Nighthawk: A Superhero Story (closed for Siobhancan99)

[siobhancan99]

Monica awwws "you gave me a lady love interest because I came out to you" she reaches over and hugs Gabi "you're sweet" She was more convinced that the love interest was genuinely a Gabi stand in, but she didn't want to push her friend on that score, particularly while she was still dating Shaun. "ok ok back in character."

She had learned a little, like how to hit things and what dice to roll. That cantrips could be cast all the time but spells with levels were different. Easy enough. Her cantrip was firey though and she had to see if there was some way to change that for thematic purposes. Also she sequestered the purple dice so they wouldn't get mixed back in with Gabi's bizarrely huge collection. She didn't ask what the girl needed so many dice for though. Maybe in case there was like a 20 person group or something.

"Ok." Monica realized she didn't really know how to flirt with a girl and so she froze for a second, then realized that was part of the fun. Doing something she hadn't before. "I will return the compliment and say that her sword work was um, most puissant. and that she seemed very graceful out there." She groaned at herself "and that she looked spectacular doing it. or I dunno. I think that might be coming on too hard. I'll um, smile and put my hand on her arm for a second and say that she seems quite graceful and sure of herself and I am glad she's along, and then I will let go of her arm. I will also look her over to make sure she isn't hurt. Do we have a doctor? I mean this game seems pretty deadly. Things go down in one hit sometimes. It seems like there should at least be some kind of first aid kit or something." She hmmed but then got back into the character "I will offer to make camp since the others actually had to like, fight and not just point their fingers at things and say words. I feel like they're probably more tired than I am so I will set up the tent. Uh. Since the dwarf can see in the dark he should probably take the watch in the middle of the night and I should not since I'm human. Man. you humans are so fragile" she winked at Gabi "Can't see in the dark and shit." teasing, though she herself just had good night vision and couldn't see in the dark.

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi smiled as Monica hugged her. “Also, she’s over a hundred, and I hear you’ve got a thing for older women,” she remarked teasingly.

“Shoot, I forgot to mention,” Gabi said after the battle with the goblins, “the elf’s dad sent you guys off with some potions of healing. Ilessa takes one of them now because she got hit pretty hard by that goblin’s club.”

Gabi smiled and took a handful of Sun Chips. “Wait…you can see in the dark, too? Are there are any other powers I should know about? Like, you can’t read my mind, can you? That would totally mess up the adventure.”

Monica’s party made their way the bandit encampment, and she used one of her cantrips to lure one of the men patrolling away so that their group could capture and interrogate him about the whereabouts of the missing villagers. “Awesome!” Gabi said. “I’m going to give you some extra XPs—experience points—for a good use of your abilities.” The man said they hadn’t seen them but that one of their own had gone missing in an abandoned shrine not far from the camp.

Finally, Monica and her companions found the missing youths at the shrine where they were worshipping some kind of strange idol. The party had to fend off the mind-controlled villagers and some skeletons that were protecting the idol to destroy it and free the living from its grasp. The party then returned to the village as local heroes and were served up all the free food and drink they could handle. The elf invited Monica’s character to dance.

“So you guys are dancing and everything, and she says, ‘I know you will be traveling along, mi’lady, but…it would be an honor if I can continue to travel with you. Wherever you may go.’ ”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica felt a strange sense of accomplishment for rescuing fake villagers from a fake idol and fake demons. Gabi's storytelling had her in the thrall of it, and she was really getting into the adventure and had a personal feeling stake in it by the end of the night. As they'd started late, it was definitely late as the denouement was drawing near. She smiled at the offer, again under the suspicion there was more of Gabi in "Ilessa" than the girl might be letting on. It was sweet and sort of weird but fun to try to flirt by proxy. Safer too, in a way. "Ok so... I'll put my hand on the small of her back. Somewhere safe. Like definitely PG. I'll look into her eyes for a moment as we dance, and I'll say... I'd be honored to have such a beautiful, loyal, and capable companion for as long as it suited her to remain at my side. The road may be hard, as I need to restore the fallen honor of a once proud family. It would be infinitely easier though, with her at my side to share the road and all of its travails."

