Shock and Awe (Enhanced Book 1)

Chapter 7

A/N Double update!

It's only awkward to me.

"Oh, excuse us!" Anastasia says.

She and Kingsley have just walked onto the roof where Amaze and I are standing in a somewhat compromising position.

I guess it isn't as compromising as it could be, but holding hands while a guy touches my face is about the most interaction I've ever had in the boy department.

"No, you two are fine. We were just leaving," I say.

Anastasia steps forward, her hand outstretched for me to shake. "I'm Anastasia and this is Kingsley. You'll have to forgive his jaw on the ground. He's had a major crush on you for two years," she whispers the last sentence. "Right, lover boy?" She elbows him playfully.

Her words make me think back to last night with Crimson Current and Hydrostatic, but I quickly push the memory back. I've determined to move on and forget about the whole thing. I'll have fresh eyes when I have to fight him again.

The tips of Kingsley's ears are red and he rubs the back of his neck nervously. "Tazia-"

"Oh, don't be shy!"

Amaze and I look at each other knowingly. It happens every now and then that fans get outed by friends or family members, but it always end the same.

"Would you like an autograph?" I offer, knowing this is the direction we're are headed.

It hits me that Kingsley has no idea his best friend's sister is the super hero he has a 'crush' on and I try to hold in my laugh. If he knew its just Sage under this mask, we would be right back to hating each other.

If possible, the tips of his ears turn even more red before he nods, smiling like a kid in a candy store. I've never noticed before that his smile is slightly lopsided in an adorable way, and even though he had braces as a kid, his canines are still a little crowded. Those teeth stick out just the teeniest bit more than the others.

"I have a marker," Anastasia offers, pulling a permanent marker from her purse.

Since I don't have anything to write on, I unclip my new cape from my shoulders to use it as a canvas. It's made of some type of thick material that I'm sure would give Archie a heart attack, not to mention I can't fight in it anyway. I'll just ask Arch to make me a better one for interviews next time I see him.

I take the top two corners off the cape and walk toward Kingsley until I'm close enough to lay it across his chest. I can hear his heart rate increase as I get closer, and I've been in this position enough times to know I'm making his entire year. Who wouldn't want a super hero giving an authentic signature?

Taking the marker from Anastasia, I use Kingsley's firm chest as a writing surface with the cape in top. "What do you want it to say?"

"I-I can't take your whole cape, A-uh."

I giggle at his stuttering and questioning voice. The Kingsley I know is always cocky and confident, so seeing him like this gives me a strange sense of satisfaction — like he really can be an actual human sometimes.

I lean forward to whisper in his ear. "I don't like it anyway." I pull back, readying the marker and giving him a look that says 'go ahead.'

Kingsley's grey eyes meet mine and he tucks his bottom lip in to bite it briefly. "M-My friends call me King," he whispers back.

"My friends call me Awe." I send him a smile before writing across the fabric.

To my friend King,