident not to. Intentionally fighting superheroes on a regular basis is risky, no matter how skilled you are. But you always push yourself to the limits with us, seemingly unafraid of the consequences. So you're either extremely stupid, or you have a foolproof backup when pure skill fails you. And you're not stupid, Alex." 

      He let out a low whistle. "I'm not sure whether to be impressed or annoyed that you figured me out that easily."

     "I'm right?"

     "No point in denying it now." Alex shrugged. 

      Maddie lit up at the confirmation of her theory.

     "What kind of deviancy do you have?" she asked.    "How come you never use your abilities?"

     "That's a secret for personal reasons."

      Her smile fell abruptly, disappointed at his bland response.

     "What about you?" he countered. "How strong are you, really?"

     Maddie stiffened. "You didn't tell me anything about your abilities, so I'm not obligated to share any information about mine."

     "That's fair."

     The afternoon sun poured through the window on the unlikely couple. It had been unexpected when the notoriously cautious thief Icarus asked out the local superheroine, Belladonna; even more so when she accepted. Neither, however, had expected to have as much fun on the date as they'd had. It had been awkward at first, yes, but the good thing about terrible movies was that they were excellent conversation starters. Now they sat in a diner downtown, Maddie's suggestion as it was one of her favorites, for a late lunch. It was pleasant, and she often caught herself being more comfortable with Alex than she felt she ought to be.