Tattletale gets Laid (Worm Romantic Comedy)

[Axle]

A/N: My attempt at a romantic comedy. Don't let the title fool you, I won't be putting any erotic scenes in this. I'll try and update this weekly or bi-weekly.

XXX

Pew Pew Pew. 'Murica.

She turned her head and snorted.

Wait, did I say that out loud?

"You might as well have," Tattletale said to him.

He snickered at himself, but didn't apologize. "I'm easily entertatined," he commented.

Inside Lisa's mind, she knew she desperately needed a break from the work she'd been doing. Doing non-stop work since Taylor left the team, Lisa's sole mission was re-establishing Coil's assets to her own proper liking.

Looking around the room, she stared at the blank wall to tone down the volume of her powers. The infromation would still enter her like a smooth river, but she didn't force its entrance like raging dams of water.

She turned to one of her two secuirty guards. Both were veterans but treated their jobs starkly differently. While one treated his job with the utmost professionalism, the other was practically aloof. She wondered whether she should fire him.

She typed back onto her computer, shaking her head disapprovingly to him.

Welp, I've probably lost my job. Might as well pack up once my shift is over.

Matthew sighed. She paused typing from the computer.

If I'm doing something wrong, this girl should really let me know. Seriously, constructive criticism would be super helpful right now.

XXX

Yep. He's definitely fired. Way too distracting. Plus reading him is just... guys are pretty easy to read. They either really want to work with us, or are really bored at the job. The amount of indifference with that guy was just... distracting.

XXX

Alright. I'll go to the next supervillain that pays me well. If I'm lucky, I'll just be moved to another Undersider's base. If I'm not, I'll probably be... Homeless in a month? In prison in a week? Or dead in a day? Meh, worse things could happen.

"Seriously?" Tattletale finally said to him.

I want to assume she reads minds, but I don't want to come off as racist.

Tattletale covered her mouth and began laughing. Matthew shrugged, "it's such a cliche..."

Tattletale shook her head. "No, guessing powers is not prejudice," she mocked.

Matthew shrugged again, "good to know." Matthew noticed she was leaning back from her desk. She probably needed a break from all the work she'd been doing all day. As a security guard, it was his job to make she she wasn't disturbed from her work. But as a person, he felt she needed a break from the heavy amount of work she was doing. A chance to recharge those mental batteries.

XXX

Well, this is interesting. He's about to entertain me.

XXX

Matthew lifted his chin "reading minds must suck. I'm 100% certain you hear things you're better off not knowing. Nudge, nudge, wink wink, Y'know."

"You don't know the half of it," she snickered. "Besides even what guys generally think, the things people are insecure about are astounding."

Matthew felt a challenge initiated, and began recollected all the insecurities he'd accumulated over his life time. The movie Troy made me insecure about my mortal body once. My mum gives me the disappointed look when I see her since I'm still not married. Popular books make me feel like a sheep, but I still read them so I'll have something to talk about with my friends.

Tattletale rubbed the templates of her head. "You get all that?" Matthew asked.

"That, and so much more."

"This is really fun."

"You're the second strangest person I've ever met."

I enjoy making drug jokes even though I've never gotten high. My brothers make fun of me for living in America, so sometimes I send them post cards with monopoly money to piss them off.

Tattletale got up from her chair, furiously trying to contain her laughter. "Okay, I get it, I'll take a break." She headed out the room, "You too Matthew."

"Cool. Are you still gonna fire me?"

"Nah, if I fired everyone because their thoughts were weird, this base would be empty." She headed towards the door.

He took a glance at Tattletale. She was four years younger than him but he could tell she was still blossoming into a young women. He hadn't noticed it until he'd heard her speak, but her speech carried an aura of both genuinity and pride. She really was the smartest person in the room, and she was truly proud of that.

To him, that level of intelligence seemed more like a burden. The phrase "the more I know, the more I realize there's little I can do about it" came to mind. Then again, Tattletale was running a crime ring, so maybe she did have the strings to move the world the way she wanted to. To Matthew though, her, and all the actions she did, felt small, in the grand scheme of things.

"Wanna eat lunch together?"

"Can I take it out of your paycheck?"

"No." Matthew said casually.

"You really don't get the concept of dating do you?"

Ma'dam, would you like me to pull out my coupon book?

"What, oh God no."

"Cool. There's a cafe right across from here. Tea, or Coffee?"

XXX

 

[Skychan]

Ooh goody, I recall reading this opening chapter before, but this means its probably got more coming soon!

 

[Axle]

Ooh goody, I recall reading this opening chapter before, but this means its probably got more coming soon!

Click to shrink...

I've got about 12 chapters ready, more are getting written! I'll post them over the course of the next few days.

 

[Optimist Prone]

For a moment I was sure this was a quest. This would have been a great quest. Now it will just have to be a great story.

 

[Axle]

Matthew stared at the wide selection of coffees. Christ, why do they keep adding new ones?

"Take Columbian," Tattletale told him. "It'll balance out the weak caffeine you had this morning."

"I'm glad you're powers let you make the tough decisions. Otherwise, I'd have been here half my break."

"When you say things like that and my powers tell me its true, I wonder how a guy like you became security for high-end criminal organization." She paused, then stared at him blankly. "Oh."

Matthew shrugged, "should I elaborate or would it be redundant?"

XXX

Damn it, I really wish my power told me these things before I opened my mouth.

Lines of information flowed into Lisa's mind like obnoxious telegrams.

Casual tone: Doesn't have a problem conversing about it. Wasn't offended or upset. Word choice wasn't trying to insult me. More concerned if powers made it uninteresting to hear the story from his mouth. Under normal circumstances, he'd explain what happened casually. In Tattletale's case, he believes it would bore her since her power already lets her know the truth. He'd like to tell her if she want to hear it, but wouldn't like to tell her if she doesn't. Complete indifference by his own part. More concerned about Tattletale's eagerness.

"Uh, maybe some other time."

He nodded, and then continued to fill up his coffee cup.

XXX

He looked out the window and noticed a grasshopper standing by. He wondered what parts of the insect made it alive. Was its leap similar to flying? Did it believe that birds don't fly, but just leaped long distances?

How far had it traveled to reach that spot? What if it was the same grasshopper Matthew passed on his way to work? He liked to imagine it was. Matthew pretended it was following him, that it liked the colors of his shoes and decided to stalk him just to get a better look at them.

To him, the grasshopper was as sentient as any of the other animals he'd seen. It survived both with instinct and luck. It moved not solely because of survival instinct, but because it wanted to live. It breathed the same air as he did. It had seen the city just as he had, except on a larger scale. They were both city folk.

What part of it carried the conscious? Would it be funny or cruel to ask a cape to give it flying capabilities? He could imagine it sprouting wings, and being confused of its new found freedom.

Tattletale stared blankly at Matthew. "I can't believe you made staring at bugs more interesting than talking to me."

