The Undoing of Sidekicks | ✓

nine

(a/n: dedicated to princess3ami for stanning leo. we stan you <3)

nine

THERE WERE A TON of unspoken words tangling the air between us. Before I could reach out and utter even a single syllable, Maddy sputtered back to life on the board between us. 

But her lungs were filled with water ... how? 

I shoved that thought to the back of my mind. While Maddy coughed, heaving air back into her lungs, I maintained eye contact with Josh. The revelation was still fresh in my mind. 

Josh is Brann. Brann is Josh. Josh is a metahuman. Josh has powers. 

I swallowed, averting my eyes as another realization struck.

Josh is my enemy.

I hoped to the stars and beyond he hadn't seen me use my powers. I knew there was a fat chance he might have. There was also a slim chance he hadn't. I clung onto that thin strip of hope, fervently wishing my identity wasn't uncovered. 

I've got my own problems to deal with. I don't need to be dragged off to jail — and certainly not by some vacationing super from Dynamo. 

Whatever doubts were holding me back, I shoved them aside. Instead, I swam up to Maddy. She was still coughing, now doubled over and almost tipping off the side of the board. In a very un-Leona move, I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

"Come on, cough it up," I encouraged. "There you go. Deep inhales, OK?" 

Maddy attempted obeying. Her eyes were panicked, darting from my face to the gently swaying waves as she drew in precious air. The sun had edged further down the horizon. More of the water turned dark and murky, and I felt ill at ease once more. 

"We'll head back toward the beach," I said. My eyes flicked up, met Josh's. His face was carefully composed, revealing nothing. We both acted as if it had never happened, though we both knew damn well that I was aware of who he really was.

A question for later tonight: what the hell is Brann doing in San Helios? 

My mind could make up a million possible answers to that question, and none of them made me especially happy. Instead of fretting further over it, I rubbed another circle on Maddy's shoulder. 

"What ... happened?" The words were croaked from a sore throat, and my eyes met hers. 

Slowly, I removed my hand from her shoulder. I moved it to the board, starting to steer it back in the direction of the beach. Josh swam silently by its other side, departing briefly to fetch the other board. It had drifted a bit away, and I watched as he stroked through the water efficiently to retrieve it.

"Leo?" Maddy asked. I shook my head, breaking out of my trance-like stare. 

"Sorry," I said. My eyes shifted to hers again. "You fell off your board. You must've gotten caught in a stream underwater or something. Next thing we knew you were sinking." 

Maddy's eyes were shadowed, though she nodded briefly in understanding. There were many emotions swirling beneath those eyes. Shame, sadness, panic. Despair. I could only face so many at once, and so I regularly averted my eyes. I focused on making my tired legs kick us back toward the shore.