Rose brought her mouth in close to his neck, letting her hot breath tickle the sensitive skin there. She let her lips graze his earlobe, and a shiver of pleasure went through Malcolm’s body.
‘I think you definitely deserve a reward,” said Rose. “And I think I might just know how to give you one.”
Malcolm didn’t react, though it was a struggle to keep himself from grinning. Rose’s fingers carefully unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans. He lifted his hips up so that she could slide them down, still trying to keep his attention on the game.
If I seem like I’m enjoying it too much, she’ll probably start trying to use sex to control me.
“You can’t ignore me forever, Malcolm,” whispered Rose. He still had his boxers on, and she leaned her face into the bulge poking against the fabric. She let her cheeks and mouth rub against his hardness, and even with a layer of cloth in the way, he could feel the heat and softness of her beautiful face.
“Maybe…” she whispered. “If I take it a little further?”
She carefully pulled his boxers down, and his erection popped out, ready and eager even as Malcolm continued to act nonchalant. Rose tapped the tip of it with a finger, shifting onto her knees in front of where he was sitting on the couch.
Malcolm tried to stay focused on the game, less because he really wanted to, and more just to make a stubborn point. Rose let her fingers play across his shaft, taking it in both hands and holding it gingerly, like a gun that could go off at any second.
“Do you want to know what my mouth feels like, Malcolm?” whispered Rose.
He nodded his head before he could stop himself. Rose gave the length of his shaft an exploratory lick, and then slid it into her mouth.
She let out a soft, pleased moan at the exact same time that Malcolm did. She slowly bobbed her head up and down, sucking him off with gentle movements. Malcolm set the controller aside, unable to focus on the game for a second longer. He ran a hand through Rose’s dark hair and watched her lewd mouth work its magic.
It felt incredible. The pleasure was a little scary in the way it pushed all other thoughts out of his mind. It was just him and Rose, and her luscious lips, hot mouth, and wet tongue. She looked up and made eye contact with him on and off, her expression flickering with delight at the effect she was having on him.
God, it feels so fucking good.
She brought his erection in deeper and deeper, until Malcolm could feel himself probing into even tighter territory. Her eyes closed, and her lips tightened, her tongue pushing up against the base of his shaft. It felt incredible, and all Malcolm could do was lean his head back, gently rubbing her head in encouragement.
Rose licked and sucked with such skill that it was pointless for him to try to hold out for very long. The pleasure was like a flood building against an old dam. Malcolm’s breathing accelerated. His hands tightened through locks of her hair. He forgot to warn her as he passed over his limit. She didn’t seem to care.
“Oh, Rose,” he moaned. His seed blasted out into her mouth, hot and sticky. Rose gracefully sucked it down, rubbing his thigh as though encouraging him to give her everything he had to offer.
He practically melted into the couch, overwhelmed by the pleasure. Rose stopped sucking midway through his orgasm and cleared her throat.
“I think you lost that round,” she said.
“What?”
She smiled wickedly at him and nodded to TV, which was showing the postgame stats. He’d gotten absolutely creamed.
The two of them shared the couch for a couple of minutes, enjoying each other’s company without needing to say anything. Rose was looking closely at his face, and she reached out to gently touch the cut on his cheek.
“What happened there?” she asked, keeping her hand against his face.
“Bullet scratch,” said Malcolm. “Tapestry and I had to stop a shooting at a high school earlier today. We managed to keep anyone from getting killed, but-”
“That’s not what I mean,” said Rose. “It looks like it’s healed already. That doesn’t make sense if it happened earlier today.”
Malcolm shrugged, not really knowing what to say. Rose’s dark eyes were considering him carefully.
“Do you think it’s related to my powers?” he asked.
Rose gave a small shrug.
“It might be,” she said. “Champions sometimes develop multiple powers. It’s rare, but not uncommon. Though, if you were a regenerator, I think you would have noticed signs of it earlier.”
“Tapestry is a regenerator,” said Malcolm.
“Hmm…” Rose licked her lips, frowning slightly. “Did you touch her while she was using her powers?”
A chill ran up the hairs on the back of Malcolm’s neck.
“I think so,” he said. “Yeah, right after I knocked out the shooter.”
It tingled, almost like a static shock, but… weirder. And that was when I first noticed my cheek healing up.
“Here.” Rose stood up from the couch and walked back into Malcolm’s room, where the curtains kept it mostly dark. “Let’s try something.”
She held out her hand to him. She was still only wearing his t-shirt, and there was something strangely intimate about setting his palm on top of hers. Rose wiggled the fingers of her other hand, summoning several shadow tendrils around her. Malcolm felt a tingling sensation a bit like touching a live electrical current. At the same time, his cheek started hurting again.
“Huh,” he said. “Did you just… give me your power?”
“It’s called power mimicry,” said Rose. “Apparently, you have it as a secondary ability. You can copy the power of someone else and use it for yourself. Probably not at the full strength of the original user, but it’s still an incredibly useful ability to have.”
“Cool,” said Malcolm.
