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You wake to find yourself sitting on a bench, the hard, cool metal absorbing the heat from the sun overhead and the parts of your skin not protected by clothing as the sun beams down on you.
The soft, cool breeze of the morning air caressing your skin like soft kisses as it blows. Providing a relief to the sun’s heat along with the soft fluffy white clouds overhead preventing the sun’s rays from increasing the heat to an unbearable temperature.
The perfect day.
“Hey sleepyhead!”
With the perfect person.
As you turn towards the voice, one you’re all to familiar with after weeks of hearing it with that same signature Auburn hair that was tied back.
As you stared at him for a moment, his expression was that of a slight pout as he sauntered over to you from where he stood.
“Jesus, your sleep schedule must be shitty, I mean you couldn’t wait till I got here to nap?”
He lets out an exaggerated sigh, casually moving to sit next to you on the metallic bench scooting over to you to where you were both solder to shoulder, his thigh pressing against yours as he draped an arm over your shoulder’s.
“Man, you keep this up Rudy’s gonna be up both our asses…..”
He paused that rotating his hand at the wrist to move it in a circle before continuing with a grin, moving his gaze towards the park.
“more than usual that is.”
As he finished speaking he turned his gaze back towards you, his grin turning into a soft all he it concerned smile.
“Really though, if you’re having trouble sleeping you can you know, talk to me?…..I know I’ve been an ass for….well most of the time you’ve known me, not going to pretend like I wasn’t but hey.”
His grin grew wider as he let out a soft chuckle moving his free hand to lightly knock it against the side of his head as he continued.
“I guess getting my brain bashed, quite literally knocked some sense into me.”
He let out a small laugh that slowly faded, the sounds of the park filling the space as the two of you sat there together, enjoying a moment of peace for what felt like years. No villain’s or hero’s, scream’s or panic, just peaceful silenced that was occasionally filled by the sounds of park goers and the local wildlife.
After a couple of minutes however, as always Rex had to interrupt the peaceful silence as he spoke once more.
“This is nice….not my usual kinda place but still a nice place.”
He gingerly moved to lean his head against yours, closing his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath slowly exhaling as his
muscles relaxed letting the calm fill the space once more.
As time stretched on, the clouds slowly moving overhead as the leaves of the trees rustled with each calm breeze that swept through them. The park goers, going about their business as the hands of time continued to move the two of you enjoying the silence and warmth of each other, the reassurance that you both were there in that moment.
No fear of death that loomed just around the corner with one wrong move, the fear of loosing the other in the heat of the battle.
Only peaceful reassurance that you both were safe, in each other’s arms were like many times before everything seemed to fall away. The fear, dread, risk, violence, death. All seemed so far away, a distant memory that could not reach either of you so long as you had one another.
Eventually as time continued to move forward you both found your attention’s drawn to a nearby family. Two men who were chatting away, a child no older than 6 walking hand in hand with them. Laughing as the two men carefully lifted the child up for a moment, their arms moving up in order to lift the small child. The laughter contagious as the two men soon followed suit in laughing along side their child.
The scene seeming stirring a response from Rex, the arm he had around to tighten a bit pulling you closer before turning to you with a sad smile, his eyes telling you all that you needed to know as that smile seemed to be contagious as you couldn’t help but return it.
Your hand finding his, lacing your fingers together which seemed to help ease him as he gingerly ran his thumb over the back of your hand with a soft sigh. Voice soft but slightly humorous as the words he seemed to have kept in his mind buried deep within his subconscious, came pouring out.
“Man….you really got me thinking some sappy shit huh? Never thought I’d be the mushy, sappy type. Guess I was too busy being an asshole to think about that kinda stuff before….before you.”
He let out a soft sigh, his expression pained as his smile faded onto a frown as he looked down at the space between you both. Seeming unsure of his own words for the first time since you’d known him.
“There wasn’t much else for me to think about when you grow up like I did, government kinda decided all that shit for me but…”
His gaze returned to yours with a soft smile returning to his lips, his dark green eyes. Shining like emeralds in the sunlight as he gazed into your own, as if trying to show his sincerity in the only way that could be seen without words.
“Fuck man…you make me want the sappy romantic shit, the whole white picked fence type stuff old geezer’s go on and on about….I want that with you, for us…….but there’s not much I can, put on the table? I think that’s how that weird ass phrase goes.”
Rex gave a small chuckle, his shoulder’s dropping as he took a moment to collect his own thoughts before he continued. Clearly not relying on his sometimes impulsive words before continuing with a soft sigh.
“Point is…..there’s not much else for be aside from this whole hero thing….don’t get me wrong i got you which means a fuck ton to me after the bullshit I’ve put my ex’s through….but I don’t exactly have an identity outside of…well me. There’s no fucking alter ego, or citizen identity thing for me to fall back on when the whole. ‘Being a hero’ thing dosen’t work out, I don’t have a regular 9 to 5 job to put money on the table or even any skills that could be used for anything outside of…well what we do”
He passed seemingly fighting with himself and his own words before you pulled him back again, moving your free hand to gingerly cup his cheek. The touch acting as a soothing balm to the burn that was his own doubts and troubles, easing the frustration he felt rising in himself at the truth he was having to speak. Cooling the flame to be only small embers that with a few deep breaths were quickly if snuffed out, allowing him to continue speaking his truth.
“The truth is….fuck I want this…what we have, what we want to have outside of the whole death and bloodshed we see on the daily……to just…say like this….for our whole lives…..but i…..”
He paused once more, the usual brash and to the point man you know. Now fumbling over his own words, attempting to not fuck up the good thing you both have. However as you rubbed your thumb over his cheek, giving him the soft reassurance he needed. He found his footing once more as you grounded him.
“I….I don’t think I’m ready to hang up the mask, or whatever old ass superhero’s say when they wanna retire. I…I wanna keep fighting…..just until I know I can actually be someone outside of the hero bullshit….okay?”
He asked a small flicker of vulnerability in his eyes as they stare into your own, eventually after some time you nod. Placing a small kiss to his forehead which earns a small chuckle out of him as he leans back to look at you with a grin.
“Forehead kiss? Really? I’m not a kid.”
To which you attempt to respond back to only to have him cut you off, pulling his hand away and removing his arm from you with a playful grin.
“No no, this is a crime that can’t go unpunished sooo”
He trailed out his gaze moving off to the side before he quickly leaned in, moving to press his body fully against yours as he wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you in for a kiss. Your lips making contact with his in a rough all be it gentle kiss that lasted for a few moments before he pulled away with a pleased grin.
“There, much better.”
This earned a laugh from you both, your foreheads lightly pressing against one another as the sounds of your laughter filled the space around you. Joining the coarse of the other happy park goer’s as the sun shines down, and for the first time the two of you are able to enjoy a true moment of normalcy.
One you’ll both cherish forever, one that truly was a perfect day.