Super Crush (BxB)

Unlikely Team-Up

I can't sleep. I am too consumed with thoughts of Clay. Not just his naked ass and his body pressed against mine in the pool, but my inability to compartmentalize the blame-by-association that my heart is harboring for the hand my father played in Clay losing his. Part of me knows it is silly. It literally has nothing to do with me, and up until recently, I had no idea that my dad was even connected to Cloud 10. Part of me knows it is because I am developing feelings for Clay, and I feel bad that this has happened to him. I know what it feels like to lose my dad, but I didn't have to make the choice to send him away.

In a trance, I thumb out a text and send it before any second thoughts.

-ME- I know it is the middle of the night, but can you guys come over for a sec?

I get three dots. Then nothing. Two or three minutes go by, then:

-MALWARE- Sure. We are out patrolling anyway. Be by in 10 minutes.

Shit. I haven't even thought about what to do with my knowledge of Tiptoe. If her father really is Sir Madness, I need to be sure I can trust her. I jump out of bed and scramble around my room to make a stupid plan. In my desperation, I grab last year's science fair project.

As promised, ten minutes later there was a tapping at my balcony window.

"Thanks for knocking this time," I joke as I open the door for the trio of rebels.

"As I recall, you were the last one to let themselves in uninvited," Tiptoe says flatly.

I shrug. "You're not wrong."

Like a villain in a spy movie, I spin to launch two baseball-sized capsules at Tiptoe. With a graceful twirl, she easily evades the colliding bombs and sets herself in a fight-ready position.

"A. What was that, crazy? B. You have terrible aim?" she scoffs.

"A. Sorry. Sophomore year's science fair project: Audio Insta-Grow. B. I wasn't aiming for you," I reply.

Tiptoe turns to see gray foam growing all over Slammer and Malware like liquid insulation being installed. In this brief moment, I fling my health patch at her and make direct with the left side of her neck.

"Damn, Noah. You are starting to piss me off," she says as she sashays my way and tries to get the sticky electro-square off of her.

"Don't move. Any of you," I say with my most stern voice. "The more you two move, the more the foam grows."

Mostly true.

"And, Tiptoe, if you remove that patch, it will explode."

Very untrue.

"Noah," Tiptoe says between gritted teeth. "I am going to kill you."

"I know. I am sorry, but I have to make sure I can trust you first. This is the only way I could think of. STAN, scan vitals."

The lights blink orange.

"What is your code name?" I ask the leader of the triad.

Triad. Note that for later.

"Noah. You know it is Tiptoe," she replies.

The blinking stops and the lights remain a vibrant marigold color.

"Ok. Is your father Sir Madness?"

"What the hell, Noah?" Tiptoe responds.

With the uptick of anger and blood pressure, STAN adds red to the lights as the room takes on a vermillion glow.

Tiptoe looks up to the ceiling as if she has caught on.

"Yes," she sighs. "Yes, Sir Madness is my father."