She was a fan of the word "travails" though she had literally never said it before. Properly Tolkeinesque.

 

[Halcyon638]

Throughout the session, Gabi had had an easy grin on her face, but now, her expression was oddly serious, as if Monica’s answer to this fictional character’s question had actual consequence. “Umm…so…Ilessa smiles at you and…you kind of get the sense that she…wants you to kiss her,” Gabi said, looking in Monica’s direction but not quite making eye contact. “You don’t have to, just…” She looked down at her DM's screen.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica moved around the table and leaned against it, looking down at Gabi "That so huh?" She reached down and gently cupped Gabi's chin and drew her friend's gaze up towards her directly "Does she want a kiss huh? Seems a little dangerous. Wanting a kiss from a friend. Seems like it would really change things." She leaned down, then softly brushed her lips over Gabi's, just grazing around them for a moment, teasing, feeling the slight wash of Gabi's breath against her skin. She sighed and gently sucked Gabi's lower lip into her mouth, holding it tenderly, her hand now cupping Gabi's cheek "but you know. nothing ventured, nothing gained."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi’s eyes widened as Monica made her way around the small table. Her lips visibly trembled, her posture stiff. When she touched the brown-eyed girl’s lips with her own, Gabi closed her eyes. “Yes,” she said under her breath, an almost involuntary sound, as Monica’s hand touched her cheek.

The Latina slipped her right arm around Monica’s mid-back. She gingerly touched her lips to her blonde roommate’s, and there was a barely audible wet sound as she tentatively returned the kiss, mouth still mostly closed. “Monica…”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled "look Gabi. This isn't something you have to figure out right now ok?" Her family was very conservative and very catholic. Plus there was Shaun "You have a lot going on right now. You also have Shaun and well. There's a lot to figure out there too. But...I did want you to know that I think you're beautiful, and I'm glad the first girl I ever kissed was my best friend. So even if it just ends up being that one kiss, it will always be a good one." She ran her fingers through Gabi's hair, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "and no matter what you decide for yourself, you're always going to be my best friend. Nothing will ever change that. Even if you decide that was a fun adventure and you're super straight after all" She was serious about that, and she hoped Gabi felt it. "You're amazing. I'm just glad to know you and be around."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi stood up now, tugging on one of the sleeves of her slightly oversized hoodie. “Mon…You don’t understand.” She sighed. “I’ve been…in love with you for a long time. At first, I thought it was just…you were so nice to me, always saying I was pretty, even if I didn’t feel that way…that kind of thing. I loved Tom like a brother, but it was…” She swallowed, and tears began to appear in her eyes. “I thought I’d gotten over it…over you when we started here. I didn’t think it would…it would hit me the way it did. And then when you said you had a crush on Melanie…” She slumped slightly. “I thought…I thought…maybe if I got some new clothes, dressed a little more sophisticated…maybe…”

“Shaun…Shaun is a great guy. But…when you were holding on to me the last two nights...” Gabi said, glancing off toward the apartment’s window, "it felt like I was in a dream."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica melted a little "Gabi you didn't need the new clothes. I mean. You look fucking great in them but I noticed you were pretty without them." She ran her fingers through Gabi's hair and gently stroked along her scalp. She kept up the tender touches, trying to be reassuring. "Ive been noticing, how beautiful you are, every day." She cupped Gabi's cheek and brushed her thumb along her cheekbone "I mean I'm scared. Maybe good friends wouldn't be good lovers. Maybe I'll be crap in bed. I mean, can't just lay there and take it with a girl" she jokes "and ... well it occurs to me that you might actually have some experience with this and never told me but..." She laughed "Look. Deal with Shaun. When you're single... we can give it a shot. We can do it right. I told you about me because well. I wanted this too. But I do want to do it right. We have all the time of our lives Corazon."

