itainteasy (itainteasy) wrote in multifariousic, @ 2015-11-16 17:54:00 |
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It wasn’t that Zach didn’t think that Mia could take care of herself. That wasn’t it at all. Alright that was partially it, but only a small part. It had nothing to do with the fact that, after falling from social grace, he found it difficult to make new friends. And it had nothing to do with the fact that after Jared had disappeared Zachariah found himself closer to Mia than he had originally planned, partially because she was the only one he knew that could hand him his ass in any video game they played together and partially because, well, again, difficult to make new friends. No, Zachariah Kane was only doing his job, and Mia just happened to be a part of that job. For no reason at all. She volunteered. It wasn't something that they really spoke about often but it was something that Zach kept his eye on; he didn’t necessarily follow her to and from the facility but he did make sure that his patrols landed directly in the path that she usually took home at night to make sure they were clear. Again, not because he didn’t think she could take care of herself. It’s just what secret vigilante friends did sometimes, was all. Before he had to spend a lot more time on her pathway home, but now that he had the glider everything was much more efficient. He’d fly his way down her route, move any suspicious looking character that he came across, and make sure she got into her home safe; easy. Except tonight had been a little different, because there wasn’t a suspicious character, there were three, and they weren’t just suspicious, they were violent. Zach knew that Mia would be coming past the alleyway that he had found them in within the next five to seven minutes if she was on time tonight, and he would have liked to have been rid of them before that. She was a strong woman but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be shaken by the sight of a man with a face mask and dark goggles taking down three muggers, and that was exactly what she would walk into if he didn’t move fast. One of them was unarmed and he was easy to apprehend, but the other two had blades, and that made things more complicated. One was taken down with a hard elbow to the face, but not before he managed to land an ugly gash on Zach’s arm, ripping fabric and leaving blood in its wake. The last one swung and Zachariah took him down efficiently, but he had already heard the shuffling of feet, and it was very possible that Mia had ended up seeing him land the last blow to the muggers head that knocked him to the ground. Zach spun when he heard someone at the mouth of the alleyway. She never hurries home after volunteering. The long peaceful walks alone have quickly become her favorite part of the day, that’s not to say she didn’t like spending every hour of every day looking after her son even though he needed very little looking after; she’d never say that out loud. She loved her son with every tiny bit of her being, to say that she needed something other than him in her life made her feel almost like a traitor, which she certainly is not. Walking through the streets instead of calling the driver tickles the daredevil inside of her. The same one that sends lightning colored excitement surging through every ounce of meat on her bones when she stows away her gaming console whenever she hears her husband’s car pulling up outside of the gate two or more hours late from work every day. She’s beginning to understand the thrill of deception and why James takes so much pleasure in lying, but she feels more clever than her husband. He pretends to live a double life while being obvious, most likely to get a rise out of her that he will never get while she can help it. She actually does live a double life so she can get a rise out of herself. The danger lurking around in the city streets only makes the walk all the more enticing; at least that’s what she thought before she heard the quarreling. By the time she reaches the sound source of the commotion, the fight is over and there’s one man left standing. She gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. Without a word she starts running in the other direction and digging through her purse for her phone. She needs to call the police, and an ambulance, and her driver, and -- and anyone who can help. Although Zach knew that it was probably Mia on her way home he was hoping that it wasn't, but as soon as she saw him standing over three men she did the most logical thing any person would do in the situation; she ran. Shit... Zachariah was chasing after her before he could even consider the consequences, kicking the power function of his glider and jumping on to follow her out of the alleyway. Although he could only pray that she didn't recognize him, Zach knew that he couldn't allow her to call the police or, worse, one of the people who were based out of Avengers Tower. He had worked hard to keep himself anonymous and out of sight. Mia threatened to ruin that for him. He flew overhead and dropped down in front