Super

45. incredible downside

"Do you think you can get up?"

Ten sagged against the pillar, feeling boneless and muscle-less but somehow very human. Just a few seconds ago, he had been about to go ka-splat on the asphalt, and now by some medical miracle, he was sitting unharmed (well, physically unharmed) on the floor of a pavilion just a few dozen feet away from the building.

"I think so," he said, in answer to the question, and tried to rise to his feet. Unfortunately, neither his body nor his mind had recovered from his missed meeting with death-by-drop, and he stumbled forward, but was caught just before he hit the floor. Ten let out a shaky breath, knees feeling like they were filled with jelly, and half-collapsed back into his previous sitting position. "On second thought, no."

"Take your time," Taemin replied. He looked as calm and unruffled as ever, the only evidence of his jumping off buildings visible in his wind-tousled blonde hair.

Using his powers of super-speed, Taemin had basically run across the vertical walls to reach Ten, using the added momentum to push himself off the surfaces and reach him faster. Ten had never appreciated super-speed as much before, but it seemed like a neat power to have now.

"You know, you technically saved me from falling twice." Ten chuckled, shaking his head, and his smile faded into blankness. "And I'm not sure why that's so funny."

"It's expected," Taemin replied. "You're disorientated from the fall, so it's gonna take a few minutes for you to get back on your feet."

"I'm just..." Ten blew air out of his mouth, suddenly feeling high-strung and jittery. It seemed like a much more appropriate reaction to almost falling to his death and being saved by a superhero. A fellow superhero, he had to remind himself. He wasn't entirely useless himself, just...mostly. "I can't believe you did all that."

"It was my first time running over walls, too, if that's what you're talking about," Taemin said, sounding amused. "Thankfully, the distance wasn't much to cover, or I would've been claimed by gravity too."

"It's cool," Ten said. He pressed his hands against the pillar he had been leaning against, and tried to stand up. Taemin supported him, and Ten's knees still shook when he finally rose to his feet, but it was definitely better than tripping over his own feet. "Your power, I mean. It makes you practically invincible."

"Every incredible power has an incredible downside," Taemin replied with a shrug, still holding him up. "My speed just means I tire out much more quickly. Use my energy up, in a way, use up all the fuel I have without realizing it. I need more nutrition and rest than the average human."

Ten nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I get it. Sometimes I fade without realizing I'm invisible. It's attuned to my emotions, so it takes effort to be visible, too, sometimes." He frowned. "It's that way with everyone, isn't it? Taeyong has to strain himself because he has more bodies to control, Baekhyun's lightning burns his energy up, and Kai doesn't always know how to control his ability. It slips out of him. I noticed it when we were drinking together," he added. "He accidentally made me drink two bottles extra."

"It's a way to balance out the privilege of powers."

"I guess," Ten mused, then frowned. "But Lucas—"

"Absorbs too much energy," Taemin said before he could complete his statement. He looked far away, a distant look in his eye even as he looked at Ten. "I worry he might shoulder too much to bear."

His tone was muted, worried even. It was surprising for Ten, who had never seen the billionaire anything but reserved. He didn't exactly seem like sharing type. Before Ten could respond, though, Taemin spoke up, voice cleared of any emotion that had previously been there.