"Sorry," he said embarrassed. "I didn't mean to offend. It's just-"

"-It's fine." She interrupted, "You know there's no point in talking about yourself since my powers tell me everything about you. You were waiting for me to talk about something that interested me, hoping you could jump in and give your own opinions on it."

She let out a sigh. She once again remembered why she was never fond of dating. Without the thrill that came with learning about new people, Tattletale's powers made everyone an open book. No adventure or excitement came without the building up from interaction. There were no auras of mystery that let her fill in the empty blanks with wrong guesses that could leave her satisfied. Just the bland truth. It was a little disappointing to hear the truth finally come out from her own mouth.

Matthew looked at Tattletale, "Tattletale, can you do me a favor?"

"Does it involve drugs?"

"Nah, you're not cool enough for them yet."

"Says the guy who's never been high."

"Tattletale." He shook his head, "I can get stoned from the air we breathe. If I smoked, I will dangerously reach Nirvana and your powers would self-destruct on me."

"Holy shit, I didn't think about that until now. Now I'm really curious to see you high."

"Anyway," he continued. "I wanted to ask if you could just talk to me like you've known me for years."

XXX

He does this with everyone. He acts like everyone has been a part of his life his whole life. It makes bonding easier. He knows my powers takes away curiosity, so he wants to skip the formalities. So that I can be more comfortable around him, and that neither of us feel out of place.

Of course, he'd be missing out on knowing a lot of things about Tattletale, but he was alright with it. He didn't care about what he did and didn't know about Tattletale or Lisa. To him, he just wanted the company. Both because he was fond of her, and because he felt she needed it.

"Sure." She said to him, "in that case..." She stretched out her arms out and placed her legs on the coffee table. "Wanna hear me rant about geopolitics?"

"I didn't think you liked foreign affairs."

"I don't, but I know way too much about it that I'd like to vent to someone."

"As a guy that knows nothing about the rest of the world..." He leaned back on his chair and grinned, "enlighten me."

XXX

A/N: I'm not sure if Tattletale actually does care about international affairs, but in my mind Tattletale has a boat load of opinions, analysis's, and understandings of different subjects that she'd love to vent out to anyone willing to listen.

 

[Ungodly]

Watched. The tone is great, you really capture tattletale well, and I really like Matthew. I usually hate OC characters, but dear Mat is really clicking with me. Please continue.

 

[Axle]

Thanks, I made this OC with the intention to make him the polar opposite of Tattletale. I figured she could tell the intentions of most people using her powers, so I made a character ridiculously oblivious. I figure, "could opposites attract?"

 

[Halt]

You switch between viewpoint characters too rapidly for us to really get into the head of either one.

 

[Axle]

Reading back on the first few chapters I see some issues in my writing technique. It improves gradually in the upcoming chapters. This was me practicing my writing from a third person perspective.

 

[zhuull]

Thanks, I made this OC with the intention to make him the polar opposite of Tattletale. I figured she could tell the intentions of most people using her powers, so I made a character ridiculously oblivious. I figure, "could opposites attract?"

Click to shrink...

I was just waiting for Lisa to tell him that actually that was the same grasshopper he saw earlier, and yes it was following him. Not because it liked his shoes though, but because Big Sister Skitter is always watching.

 

[Axle]

XXX

I didn't think she was ever going to stop.

Geopolitics. Sociology and psychology. Humanities tied with theology and metaphysics. Tattletale kept ranting on about the world at large like it were an intricate web knit together by the unyielding force of time and history.

She didn't just talk about everything, she knew about everything. Matthew had assumed she could read minds, but he wasn't sure what to think about the teenager anymore. No human could possibly know all those things without powers. And that was what she talked about in her spare time.

He had felt his IQ jump, and he enjoyed every second of it. When she spoke he could sense 'sparks' within her eyes on subjects that she enjoyed. Specific words and conclusions she came up with on a whim.

It was like an avalanche of information that Matthew could hardly wrap his mind around. He still felt partially dazed trying to recollect everything she said to him. A tang of excitement dwelled within him. He wanted to speak with her again.

XXX

Ugh, I hate work.

Tattletale looked at the computer monitors waiting for the answers to present themselves. Number Man was a possibility. As was Cauldron and Accord's access to vials. Overall, she needed another thinker. It was too much work for one person. Number Man could point her in the right direction, but she didn't like the idea of being under Cauldron's heel.

The room was spacious and the four security guards had oriented themselves around the room for Tattletale's liking. Matthew, naturally, didn't show any signs of boredom within his mind.

He's still trying to put together the things I told him.

She smiled. Her goal to pull him out of his aloofness had worked like a charm.

XXX

He felt like studying. Not for Tattletale's sake, but because he hadn't known the world was so interesting. It was as though the things around him had become more vivid than he originally believed.

"What's up pointdexter?"

He looked at Tattletale. He could see her teeth through her smile. "You have spinach in your teeth," he answered.

She quickly covered her mouth, then pulled her hand down. "oh haha, very funny."

"I can't believe you fell for that. Like, seriously, you didn't even eat a salad."

The other guards began chuckling. They weren't supposed to speak, but the conversation quickly relaxed them.

"Insubordination, you're fired!" Matthew walked towards the exit. "I'm kidding, and you know that." She paused for a moment. "Okay, maybe you didn't. But I'm not gonna fire you when I'm talking to you."

He stepped back to his spot. "Good to know."

She sighed. She had to get back to work, no matter how stressful it was. She leaned back on her chair and typed away at the monitors. Occasionally, her eyes would move up towards Matthew's direction.

XXX

His head space is literally the most relaxing thing in the room.

Whereas the other guards wondered about their families or relationships, Matthew's focus were primarily concentrated on things that didn't matter at all.

He'd look at the wall and compare it to other surfaces he'd seen, remembering what it was like to feel new textures for the first time when he was a young boy. He would look down at his hands, and remember that the lines on his palms were surprisingly similar to the lines of a leaf. He'd look up to the ceiling, and his mind would get lost. It was as though he could remember what space looked like from the enclosure of the room.

Unlike staring at a blank wall, analyzing Matthew offered something more for Tattletale. It wasn't just information, it was relaxation. His entire being was utterly calm. The core of his personality was finding the sanctity in the small without being overwhelmed by the world around him.

That was precisely why he enjoyed the conversation with Tattletale earlier. He felt he was understanding the world as a collection of various small events. Events making up the present in a way he had never questioned before.

I thought I could get him more aware of his surroundings, but I'm beginning to think I had an opposite effect on him.

After her screw-up with Panacea, she was forced to acknowledge her potential as a cult leader. She remembered the sense of caution from Taylor after she witnessed her conversation with Amy.

I can turn people into monsters, Lisa told herself, but can I turn people into heroes?

