Frenemies: The First Issue

Kiss And Tell

Stark City: Present Day

"So he can't touch anything at all?" Romana asked, groggily waking up. The empath didn't remember falling asleep the night before, but her brain began to feel heavy and pull her under just as her husband had started to go into detail about their sons radioactive affliction, of how his touch is deadly, and how it had been that very radiation that had initially killed her, poisoned her from the inside; but she awoke hours later and began continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened.

The sight of her eyes slowly opening startled him yet again, making the tray in his hands rattle from his short, tense movement. Though the villain had spent the night coming to terms with the fact that his long comatose wife had suddenly and inexplicably awoken after nearly two decades. Seeing those big brown eyes lift to greet him was still unnerving, and he had spent so much time watching over her sleeping body that seeing her wake up was something he knew might take 18 more years to get used to.

"Mostly no."
Sebastian Stockman answered, setting down a standing tea tray over her lap.
"Aside from myself, and anyone affected by the original meteorite that is... No, he cannot touch any living thing." He shook his head, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the pity he knew would be in his wife's eyes.
"So I won't be able to... hold him?" Her dark eyes, famed for their steeliness, now appeared to him like dark chocolate, melting fast.

"No. Its out of the question." He stated quickly, Toxic's radiation is what killed her to begin with.
He saw the hope on her ever so beautiful face crushed by the heel of his words.

"Besides, He's 18 my love, the boy doesnt exactly fit into a swaddling clothe anymore..."
He gave her a small teasing smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

She let out a small sigh. It was disappointing, but like so many other terrible things in her life, she would accept it.
After mixing her tea exactly how he remembered she liked it,
"Do you have the motor skills yet to drink this on your own?" Mastermind asked, holding out the plain white tea cup for her.
The former cold war operative focused all her energy into lifting her hands from her sides, but no sooner had her elbow left the soft mattress did her forearm plop back down.

"No, not yet." She grumbled, hating the weak state her usually deadly body was in.
"But it is already better than last night, I can tell." She made sure to reassure her husband, the worry in his powerful and intelligent green eyes did not go amiss, powers or no powers.

"Here, ill help you..."
He offered, maneuvering himself till he stood beside her. Tea still held in one hand, he placed the other gently behind her head, tilting it forward as he brought the cup to her lips.

She took a small sip, eyes lulling slightly as the first drop of non medical liquid passed over her throat in years, as Mastermind had kept her nourished via solutions directly to her bloodstream from an IV.
"My tea, you kept some!"
She exclaimed happily, noting the unmistakable taste and texture before taking another, longer swig.

"Of course I did."
He couldn't help but catch her contagious smile.
"My dear I take back everything I ever said about making your own tea being a strange hobby for a Villainess."
He chuckled.
"I've been drinking from your supply for years, particularly whenever I started to miss you."
Mastermind admitted, fighting back the heaviness weighing down his heart at the memories of so many long lonely nights when her kettle and brew had brought him comfort.
The taste of the tea reminding him of the way her kisses so often had tasted like.

"Speaking of which, Im actually quite glad you woke up for another reason,"
He said softly. "Aside from you know, missing you."
"Oh, and what might that be?"
She smiled back, glad to see that shy yet sly demeanor that she fell so madly in love with so many years ago had not left him.