 

[Halcyon638]

A smile spread across Gabi’s lips as Monica commented on her looks. “You’re not so bad yourself, you know?” She looped her arms around her friend’s midsection, her body language much more at ease than before. “I’m a little scared, too. ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ you know? Cristina kinda warned me about this. The whole nursing a crush on your best friend thing. I never want anything to change our friendship. But I feel like…our friendship is so strong that…maybe we’re a little safer?”

Gabi looked down at the sleeve she was tugging on when Monica mentioned the possibility of prior experience with a girl. “Okay. I will talk to Shaun. If it makes you feel any better, I think we both had the feeling that things were kind of…stalled. I don’t think it’ll be a shock. And he’s cute and a lovely person so I think it won’t be hard for him to find another girl.”

“I want to do this right for you, carino,” she said. Gabi hugged Monica close. “I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for years now and I’m just letting go.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica wasn't sure how to take the look. Maybe Kayla? Kayla was so boy crazy on the outside but hadn't had a real serious relationship. She was always moving from guy to guy. Plus Gabi's visceral reaction when she mentioned Kayla reached out to her. Anyway not her business. It would genuinely be a bit of a relief if Gabi did know what she was doing. For once in their relationship the girl could take the lead on something. Usually, they did what Monica wanted to do. "So uh. The big question is kind of your parents. Are they going to be like.... oh yay our baby girl has been in love with you for so long and we're so happy for you? or are they going to be like... shipping you off to your Aunt's so that dirty white whore you hang around with can't turn you into a dyke?"

Monica knew Gabi's parents were deeply religious but that didn't mean they were necessarily anti-gay or even bothered by the notion Gabi might be. Honestly she sort of tuned human religion out a bit. Her mother had a bad view of Christianity in general calling it a "filthy slave morality tale of the weak oppressing the strong. Even their central conceit is garbage. Dying is easy. Dying for someone doesn't show you love them. Killing is hard, even for Centauri Monica. Evolution makes it hard to hurt another being that looks like you. To really love something, you have to kill for it. You have to do something hard. That guy knew he was just going to get up in a few days anyway. How hard is that? Earth religion is hot garbage."

Until her mother left she hadn't been allowed to go to youth group stuff, which was the real seat of Cottersville's social scene for kids. Once she was allowed to go, she mostly focused on whatever the activity was and tuned out the jesusy bits. Cotterites were very tolerant of gays, actually, but Gabi was Catholic and all Monica knew about Catholics was they had a Pope and he had a cool hat.

"So uh... how do you wanna handle that? I mean obviously if it's an issue we can't exactly be Instagram official."

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi’s brow furrowed a bit. “Yeah, so…it’s kind of a toss up with how Mom is going to take it. I basically very very strongly hinted at how I felt about you to my dad and he said it wouldn’t affect how he felt about me. Mom…well, I remember her making some crappy ‘I don’t mind people being gay but don’t rub it in our faces’ at a couple points, though that was a pretty long time ago. At one point, I tossed it out as a hypothetical. Like, ‘hey, what if you’d had a kid who grew up to be gay?’ and all she said was, ‘a mother loves her child unconditionally,’ but it wasn’t exactly super reassuring.”

Gabi took a sip of her sparkling water, then offered it to Monica. “I feel like with what just happened today that maybe it’s something I don’t really want to bring up with her until the dust has kind of settled on this whole situation. Maybe a month? A few weeks? Is that okay? We can probably tell some of our friends if we can trust them to not post anything about it. Also…I think Shaun maybe knows how I feel about you but I don’t want to, like, immediately post pics of us making out and being super happy or anything.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica nodded "well. I mean I wasn't really suggesting we plaster our faces all over the internet. Like you said, disrespectful to Shaun. Plus... you know... should probably figure out if this thing is gonna work first. Also I'll wait on asking Orlando for your hand in marriage tomorrow" She smirked "Now, chica hermosa, it is very late and we've had a hell of a few days" she got up and went into the other room, stripping down to her boy shorts. She threw on one of tom's old shirts and poked her head out of the bedroom "you can come in here, but no hanky panky till you're single. I'm serious. Just sleeping."