“You should try to keep that secret from the Champion Authority,” said Rose. “Power mimicry is what they call an uncontrolled power.”
“Uncontrolled power?” asked Malcolm. “What does that mean?”
“It’s kind of an arbitrary label,” said Rose. “What it really means is that if they find out you have it, they’ll… take action. Possibly imprison you in one of their quarantine zones. You should probably start wearing gloves.”
Malcolm stared at her in surprise. He was about to ask her for details when another question came to mind that he was even more curious about.
“How do you know all this stuff, while not being able to remember who you were and how you became a spryte?”
It was the wrong question to ask. Rose blinked a couple of times. She opened her mouth, and then shut it. A sad smile spread across her lips.
“I think it’s just part of being a spryte,” she said, quietly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” said Malcolm.
“No, it’s okay,” said Rose. “It’s a good question. It really is.”
Malcolm walked over to her. He wanted to pull her into a hug, but something about it seemed to presumptive. They could fool around, have sex, and enjoy each other’s company, but there was another level of intimacy that still seemed off limits. He took her hands instead, holding them in his and squeezing.
“I’m fine,” she said. “And you’ve helped me, Malcolm. I don’t know if you realize how much. The more time I spend on my focus activity, the more I can remember, and the more control I have.”
Malcolm raised an eyebrow.
“What’s your focus activity?” he asked.
Rose blushed, which looked ridiculously cute, given her skin tone.
“Sex,” she said. “I thought you’d figured that out?”
Oh. Right. That makes sense.
Again, he found himself not knowing quite what to say.
“What’s yours?” asked Rose.
Malcolm grinned at her.
“Listening to 90s rock music,” he said.
Rose made a valiant attempt at holding her laughter in before it became too much for her.
She pulled away from him, almost doubling over in laughter.
“Hey!” said Malcolm. “There are plenty of great hits from that era! Some of the best music ever made!”
CHAPTER 17
Rose was still laughing when the knock came at the door. It was a heavy, deliberate knock, and it reminded Malcolm of some of the high school parties he’d been to that had been raided by the police. He frowned, noticing how it immediately put Rose on edge.
Malcolm slowly moved over to the door, staying totally silent as he looked through the peephole. Two men stood outside, both carrying themselves with deliberate, confident posture. They waited for a couple of seconds, and then one of them knocked again, calling out as he did.
“Malcolm Caldwell. Wind Runner. We’re field agents with the Champion Authority. We need to speak with you.”
Malcolm resisted the urge to swear under his breath. He glanced over his shoulder at Rose. She was slowly shaking her head, her eyes wide with fear. It was infectious, and Malcolm felt his palms go clammy.
“Please…” mouthed Rose. “No…”
The sun hadn’t yet fully set over the horizon. Malcolm doubted that Rose could hide from them in his bedroom for very long, especially if one or both had flashlights to search with. Her powers couldn’t save her.
“What can I do?” whispered Malcolm.
“Just stall them, if you can. If we can make it until dark, I can escape.”
Malcolm nodded slowly. He turned to look back out the peephole, wondering if he could just hide behind the locked door and take the most obvious approach forward. He blinked, surprised to see that there was only one man on the other side of it now.
Something wet slid over Malcolm’s socked foot. He jumped back. The sensation almost reminded him of one of Rose’s shadow tendrils, but she was already through the door and in his bedroom.
He stared down, watching in disbelief as a pool of gelatinous, red goop entered his apartment through the doorway. Malcolm acted, rather than thinking. He pulled the door open, hopped back a few feet, and then let loose with the full brunt of his wind manipulation.
The goop seemed to try to hold where it was for a moment before pulling loose from the floor and splattering across the chest and face of the remaining agent. Malcolm waited until the last few globs were in the hallway before reaching for the door and slamming it closed.
Or at least, that was what he had intended to do. A tree branch was blocking the way, holding it open in the same manner someone might use their foot.
“Don’t,” said one of the champions. “He’ll just slip under your doorway again. And again. We’re just here to talk, Malcolm.”
Damn it. I need to think of something else, and fast.
Malcolm reluctantly shrugged his shoulders and opened the door wide enough for the champions to pass through.
“Sorry,” he said. “I was just a little… unnerved by your friend.”
Behind the first champion, the pool of red jello was condensing into the shape of a man, making weird sucking noises as body parts and limbs formed.
“I told him not to,” said the first champion. “Melt’s powers are like something out of a horror movie.”
He was carrying a potted tree under one arm, and wore green khakis and a tan sweater. He reached out his free hand to Malcolm and smiled.
“Greenthumb,” he said.
“Uh… Wind Runner,” said Malcolm.
“Don’t shake his fucking hand,” said the second, still coalescing champion. “He attacked me!”
“Relax, Melt,” said Greenthumb. “He’s been a champion for a day. You should be more aware of how others react to what you can do.”
Melt glared at Malcolm. He looked exactly as he had before he’d transformed into goo, down to the leather jacket and scruffy beard. He was shorter than Greenthumb, but had a peevish intensity about him.
“Now,” said Greenthumb. “May we come in? It would certainly go a long way toward alleviating the tension of this misunderstanding.”