of her, the glider hovering a foot over the asphalt, and he stretched out both of his gloved hands in a sign of surrender as he spoke loudly. "Woah woah woah, just hold on there," he didn't reach for her phone, knowing that it would probably just terrify her more, and he doubted the raspy mechanical voice his mask made was helping. "I'm not going to hurt you, just put the phone down. Hey!" He protested when she didn't follow his request immediately, worry starting to seep into his tone. "I'm serious, I'm one of the good guys." He didn't believe it himself, but he had to at least try. "Come on, put the phone down. If you call the cops I'll have to run away and you'll have to stay here to give a statement about how you saw a guy in a costume beating up a group of muggers, this isn't going to be fun for anybody. Right?" He refrained from mentioning how she should just forget it and get home to Prescott, or James, in fear that the knowledge would out his own identity. "We can talk about this. Or not, I could just leave and you can go on your way. No harm no foul. Right?" Mia yelped when he appeared in front of her, eyes glowing gold instinctively in defense. She raised her hands and took a step back, but didn’t drop the phone. “I don’t want any trouble, please. I--I’m a mother.” Her eyes welled up in tears as she struggled over the last word. She is a mother. What was she doing out here like this? She walked right into danger. “I have a -- a little boy. I just want to go home, please.” A tear fell from her eye. She wasn’t helpless, she had the power to defend herself physically if she had to, but right in that moment she felt powerless and completely out of control. Her eyes fell away from his shiny reflective goggled ones, she can’t stand seeing herself so weak. “I won’t call the police, I promise.” She lied easily. “Just let me go. Just let me go back home to my son, he needs me.” That part was true. Her son did need her. She doesn’t even want to think about what his life would be like without her in it. She’d fight for her life with her last breath, but she knows she can’t take someone else’s. She doesn’t hold back the tears coming. She wants him to take pity on her, and hopes the mechanical voice is the only thing about him that isn’t human. Seeing Mia terrified of him in the way that she was hurt Zach in ways that he knew it shouldn’t; she didn’t know that it was him, after all. But her words made his heart twist and when she started to cry he could feel his stomach drop, and for some reason Zachariah felt guilty in that moment for doing something that he knew he had to do, for the better of the city as a whole. He also knew, however, that Mia was lying. If he left she would call the police, and she’d be able to give a description which was a lot more than what anybody had on him already. He couldn’t let that happen. He wanted to tell her all of that and come clean, but all that came out of his mouth was a surprised little ‘woah’ when her eyes began to glow. He had seen that before, in Derek when they were stuck back in Vegas, but he didn’t know that Mia was a werewolf… it had never really come up. He was familiar with the concept though, and he kept his cool as he slowly lowered his hands and unhooked the utility belt from his waist, bending slowly to place it on the ground along with the weaponry that was attached to it and stand back up. “I told you,” he started calmly, keeping his tone as even and unintimidating as he could, “I’m not going to hurt you. Look, I do this every night in this city, I find the bad guys and I knock them out for the police to find them, I’m not going to hurt an innocent bystander. And I’m not going to take you away from your child, I promise. That’s not what I do.” He didn’t know why he was so insistent with her. Perhaps because, even behind the mask, Zachariah needed at least someone to believe that he wasn’t a bad person. It would be even better if that someone was Mia. “But I really can’t let you call the police. If they know what I look like they’ll know what to look for, and I’m trying to keep that from happening.” He fell silent for a moment but he didn’t approach her, afraid that if he did so she’d run again. “Just - at least let me escort you home so I know that there aren’t more bad guys down the way, it’ll make me feel better. And can you - I mean, can you stop crying? You’re killing me here…” She listened closely for a jump in his heartbeat when he promised not to hurt her, but it stayed steady. She steps away from the utility belt so he can have room to pick it back up since he’s probably going to need it. A vigilante in a city full of vigilantes shouldn’t be so scary but it still is. Mia holds her purse close to her chest and slips her phone back in, her silent agreement not to call the police. With a quick flick of her wrist, she wipes the wetness from her face and nods. “You don’t have to escort me anywhere.” She sniffles, “the phone is away and I--I’m not helpless. I know how to defend myself.” She has a working knowledge about how all of that works, anyway. She was never formally trained and after