 

[Halcyon638]

“No, of course,” Gabi said. “I don’t want to rush things. Sorry. I was just thinking…you know me. I like to have a plan.” She was beaming once again.

When Monica came out of the bedroom, Gabi’s eyes lingered for a few moments on her bare legs. “Did you really just say ‘hanky panky,’ princesa?” She removed her hoodie and placed it on a nearby hook, her expression growing serious once again. “Of course. Just so you know…I really was freaked out the last two nights. I wasn’t trying to…to use it as an excuse.”

“Just need to get cleaned up and I’ll be in.” A few minutes later, Gabi knocked at Monica’s bedroom door, then proceeded in, wearing a red sleepshirt that fell to about mid-thigh.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica patted the bed "come on gorgeous." She curled up, resting her head on Gabi's shoulder. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling the unfamiliar curves against her, not having laid with her like this. She wrapped an arm over Gabi's stomach under her breast and snuggled in "You know, I mean I definitely like... take the lead and stuff but I need to be held too and whatnot" she curls up with Gabi a little tighter "And I need to be chased too a little. Honestly, the fact that you put that together and didn't let anyone play the first session so you could sort of... woo me... it was nice." She kept her eyes closed, just feeling Gabi next to her. It was soothing. Comforting. A presence she was used to even if the context was new. It was sort of strange, they'd "cuddled' before in a totally friendly fashion, and they weren't quite sexy yet but there was an emotional resonance to being tangled up with Gabi that was different and that difference was everything. It was at once warm and comforting and scary, but scary because she already didn't want to lose it. She knew she could freak about that, and she was worried her own neediness might fuck things up, but at the same time... it just felt so right. So natural.

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi let out a low purr as Monica snuggled up beside her. “Absolutely, carino,” she said, hugging her roommate close. At the prospect of pursuing her, Gabi remarked, “That sounds like a lot of fun. Mi princesa hermosa.” She kissed Monica’s forehead.

The autumn nights were getting colder, and Gabi’s presence provided just the right amount of physical heat. “This still doesn’t feel real to me. I mean…it still feels like a dream. A beautiful one.” Stroking Monica’s head lightly, she asked, “Would it be too much in ‘hanky panky’ territory to kiss you goodnight?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica grinned "I dunno. I mean, I should probably sleep alone. Someone I know said a full sized bed is too small for two people." She grinned and leaned over, tugging on Gabi's lower lip playfully, keeping the kiss chaste but affectionate. She got up and dealt with the lights, then tacked the curtains around the windows to make it actually dark in the room before slipping back under the blanket with Gabi. she spooned her, falling asleep fairly quickly after, warm and relaxed.

In the morning she got up, making breakfast for them both. Just eggs and bacon and toast. She texted Austin and asked if they could have actual coffee and not sex as she had stuff to talk about with him. She also had work "You have any plans today Gabi? When are your parents coming by?" Carnitas was an all day project so she assumed they'd be over early.

 

[Halcyon638]

Gabi set the table and poured two glasses of orange juice. “We were going to do lunch, so I think they’ll probably be here around noon.” It was quarter to 11. “You can come with if you want. I thought after that we’d hit Target. We also have to start thinking about Halloween costumes!” she said.

Sitting down at the table, Gabi checked her phone. “So…I’m kind of debating when I should actually break up with Shaun. He was really sweet as usual on Thursday, and I don’t want to be like, ‘oh, by the way, I’m breaking up with you.’ I’m thinking maybe Friday? Or Thursday? Then it’s a full week at least. Ugh. I want to do it because…you know,” she said with a grin, “but I’ve never had to break up with somebody I actually still liked. Umm…so…can I ask about you and Austin?”

That prompted Monica to check her phone. Austin had replied:

Austin: Sure thing. Can do any time before 1:30. Just lemme know.