Malcolm nodded.
“Of course,” he said. “Again, sorry. I’ve just been a little on edge, these past few days.”
“I understand completely,” said Greenthumb. “I spent half a week in the forest after I gained my powers. I was convinced that I had been chosen by nature to take the world back from the evils of human civilization. Needless to say, it took a little while for me to achieve productive communication with the Champion Authority.”
Malcolm stepped back, allowing them into the apartment. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his mouth felt dry. Rose had closed the door to his room, but that almost made it more suspicious, rather than less. Malcolm offered the two men the couch, not really having anywhere else to seat them. They chose to remain standing.
“I don’t have much to drink here,” said Malcolm. “Water? I guess?”
He fidgeted nervously.
“That won’t be necessary,” said Melt. “This isn’t a social visit, kid. We’re here for answers.”
“Wind Runner…” said Greenthumb. “We received a report from some of our non-champion informants in the area that someone matching your description foiled a spryte capture last night. Specifically, someone with your powers.”
Malcolm furrowed his brow.
“A spryte capture?” he asked. “I didn’t encounter any champions going after sprytes last night.”
“This wouldn’t have involved champions,” said Greenthumb. “The Champion Authority is understaffed in most regions of the world. Occasionally, we offer bounties to any interested parties in the area for bringing in the less dangerous sprytes. Ones that can be captured without regular people needing to put their lives at risk.”
A chill ran down Malcolm’s spine. He looked back and forth between Greenthumb and Melt. They were both watching and waiting for his answer, but with vastly different expressions. Melt’s eyes were hard and suspicious, while Greenthumb seemed genuinely sympathetic and a little apologetic.
Those men were working for the Champion Authority? That’s… not possible.
“I fought off a gang last night,” said Malcolm. “It didn’t seem like they were involved with anything relating to the Champion Authority, or hunting sprytes. They were getting ready to rape a woman in an abandoned warehouse when I found them.”
A small smile spread across Greenthumb’s lips. Melt stepped forward, jabbing a finger in Malcolm’s face.
“She was a spryte!” he said, almost spitting the words. “You expect us to believe that you didn’t know? That you didn’t see any of the signs?”
Malcolm blinked a couple of times, doing his best to seem like he’d only just then figured out why the field agents were there to speak to him.
“I didn’t get a look at her,” said Malcolm. “It took me a minute to scare the men off. She wasn’t in the warehouse when the fight was over.”
Melt shook his head slowly.
“If that’s the case, then why didn’t you open the door when we first knocked, Wind Runner? Why did you try to keep us from talking to you? We’re here to do our fucking jobs!”
“Melt,” said Greenthumb. “You were the one who went in under his door. I’ve warned you about this before. Most people don’t react cordially to invading red puddles of sentient ooze.”
Malcolm ran a hand through his hair, subtly glancing out the window. The sun was taking its sweet time dropping down over the horizon. He had another ten minutes, at least, before he could count on Rose being able to easily escape.
“Besides,” continued Greenthumb. “We both read through his file on the way here. After what happened to him, and his family… I doubt he has any more sympathy for the monsters than we do.”
Malcolm nodded slowly, for once feeling glad that someone had brought up the explosion and his family’s deaths in conversation. Melt still looked wary, but more open to the possibility of Malcolm being innocent than he had been before.
“Where did you encounter the spryte last?” aske
d Melt. “The men who brought us the tip were vague about the details.”
“In one of the abandoned warehouses,” said Malcolm. “South of here. There’s four of them in an industrial park. The fight happened in the southwest most one.”
The two field champions nodded.
“Why don’t I head over and check it out?” asked Greenthumb. “Melt, you can stay here with him for the moment. Given his history, I get the sense that he might make a capable field champion, one day.”
Malcolm winced, wishing that both of them would leave to follow up on his tip, or alternatively, that Greenthumb would stay while Melt left. Greenthumb was already heading out the door, however, stopping to whisper something in his partner’s ear as he passed him by.
I can’t let my guard down. Not until after dark.
CHAPTER 18
The door shut, and Malcolm stood facing Melt awkwardly. The other champion was staring at him, unconcerned by how rude it came off.
“You should hold onto that,” said Melt.
Malcolm frowned.
“Hold onto… what?” he asked.
Melt walked by him into the apartment, glancing around at the kitchen, the door leading to the bathroom, and the closed door leading to Malcolm’s bedroom and Rose.
“Your anger,” said Melt. “I saw it in your eyes before, when Ben mentioned your family. Hold onto that as tightly as you fucking can.”
Melt sat down on Malcolm’s couch. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flask, opening it and moving to take a sip. He hesitated, and then offered Malcolm the first taste.
Well, might as well try to make friends.
Malcolm accepted the flask and took a small sip. It was gin, and it burned going down. He managed not to cough and passed it back to Melt, who took a long swig and kept it in his hand.
“It’s not always going to be easy,” said Melt. “You’ll see the truth of it, eventually. When you start to encounter more of those things… “
Malcolm nodded slowly.
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