seeing what kinds of people his husband and all of his friends were like, she never had any desire to learn any type of violence. “I thought I knew all of the vigilantes around this city.” Not personally, of course, but she makes it her business to know of them. They’re her childhood heroes and heroines come to life, it was like living in a dream with a lemon twist of reality. “I don’t recognize you. What’s your name? I won’t tell anyone, I just want to know for me. It’s not every day I come face to face with this kind of action.” It’s happening now, the word diarrhea that her mother had been trying to train out of her since she was seven. It happens when she’s nervous, or uncomfortable, or excited. She can never seem to stop it. “What happened? Why were you fighting? What did those people do? Do they need an ambulance?” The questions spit out one after the other as her hands twist around the handle of her purse as if she’s working hard on giving the expensive leather the worst Indian Burn ever made. “Or--or don’t tell me. It’s none of my business, I should go.” She adds quickly and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I need to go. You don’t have to worry about -- I’m okay. I told you that already. I can defend myself. I’m…” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I need to get home.” Zach felt himself calm down when Mia finally placed her phone away but he still had no intention of leaving her alone, and he would let her know why if she gave him the chance. However, she had started to rant in the way that only Mia did and he was grateful that she couldn’t see his amused smile beneath the mask. “I never said that I thought you were helpless. That’s not what it’s about, I’m not helpless and I’m still in danger out here.” He explained calmly to start, and it took him a few seconds to try and organize how he was going to explain away all of the questions she had despite the fact that she had tried to take it back. His hoverboard lifted in the air higher than before so he could sit on it and let his feet dangle, keeping himself eye level with her. “They were muggers, it’s a gang that’s been pretty active around these areas for the past month or so that I’m trying to keep an eye on. They would have tried to take your purse and I don’t know if there are any more of them. But no, they’re fine, they don’t need an ambulance. Just gave them a good knock on the head,” he tapped his exposed skull. “They’ll be awake in a few hours and by then the cops would have found them. And it’s good, that you haven’t heard of me, I’m trying to keep it that way.” That part was harder to explain, so Zach wasn’t even going to try to. How could he explain that without explaining the fact that others would absolutely think of him as dangerous if they knew his roots? “You’ve probably heard of someone similar to me and he’s not exactly a hero, so I’m not sure if I should tell you or not. You’re already freaked out. Just breathe.” He kicked his feet lazily back and forth in the air from where they hung. “And I’m not going to let you walk home alone. It’s dangerous, and like I said, it isn’t about being able to defend yourself. Which I’m sure you can do, Miss… freaky eye thing.” Two fingers were lifted to gesture to his eyes behind the thick goggles. “Can I pick up my belt now? Because I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe. Sorry, it’s kind of like a vigilante thing.” Mia nodded along with his words, in truth, only half listening until he mentioned her eyes. “OH! Oh, my eyes, no they’re -- they’re not freaky. They are contact lenses -- um, party contact lenses, they just flash on and off randomly. My -- my friend got them for me and I just wear them. Because of my friend. But no, that’s not -- I mean my eyes are normal.” She shifted her weight from her left foot to her right and back again, nervously and before bending down to hand him his belt. “You can tell me. By the way. I’m -- I’m nervous but I’m not going to run in another direction screaming. Unless you try to hurt me, then no promises.” She added quietly. “I’m Amelia. Carson. What’s your name? Or your alias name? What should I call you?” She figured that she might as well know now since he insisted on walking her back and she really didn’t have the time or energy to stand there and fight about it. Zach rolled his eyes at Mia's excuse, although she couldn't see it. "You're a werewolf." He stated more than asked, jumping off of his hoverboard to his feet before bending down and picking up the utility belt that he had dropped earlier. "I've been around the block a few times, don't worry. You don't have to come up with an excuse. ...But for next time," he busied himself with hooking the belt around his hip, fastening it with a satisfying 'click' before glancing up at her again, "you're going to need a better one than 'party contact lenses.' Work on that." There was a smile in his voice before hitting the corner of his hoverboard and shutting it off, catching it as it dropped and folding it to a compact little square he could easily carry beneath his arm. Zachariah turned to face the