Theo Tomlinson had always believed that life would be simple if he followed the rules. Study hard, train hard, and keep his powers hidden. For the most part, he had succeeded. By day, he was your average, overachieving teenage boy, half-British, half-Chinese. By night, he was Fortis, the icy superhero who protected the city from chaos and destruction.
Aether was everything Theo despised. Arrogant, sarcastic, and infuriatingly good at everything. He had stolen the title of swimming team captain from Theo. He matched Theo grade for grade. They hated each other with a passion that their entire friend group had learned to ignore. Taylor often joked that they were like fire and ice, always on the verge of exploding.
But life had a funny way of forcing people together. It started innocently enough - a school project, a forced partnership that neither Theo nor Aether could escape. Forced proximity was bad enough, but when their secret lives began to bleed into their everyday ones, things got complicated. Aether was hiding more than just his villainous alter ego, and Theo's icy façade was beginning to crack.
Two lives, two identities, two enemies. Theo and Aether were caught in a web of secrets and lies, and the truth was bound to come out eventually. But when it did, would they still be enemies? Or would they finally realise that the line between hate and love was thinner than they ever imagined?
Highest Rankings:
#1 heroxvillain out of 361 stories
#6 swimmer out of 419 stories
#9 lgbtq out of 243k stories
#9 forcedproximity out of 1.16k stories
#36 asian out of 6.54k stories
#64 interracial out of 12.7k stories
#110 sports out of 20k stories
#124 lgbtlove out of 9.93k stories
#125 malexmale out of 7.45k stories
#178 villain out of 19.4k stories
#189 gayfiction out of 14.8k stories
A young archeologist is launched on the adventure of her life when she joins a mixed crew of humans and aliens on a mission to atone for the failings of Earth.
***
The Terra Prospect Mission offered humanity a chance at space travel, technological advancement, and enlightenment courtesy of its alien benefactors who made first contact thirty years ago. Daran Chree brought that mission to a fiery end when he crashed the Terra Prospect spaceship into Gate Delta Eleven. Now, it's humanity's second and final chance to prove they're ready to journey into the stars. Nineteen-year-old studying archeologist Sofeta Prenares finds herself not only drawn to the mission, but on a collision course with the fate of the galaxy.
2019 Watty Awards Winner For Sci-Fi!
Content warning: This story contains reference to self harm and intense combat scenes.