25 years after Houston was destroyed in a brutal supervillain attack, Jay Martin is accepted into the Texan Hero Network. Tasked with this sacred duty, he takes on the alter ego of Quickwit and vows to always protect Neo Houston.
Unfortunately, desp...
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Or so Jay is told. Personally, he's a bit bad at romance. He's always been a bit too awkward, too nervous, and too dorky to go up and randomly ask someone out. It wasn't helped that he's pretty slow on the uptake when it comes to flirting. Taking everything at face value puts off a lot potential suitors, apparently.
And sure, he's technically had a boyfriend before Gannet, but that didn't end very well. Jay had been young and dumb, and so very willing to justify anything for love. That relationship taught him he needed to keep his common sense intact even when he was in a relationship. It was common sense you didn't treat people you love like that.
That's why this new thing with Gannet is making Jay nervous. It's all so exciting, new, and a little frightening. He has so many things he wants to do with Gannet, and so much that he wants to learn. In particular, after their encounter with Influentia, he has some questions. Luckily, today is his rate day off, and he's invited Gannet to spend it with him. It's the perfect time to settle some of his doubts and spend some time with his boyfriend.
Unfortunately, they can't go anywhere with lots of eyes. The public is aware of who Stygian really is now, so they have to keep a low profile. However, this does highlight a great opportunity to indulge Gannet's interest in plants. As such, they're currently on the road, driving out to the entrance of the Lonestar trail.
"So you made this just for me?" Gannet asks, looking down at the pamphlet. His fingers trace the black and white printed images of weeds and flowers.
"Yeah. When I was a heroscout we learned all about the different plants native to Texas. I thought you might be interested in a scavenger hunt..."
Gannet grins brightly, leaning over from his seat to hug Jay. "Of course! This is so sweet, it's going to be super fun."
"I know—put your seatbelt back on please."
Gannet giggles, snapping his seatbelt back into place. "It feels like we haven't actually got time to ourselves in eternity."
"Tell me about it. The Network slashed my off-time in half. When I'm not on duty I'm training with the team or doing their stupid testing."
"They're not—they're not hurting you are they?"
Jay curses his lack of foresight. He shouldn't have mentioned that. "No, look, I'm fine. It's just boring stuff like checking how fast I'm healing after a fight or taking samples from my chest. It doesn't hurt."
Red eyes shimmer intensely. "You'll tell me if they hurt you, right?"
"I will, I will. C'mon—don't go all villain right now. Let Gannet breathe a little, Stygian. I haven't seen your cute face without the mask in weeks."
Gannet's eyes fade back to brown as he grins. "You think my face is cute?"