direction that Amelia was previously walking in, tilting his head to gesture for her to lead the way. "Like I said, I'm not going to try to hurt you." He replied calmly, but it took him a few moments to continue, truly unsure about how much he wanted to reveal about himself. "They used to call me Goblin back home. Guess it's all the green." He finally admitted, unsure whether or not she would possibly pick up the reference but hoping that wasn't the case. "I don't have a name here. You're the first person to see me, actually." Although he was giving her his full attention Zach wasn't looking directly at her, instead glancing around to see if he could find anyone else dangerous up ahead. He was also uncomfortable with her seeing his face full on despite the fact that it was completely covered up to the forehead. "How far do you live?" He asked shortly. He knew the answer. But Zachariah was trying hard to cover his bases. Mia swallowed hard at being called out, feeling extremely foolish for trying to use such an obvious lie in a place where werewolves are so public. She rubbed at her neck and nodded as the embarrassment burned at her cheeks. She hesitated for a second when he took his pause and then continued walking in the direction back home, and then he said “Goblin”. She froze again, eyes widening. The costume was familiar, she couldn’t believe she’d missed it. “Goblin as in -- the Green Goblin?” She asked in a whisper. He said he wouldn’t hurt her and she knew he wasn’t lying about it, but now she can’t figure out why he wouldn’t or why he’d be fighting off muggers in an ally. He’s supposed to be the bad guy. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that there are so many different possibilities here, he’s clearly just from a world where he’s one of the good guys. The Green Goblin would make an awesome good guy, this is a good thing. She nodded in agreement with herself and tried for a smile. “I won’t tell anybody I saw you.” “It’s a long walk.” She admitted. “Thirty minutes, maybe. I like long walks, they give me a chance to clear my head and get some fresh air. You don’t have to walk me the whole way.” In fact, she’d prefer if he dropped her off a block or two away from her house. She didn’t want to have to explain anything to James about what happened, he’d be annoyed enough at her for not using her driver without adding another guy and the fact that she didn’t call him to help her in the mix. The less he knew, the better. Zach stopped walking when she had said the name aloud, barely glancing over his shoulder when he heard her footsteps fall silent as well. He didn’t confirm or deny it, mostly because it totally depended on how she would react after she figured it out, and he was already regretting giving her such a heavy hint; it was Mia. He should have know better. But she wasn’t running, and she didn’t sound completely terrified, so he finally gave a little nod of confirmation and started to walk again. “Sort of,” he clarified for her. “It’s the closest thing that I’ve found to my own life in the kept a hand to media, but it’s not… spot on. Close, but not there.” For a few seconds the only sound was his boots crunching on asphalt as he mulled over what she said. “I’m not comfortable leaving you alone but if you want me to disappear a few blocks away I can do that.” He finally caved, head falling back so he could look up at the sky. “Comic book fan?” He finally questioned although he already knew the answer. He stopped walking for a moment before looking at his hoverboard tucked under his arm, and his face finally turned back to Mia as he held it up a little. “You wanna try it out?” His mischievous smile could be heard in his voice. “I can fit two on here and it’s a hell of alot faster than a thirty minute walk. Come on,” he started to encourage her before she even had the chance to say no. “You’d love it. I don’t get to show it off often. ...Or at all, considering nobody knows about me, but it’s pretty fucking sweet.” She almost asked him which parts were different. Almost. It isn’t her place to ask about his personal life and she wasn’t even sure she wanted the answer. She was happy with her safe assumption that the only difference is the fact that he’s not a villain. She nodded when he agreed to stop a few blocks away, grateful that he didn’t press the subject. She nodded again more happily when he asked if she was a comic book fan. “Well, I used to be.” She clarified, tucking her hair behind her ear again. “I don’t get into that stuff so much anymore. I was obsessive at one point.” That was an under exaggeration, she’s still obsessive about a lot of things, only now she has compulsions going hand in hand with those obsessions. They haven’t been so bad lately, but they’re still there. She stops short and rubs a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe she was even being offered a ride on the hoverboard, let alone actually considering it. A familiar rush overcomes her, the kind she feels every time she does something she knows her mother wouldn’t approve of her doing and she bites her lip. “Well… yeah, sure. If it’s