They were now seated on a wooden bench in the middle of the city by a bus stop. The only threats the would-be assassin saw were a homeless man hobbling down the far street corner with his shopping cart of personal belongings and the occasional passing car. The bus stop had a metal trash can beside the bench and was lit by a street light right over them, the other street lights were placed far apart from each other. Enough so that the light shining on them was all that surrounded them, then there was darkness for a large radius distance beyond that. It was quiet. It was perfect. He had long finished his sweet treat and discarded the container so his hands were free for the attack. He noticed that Ryan was just scrapping the last bits of his melted ice-cream from the cup. Then, the leader crushed his cup and wooden spoon and cocked his arm back.
“Liam, duck!” said Ryan to which Liam complied. The leader released the cup from his hand like a basketball player making a layup shot. “He shoots!” The cup lands straight in the middle of the garbage can next to the bench. “And he scores! Haha!” He laughed as he pumped his fists up in victory. Seeing that his new friend was still unamused, he just took a deep breath and stretched his arms up. The leader then put his hands behind his head to support it as he leaned back comfortably and groaned. Liam side eyed him, observing, He stretched his legs out and released the long breath he was holding in as his body relaxed. Ryan closed his eyes. Liam was now staring down his unbothered target that had his guard completely down.
This was it. Liam thought, “Now’s my chance.” He snaked his hand behind the resting hero’s arms and aimed the syringe towards his upper arm, the area near that shoulder that’s a common injection site for vaccinations. He took in a sharp breath, thrusting the needle.
“Do I scare you?” The needle barely made contact with the fabric of Ryan’s jacket as Liam froze.
“What?” breathed Liam.
His eyes still shut, he asked with the same low, monotone voice, “Are you scared of me?” Liam hadn’t seen the leader have an expression like this before. It was curious, yet unsettling. He still held his position, unsure of himself.
“Uh…” He couldn’t find the words. Then, Ryan opened his eyes partially to gaze at the cloudy sky.
“I know your previous boss was… terrifying. I never wanted to be the leader, ‘cause I frighten people easily.” He paused, he started tapping his heel of his foot nervously and continued, “I mean, everyone saw me as some kind of monster at one point- not now I mean- but I feel awful-” He choked out a dry chuckle and tilted his head the other way a bit but still continued, “and maybe I was pushy and made you uncomfortable- this is all so new for you and…” He sighed, realizing that he was rambling at this point, he stopped tapping his heel and froze. There was a look in his eyes that Liam couldn’t place but it seemed distant. Then, Ryan muttered “What I’m trying to say is, sorry… I’m sorry for scaring you.”
Silence fell over them. Only the sound of a passing car in the distance sounded through the empty street. The leader slowly closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh. He turned his head the other way slowly while sinking further into the bench. Liam’s fists tightened, his hand gripping the poison-filled injection now shaking. He stared in disbelief at the hero. Fear being present in the eyes of people, especially your enemies’ eyes, when they witness your power is usually taken as a sign of respect and is something one can gloat about. At least, that’s what she would say but for Ryan… Ryan looked pained by the mere thought that someone like Liam, his old nemesis that battled him and strived to kill him everyday, was afraid of him. Dare he call this line of thinking naïve, but it’s not that exactly. There was clearly more Liam needed to learn about the leader before making that assumption. What was naïve is the fact that Ryan trusted him. So much so to be… honest like this. He tightened his jaw. He thought long and hard and, in retrospect, the former villain noticed it. Ryan truly cared about this small city, his team and not just their physical needs. All night, he was trying to make sure Liam felt welcome, that he got along with the group and that the rest of the heroes in the group came to truly accept him. To make sure they accepted that he has actually changed and is no longer that awful lowlife they were battling for so long. The team leader tried his best to keep spirits high, even with possible suspicions from other team members, which Liam was sure they held but didn’t openly voice in front of the team leader. He and Ryan were not so different.
Liam sighed in defeat, “No. I’m sorry.” The syringe dropped with a soft ‘ting!’ onto the concrete sidewalk. He couldn’t do it. He continued, “I know a thing or two about being seen as a monster…” Ryan opened his eyes completely and leaned his elbows on his knees, taking in every word intently. Liam stared blankly ahead and quietly continued, “…and being at the mercy of other people. It’s not easy.” Ryan pursed his lip into a thin line and continued listening “So I’m sorry… for not trying to make a better impression on the team,” finished Liam with a sigh. He took his hand away from behind Ryan and buried his face in his palms as he, too, leaned over. He thought in quiet exasperation, “What am I going to do?” The evil overlord’s eyes flashed across his mind along with the sound of her maniacal laughter and crushing bones sent chills down Liam’s spine. He clenched his hair and face with his fingers as the pressure consumed him, his face still covered by the palms of his hands. Two hands grasped the man’s tensed shoulders which made Liam shoot his head upwards.
“Ha! Are you kidding?! You were awesome!” exclaimed Ryan, who was now standing in front of him with a firm grip on Liam and fire in his eyes. “Andrea thought you wouldn’t even show up, maybe pretend to be asleep or something and blow us off buuutt… You. Showed. Up.” He shook the man’s shoulder after each pause for the last three words for his signature dramatic effect. Then the leader let go of Liam and offered a hand to help him off the bench. “That’s already good enough for me” The tension that once hung in the air seemed to dissipate now and a silence fell. A comfortable silence where they locked eyes in mutual understanding. The leader asked, “So whaddya say we head on home now?” Liam chuckled and shook his head. He took his hand, gripping it as one would before going in for a one handed hug. Once he got up, he huffed in frustration and hastily withdrew his hand. Liam stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets and took the lead from there, briskly marching ahead. “Hey, wait for me!” yelled Ryan as he jogged to catch up with him.
After that exchange, he didn’t want to look the hero-team leader in the eye again. Embarrassed, he blushed at his weakness back there. To top it off, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl under some nice, warm sheets and drift into dreamless slumber. The mission was a complete failure. Liam knew that. Ryan playfully shoved him, which he tried to dodge but couldn’t and lost his footing just slightly. They continued walking in comfortable silence. Liam thought, “Aw well, I’ll figure something out…for next time.”
The poison-filled syringe laid there beneath the bench, the glass glinting under the streetlight with the needle pristine and untouched. Left but not forgotten.
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