"Hey! Wait up!" Though it isn't that hard to catch up to him, since he's hardly steady on his feet. He stumbles his way to wherever he's headed. "Do you want your stuff or?"
"Huh?" He turns to me and there's a paleness to his skin. "Oh yeah, thanks." He reaches for his jacket with trembling arms. I pull it back.
"You good, dude?" His eyes are glazing over and I know the answer.
"Huh? No, yeah I'm fine. I was just gonna go to the uhh…" he vaguely points in a direction. "The park. Just need a quick-" he doesn't finish as he falls to his knees. I grab him before his face crashes into the ground.
"I'm guessing 'rest' was the word you were looking for," I say to what I hope is a fainted Lamar. His skin is clammy and his breathing is still heavy. His cheek leaves sweat on mine as I struggle to get him over my shoulder. "This is not how I thought this day was gonna go." It's bad enough he's already taller than me, heavier with muscle, and sweating but I also have to carry his stuff. I throw his jacket over him so no one notices I'm carrying an unconscious Protagonist.
I lumber along, carrying Lamar on my shoulder and sure enough, the great people of Excelsior City don't seem to care that an 18-year-old is carrying another 18-year-old down the street in the middle of the day. I take my phone out and follow its directions to the closest park. Though it was a few blocks over, it may as well have been a hundred.
My shoulder aches as I lay Lamar down on a bench. With what happened in Sundial Square, the park is pretty empty. The bench has a nice view of the lake, some trees and then the city behind it. I put Lamar's book bag under his head and use his jacket to cover his tattered shirt. I think better of the book bag and let his head rest on my thigh. It's only for a little while. He rests somewhat fitfully, muttering something to himself and even frowns from time to time.
I open the StoreRun app on my phone and see there are a few people on it. I hire the closest one and ask him to get a few sports drinks and a couple of sandwiches. Lamar will probably need it when he wakes up. His breathing has steadied and some color has returned to his face. Looking him over, I take in his features.
The scar pulls the most focus, cutting through his eyebrow almost going up to his forehead. His soft black hair is freshly cut short with a straight hairline. I suppose long hair would get in the way. He has very chiseled features, a strong jaw and cheekbones so defined you can trace them with a finger. His skin is the color of oak like mine. He's definitely something to look at.
More time must've passed than I thought because the Runner I hired is standing in front of me, awkwardly holding the bag of my requested goods. I pay him through the app and he gives a thumbs up and a wink like he knows something I don't. He scurries off and I watch the lake as the sun dips lower on the horizon.
An hour or so passes before I start to wonder if I should check on Lamar. He's sleeping more soundly now. Should I wake him up? He stirs, turning to lay on his side and moving his hand next to his head. I tense at the contact of his strong hand on my thigh. I'm afraid to move his hand after I saw what it's capable of...At least that's what I tell myself.
It figures the longest time I'd ever hang out with Lamar, has him asleep. Though I'm not sure that annihilating a vehicle, passing out, and then getting carried to a park counts as hanging out. Probably not.
Now it's 4:30, I'm scrolling through the news on my phone and people are, understandably, freaking out. Many are ranting and raving about how they didn't know that Lightning Demon was capable of something like that. It's a small comfort to know I wasn't caught off guard by that impressive display of power. There's practically no videos or pictures of the event as anyone close enough to know what was going on would've been blinded by the lightning. Someone even started a hashtag for sharing their stories of what happened.
"There I was in Sundial Square, minding my own business when a helicopter decides it wants to crash into a building. I'm about to dip when my man LD zapped it right out of the sky. You the GOAT! #SundialBlackout"
"Just when I thought this would be my chance to die, LD ruins it and saves the day. LMAO JK, you're the best! #SundialBlackout"
"LD turned a thoughts and prayers moment into a celebratory hashtag, real quick. Only in Excelsior City! #SundialBlackout"
"LD had that helicopter SHOOK! #SundialBlackout"
"I was in the shower when the power cut out. I fell and twisted my ankle. =^( Guess it's cool that LD saved a bunch of people tho #SundialBlackout"
"So LD can just, do that, huh? Ok. #SundialBlackout"
"Oh sure LD destroys a helicopter and he gets a hashtag. I destroy a helicopter and I ruin my son's birthday gift #SundialBlackout"
"I was in the bank that was robbed this morning when LD saved me. Then when I'm headed home through Sundial Square, he saves me again! I either got bad luck or really good luck! #SundialBlackout"
"I was working when the power cut out so I got to leave early. Thanks LD! #SundialBlackout"
The guy everyone is posting about is using me as a pillow. More and more posts flood the tag but I put my phone away to start eating my sandwich. There must an overabundance of lettuce because this sandwich is packed with the stuff. Some of it spills out when I take a bite, falling onto Lamar's face. I slowly brush the pieces of green from his cheek. My fingertips graze his full lips. They're surprisingly soft. A tiny bit gets in his scar. Slowly as I dare, I try to pick it out.
With a start, he opens his eyes and leans up. He searches around in that calculating way of his before he looks at his hand, which is firmly planted on my thigh. He quickly darts his hand away and clears his throat. Sparks go up his scar, destroying the lettuce in it.
"Hey." I'm not sure what else could be said to a guy you barely know who was just sleeping on your leg. He looks like himself again, however. "I got you some sports drinks. I didn't know which you would've wanted-" Lamar doesn't let me finish before he grabs the closest bottle and starts to chug the bluish liquid inside.