Matthew was the perfect guinea pig for her thought experiment. His relationships with others were flat, distant, and ambiguous. Very few people would feel loss from an alteration of his personality. He was somewhat invisible from people's lives. He was always there, but never formed strong bonds with the people around him. In some cases, he could be called the background character from most people's lives.

He can be my experiment, Lisa thought to herself, can I make you into something the world wants?

In short, Matthew could be built up but not torn down. His impact on the world was so insignificant that an alteration wouldn't take anything away from the world. As manipulative as it might've been, Lisa wanted to know if she had the potential to turn Matthew into a force of goodness in the world. She wanted to see if she was capable of telling a few lies to make him into a better person. To do a few bad deeds for a greater good. To be a bit more like Taylor.

This, she decided, would be her side project.

XXX

 

[zhuull]

XXX

I didn't think she was ever going to stop.

Geopolitics. Sociology and psychology. Humanities tied with theology and metaphysics. Tattletale kept ranting on about the world at large like it were an intricate web knit together by the unyielding force of time and history.

She didn't just talk about everything, she knew about everything. Matthew had assumed she could read minds, but he wasn't sure what to think about the teenager anymore. No human could possibly know all those things without powers. And that was what she talked about in her spare time.

He had felt his IQ jump, and he enjoyed every second of it. When she spoke he could sense 'sparks' within her eyes on subjects that she enjoyed. Specific words and conclusions she came up with on a whim.

It was like an avalanche of information that Matthew could hardly wrap his mind around. He still felt partially dazed trying to recollect everything she said to him. A tang of excitement dwelled within him. He wanted to speak with her again.

XXX

Ugh, I hate work.

Tattletale looked at the computer monitors waiting for the answers to present themselves. Number Man was a possibility. As was Cauldron and Accord's access to vials. Overall, she needed another thinker. It was too much work for one person. Number Man could point her in the right direction, but she didn't like the idea of being under Cauldron's heel.

The room was spacious and the four security guards had oriented themselves around the room for Tattletale's liking. Matthew, naturally, didn't show any signs of boredom within his mind.

He's still trying to put together the things I told him.

She smiled. Her goal to pull him out of his aloofness had worked like a charm.

XXX

He felt like studying. Not for Tattletale's sake, but because he hadn't known the world was so interesting. It was as though the things around him had become more vivid than he originally believed.

"What's up pointdexter?"

He looked at Tattletale. He could see her teeth through her smile. "You have spinach in your teeth," he answered.

She quickly covered her mouth, then pulled her hand down. "oh haha, very funny."

"I can't believe you fell for that. Like, seriously, you didn't even eat a salad."

The other guards began chuckling. They weren't supposed to speak, but the conversation quickly relaxed them.

"Insubordination, you're fired!" Matthew walked towards the exit. "I'm kidding, and you know that." She paused for a moment. "Okay, maybe you didn't. But I'm not gonna fire you when I'm talking to you."

He stepped back to his spot. "Good to know."

She sighed. She had to get back to work, no matter how stressful it was. She leaned back on her chair and typed away at the monitors. Occasionally, her eyes would move up towards Matthew's direction.

XXX

His head space is literally the most relaxing thing in the room.

Whereas the other guards wondered about their families or relationships, Matthew's focus were primarily concentrated on things that didn't matter at all.

He'd look at the wall and compare it to other surfaces he'd seen, remembering what it was like to feel new textures for the first time when he was a young boy. He would look down at his hands, and remember that the lines on his palms were surprisingly similar to the lines of a leaf. He'd look up to the ceiling, and his mind would get lost. It was as though he could remember what space looked like from the enclosure of the room.

Unlike staring at a blank wall, analyzing Matthew offered something more for Tattletale. It wasn't just information, it was relaxation. His entire being was utterly calm. The core of his personality was finding the sanctity in the small without being overwhelmed by the world around him.

That was precisely why he enjoyed the conversation with Tattletale earlier. He felt he was understanding the world as a collection of various small events. Events making up the present in a way he had never questioned before.

I thought I could get him more aware of his surroundings, but I'm beginning to think I had an opposite effect on him.

After her screw-up with Panacea, she was forced to acknowledge her potential as a cult leader. She remembered the sense of caution from Taylor after she witnessed her conversation with Amy.

I can turn people into monsters, Lisa told herself, but can I turn people into heroes?

Matthew was the perfect guinea pig for her thought experiment. His relationships with others were flat, distant, and ambiguous. Very few people would feel loss from an alteration of his personality. He was somewhat invisible from people's lives. He was always there, but never formed strong bonds with the people around him. In some cases, he could be called the background character from most people's lives.

He can be my experiment, Lisa thought to herself, can I make you into something the world wants?

In short, Matthew could be built up but not torn down. His impact on the world was so insignificant that an alteration wouldn't take anything away from the world. As manipulative as it might've been, Lisa wanted to know if she had the potential to turn Matthew into a force of goodness in the world. She wanted to see if she was capable of telling a few lies to make him into a better person. To do a few bad deeds for a greater good. To be a bit more like Taylor.

This, she decided, would be her side project.

XXX

Click to shrink...

Nearby in a shadowy corner a grasshopper nods in approval, just as planned.

 

[Axle]

XXX

"Alright. Alright. Sure. See ya soon." She put the cell phone down and finally stood up from her chair. She took a long moment to stretch her arms out after a long day of work. Matthew, Lisa noticed, was more worried about her well being than his own. He's such a sweet guy, she thought to herself.

"Alright guys. I'm sure most of you have had thrills standing around for ten hours without saying a peep. Or... At least one of you did... But I'm about to have an Undersiders meeting. So I'm gonna need all non-capes to wait outside. And by wait, I mean you're all relieved for the rest of the day."

Without complaint, they all headed out the doors. Matthew gave a quick nod in Tattletale's direction on his way out. He still believed that Lisa could read minds, so his gesture gave the simple message of "take care of yourself.'

He wasn't the first guard to worry about Tattletale's well being, but gestures like those were always appreciated. Before he exited the door, Tattletale gave a final spin of her powers on him.

XXX

Victor headed down the stairs with Matthew alongside him. "Oy, you got something going on with the boss?"

Matthew turned his head towards him. As far as strangers could tell, him and Matthew could've been cousins. Both their skin complexions were a dark olive tone while their eye sets were a neutral brown color. Few people could guess that their ethnic roots traced back to different continents. The most noticeable differences beyond their facial features was Victor's shaved head contrasted with Matthews short-cut wavy hair.

Matthew casually answered, "Not that I know of."

Victor couldn't help but sigh. Matthew's apathetic attitude was something that took him a long time to adjust to. "You know she was looking at you all day today. With googly eyes like she was gonna dissect you."

"Maybe she was dissecting my mind," Matthew answered.

Victor took a step away from him. "Are you being mastered right now? Because if she's listening, I'm not mad, I'm just worried about Matthew."

Matthew chuckled, "I'm pretty sure the Undersiders have better things to do than mess with security guards like us."

