Page 29 of Infamous Heart

“That’s,” Sebastian let out a long sigh, “intense.”

I had traded up. As he gave his head a slight shake, I wanted to pounce. If I pinned him to the corner, the patrons walking by might believe the two guys furiously going at it might be a work of art exposing carnal pleasures. I wasn’t one for public sex, but I’d gladly make an exception for Sebastian.

The wandering continued.

The next room was the largest in the gallery. Easily the side of a basketball gallery, paintings taller than me were sparsely hanged, giving each of them breathing room. In the middle, a fake wall divided the space, not quite reaching the ceiling. It held a graffiti style mural that must have measured fifty feet wide by twenty tall. There was no way to avoid the immensity of the work.

“Did you plan this?”

It took a moment before I realized the figures portrayed spray paint were superheroes. Moving from left to right, it showed the progression of a man cowering in fear on the street to a hero with his cape waving in the wind while he prevented a building from collapsing. Having read comics for most of my life, I recognized an origin story when I saw one. I didn’t recognize the suit, but the theme, mundane to super, that was familiar.

“I swear, I had no idea.” We had spent the last several days at the warehouse, running through the list of potential powers at his disposal. He was content to practice, but every time I mentioned donning a suit and protecting the city, he balked at the idea.

“It reminds me of the street art in Berlin.”

“Berlin?” I should have guessed that somebody like Sebastian had travelled the globe. While he took the company jet for destinations unknown, I could count the states I had visited on one hand.

“I found the artist and managed to commission him to do a few pieces for me.” He didn’t flaunt his money, but it was obvious that we came from two different worlds. I didn’t mind the finer things in life, it was my paycheck that did. But with the new job at Revelations, a senior level position would finally allow me to stop counting pennies.

“I still don’t understand the infatuation. Why does having powers require being a hero?”

Okay, our difference in lifestyle, that I could overlook. But his inability to see how the power at his disposal could change the world, that required a certain level of being tone deaf.

“If a villain murders a thousand people, and you have the ability to stop it, shouldn’t you?”

“I didn’t ask for that responsibility.”

“Nobody asks to be a hero. It’s what you do.” He fixated on the painting, studying it the same way he had the burned embers. “It’srightthing to do.”

“I’m not saying it’s off the table. But if it happens, it’s my choice. I don’t owe anybody anything. I’m sure there’s more like me. We’re just trying to get by in life.”

“If those people all stood up,” I eyed the gigantic superhero stoping the building from crushing a young child. “Then the world would be a better place.”

There were plenty of sidekicks who put on leather and followed their hero into battle. In comics almost every hero had their companion, a smaller version of themselves. But it was the ones who provided a moral compass for the hero that made for the most compelling stories. I couldn’t fight, and unless I found Neptune’s trident, I had no powers to speak of. But as I turned to inspect Sebastian’s face, I understood my role.

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

I had to believe there was a hero somewhere inside Sebastian. I don’t think I could hear about the injustice in the world and let him standby. At the same time, I didn’t want it to create a wedge between us this early in dating.

“Have you ever gone axe throwing?” We could finish this conversation for another time. Right now, I wanted to laugh with Sebastian and get to know him as a man. We’d deal with his superhero persona later.

“What is axe throwing?”

“It’s awesome. You drink cheap beer and throw axes.”

“This seems dangerous.”

“It certainly is,” I smiled. “That’s what makes it fun.”

I took the man by the hand, leading him toward the exit. He might lead a life of luxury, but I questioned if he ever had fun. Okay, so I had two goals as a sidekick, turn into into a hero and teach him to stop and enjoy life.

“Wait until they bring out the blindfolds. Then you’ll get to see my skills.”

He chuckled at my bravado. “Supervillains aren’t looking all that dangerous right now.”

12

“What about Shimmer?”

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