I sit in silence as I watch his throat work while he downs the drink, some of it spills from the side of his mouth and streams down his neck. With almost no effort he crushes the bottle once he's done and grabs another. He fiendishly finishes that one as well, gasping for air as if he just remembered he needs to breathe.
"That's good stuff." He wipes his mouth with his arm. "Need to get my electrolytes back up." He chuckles at his own joke. He looks around before he turns to me. "Did you carry me here?"
It takes me a second to realize he's talking to me.
"Y-Yeah I did."
"What happened?"
"Well first, you did the coolest thing I've ever seen. Then acted like it was no big deal. Then you fainted and I had to carry you here."
"I fainted?"
"Yeah."
He leans back on the bench and goes over the memory in his head.
"That sounds right." He stares at his hands for a moment. A tension goes through the muscles in his arms and electricity arcs between his hands. A frown forms on his face. "Still?" He lets out a deep sigh like he's disappointed by something.
"You don't sound like a guy who just saved the day. What's wrong?" He sighs before he answers.
"I've been a Protagonist for two and a half years now." I knew Lamar had been one for a while now, but two years? That's insane. "I've stopped robberies of all kinds. Kept a train from a derailing. Powered a lighthouse so that a ship wouldn't crash into the coastline down in Harbor Cove. I even fought that three-story robot that mad scientist released into Axle Park that one time." I remember reading about that, it was a weird day. "I've been shot three times." He points to little circular scars on his right arm. They're pretty close together, so he must've gotten them at the same time. "A cop I thought I could trust did that," he explains. Lamar lifts his shirt to reveal his sculpted abs. He points to a small scar just below his ribs. "Guy threw a knife at me during a hostage situation."
"What about this one?" I point to one on his deltoid.
"Oh, that's from a scratch I got on a loose nail."
"That's not an interesting story."
"The point is," he pulls down his shirt, "that I've done all this stuff and I'm still a Protagonist. And I don't know why. You know how someone becomes one right?"
"Yeah dude, they taught us that in kindergarten." There's no scientific explanation as to how people get the abilities they receive. All that's really known is they get them to correct or prevent something.
"Most Protagonists have their powers for a little while. A month or two. They do whatever it is they have to do and that's it. They get to go back to having their life on track." He shrugs. "But I still have my powers." He makes electricity dance around his fingers. "I've done so much but there's still something more for me to do!" Lightning skates across his skin. "I thought I had completed my Destiny but clearly not. When do I get to have my life back?!" He starts buzzing with electricity all over and I move over a bit. Lamar notices the movement and shuts down the sparks.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to dump all that on you."
"It's cool dude. Everybody needs to vent sometimes and you had a long day." I put my hand on his shoulder. He chuckles.
"Yeah, I guess I did."
"Think Mr. Piers will make you write about this too?"
"Nah, he only cares if it makes me late to class." Lamar grabs another drink and takes a sip. "You know he was a Protagonist years ago?"
"Really?" Lamar nods slowly.
"He had heat vision. Stopped a trained pack of wolves from killing some ambassador or something like that." Lamar swirls the bottle around as if it's a fine wine. "He was like that for a month, saved the day, and went back to normal." He runs his hand over his short hair. "A month, and here I am getting closer to three years." I'm not sure what I could possibly say to Lamar right now that would comfort him in any way. I can't imagine the stress he's under, so I stay silent and hope my presence is enough. I reach into the bag and pull out the second sandwich for Lamar.
He opens the paper it's wrapped in and looks at the sandwich.
"What's in this?"
"Turkey and cheese," I answer. He shrugs and takes a bite.
"There a boom of lettuce or something? Why is there so much in here?" he says around a mouthful of sandwich. I laugh, happy to see he's not moping anymore.
"I thought the same thing, dude." Lamar takes out a tomato slice and tosses it. "What will I tell the presses? 'Lightning Demon littering.' The whole country will go up in flames."
"It's biodegradable, it'll fine." He shoots me a very charming smirk and continues eating his sandwich. We sit in silence but it's a comfortable one.
Night seeps over us as the sun dives further into the horizon, Lamar has pretty eaten everything I bought and he seems well enough to walk. We leave our cozy bench and make our way over to the train station.
I turn to him before I descend the stairs.
"You sure you're good?" I feel stupid asking such a question. Even though he had fainted earlier, he still looks healthier than I've ever been. Lamar shrugs.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm gonna zip home and rest in an actual bed. Not that your thigh wasn't comfortable or anything," he says with that bright smile of his. I shift on my feet somewhat as blood rushes to my face. I was kind of hoping he hadn't noticed that. Not sure how to take the comment either. I clear my throat, finding my words sticking a bit.
"That sounds like a smart move. See ya later, Lamar Brown." I want to make a quick exit but then Lamar says,
"See ya, Jason Duval." I stop in my tracks.
"You know my name?" the words come out more astonished than I want.
"Of course I do," he answers with a chuckle. I guess he wouldn't just let some guy he doesn't know take him to a park and feed him. A small nervousness I didn't know I had calms with the revelation. "I mean, we're friends; aren't we?" he asks, sounding more real question than hypothetical.
"Yeah, we're friends," I answer. Another wide smile splits his face. He closes the distance between us and extends his hand.
"Take care, Jason." It still sounds a little weird to hear his strong voice say my name. Like it's someone else's. I grip his hand and shake it.
"Take care, Lamar," I mirror his farewell. He smiles again before backing up.
"No promises!" He turns into electricity and zips into a power line. He leaves me standing there, dumbfounded again.
I guess I'm friends with a Protagonist, is that why I'm smiling so much?
Chapter 1 End
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