He thought about that for a moment. "Good point," he said. Then he added, "but I'm pretty sure she was staring at your ass on our way out."

"I'm not sure whether to feel offended or flattered."

Leaving the locker rooms, the four men completed their day's routine by changing out of their mercenary uniforms. They dressed in casualwear that wouldn't attract attention in the city. Once again, Victor invited his coworkers for beers before heading out.

"No thanks," Matthew answered. It was an answer Victor was used to. He respected Matthew as he did any of his other colleagues, but this time he felt compelled to ask why he was against socializing with his coworkers.

"Hey, Matthew, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I don't mean to sound like asshole, but I wanna know. You don't have family here, what do you do when you get home?" It seemed like a lonely life from Victor's perspective. He revolved his entire being hood around his family, and could hardly imagine living a life similar to Matthew's.

"I normally get stoned."

Victor laughed, realizing that Matthew wasn't going to answer his question. "Bullshit, I got the best stuff on the harbor and you never want any." He headed out the building doors with a casual smile, "I'll see you later Matt."

XXX

"That's a disaster waiting to happen," Grue concluded.

Tattletale replied, "Adepts are famous for infighting. They couldn't beat us if they tried. We'd have more capes for smuggling operations, both here and on the other side of the portal. Since Adepts are mostly unpredictable, Accord couldn't use them for leverage against us."

Grue countered, "We're not as good at collateral control as you think. And we're not gonna cause more havoc than what we already do." Grue thought about Bitch, and how poorly she might respond to Adepts on the other side of the portal. "Adding more villains to the mix could easily break the truce that Skitter left for us."

Regent spoke up, "actually, I kinda agree with Lisa on this one."

She perked up, "see?"

Regent nodded, "I heard their orgies are great."

Imp rose up from her chair, "I say we put it to a democratic vote. All in favor of inviting the Adepts to Brokton Bay say 'aye'."

Regent and Imp said aye together. Bitch, listening while sitting from the other side of the room, simply shrugged. Regent looked to Tattletale, "C'mon Lisa, it was your idea."

"Fuck the both of you."

Imp retorted, "Isn't that why we're inviting them?"

Tattletale rubbed her forehead. "I need a break," she said.

"I think we all need one," Grue added, glaring at Regent from underneath his helmet.

She headed towards the exit, "Meet back here in fifteen."

XXX

The concept of family felt very abstract to Matthew. No matter how much he tried, his brothers and sisters felt too much like strangers to him. If anything, they were more like imaginary friends in a distant land than beings who shared flesh and blood with him.

Flesh and blood. He looked down at his hands. Some days he didn't believe he was alive. Like the world around him was just a storybook that someone had read to him, and that someday he would wake up from the odd, unusual world that he had never felt a part of.

But that wasn't quite right either. He had felt alive once, before the incident. He used to be competitive, proud, enthusiastic, excited, and angry. Now he was numb. Void of anything, he was incapable of feeling either anger or happiness.

And so he faked it. Everything about him was fake. His beinghood was completely devoid of attachment from the things and people around him. Tattletale had noticed it. It was the last thing she read from him when his shift had ended.

Does not value life.

When Tattletale stepped outside, she made sure to take a deep breathe of fresh air in order to reorient herself. The air was frisk and cooled against her skin where her mask didn't cover. She just needed to be alone. Take a step back from everything, even from her powers, to remember where she was and what she was doing.

She was surprised to see Matthew standing a few feet away from her. He was nearby a street light that extended its light at the side of the building. He leaned back on the wall looking up at the gnats dancing around the light bulb. He was lost again. What he did there was hardly different from what he did during work.

She walked towards him.

XXX

 

[NemoMarx]

Regent and Imp said aye together.

Click to shrink...

I am imagining they did this in unison because Regent handled the timing, and I'm not sure if that's spooky or romantic.

Leaning romantic, though. She shows him a lot of trust in general and I can appreciate that.

 

[Axle]

XXX

"You know, dismissed is supposed to mean 'go home and relax.'"

Matthew turned around to see Tattletale. Surprised to see her, he answered, "it's not so bad here."

She sighed, "if I ordered you to go home, would you even complain?"

"I wouldn't see a reason to."

She rolled her eyes, "there really isn't much to you, is there?"

"I guess not. And to be honest, that's how I'd like it to be."

"Yeah, I think I know why..."

He knew what she meant by that, but he wasn't quite sure how to respond to it. Under normal circumstances he'd expand upon the subject further, give the other person an explanation of his philosophy. In Tattletale's case, he was mostly certain that her powers took away the necessity for an explanation. "Should I elaborate or-

"Matthew." She cut off ."Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you pretend I don't have any powers?"

Matthew thought about it for a moment. It must have been dull for her, to have the ability to predict every conversation as they unfolded. Matthew's intentions had only revolved around keeping Tattletale entertained. That meant keeping conversations spontaneous and largely without depth. Perhaps he'd overdone it. By trying to work around Tattletale's powers, he realized that he was robbing her of an opportunity of an equal relationship.

"Sure." He answered, "in that case..."

He walked up to her and poked at her forehead. It was indeed a slight violation of her personal space, but they both understood he meant no ill intentions by it. "Stop trying to brainwash me during work," he said. "My coworkers think you're mastering me now."

She looked at him for a long moment, then her face turned red. She had clearly realized something that he hadn't. "Mastering you? Is that what they said?" She placed the palm of her hand on her forehead, "crap, what did I get myself into?"

XXX

Of course he's frigging oblivious.

Rumors were something Tattletale learned to despise. They carried so much speculation that the weight of them were usually counterproductive. She read into Matthew to figure out what his coworkers were speculating.

Googly eyes. Staring at his-​

"Fuck." She faced down to hide the redness on her face, "just... Tell them they're idiots."

He saluted her, "will do, boss."

"Anyways..."

She looked into Matthew again, with a new destination for her powers to dig into. Alright, I can gather information. Now I've just gotta find it and use it right...

Numb; Traumatic event; Friends gone; Family distant; Alone...​

Got it.

"You should really think about spending time with your coworkers." She crossed her arms and smiled at him. "You know it's courtesy to accept drinks from friends."

His eyebrow lifted, "it is?"

"Yeah, accepting invites are always appreciated." It was nit-picking, Tattletale thought to herself. She knew what Matthew valued the most, so she plucked at what he believed in for him to behave in accordance to his own beliefs.

Matthew thought about that for a moment. Then another thought dawned on him, "wait," Matthew asked, "are you mastering me right now?"

It was said accusingly, as though he'd discovered her manipulation tactic. "Nope." She answered, "I'm a thinker not a master."

"Then..." He picked his words carefully, "you're digging through my mind to make me do what you want me to do." He gazed at her. It wasn't an intimidating or resentful stare, it was a bland look that only desired answers.

She shrugged, "its not my fault I can't turn off my powers."

