The Undoing of Sidekicks | ✓

epilogue

epilogue

IT WAS the kind of hot, scorching sun that required ungodly amounts of SPF. It required ice-cold beverages, a hundred parasols and the presence of water.

As things stood, there were no parasols around. There was water, though, the gleaming band of water that was the Pyrth river which cut through the middle of Dynamo City. I stood watching its undulating blue waves, reflecting. I had time to do that, now, when I wasn't rushing to and from the DCU campus for the few classes I'd decided to sign on.

As a test. A trial — of a life more normal than I was used to, something that edged toward human rather than superhuman. I had to admit, even though it'd taken some time getting used to ... I'd grown to like it, enough to consider studying full time. One of the professors had already begged me to join their class, permanently, as a student of some scientific discipline.

I was still considering it, weighing the pros and cons.

"Brooding, in this type of weather, ought to be illegal."

I recognized the voice, the slight smile to the tone. Turning, I faced Josh with an easy smile of my own. His red-tinted hair was unruly, swept aside by impatient hands. A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose, covering some of the light dusting of freckles across his cheeks. He wore a buttoned, grey shirt — nicely filled by his broad shoulders. It tapered down to shorts which were a light blue.

In his hands, he carried two ice creams, purchased from one of the kiosks which littered the walkway stretched right beside the gleaming Pyrth. I reached for one, then straightened up to press a light kiss to the side of his mouth. I felt his smile spread wider, before he reeled me in further, ice cream momentarily forgotten, to press a real kiss to the center of my lips.

"Thanks for the ice cream," I said, smiling, as I backed away.

Moving to Dynamo had had its perks, aside from the obvious. It'd taken Josh a while to make his move, longer than I'd first thought, most of the hesitation a direct results of our business with Mistress. It had taken time to sort out her punishment, until she was finally sentenced and cast into the maximum security prison built especially for people like her.

On the day of her sentencing, I had felt a chapter of my life close. It held such a sense of finality to it that I'd felt time slow, in that very moment, and urged myself to remember the feeling of weightlessness which had followed.

I wasn't the only super relieved, though. Josh was more than happy to see that mess go away, and so was the mighty Nightspark — who had deigned to attend a few meetings during the long sentencing process, if only to press for a harsher punishment.

During those meetings, I'd fought hard to keep from staring blankly at her. She was a legend, had been for a long while, and seeing her slide into a meeting room that casually ... it was extraordinary. She hadn't just met with anyone, of course, but the inner circle of this process. Me, Josh — even Vector and Synapse, who had been instrumental as they helped guide us through the process.

They'd gone beyond that, too. Vector had set Zuri up as a lab tech in one of the departments at DCU, and Synapse had gone out of her way to find us suitable living arrangements. It still felt strange, referring to them by their normal names, that I was stuck with calling them by their aliases.

"What were you thinking about, just now?" Josh asked, taking the first bite of his ice cream, eyes sliding to me.

We started walking again.

"Professor Kurt asked me to join her department again."

"You're considering it, right?"

I nodded, mouth filled with ice cream. I swallowed, then spoke:

"I'm still unsure — it's a big decision."

Josh frowned, "Don't rush it, even if she prompts you. You could still go to a few classes, without enrolling as a full-time student."

"I know, I know. But I ... -" I fought to compose myself, " — I think I want to."

"If you want it, you'll make it happen," Josh assured me, " — if not, then it's not worth thinking more about."

"Who knew you could be so wise at times?" I teased, though the reassuring words had settled some of my stress.

"My partner knows, but these days all she wants to do is use me for ice cream." Josh shot back.

"It's all he's good for," I joked, eyes gleaming.

In turn, Josh's brow lifted, a challenge lighting his face. I saw it a second too late — how his eyes turned bright, the sign he'd tapped into his powers. A second later, I felt half of my ice cream topple onto the hand holding it. I jumped, attempting to avoid splattering the melting mess on my sandals.

"Idiot," I shot back.

Josh had directed a lazy smile in turn, "Just proof that ice cream isn't all I'm good for."

I wanted to huff, but felt a smile break out on my face, instead. Happiness had settled since we'd moved here, not only for Zuri, who would surely take DCU by storm, but for the kids. Lila, Dexter and Roy. They'd started going to a better school, had gotten some actual friends — friends they could bring to a real home.

Because we had a real home, now. Not just in the people surrounding us, but a place of our own. It was an apartment, big enough for the five of us — the kids, and me, the makeshift parent.

Well, the legal parent, now.

Turns out having multiple well-known supers back you managed to sway the courts easily, granting me the legal right to serve as the kids' guardian. And that, perhaps, had been the biggest gift of them all. To become a real family.

A real family, with a real home, no matter how strange it all could seem to an outsider.

Savoring the sun on my face, the sweet taste of the ice cream, the cry of tourists and birds around me — I drew a deep breath, then reached out to grasp Josh's hand. He squeezed back in return.

I had only one thought on my mind.

Finally — I'm home. 

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a/n: author's note coming next guys :) <3