Special Boy // phan

-4-

The man behind the counter, Rhett apparently, took the money and popped the cash register open, putting it inside and telling us both to have a nice day.

"Th-thank you," I stuttered, examining the face I had never seen without a mask. I knew I could recognise him, the shape and the colour and the eyes, but I wasn't expecting to be so fluttery inside when I did. I couldn't tell if it was because an actual honest-to-goodness Big was standing in front of me, superhero name and all, or if it was because he was really, really cute.

I couldn't feel my tongue. Was that normal? Maybe that was my power. I lose the ability to talk when I'm supposed to be talking to a Super. That'd be a dumb power.

AmazingPhil's eyes sparkled with familiarity, like he was seeing an old friend instead of some stranger stuttering in front of him. He looked at me so kindly, so warmly, that the fear began to melt away. "Thank you," I said again, my voice much stronger than before. His smile widened, and his eyes began to search my face as if following a map. They paused breifly at my dimples, or maybe my smile, so I dropped my lips into a more casual, hello-stranger-I'm-not-totally-thinking-about-making-out-with smile.

"No problem." He paused, his eyes still on me. If it was anyone else, I would probably be uncomfortable. But Phil was hot, and being looked at by a hot guy was not exactly something I've had the pleasure of experiencing recently. "What's your name?"

"Uh..." I said, trying to remember what my name was. Get it together, Dan. "Dan," I said finally, grinning awkwardly. He smiled.

"Hi, uh, Dan, I'm Phil." He stuck out his hand, and for a second, I wondered why. But then, the fog lifted in my brain, and I accepted it, shaking the hand of a very famous Big who stood before me like an equal, almost exactly the same height as me, maybe shorter. He gestured to the table he was sitting at before he came to my rescue. "Join me?"

"I actually have to..." I started, but my mind started yelling at me. When's the last time you were invited to sit down by a Big? "Yeah, sure." I slid into the small booth across from him, clutching my hot chocolate against my chest as though it was a barrier between AmazingPhil and my secrets.

"Cold out there," he said, nodding out the window at the courtyard, the sun finally having set and the street lamps flickering to life, casting the empty space in an orangey glow.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, finally taking a sip, waiting for the obligatory question about my powers.

"So, uh, Dan, what's your power?" There it is. I rolled my eyes.

"It's just Dan," I chuckled. I was stalling, and I knew he could tell. It's a good thing he wasn't a mind reader, though, because he just smiled.

"Just Dan, then." He leaned forward, his fingers still clutching the red plastic stirrer sticking out of his coffee, momentarily forgotten. "What makes you special?" I crossed my arms and leaned away.

"I'd prefer not to say." AmazingPhil smirked, bringing his cup to his lips.

"Well, then I won't tell you mine," he shrugged. I felt my heart rate increase, and all of a sudden I was speaking before I even realised what I was saying.

"Your power is flight. You are a Super from London where you founded Lester's Angels at only 20 years old. You're 24 now, and you came here to complete your education as an equal to your peers; so everyone doesn't treat you like a Super anymore." I realised I almost quoted the article I had read about him verbatim, and felt a blush creep up to my face from my collar. Phil just raised an eyebrow, grin still on place.

"Well, you seem to know a lot about me. But I know nothing about you, just Dan." I shrugged, my heart beat still in my ears. Phil just looked amused, not creeped out, even though I essentially just ruined his entire reason for being here. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself, hmm? Something small." Oh my god, is he flirting with me? Is AmazingPhil Lester flirting with me right now? I could just die.

"I'm majoring in Power's Studies." He nodded, and reached into his back pocket, producing his phone.

"So am I. Maybe we can study together." He opened his contacts and handed his phone to me, without asking if I wanted to give him my number or even if I actually wanted to study with him. I pushed it back at him.

"Sorry, I don't swing that way." He raised an eyebrow.

"Boys?"

"Bigs." He looked startled, and I got up. "Thanks, again." I gestured to my cup and turned.

"I'll see you around!" he shouted after me.

"Not unless my power is invisibility." I let the door swing shut behind me without glancing back, trying to figure out if that really just happened to me.