"Fair point. But overall, you're just saying what I'd like to hear, to make me act like the way you want me to."

He was right. Tattletale had read that manners and courtesy were important to him, so she carefully picked her phrasing in the hopes of making him act accordingly. Hmm... Not as dim as I thought he was. "I wouldn't put it that way. After all, if I'd known you for years, I'd probably tell you the same thing based on what I knew about you."

"Fair point." Matthew admitted, "and to be honest, I don't mind if you dig around for information. I don't even mind if you wanted me to act in a specific way, but you should know, most people respond better when you make your intentions clear."

"People respond better"; Making it seem like advice.

In reality; trying to trick her into being more honest.​

"Since when were you a people's person?" Lisa chuckled.

"I'm not. But I've been lied to by people who have wanted help me and to hurt me. Being blunt and making intentions clear are always appreciated."

Mechanical response.

Set of values he clings unto.​

Under most circumstance Matthew could be considered a hypocrite. Tattletale could see that he valued his personal sense of principals more than people themselves. "So what?" She asked, "you want me to tell you why I wanted you to drink with your friends?"

"I wanted you to admit what you were doing." He grinned, "I like being right too."

Attempt to emulate Tattletale.​

XXX

 

[Axle]

"18 minutes... 18 minutes and a half." Alec sat slumped on his chair staring at the clock, making sure not to move his head from its resting position.

"Alright," Brian yelled. "I get it, she's late. Aisha, can you-" Brian halted his sentence. He then returned to his chair. "I'll call her in five minutes."

XXX

When Aisha checked the nearby entrance of the base, she was surprised to see Tattletale conversing with a stranger. Hmm... I didn't think she was the type to flirt. After eavesdropping for a few more minutes, she had a better understanding of what their relationship was.

"It's more like... wikipedia. The information comes in, except I don't get a search bar for what I'm looking for. Only links to links of information built off of one another. In other words..." She snapped her fingers."I know everything."

He wore a T-shirt and some loose jeans. He looked like a pot head, in Aisha's opinion.

"And I'm guessing if someone gave you a misleading wikipedia page, your powers spiral into misinformation."

She paused for a moment. "You know, you're a lot brighter than I thought you were."

"My brain connects the dots when it pays attention." He tapped his head, somewhat reflecting Tattletale's attitude from before. These two really need to get a room, Imp thought to herself. He added, "which brings me to my next question. If I asked you questions that didn't really have answers, would your powers explode?"

"I see you see a challenge." She remarked.

He grinned, "Here's one; if God is omnipotent, can he create a sandwich so big that not even he could eat?"

"He could, but he'd eat it anyway."

He paused, not expecting that quick of a response. "What color is a mirror?"

"All of them."

"What happens if Pinocchio said 'my nose will grow'."

"The universe would implode. More likely though, it would grow and then shrink back again."

"Are we actually ourselves, or are we actually our brains controlling a body?"

"The term is called Avatar. And yes."

His mouth shrunk as Tattletale's grin (along with her ego) grew. From Aisha's viewpoint, they spoke like a wedded couple. A part of her wanted to reveal herself just to end their conversation, but a larger part of her didn't want to return to the not-so-exciting meeting.

"If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is that considered a hostage situation?"

"Only if the cop is a therapist, and the gun is a bottle of pills."

He rubbed his chin, thinking of more paradoxes. "Anything on your end? Any spazzes or broken data?"

She shrugged, "afraid not."

"Goddammit." He looked to another direction, which happened to be where Imp was standing. "The only thing left to try is-"

"No." She cut off.

"I figured as much." He leaned back at the wall and looked up.

"Hey Matthew," Tattletale said in a low tone. "I know why you joke that way, about drugs."

He stayed quiet, allowing for Tattletale to continue.

"You and your friends were drug smugglers, but none of you ever tried the products. It was an ongoing joke between you guys. You'd all talk about getting tripped, but never actually did..." Tattletale leaned herself on the wall next to Matthew. She looked up as he did. "After they died, you couldn't share the ironic humor with anyone else anymore. You missed it. So its your way of making their personalities live on. You share that joke with everyone else, even if the rest of the world doesn't get the humor."

Aisha couldn't tolerate it anymore. Banter and cheesy comebacks were something she had patience for, but sentimental bull-crap annoyed the hell out of her. She revealed herself, "can you two just bang and get it over with?"

Matthew tilted his head, Tattletale's jaw dropped. "How long have you... Goddammit."

"Seriously, you both need to put a ring on it, get a room, and-" She started doing gestures with her hands.

"Imp," she cut off, "If you so much as whisper a single thing you just heard, I'll tell Regent you spied on him while-"

"Okay! okay! I'll stop..." She flung her hands up in defense.

Gritting her teeth, Tattletale added, "And I'll tell Grue you walked in on-"

"Jesus, you need to calm the hell down. I already said I'd stop. I won't tell anyone about you and your... What was it you called him? Guinea pig?"

"Thought experiment." Matthew corrected.

"Right. Boy toy." Imp concluded.

Tattletale turned around to hit her head against the brick wall. "Just tell Grue I'll be up there in a minute. Tell him I was working on an errand."

Imp grinned from underneath her mask, but she refrained from making a comment. "Right. Errands, that's what we'll call it." She made sure to point at Matthew when she said the word it.

"Just go!" She demanded.

Without another peep, she walked inside.

"She's funny." Matthew concluded.

"She's a pain," Tattletale responded.

"Reminds me of my little sister. I'm beginning to wonder if all 13 year olds are the same."

Tattletale turned her head towards him,"She's not 13, but that's a pretty close guess. How'd you guess that?"

He shrugged, "her voice, her attitude, her sense of humor. I figure she's a bit younger than Skitter." Matthew walked to the sidewalk, finally ready to go home. "In fact, I'm guessing you're fifteen."

"Close again, but not quite right."

"Eh, I doubt you'd tell me anyway."

She looked at him for a bit longer. "Huh," she exclaimed. "Matthew, you're not twenty years old."

"What?"

"Your birth records are wrong, you're actually a year younger."

"What!?"

"I gotta go."

"Hold on, you can't just leave me hanging like that!"

"We'll talk tomorrow." She gestured for him to leave, "now, I'm ordering you to go home. I'm also ordering that you and I start having lunch together from now on."

He let out a short sigh, "for therapy." He concluded. "Are you even certified?"

"Nope, but it'll be fun to try." She winked as she walked inside. "Congrats, you'll be my first test run."

Once inside and away from Matthew's hearing range, Imp revealed herself just to laugh at Tattletale's face. "Desperate!" Imp yelled.

Irritated, Tattletale answered, "says the girl who wants to be Regent's groupie."

Imp stopped, and shut up for the rest of the walk to the meeting room.

 

[Axle]

Lisa sat quietly to herself with her laptop sitting on her lap. She typically didn't bring her workspace to bed, but she considered what she was doing more as a hobby than work. She smiled while she eagerly clicked through Matthew's profile.

