Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

22

"God, I've seen you on TV. You're always with him. That's like a dream job."

Kelly was one of Nina's roommates. A beautiful green eyed natural blonde, with a golden soul that matched her hair. She was probably the nicest person Nina met when she moved to New York City. Hunting for apartments was very difficult, the city was overcrowded, the rent prices were so high she was considering coming back home. She asked around until she met Kelly, and Kelly had mentioned their lease had just expired and one roommate decided to move to New Jersey. She suggested Nina could come and leave with her other two friends. Of course four people crammed into an a tiny apartment in NY wasn't the most comfortable way to live, but it would have to do. Nina started working at a Walmart and what she made barely covered the cost of the rent and utilities. The Walmart was a bit far away from work, the subway rides weren't that pleasant, but she was happy. She was happy to be trying, she was happy to be there.

"I'm sorry for not calling you." Said Nina. "I was super busy."

"It's okay." Kelly smiled. "I would love to be busy with Homelander too."

They were at her favorite burger place once more. It was comforting. New York was still so new, so huge to her. To be fair, Rio and São Paulo were too. She came from a small town, and she never thought she would get used to it. She had her work route, sometimes she'd go to the Rockefeller Center, sometimes to Times Square, but she would lie if she told anyone that she knew how to walk around the city. The burger place was like a second home. A checkpoint. She felt safe there. The food was always good, always... familiar. She tried so many fries while visiting so many fast food chains with her friends, but there was something about the fries from that place in particular. Not just the fries... everything. Seeing Kelly that day warmed her heart as well.

"Listen..." Nina giggled, visibly blushing. "He's my boss."

"I mean... he could be the boss of me if he wanted to." Kelly bit her lower lip.

Nina laughed. She thought the same, but it was so embarrassing to admit. "Come on..."

"Oh." Kelly smirked. "You're gonna tell me that you don't think he's super hot?"

Nina was blushing so hard it was difficult to hide. She was laughing so much it felt like she was going to choke. "Well..."

"God, fucking him must be heaven." Kelly took a sip of her orange soda. "If you ever do it..."

Nina covered her mouth, turning the laughter into a giggle. It was impossible to eat when Kelly was around. "Stop!"

"Girl, if you can do it, just do it." She comically crossed her fingers in a prayer stance. "Get that cock."

Nina took a deep breath. "He..."

"How is it like working for him?" Kelly rested her face in her hands. "How is he like?"

"He's..." Nina sighed, rubbing her nose with her hands. Her eyes wandered to another dimension. "He's... lovely. Sometimes."

"Why do you mean?" Kelly asked, noticing how Nina's face had changed. Her laughter ceased and now she looked a bit sad.

"He's very nice... most of the time. But he's very stressed right now."

"What happened?" Kelly raised her eyebrows.

Nina scratched her head. "I was attacked a couple weeks ago. He got really mad, and he's been trying to protect me from everything."

"What..."

"Take a look." Said Nina, pointing at her left eye. "Right here."

Kelly squinted. Up close, her eye did seem like it was swollen. It was almost imperceptible, but now that Nina had pointed it out, it was impossible not to notice. She carefully removed the makeup with a napkin to show the bruise.

"Oh my God." Frowned Kelly. "Who..."

"He dealt with the guy." Nina didn't want to reveal much about the shapeshifters. "But he's been on the edge ever since."

"Are you okay, though?" Kelly now seemed concerned. "Is it safe to work with the Vought guys? With Homelander?"

Nina nodded. "He's very... sweet and caring. When he saw what happened to me... I just don't want him to beat himself up because of that."

"I see."

"He took care of me for a while... he probably had a million things to do, but he did check on me every single day while I was healing."

Kelly smiled. The look on her friend's eyes was... something else.

"It was so much worse than it is now. He brought me ice packs and painkillers. He even bought food from this place, because he knows how much I love it."

Kelly sighed. Nina was always the emotional one. She was so bad at concealing emotions.

"He's the best boss I've ever had." Nina smiled. "He's so incredible in every single way."

"Must be." Kelly nodded. "I'm glad he's treating you well."

She had that dumb look in her eyes. Kelly knew what that meant. The tone of her voice when she talked about him was so honeyed and lovely. It was just her boss, and no one talked about their boss like that... unless it had feelings involved. Kelly joked about sleeping with him and Nina giggled along, however it wasn't about that. If he was taking time of his precious schedule to check on her, she meant a lot to him too. The most amusing part is that Nina would never admit it, and Kelly knew it. She would say something about admiration, about working with someone famous and how starstruck she felt. She would mention anything but admit she liked the man. She didn't have to. It was all over her eyes. That's why Kelly didn't blame her for not calling. She needed to spend time with someone who cared about her, and by her words, he seemed to care a lot. Kelly didn't even think that one needed to know Nina to realize that she really liked him. Even during the broadcasts, she looked at him like someone who just saw a precious diamond. It could've been PR if not for the way she described him during their meal.

"I miss going out with you." Said Nina. "Do you still talk to the girls? Do you guys still live together?"

"We do. Sheila changed her shift so she's working right now, and Angela is visiting her parents. We'll figure something out."

"Thanks, Kel." Said Nina. "You're a real one."

Kelly came back home thinking about Nina and Homelander. She didn't know if her friend had confessed her feelings to him, but she hoped Nina would. Thinking about them as a couple made her extremely happy, to the point she was smiling while taking the subway. NYC sometimes was so gray and depressing and those little sparkles of joy were the best thing about living there. There was something poetic about someone finding love in a giant, cold concrete jungle. Nina deserved to be adored, and Kelly knew that the man to do it would be the luckiest man in the world.

Being Homelander or not.