Short Stories

Super Creative: Super Attraction

Story Title: "A Whitehot Love"

Nightquake walked along the pier in the dead of night, patrolling the small fishing area for any sign of disturbance. All was quiet, so far. Nothing stood out to him among the crates and barrels on his left or the fishing boats to his right. The smell of rotten fish and saltwater permeated the air, so potent that he could almost taste it. He hated patrolling this area; it was always dead, with no criminal activity whatsoever.

He shook his head and thought to himself, Nothing. Why do I even patrol this area? It's just a waste of time, time that I don't have. I could be patrolling the rest of the city right now, but no. I just had to make sure that the calm, quiet docks stayed that way. Hmph! No one is going to steal a bunch of fish...

"Going somewhere?" a silky, feminine voice suddenly asked from behind him.

Nightquake whipped around, but no one was there. He squinted his eyes, turning on the night vision in his midnight-blue visor, and turned in a full circle as he tried to spot where the voice came from. Still, he saw no one.

A laugh sounded to his right, coming from one of the boats. Nightquake turned to face them and saw a pale figure reclining in a seat at the bow of a forest green boat. The woman stood up and walked forward, effortlessly climbing up onto the rim and balancing on it. Now Nightquake could clearly see who she was, with her all-white outfit consisting of a leather jacket, leggings, and a mask that covered the area around her eyes. Her maroon hair was blown out behind her by a sudden breeze, the darkness a stark contrast to her bright clothing.

"Whitehot. I should have known it was you, with your light manipulation," Nightquake sighed, rolling his eyes.

Whitehot laughed again, then daintily jumped off the prow of the boat. "Yes," she teased, "you certainly should have."

Nightquake groaned as she started to walk toward him. "Whitehot, I don't have time for this. I'm trying to patrol the city."

She peered at him through her eyelashes, still moving closer and closer, and crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "Here? In the dead-quietness of the fishing docks? You hate it here, Quake," she stated playfully, using the nickname she gave him. She knew he hated it when she called him that, but she just loved seeing him ruffled up about it.

She was right about ruffling him up, that's for sure. He immediately stiffened at the name and glared at her, a grimace slowly forming on his face beneath his black helmet. Whitehot's grin grew as she saw him getting riled up, and she made her way closer.

"Whitehot. Please stop and let me work. I told you, I don't have time for this."

Now she was right in front of him, leaving only a foot between them. Her grin had faded to a small smirk. Nightquake could hear her quiet breathing, thanks to the sound-enhancing technology inside his helmet. Without knowing why, his heart started racing, his palms got sweaty, and his senses heightened.

Whitehot lifted her left hand, palm facing the sky, and a white flame ignited on its surface. She lifted it up next to his head, causing the shiny surface of the helmet to gleam in the darkness. Suddenly, the visor flipped up, showing Nightquake's astonished face. Whitehot grinned, knowing that he had no idea how she did it and that he was too proud and stubborn to ask.

Nightquake's eyes flicked back and forth, desperately searching for a way out of the awkward situation. His identity was blown. No one, not even his girlfriend, knew that he was Nightquake. But now the beautiful, deadly hero had uncovered him, and she could use the information to her advantage.

Instead of blackmailing him, like she was prone to do with information from a villain, she put out the fire she was holding in her hand and stepped back. With her grin slowly growing, she bounced on her toes excitedly. Nightquake's eyes grew wide in surprise at her actions; this was not something that she would normally do, and it almost frightened him.

Suddenly she started rambling, "I knew it! Oh my gosh, I cannot believe that you've been Nightquake this entire time! I mean, I had my suspicions that you were up to something when you were disappearing, but I had no idea that I was with you a lot of those times!"

"What are you talking about?" questioned Nightquake, confusion quickly draping across his face.

Whitehot opened her mouth to answer, but she shut it again, looking thoughtful. When she finally answered she simply said, "It'll be easier if I show you."

With Nightquake looking on in confusion, she reached up behind her head and untied her mask. Nightquake tried to protest and tell her she didn't have to do this, but she brushed him off and pulled her mask away from her face. There was only one word to describe what Nightquake felt as he saw the face that was hidden under the brilliant white mask of Whitehot, and that word was "astonishment." Complete and utter astonishment.

"Blaine?" cried the black-clad hero in amazement.

Blaine gave him a small wave as she said timidly, "Hi, Zach."

"All this time... All this time we've been fighting crime together, and neither of us knew who was behind the mask..." Zach shook his head, still shocked by what had just been revealed. "But, wait... How did you manage to keep your identity a secret from me? Whitehot was almost always at a crime scene before me, and half the time we were together I left first..."

"Well... Let's just say that I've learned how to get around the city as quickly as possible," she explained.

Zach took his helmet off and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I can't believe that we've been together all this time, both as heroes and as citizens, and neither of us knew. That's amazing."

Blaine smiled. "Well," she started, letting out a light laugh, "I guess that just means we're great at keeping secrets. No one could pry your identity out of you!"

Zach looked up at her as she spoke. His gaze softened as his eyes looked over her face, and he smiled. Blaine noticed this and was confused. What was he thinking about? Her smile remained on her face as she asked, "What?"

"Nothing," breathed Zach, his smile fading as he quickly dropped his gaze.

"No, what was it?" Blaine asked softly, walking toward him.

He lifted his gaze back up to her as she grabbed his hands in her own. A crimson flush was spreading over her cheeks as she looked at him.

It's now or never, dude, Zach thought, gently pulling his hands from hers. She looked hurt, but the hurt was soon replaced with surprise as Zach took her face in his hands and kissed her. When he finally pulled away he said, "I love you, Blaine. No matter who you are, or who I am. I will always love you."