Heroic Acts

Nine

Super he was, indeed. Of course, he was always like that. He grew up wanting to help others for the rest of his life. What could be better than guaranteeing someone happiness and safety? It's what he lived by, it's what he was taught.
His father wasn't necessarily the greatest man on the planet, in fact, he didn't even know him. He had walked out when he found out his girlfriend was pregnant, refusing to take care of the child that was Darien. However, like her son, his mother was strong, and managed to care for her baby on her own.

She was a very intellectual person, majoring in the sciences and dealing with big studies, one of them involving radioactive substances. As risky as it was, she continued her study through her pregnancy, and she learned just how risky it really had been when the odds were no longer in her favor.

An explosion occurred. A drop too many of an active chemical from one of her colleagues was enough to put them both in peril. Though they wore protective gear, the fumes of the air were too strong. They were both hospitalized immediately.

Miraculously, Darien's mother was unharmed, and neither was he. It wasn't until after birth that she discovered her son's power. Things had to stay on the down low, so she conditioned her son to learn to control his special abilities.

Once he learned that, he was raised to do good. He grew up a sweet kid, helping his friends in times of need, no matter how big or small the situation. Not once caring for himself, Darien longed for the happiness of those around him.
He was bullied a lot, especially about his sexuality, but he knew not to let the bad people get to him. He was so much smarter than that.
As he got older, he began his life of fighting crime. He had a costume to hide his identity, just like his idols in the comics. He started small, with bank robbers and thieves, and worked his way up into the more dangerous villains. He loved the happy looks on people's faces after he had done a good deed. Really, he had no one to thank but his mother. She was his hero, his inspiration.

"Darien, are you even listening?" Seth's voice uttered. Darien blushed pink.

"Uh, I'm sorry, I zoned out.. say again?"

"I said thank you, y'know, for letting me steal you and take you out."

"Oh, of course, Seth. Thank you for spoiling me with dinner," Darien said sweetly. It almost made Seth melt in his chair. Darien was so kind and adorable that it was disgusting.

"Don't get the wrong idea, it's not a date," Seth said defensively. Darien's eyes widened a little.

"I never said it was a date, silly," Darien fired back. Seth almost flushed red. Almost.

"Oh, well, good," Seth said calmly. He pushed his food around with his fork a little bit before eating again.

Darien just watched him. Why did he have such a desire to unlock everything about Seth? He seemed so vulnerable now, so.. defenseless. Maybe now was his chance to really meet his roommate. How much could he pry out of him before he turned back to his stubborn self, though?

Their server came by with the check. Seth insisted he paid in full.

The car ride was starting off much too silently for Darien's liking. Seth seemed off; then again, he seemed that way ever since he forced Darien out to dinner. That event in general was odd. Darien looked over to study Seth's face, which was focused on the dimly lit road ahead. Darien felt his own cheeks turn pink. Why?

"What made you want to be an actor?" he blurted out. Seth just watched the road in silence for another minute.

"I like to see what I can do with myself, I like to see who I can be," Seth said.

"But, who are you? Who are you when you aren't acting? That's what I really want to know," Darien said.

"I.. why are you asking me these dumb questions?" Seth said.

Careful, you're losing him, Darien thought.

"Just curious, really. I wanted to know more about you," Darien said.

"Why would you want to know more about me?"

"Well, we are friends, after all."

Seth sat quietly for a moment, his hands softly working with the steering wheel and his eyes gently lit by the street lights. He took a nice, long breath of air before exhaling.

"Yeah, friends," he said. The rest of the drive was silent. Darien didn't want to push his luck too much anymore for the time being, so he sat quietly, admiring his roommate in the passenger seat. He didn't know why he cared so much to know more. He didn't know why it was always on his mind. All he knew was that he wanted Seth to open up to him so he could look at who he really was.

The thought was beginning to bug him even more. As they parked at the school and made their way to their room, ways of convincing Seth to talk infested his brain.

"Where did you live before you came here?" Darien asked.

"I've lived in L.A. most of my life. This is my hometown," Seth explained.

"Do you like it here?"

"I do, I know it like the back of my hand."

"Do you remember a lot of your childhood?" Darien asked, then he began to wince as he realized Seth was hesitating.

"I didn't have much of a childhood," Seth said, more aggressively changing his clothes now that they were in their room. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry about it, Darien," Seth said and pulled his shirt off.

"Well can I ask-"

"No, Darien, stop."

"But I just-"

"Darien, please."

"Why did you cry on me that day?"