faster. It is getting dark.” She smiles shyly. Zach couldn’t help but grin when Mia smiled at him and agreed to trying it out, so he clicked a lever on the side of it to let it go and watch it unfold in suspension. He knew that Mia was a fan of the Avengers, he had seen it on the network himself, and if he could give her an experience that she she enjoyed he was more than happy to do so, even if he couldn’t exactly tell her that t was him. He stood on his board easily and lowered it to ground level, reaching out a hand for her. “Come on, get on. It can steady itself, it took me forever to build it but it’s pretty damn sturdy if I do say so myself.” He waited for her to join him, making room for her, and Zach turned her so that she was facing him to make sure that her center of gravity was in the right place. “Right foot there, left foot here. Hold on.” He placed his hands on her shoulders respectively to keep her steady, although he knew that it would have been easier to hold her by the waist; Mia had a strange relationship with her husband and if he did end up seeing something the last thing that Zach wanted to hear was James bitching that his wife was getting felt up by a vigilante. Or, worse, bragging about it. Either way it wasn’t worth it. He held onto her tightly though to make sure that she couldn’t slip, giving her a little warning before they finally started to rise into the air. “Well? Gotta tell me which way, Amelia Carson.” Mia climbed on top of the hoverboard and obeyed the instructions enthusiastically. A thought crossed her mind as to whether or not he was going to put his hands around her waist because that’s the kind of thing she’d seen so many times in movies, but she’s glad he didn’t. Just thinking about how James would react if he did see them is enough to deter her from even imagining it. Her husband is jealous and violent, even if he’d never hurt her, she knows him better than to think he wouldn’t go out looking for a fight. She squealed excitedly when the board started to rise, shocked that this could even remotely be her life. She points in the direction towards her house. “Thattaway!” She laughed, thinking to herself that it doesn’t get much better than this. Her laughter was contagious and Zach chucked when she pointed out where to go. The sound was probably the most human thing that had come out of him considering it almost bypassed the vocal distortion, and he pointed with her before stating “then thattaway we go!” in an overtly dramatic regal call before holding onto her again and starting to move. He didn’t bother starting slow, knowing full well that if he was holding onto her she would be more than safe, and Zach brought the board high in the air above the buildings and alleyways that she would walk past to get home on her own. He may have been showing off a little, but he never got the chance to do it. So he may have zigzagged a little, throwing in dramatic drops and turns just because he could, occasionally asking her which way to go just because he knew that he should. He only landed when they were a block away from her home, and Zach made sure she dismounted safely before taking his place back to hover a few feet off of the ground. “There you go. Safe and sound, just like I promised. You might want to find a new way home, that’s a dangerous path to take.” Mia felt like Jasmine from Aladdin as they soared through the air, she let the magic carpet song play in her head and did everything she could to resist singing it out loud. Every zig zag and drop made her feel more alive and free. She found herself wishing that home was much farther away so she could stay a bit longer, but the ride was over before she knew it. She smiled gently when her feet touched ground again. “Thank you for the lift.” He’s right, she should take a new way home and a driver next time just to be safe, but a part of her is resistant more than ever now. This was the best time of her life and it was so short. She’d do anything for another chance to relive it. “I’ll be more careful.” She glanced back in the direction of her home and sighed. Time to stop dragging her feet over their goodbye, she didn’t want either of them to be seen. “Well, I better get going. It was really nice meeting you.” She offered a hand for him to shake. “You’re welcome,” Zach replied with a smile in his voice, and he couldn’t help but notice the way that Mia went from scared to thrilled in the span of a few minutes. She had an adventurous spirit somewhere inside of her, and he didn’t know if she tried to hide it because of her husband or her son, or both. But he was glad that he got to see it, even if it wasn’t really him in her eyes. His attention turned down the street in the direction of her home and he nodded, seeing that her hand was outstretched when he looked back at her. He shook it. “You too, Amelia. And remember, if you’re going to tell anyone, do me a favor and be a little vague on the details, huh?” He gave her a little salute and with that he took off vertically, flying high for a decent vantage point before taking off in the direction of downtown Manhattan. |