Matthew Isaac; Age; 20.

She chuckled to herself, she might have to change that number later.

Family; Both parents immigrated to Chicago from South Africa. Has four older siblings and four younger siblings.

"Guess he's the middle finger of the family," Lisa joked to herself. Lisa let out a sigh as she wondered that made Matthew tick. Or rather, what didn't make Matthew tick.

She looked down at his profile, and quickly read through as to why Coil had decided to recruit someone so young.

Background: Local drug smuggler since the age of 10.

Lisa hummed to herself, "I still can't believe you've never done drugs before…"

Lisa looked over to the next link that said: "Plausible vial candidate"

Lisa's eyes widened. She clicked it, Matthew was ranked 36 among possible mercenaries for Cauldron vial for Coil's base. It said he could rank higher with real combat experience and more training. Lisa shook her head, "what the hell would made qualified?" She clicked a tab that said 'Qualifications' and read:

At 16, was kidnapped by a chemical tinker and survived six months in an isolation experimentation. Psychological assessment: Stable.

Lisa's eyes widened. She didn't expect that at all. Human experimentation from tinkers were rare, reserved for the worst types of capes and considered a taboo among the Tinker community. Moreso than that, to survive something along those lines would equate a person to a war veteran. She wondered if Matthew might have had PTSD.

Lisa read further through the incident report, and used her powers to fill in the gaps of what had happened.

Captured by a chemical tinker with five other peers his age.

Close friends.
Childhood friends.​

Lisa gulped, and read the next line on the file: One of two survivors. Her power told her what happened to the second survivor.

Second Survivor committed suicide shortly thereafter.
​

Lisa paused. Not only had Matthew survived a long term trauma, but he survived the tragedy of his last friend after. All his childhood friends had died in an instance, and he'd chosen to live a mostly isolated life there afterwards. Was that due to trauma? She'd have to speak to him in person to find the answers.

This scenario sounded exactly like something that should've caused a trigger event. But it didn't. Lisa wondered why some people could get powers from isolation, but not someone like Matthew.

She read the final assessment:Psychological status: Stable.

"Stable…" Lisa said to herself. "That can't be right."

People with trauma had to have psychological issues. That's why villains outnumbered heroes, she refused to believe Matthew didn't have something wrong with him. Obviously, the experts were wrong again.

Matthew's profile then said he wasn't recommended therapy before or after joining Coil's ranks. But as Tattletale read through the assessment, she noticed that there were some signs of a mild anti-social personality disorder, it just wasn't severe enough to require medication or therapy.

She then read his personality assessment portion.

Apathetic.

Emotionally drained.

Post-Traumatic Growth.​

Post-Traumatic growth. That was the opposite of what she expected. Matthew must've moved on from what had happened to him. His only flaw was the lack of connection to the world around him, but rather than see that as weakness that needed fixing, he'd simply embraced it.

There was nothing more for Tattletale to fix. He'd gone through the hurdles of pain and loss, lived through it, grasped it, and became his own person. His detachment was now his own choice. He'd simply lost the desire to connect.

Maybe Lisa could change that.

Lisa put it upon herself to make Matthew into another person. She just needed to change who he was, to break away at what he'd turned into, and build him up anew. She wasn't about going to give up that easily.

"Matthew, Matthew, Matthew…" Lisa rubbed between her fingertips, "let's see how much I can change you."

 

[Axle]

Tattletale sat across from Matthew at the base's lounge room. They had both finished their lunches and were about to finish their drinks. He took a sip of his tea as Tattletale chugged down the rest of her coffee.

"You know caffeine is bad for you." Matthew commented.

"Not according to my powers it's not."

He leaned closer to her, "True or false, does coffee keep you shorter?"

"Nope. Just another urban myth."

He slumped back on his chair, "I should stop offering coffee to my enemies..."

She smiled, "let's try and keep focused here." She took out a pen and notepad, "I want you to start from the beginning."

Matthew chuckled at the sight of the notepad. So cliche, he thought to himself. Tattletale, however, was indifferent to his opinion. She knew that people were like webs of information. Everything connected to inside a person's mind. Sure, Matthew wasn't really a priority to her, but she still needed to record essentials of him for her theory to work.

He relaxed, then spoke, "it all started when I was six years old." Tattletale sighed, and already began rubbing the bridge on her nose. "I wanted a puppy when I was six, but my sister was allergic. So I got one anyway. Then her allergies kicked in and-"

She tossed a nugget at his face. "I'm serious," she interrupted. "Start at the beginning. The real beginning."

He sighed. "I don't see what you're trying to accomplish with this." He waved his hand off, "I feel fine. There's not much to fix beyond what the average non-cape needs to have fixed."

"I'll be the judge of that. But for this to work, I'll need to learn some things from you. So for both our sakes, please, elaborate."

Matthew was coming to realize that Tattletale's method of relieving stress involved finding work that distanced herself from her other responsibilities. He didn't mind it, but he was mindful that it was probably bad for her mental health. Then again, mental health was rarely a primary concern among capes.

"I'm guessing you already read my profile then?"

"I might've peaked at it."

"Hehe, pervert."

"Shut up."

Matthew smiled. He also didn't mind being her psychology project. Matthew's curiosity of what conclusions she would draw interested him in. His only caveat was that he saw himself as an uninteresting person. He preferred hearing her talk, rather than hearing himself talk.

"Alright," Matthew said, "I'm guessing you'd rather I skip the backstory, and go straight to what happened I left the hole?"

Tattletale nodded. Matthew then asked, "but first, can I ask what your trigger event was?" Matthew had a hard tendency of asking questions off from the top of his head.
​

"Um..." Tattletale scratched her cheek, "you can't just ask a cape what their trigger event was..."

He shrugged, "I know trigger events are supposed to be bad, but since you already know about me, I was curious to know what caused you to trigger."

"There are no boundaries for you, are there?"

"Not that I know of," he answered honestly.

She sighed, "I know for a lot of capes it doesn't matter, but it still matters to me. So I'd rather not go into detail about what happened." He nodded in agreement, his curiosity wasn't enough for him to pry her for information. She smiled. "Let's get back to the topic. What it was like after you were saved from the tinker?"

Matthew looked up, "What it was like? To be honest, I think re-adjusting was worse than being in the hole." Tattletale stared at him. "In the hole, I understood some things better than others. Coming out, I suddenly went from accepting that I was alone to pretending I wasn't alone."

He thought about it for a moment. He faced towards the window and closed his eyes to recollect how the transition had felt. "It was like I died and became a ghost... Have you ever been in a situation where the world felt less real than it did before? Like something really good or bad happened, and whatever happened next didn't matter in comparison to it?"

Tattletale didn't nod. Matthew continued. "After a few days in the hole, the strong feeling disappeared. Everything else seemed surreal compared to what I went through. The worst part about coming out from that, was pretending everything was alright. This is why I don't like people as much. I mean, I understand people, I've just learned to dislike them."