“Thanks for cooking, carino,” Gabi said. “Hadley put up a post,” she added, cautious optimism in her tone.

Checking her phone, Monica saw the photo of her with her mother, father, and dog. She’d written:

“Thank you to everyone for all of the thoughts and wishes and prayers and good vibes and all of that. Thank you to the masked woman for giving me another chance at life and bringing down a horrible monster. I am doing okay and doing okayer by the day. I will let you all know when I’m ready to see you. I hope it is soon."

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica arched an eyebrow "I'm going to talk to him today. This morning." Honestly Gabi delaying sort of rankled. Still she had to give her the space to do it her way. She supposed technically that meant she was free for another week to fuck whoever she wanted, not that she had any plans to do so. She texted Austin back "See you at 11 at the bean."

She smiled at Hadley's post "She's gonna need a while but she's a tough girl. She will come through it ok. I promise."

She got dressed and headed out for coffee, in jeans and a sweater given the October air.

Seeing Austin she waved and got a coffee and headed over to the table "Hey." She wrapped her hands around the coffee "first, I want to thank you for helping with Hadley" she smiled and leaned in and kissed his cheek "It was nice of you, especially since you didn't really know her." She put her hand on his then sat back "So uh... in the wake of all that... Life being precious and short and all...Gabi uh." She shifted a little "Gabi confessed she's been in love with me for a long time. Since we were kids I think. Honestly... I don't know how ready I am for that, but... life is really short you know?" She sat back and regarded him across the table. "So.. that being said I am going to give it a shot." She reached over and took his hands in hers "And I know that what we were doing was just having some fun, but I didn't want to just disappear on you. I really like you a lot, and you deserved to have me come tell you what's going on with me and all that."

 

[Halcyon638]

“Oh, wow,” Austin said. “That is…great,” he said, a genuine smile coming across his face as he gave her hands a slight squeeze. “You two seem like a good fit for one another. She’s a very lucky girl. And thanks for telling me.” He took a sip of his coffee. For a moment, he looked off in the distance as the autumn wind stirred up a pile of leaves, a hint of pain on his expression. “Not to bring this back to me, but…I guess this is the wrong time to ask you about a midterm study session? Like, actual studying. I understand if that’d be awkward.”

That afternoon, Gabi and Monica went with Gabi’s parents to Target. “So, how’d it go with Austin?” Gabi asked, picking up a light-up plastic jack o’lantern while Orlando and Sara were off wandering elsewhere. “How about this?” she asked, picking up an orange glass candy dish in the shape of a pumpkin.

As they were strolling by the costume department, they passed an entire row of “Masked Vigilante” costumes. “Uggh, now this is totally unfair,” Gabi said with a grin. Keeping her voice low, she added, “She should totally be making serious bank from these. Oooh, look—it’s Sexy Masked Vigilante.”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled "you can come over to the apartment every week and I'll get you through physics. Honestly what were you thinking? I thought they had like, geology 1 for basketball stars, taught one on one with open book tests?" she rolled her eyes "Plus if she never leaves her boyfriend I'll still be free to occasionally suck your dick" she smirked but still Gabi's reluctance to break up with Shaun was going to be an issue if it didn't happen by Gabi's suggested deadline. Still, she had to trust the girl to go at her pace.

At Target, all of that was dispelled as they shopped for Halloween, though it was only about 2 weeks away at this point. She looked over the vigilante costumes, then laughed as there was an absolutely terrible mask of Knapp, that was just "Cop" probably so they didn't have to pay him for it. It suggested that it be worn with a cheap off the rack suit. "Oh my god he'd be so mad" she muttered. She rested her hand on Gabi's back "if it wouldn't traumatize Hadley I'd suggest you go as sexy vigilante for Halloween and I'd go as her dad, but... poor girl has been through enough. We should do sexy vampires. Or nurses. Or cowgirls. I'm leaning toward vampire though."

