Yin and Yang [A Superhero AU] - Book Three

Chapter Seven - Hero and Villain

"I'm going for a walk in the park," Jack says after a few days of villain inactivity.

A small spark of excitement lights in Dan's chest. If Jack is leaving, he could go find Phil without anybody knowing! "Sounds like a plan."

"Are you gonna keep sitting around?"

"Maybe."

Jack nods and pulls on a hoodie before heading for the door. Dan bids him farewell, and ten minutes later he's heading down the street towards the bookstore. He can only hope that Phil is there, but if he's not... he can never go wrong with playing piano. Maybe Phil doesn't even want to see him, but he can't ignore the hope that by some luck, the hero does want to see him. He pushes the door open and starts scanning the aisles, looking for Phil and trying to stay inconspicuous at the same time.

Nobody. Dan exhales, trying to ignore the disappointment that blossoms in his heart, and starts moving towards the piano. That's when the door of the bookstore opens and there he is, Phil's eyes flitting over the store much like Dan's did. The villain's breath catches in his throat and he grins, waving over at him. Phil meets his eyes and a smile graces his face.

"What luck that I decided to go to the bookstore today," the hero says when they reach each other.

"No kidding," Dan replies. "I honestly thought you would have forgotten me by now."

Phil laughs and shakes his head. "That's silly. Want to go get coffee?"

"Definitely."

They head to the café and get their drinks before sitting at the same table they did last time.  Dan knows that the amount of excitement he feels is dumb, but he can't help it.  He's been thinking about Phil for days. 

"So, what's new with you?" Phil asks.

"Nothing much. I've been sitting around quite a lot," Dan replies with a small smile. "You?"

"Same. Sitting around and watching TV when I'm not at work."

"Do you live with someone else or alone?"

"I'm by myself."

"Sounds lonely."

"Yeah." Phil sighs and takes a sip of his drink before looking up at Dan with those baby blues. "How's life at the institute?"

Dan closes his eyes momentarily, and when he opens them Phil is watching him intently. "Rough. The boss is the main problem."

"What does he do?"

"We get beaten if we don't do what he wants. He has anger issues, so he usually takes it out on us."

Phil's face falls. "That's horrible."

Dan shrugs and wraps his fingers around his mug. "We're used to it. There's not much we can do anyway. He's manipulative, and we don't know any life other than the one in the institute. If we left we'd be stranded, and most likely someone would be sent out to kill us."

"I'm so sorry. That's awful."

"It's okay." Dan exhales and takes a sip of his drink. "So, when did you move to America?"

"When I was eighteen. I joined Curatrix pretty much right away, and then spent three, almost four years training."

"How old are you now?"

"Twenty-eight."

Dan grins. "Four years between us, huh?"

Phil's eyes flash with fear for a second. "Is that weird? Am I too old?"