"Why?" Tattletale asked.

"Because I wasn't alright, but I still had to pretend I was alright." He leaned his head to the side. "Everyone seemed so far away. Like they were there, but not present. Maybe I'm not really the ghost, but everyone else looks like a ghost to me instead. Either way, I was out of place."

Strangely, changing his perception of the world into something negative had helped him survive. he pretended everyone else faked their own world the same way he did. Like masks were molded onto everyone's faces, except that masks were a part of people as opposed to disguises meant to hide something.

"Like everyone were wearing masks," Tattletale said quietly. Matthew nodded, concluding that Tattletale's deduction powers had nearly read his mind.

"And time made it worse." He continued. "Its wrong for people to cut others off. Its like blocking yourself out, and letting your heart rot away. Time moved on and I avoided the people around me. I crippled myself. It was like traveling deeper and deeper into a dark tunnel. I never realized the final destination was worse than leaving the tunnel."

"You..." She swallowed, like she didn't want to form the words.

"Fell into depression, almost committed suicide. Whatever you want to call it." Matthew said it smoothly, he had passed the point from when he didn't want to share. Speaking about it, not allowing it to be a dark blimp from his past, made the present seem less bleak for himself.

Tattletale's mood fell. She looked like she wanted to leave but couldn't ask. Matthew asked for her, "should I stop?"

"No," she said kindly. "You can finish."

Matthew nodded, "the irony, is the only thing that saved me from it was my last friend dying. I guess we were walking the same path, or at least drinking the same kind of poison. Its strange, seeing the world as a guy who wanted to die, and then seeing that mirror reflected onto someone else."

He took a deep breathe, "I know its wrong to say this, but him dying saved me. I gave up pretending people and the world needed to be a certain way. I know I'm still distant, but maybe that's not a bad thing. If the world is like a dream to me, I might as well enjoy it as a dream."

XXX

Tattletale took a long moment to dig into the topic.

Heart beat changed;

Self-blame.

Relaxed posture;

Closure.​

She wasn't sure what to say. She knew that her job was to make him pry open a can of worms to see how she could influence him, but she'd suddenly lost interest in it. "You..." She still had trouble forming her words.

"Yes." Matthew answered honestly.

Does not dwell.​

In a way, Matthew might've been more stable than she was. Tattletale shook her head to wake herself up. "Okay..." She rose up from her chair, "I think we're done here..."

"Sure." Matthew answered. Lisa did her best to avoid eye contact as she headed out the lounge.

Her head space suddenly felt distant. For a long time she looked for answers about how Reggie fell into that hole he'd dug himself into. She never considered that his suicide was more similar to a sickness. That it wasn't even his own fault, much less that it wasn't her own fault. She'd been desiring an answer for years, and one presented itself in the form of a stranger's experience.

Taking a deep breathe, and heading towards her room, she decided to take the rest of the day off. She hadn't spent time to herself in a very long time.

​

 

[Axle]

Wanted to get Matthew's background story out of the way, it sort of helps justify some of his behaviour. I guess I like to write when there are ups and downs in the story. I also rewrote these last two chapters a few times before I posted them, feedback is much appreciated.

 

[Addman]

[Deleted]

 

[Axle]

One hour after Wednesday's meeting.

"So basically... He's her boy toy?"

"That's what I said!" Aisha answered.

Alec crashed his car into another batch of police officers. Aisha mowed down the remaining officers with her automatic machine gun.

"And the weird part is he's a total loser. He has this stoned face to him all the time." Aisha's body moved as she ran away from gunfire.

Alec stayed behind to offer her covering fire. "Sounds like she knows how to picke'm." The two of them worked together to run away from the gun shooters while dropping grenades as they escaped. "Give me details. What's he like? Funny, creepy, weird, charming, or stupid?"

"Depending on who you ask, all of the above." Aisha hid behind a civilian's vehicle. Regent ran a different direction from her. The other officers chose to close in on Aisha. "Godamnit..." She said to the television screen, "This game is stupid."

"You did not just call GTA stupid!" Alec poked at Aisha's head. She squirmed away from him in response. "You just don't know how to play it."

Alec's avatar jumped on the vehicle across from her and began firing a hail of bullets towards Aisha's pursuers. In response, the remaining officers turned their fire towards him and quickly shot him down. "Godamnit..."

"Hate the player, not the game." Aisha commented while sticking her tongue out at him. Alec threw a pillow at her in response.

"Anyway," he put down his remote control and walked to his fridge. "You know what we gotta do right? We gotta play cupid on them."

"Sounds gay." Aisha commented.

"In normal cases, yeah, it's gay. But think about for a second." He offered a beer to Aisha, she shook her head in refusal. "If Lisa's distracted by some guy, she'll be less focused the rest of us. Which means, the rest of us can screw around." He smiled, "a little extra work for a lot more dozing off..."

XXX

Present.

Matthew returned to the base command center. Victor, Mitchel, and Colonel Sanders (his unofficial nickname), all received a message from their buzzers. Matthew looked at his own accordingly.

DAY OFF. GO HOME. - TATTLETALE​

Victor threw his arms in the air, "Yes!" He cheered, "Now I can pick up my son from preschool!"

Mitchel, a Caucasian man in his mid twenties, blonde haired and a foot shorter than all of them, immediately took out his cell phone and began texting away. "You seriously need a girlfriend," he commented. "You're 22 years old, and you're excited to go to preschool? Seriously man..."

Victor moon walked the rest of his way out the door. As he danced away he flung his middle fingers at Mitchel's direction. He sung the word, "fuck youuuuuu..."

Colonel Sanders (some of his colleagues had forgotten his real name), shook his head. "Welp, its a good thing we get paid salary." His words held a thin trace of an Australian accent. He was shorter than Matthew by two inches, but was much more robust due to his military experience. "By the way Matthew, there's a gift for you on the boss's desk."

Matthew looked at where he was referring to. A large gift basket poorly wrapped in plastic was sitting behind Tattletale's computer monitors. "The person who dropped it off said it passed clearance," Sanders commented, "its safe. Strange, but safe..."

Matthew walked over to it and picked up the note taped to the front. On it were words neatly written in cursive.

FROM TATTLETALE, TO MATTHEW
XOXOXOXOX​

"Hmmmm..." He unwrapped the plastic from the gift basket. Inside was wine, a large box of chocolate, colorful flowers, and fluffy pink handcuffs. He reached for the chocolate, "neat." He began eating them one by one, "you can take the handcuffs Mitchel, I know you're into that."

Without glancing away from his cell phone, he answered, "nah, I'm still recovering from the girl I dated from Toronto." He walked towards the exit, "some advice Matthew, never date a girl who pretends to be a cape when she's not."

Colonel shook his head. "Your generation is really hopeless." Colonel glanced at the gift basket again, "shit like that is why I'm glad I never had kids."

