I walked down the stadium until I reached the floor level, then I headed over to the women’s locker room.
No one bothered me, but I got more than a few looks from women gathered around.
I could feel them staring at my ass as I walked past.
Stella was waiting outside the locker room, still wearing her beaten up superhero costume.
"Go change. I’ll wait here. Promise," I reassured her.
She paused, but then nodded and bolted inside.
I wondered if she’d tear her clothes rushing to get into them.
"Zayn."
Omnigirl approached me, walking a little unsteadily, holding onto her ribs.
But it was impressive that she was walking on her own after the punch she’d received.
She had a massive bruise forming, just under her right eye from her fight with Stella.
"Oh, hey."
I waved at her and went back to waiting on Stella.
Omnigirl didn’t take that well.
She stepped up, putting an arm on the wall behind me.
"What about our date? You left so quickly that I didn’t get your number."
I was not into aggressive women.
And she was taking it to a new extreme.
I had to hold myself back from flinging her across the stadium.
But I wasn’t about to risk showing my power for something so petty.
"Yeah, look, I’m sorry. I tried to let you down easy. The fact that I didn’t stay around or give you my number might have given you the hint."
I hated when the woman needed me to spell it out for them.
Sometimes they could be so pushy.
The smirk on her face fell into a glower.
"I’m the best thing that could ever happen to you."
"Sure."
I ignored her, once again turning back towards the entrance.
"Zayn."
Stella came running out of the locker room.
Her wings were gone, and she was dressed in a pair of skin-tight jeans with a girly pink crop top.
The only thing that gave her away were her black horns.
Her tail blended in like a high-waisted belt.
Stella paused immediately, taking on Omnigirl’s position in front of me.
"Get the fuck off him, or do I need to teach you another lesson?"
I watched as tension permeated her entire body, but I didn’t have to get her help.
There was nothing Omnigirl could do to me if I didn’t want her to.
Omnigirl pushed off the wall, cracking it in a show of force.
"You got lucky today. If I studied up on your superpowers, I bet I could wipe the floor with you."
She sneered at Stella before she flipped her blonde hair behind her.
Heading off, she strode into the locker room.
"Sorry," Stella apologized.
"Don’t be. She wasn’t more than a nuisance," I brushed it off.
Stella hesitated, biting her lip.
"Thank you. For the help," she clarified after a pause.
"Ben and the girls dragged me out to see this, and I didn’t want them to see you lose," I lied a little, not wanting her to think it meant more than it did.
She wilted a little.
"Oh."
"But, since you passed, I thought I might offer for us to go out tonight after work. We can celebrate your joining the Bureau, even if I’m not their number one fan."
My stupid stomach was doing backflips.
I hadn’t been nervous in a long time.
Stella stopped and grabbed me, turning me to face her.
"Really?"
She looked like she was waiting for me to turn it into a joke or prank.
"Yeah. We can talk about other things too. And I’d like to have dinner early, maybe six o’clock? I’ll meet you in the lobby of my apartment, if you remember where that is."
"Of course, I’ll be there."
She nodded so sharply she nearly hit me with her horns.
I grabbed her elbow and pulled her back into walking.
People were starting to stare.
"So, how’d you do?"
Stella stuck out her tongue, making a goofy face.
"Tier 3 hero."
"What?" I was shocked.
"Kim said, ’You need to learn control. I don’t need a hero that can’t control their power like that.’"
She did her best impression of Kim, and it wasn’t too bad.
I shrugged, making sure no prying ears were listening before talking.
"It’s not entirely your fault. You were running on fumes at the start of that fight, and I boosted you well beyond your natural capabilities."
"Is that what you did?"
She leaned over, seeming to enjoy being my co-conspirator.
"Yeah. I can manipulate your superpower, or anyone else’s. I’m able to turn them up or down."
Shock rode through me.
I couldn’t believe that I’d just told her that, but I found that I really trusted Stella.
She’d shown she wasn’t some airhead that would let information slip, and she’d been nothing but loyal to me.
I used my abilities to deaden the vibrations in the air outside our conversation to hide our words.
I would not risk somebody with super hearing being able to catch our conversation.
Stella was being oddly quiet.
She was just staring at me with a shocked expression.
I held a single finger over my lips.
"Don’t tell anyone. You’re the first person in..."
I struggled to identify the last time I’d ever told someone about my powers.
Even back when they first came out, my aunt and uncle were already repeating the words of the news, calling me a monster.
I’d never even told them.
As for my mentor, we had discovered them together.
I had told no one since I understood just what they were.
"I think you’re the first person I’d ever told," I said out loud as I realized it.
"Thank you."
She grabbed my hand, giving it a small squeeze.
"I can see how a superpower like that would breed caution. People would do horrible things to get you to use it."
I nodded, and she didn’t even know all the ways my power could be used.
Even with my strength, I didn’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life, knowing that the one time I relaxed would be when someone would swoop in and contain me.
As we walked out of the stadium, Ben was standing with the others.
When they saw the two of us holding hands, Ben started jumping up and down.
"He’s a lot, isn’t he?" Stella watched the large man bounce around.
"Kind of grows on you, like puppies and mold."
She turned slowly and raised an eyebrow at my comparisons.
"It’s true." I shrugged.
"But I have to get back to the office and at least show myself. Six o’clock?"
"Even if there’s another bactimen invasion, I’ll ditch it and be there."