 

[Halcyon638]

Austin grinned. “Hey, I thought you and I had hot blond solidarity against harmful stereotypes,” he said. “I do learn better when there’s a system of rewards in place…”

Gabi smiled. “I’m on board with any of those ideas,” she said, pushing aside a few of the vigilante costumes. “Even sexy cowgirl if someone asks me nicely enough,” the brunette teased. Grabbing two vampire costumes, she looked at one that was essentially fangs and a slinky black dress ala Elvira, and one that was titled “Victorian Vamp.” “Ooh, you would look amazing in something like this.”

“I bet you Hadley will know the place to go to find better costumes if she’s feeling up to hanging out sometime. Also, I’m not going to buy these while the parents are hovering.”

Afterwards, Sara worked on carnitas, occasionally asking for a helping hand from Monica, and the four of them dined together.

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica laughs "you just want me all buttoned up so nobody else can ogle me" She said it low enough that Gabi's parents couldn't hear. "I have a few ideas along that direction. Gotta hit the thrift stores and whatnot." She rested her hand momentarily on Gabi's back, where it could be interpreted by any onlooker as a friendly gesture.

Back at the apartment she shredded pork to go back onto the griddle while gabi's mother made tortillas and Orlando put the finishing touches on the pico. When all was ready, they sat around enjoying Monica's favorite "Thanks for making these Sara." She stuffed her face with delicious carnitas, then washed it down with a glass of iced tea. "So do you two have any big plans coming up? who is watching the younger kids?" She assumed Gabi's older brother was there but who knew. "You guys should go see a show or something. Catch an arthouse movie that you cant back in hicksville" She gestured out at the city "There's a lot to do on a Friday night here in town." She assumed they'd probably just drive back but... hope sprang eternal they'd understand there was more to the city than street crime and vigilantes. Super hot vigilantes.

 

[Halcyon638]

“Ooh, that’s exciting,” Gabi said, grinning. “It’s going to be so fun this year.”

At the apartment, Sara said, “Of course, mija. I figured you could use a little taste of home out here in the big city.” She took one of the Reese’s mini-cups they’d picked up at the store. “Aaron is watching them,” she noted, referring to Gabi’s eldest brother.

“We figured we’d head back to the hotel early,” Orlando said. “We’re going to be back here again next weekend anyway.”

“Unless you’ll be sick of us,” Sara said, glancing over at Gabi.

“Oh—noo,” Gabi said, hesitating slightly.

“Very convincing,” Sara said with a smile. After dinner, Gabi’s parents said their goodnights. “You look out for her,” she said to Monica, holding onto her shoulder and looking her in the eye. “And for yourself, okay? I am serious about the texting.” After exchanging hugs, they left.

Not long after, Gabi walked over to Monica and slipped her arms around her middle from behind. “So…I’ve been thinking. My parents are coming back on Friday and I’ll be…doing the thing with Shaun probably Thursday. I was wondering…can I take you out to dinner Thursday?”

 

[siobhancan99]

Monica smiled "I think, assuming you're single." She pressed her ass back into Gabi "I'd very much like to dress up and make myself nice and pretty for you, and let you take me out somewhere to eat." She ran her hands over Gabi's arm, content to just be held for a minute. To really just be held and feel that connection to another person that was missing since Tom. She'd tried, a few times, to fool herself into feeling it with Austin, but this felt real. This felt like the genuine article. She slowly turned and returned the embrace, wrapping her arms loosely around Gabi. She kissed her forehead "we can eat wherever. Just tell me the level of dressiness you are expecting so I can throw something together. Like 7ish cause I'll need a shower after building sets."

She ran her hands along Gabi's shoulders "so there was this project mentioned at the candle light vigil Sunday. I think the developer might be messing with the people that live in this neighborhood. I was thinking maybe over the weekend we could just read some articles and stuff about it. See if its something I need to be interested in." She thought, maybe, that giving Gabi a piece of this thing might help her feel more like she had some control over it and ease some of her fears she might not be voicing.