Matthew continued to eat the chocolates. These are really good, he thought to himself. "I'm pretty sure these aren't from Tattletale," he said. "Its unlike her."

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly." Colonel replied, "be sure to get rid of it before she comes back to work tomorrow." He headed out the door the same path his coworkers took.

Matthew picked up the gift basket and was ready to walk off. Suddenly, his legs began to feel heavier.

XXX

Wednesday Night.

"I'm wondering if we should add lubricant..." Regent questioned.

"Nah, it won't fit anyways" Aisha replied. She crudely taped the plastic around the basket, while leaving an opening to add last minute accessories. "I gotta say though, this is the lamest thing you've ever done, and you've done some pretty lame things. A gift basket with a fake note from Tattletale? Cheesy, and I doubt it'll work."

Regent began digging through his pantry, looking for something he'd stored away a long time ago. "Yeah, its lame. But its only lame to disguise the real present inside."

She tilted her head, "real present?"

He nodded, "think about it." Alec reached his arm behind the stockpile of foods, feeling around for the various contents inside. "How do people hook up nowadays? It sure as hell isn't through coffee dates."

Aisha thought about that for a moment, but wasn't sure how to respond. "I dunno, but it sure as hell isn't gift baskets either."

"Exactly." Regent began pulling out some cooking ingredients. One of the ingredients included a large box of chocolate mix. "The best way for a quick hook up, is with the help from some love drugs."

 

[NemoMarx]

Regent and Imp, nearly the best couple on Bet. (Sabah and Lily are the other ones, but we don't see enough to know how their relationship is.)

 

[Hampsterpig]

They just drugged Matthew, who resfuses to get high, partially in honor of his dead friends. Tattletale is going to be pissed...

 

[Axle]

Lisa laid back on her bed with headphones around her head. She needed this break. She still had responsibilities she needed to attend to, but a short escape from her life was something she was long overdue for. She'd spent a year wrapped around Coil's thumb, and hadn't laid in her bed peacefully since the day she robbed the bank with Taylor.

Taylor... Even relaxed, Lisa's mind still wondered towards the things that stressed her out the most. She had never imagined that a stranger would drive her into becoming a Brokton Bay crime lord.

Am I guilty? Tattletale asked herself. She was solely responsible for adding Taylor to the team. She'd ruined Taylor's chance of a bright future by dragging her into the underworld for shits and giggles. Lisa's betrayal of Coil was tightly tied with that fact that she didn't want Taylor to become another statistic like her brother was.

Reggie... Self-doubt clouded her whenever her mind headed towards that direction. It was like weights pulled down at her chest every time the name crossed her mind. She had technically moved on from it, or at least, had learned to stop thinking about it. But Taylor had brought back old insecurities in her that had made her act defiantly. She didn't regret any of the actions she'd done throughout her young lifespan, but she still wished she could've made better choices.

How does Matthew do it? He was open, unafraid to talk or think about touchy subjects. It was like a sort of self-therapy, Lisa realized. He preferred to look into the darkness of his own mind and heart, embrace it, and learn to live with it. He wasn't weighed down by his mistakes like she was. Lisa preferred to pretend her tragedies had never happened.

Unhealthy, she thought blandly to herself. But she'd never tried it before, so she might as well give it a chance.

She closed her eyes. She thought about all of the mistakes and self-doubts she'd ever accumulated throughout her lifetime. Coil. Brian. Rachel. Taylor. Amy. Reggie. Mom and Dad. She recoiled. The thoughts were beginning to pain her, but she was beginning to understand the necessity of it. She closed her eyes again, and began embracing the negative thoughts.

I've hurt people, and I need to live with it. No more pretending it never happened.

Her phone rang. She read the caller ID; Parian. "Yo," Lisa answered.

On the other line, Sabah let out a deep sigh. "Y'know..." She trailed off. "Being a villain... It was never on my to-do list... I had plans. I was going to college, I had career goals." She paused, reminiscing what those days were like. "Villainy, it was never on my list."

"Welcome to the club, sister."

Sabah sighed again, "so... I still have my doubts, y'know? I don't want to stay a villain if I don't have to."

"Wait, are you leaving?"

"No, no. I'm not leaving. I'm just saying..." She was doubtful, and unsure how to pick her words. "If I'm going to be villain, could you at least be professional about? Like, give me an upside on this line of business?"

"Um... Okay?"

Sabah took a deep breathe. "I headed to your office today. I figured I could use some more help with my territory, get some more guards and medics around me. I also wanted to chat with you, break into this 'being an Undersiders' thing. Maybe touch base after Skitter had left..." She paused, thinking more about how she could explain it.

"Sabah," Lisa cut her off. "What. Is. Wrong?"

Lisa could hear the pent up stress release on the other side of the line. "So I went to your command center, and I find one of your guards, high as fuck, singing on top of your desk."

Matthew.

Cannabis Chocolate.

Alec and Aisha.​

"Mother-"

XXX

Sabah had hoped to have a more rational conversation with Tattletale, but after five more minutes of Lisa's cursing, Sabah gave up on that and put her on mute. I'm guessing she'll be on her way soon.

The guard sheepishly passed his wine to Lily. Before he let go of it, he paused, and looked at her intensely in the eyes. "When I die, don't wrap me up like a burrito. I don't want to die a burrito."

Lily chuckled, "preach it brother."

"Lily," Sabah said, "Please try to be serious here. We need the Undersiders to respect us. Let's try be sober when Li-, I mean Tattletale gets here." Sabah reached for the wine in her hands, but Lily retracted away.

"Oiy," Lily protested, "I haven't had a drink since I joined the Undersiders, I deserve a break!"

"You're seventeen!"

"That's never stopped me before. Pass me a cup dude!"

"No," Matthew said firmly. "I don't trust teenagers drinking."

"See?" Sabah said

He shot a glare at Parian, "What the hell is wrong with you? I'm fucked up, people shouldn't to listen to me."

Lily held in her laughter,"Can you still pour me a cup?"

"Sure." Matthew answered meekly.

"No." Sabah interrupted. "Tattletale is on her way, we both need to be clear headed when we talk with her."

Lily waved her hands at her, "don't take them too seriously. You have to remember, they're teenagers too."

Matthew pointed a finger at Lily, "Your costume's a lot brighter than I remember." He looked down to his hand. "Oh my God, these are my hands." He pressed his palms against his face.

"Whatever he's on, I want it."

"Now's not the time!"

Lily sighed, "fine. Okay, I'll be serious." She settled the wine bottle on Tattletale's desk, "but I'm taking that home when we're done here."

Matthew let go of his face. "THE UNIVERSE, I GET IT!"

 

[NemoMarx]

Matthew let go of his face. "THE UNIVERSE, I GET IT!"

Click to shrink...

This is a very strong reaction, and I think he's going to be upset when he comes down.