She jolted awake and picked up her glasses. It took her a couple of tries to get them on right. They were lightly coat in dust from the ceiling. This triggered her allergies so she sneezed violently for several minutes before getting a grip. Outside pedestrian cars swerved as a Super chased an armored car and stayed there as a filing of police cars followed suit. Alia scratched her head dreamily as she got her prescription toothpaste and started facing the day. After she’d finished getting ready with a cat’s flick of eyeliner and Wonder Lady lipstick, she brewed a strong mug of coffee and booted up her dogeared laptop.

She typed in the URL of her blog on one tab and logged into her email on another.

The blog itself was her most prized possession. Atlantean Times, one of the premier Supers curated gossip websites in the city. On it she would publish anonymous tip-offs about the goings on in Sky City and the Supers who lived there. It was junk mostly, but the adsense revenue fueled her book and tv addiction as well as keeping a roof over her head. On it, she could FAP or follow her OTP or even show the corruption that was apparent in both the Super and non-Super world.

Or at least, that’s what she told herself as she stirred her coffee with a wooden spoon. Her cats after they’d eaten their tuna hovered around her.

One of the few luxuries or maybe annoyances to her home, was the apartment’s balcony. It opened onto the street and was closed by two French doors that had a lock that never worked. Thank goodness it opened into the living room instead of her bedroom. Alia as she checked her emails on the couch felt the French doors fly open with help from the breeze. She tore herself from the string of interesting emails to find a person standing in her living room.

The person was in a yellow latex jumpsuit with opposing gloves and boots in a teal shade. There was a letter W embroidered onto it with a sort of wave motif that reminded Alia of the ocean. He was squinting at a piece of paper as if his mask was interfering with his eyesight.

She carefully maneuvered her coffee to avoid spillage onto her laptop and said the only thing she could think of, “Can I help you?”

She tucked her laptop into her lap, guarding it.

His head snapped and his eyes bore into hers. He had ginger hair. He levitated so he was floating just above her coffee table. She had to look up to see him.

His voice was incredulous, “You’re the gossip blogger?”

“I don’t usually discern my hobbies to people I don’t know very well as I am also a college student.”

“You look scrawny.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But you are trespassing into a civilian home so I could--”

“Ok, uh--”

“Alia”

“Who’s Alia?”

“That’s my name.”

“Why did you write a story about how I’m falling in love with Elina Electric?”

“Wait a minute, you’re the Stupendous Wave? I should do take pictures, but I did just buy a new phone. Oh wow, you usually wear a red suit and wow, you’re a lot shorter than you look on TV. But to answer your question. I don’t plan posts. You guys are my one true pairing so I reported the story when I got ahold of it.”

“Are you a Pap?”

“No? I’m also trying to finish my medical degree so I most definitely am not. I received the photographs via an anonymous tip off. I got an email from a subscriber.”

There was an awkward silence as a girl screaming ringtone sounded loudly.

Alia was surprised. “I didn’t know Supers were allowed to bring phones with them.”

Stupendous Wave gave her a look like he was losing his patience. He had a flip phone. He checked the caller id before answering. The sound was loud enough for Alia to hear.

The girl on the other end sounded exasperated and more importantly pissed. The voice was high pitched and weirdly doll-like. “STU!! Did you figure out the blogger who got those pictures of us?”

Alia couldn’t help laughing. “Stu?”

“Ahem, excuse me. Sorry E. But yeah I’m talking to her right now. We're discussing the incident.”

“Wait, you went all the way to a NON-Super’s house?”

“Yeah. How else am I--”

“Why are you talking to her? Why don’t you just take her computer and give it to Vike-US? She’s literally a plant.”

Alia ignored the insult. “Whose vuh-ike-us?”

Stu gave her a motion to shut up.

“Is that Atlantean News Girls? Is she listening in on me, us? Am I hearing this correctly? ”

Stu sighed in resignation. “I’m going to hang up.”

Elina on the other end started yelling. “STU-pendous WAVE I WILL--”

He blew a kiss. “Bye baby.”

Alia was aghast at the blatant disgust she felt for people she’d have sworn were in love hours before. They sounded like a couple of angry teenagers. People who’d never left high school and brought it in the real world. A couple like that with powers--the thought rattled her.

He placed the phone back into his pocket. “What?”

“They say you should never meet your heroes. Wow, she sounds like a--” Alia edited her comment to be more friendly. “--really intense person. Passionate lover.”

“Not like you imagined it huh. I need to know where the photos came from?”

There was a digital sound--a ping of an email arriving. Alia checked it and stiffened infinitesimally. This was different.

Stu seated himself Indian style on the.couch next to her. The familiarity was a bit disconcerting. Alia let him face the laptop towards himself. He read the email out loud. “Would you like for me to publish these Alia?.”

He scrolled down to the attached pictures and quickly zipped over to the balcony doors and closed them. The movement was so fast it blurred. Alia didn’t care enough to react.

The pictures were real.

The photographs showed Alia and Stupendous Wave, him and her in various locations together, Stu floating close by Alia. From the angle the footage made it seemed like they were going on secret dates together.

The blogosphere would eat it up. It would be a national headline within an hour.

Gossip Blogger & Super: How Will Romeo Take His Juliet to Sky City?

Super & Non - those Who Defied the Ban

Alia’s eyes felt hot. She fought to keep her voice from quivering. “My only protection was anonymity. This is all I have Wave, Stu---I can’t lose this.”

Stu looked resigned. “This was bound to happen eventually. It’s not what happens that matters, its what we do that’s do that’s important.”

“Who said that?”

“Me.”

“Why don’t you leave?” Her nose started running and she started hiccupping. Alia knew her eyes were red as well/ She wondered if her allergies were acting up from the material on Stu’s suit.

“Whoever this is already has the evidence. There’s no point. My new objective is clearing your name. I shouldn’t have let Electic talk me into this. I am a secure good boyfriend. I just need some time to prove it to her.”

“Girls like her used to make fun of me. Still do.”

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this, but it’s not safe for you to be here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Alia sneezed.

Stu recoiled. “That’s a lot of liquid.”

“I’m taking you anyways.”