Sidekicks

Chapter 13: Henry, Actually

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Fuse felt sweat run down his face as he struggled to hold himself up on the cables. His arms were shaking but he knew if he let go he wouldn't be able to pull himself back up and if he couldn't pull himself up, he'd asphyxiate and die.

He felt relief flood him when someone appeared in the doorway but felt it disappear again when he saw that it wasn't Ryan, but Kuma.

Fuse felt his face heat up and he strained to pull himself higher. How embarrassing. Hanging helplessly from the ceiling, his mask long gone. He closed his eyes and tugged on the cables, quickly sinking and opening his eyes again. But Kuma was gone from the doorway.

"Hey, wait!" Henry called. Kuma wasn't going to just leave him there,right?!

He heard a crash from somewhere along with racing footsteps before Kuma reappeared in the doorway, hefting a trashcan. He raced in, placing the can under Fuse, guiding his feet onto it. Fuse felt his whole body relax when he had something to put his feet on but winced when he put pressure on his legs. He ignored the pain and stood, figuring the burning in his legs was better than not breathing.

Kuma began digging through a cloth bag that had been hanging over his shoulder, holding up a rather large pair of bolt cutters. "If you think you're gonna fall, fall forward, okay? Grab me if you have to, got it?"

Fuse nodded. Kuma hefted the bolt cutters and quickly realized he wasn't tall enough to cut the cables. He planted a foot on the trashcan with Fuse. "I'm gonna borrow you for a second." Fuse was momentarily confused until Kuma wrapped an arm around his back, using Fuse to tug himself onto the trashcan.

Fuse watched intently as Kuma balanced next to him, raising the bolt cutters and snapping the cables holding his arm one by one. One arm came free and Fuse felt instant relief as he lowered it, feeling the blood run back down to his fingers. The second arm came free and Fuse felt a delirious happiness that nearly made him fall off the trashcan the two stood on. If Kuma hadn't grabbed him and held him up, he would've pitched right to the ground.

"I said fall forward," Kuma chastised, stepping down from the can, reaching out his hands for Fuse. "Come on; forward this time."

Fuse locked his hands on Kuma's shoulders and felt the tight grip on his arms. He stepped down slowly, wincing as he put pressure on a single leg. When he was finally on solid ground, he felt tears in his eyes and he wrapped Kuma in a hug, sobbing into his hair.

"It's okay, you're gonna be okay." Kuma ran a hand along his back and Fuse felt himself relax under the touch. "Let's sit down." Kuma pulled away and was going to help Fuse sit on the ground when he finally noticed the broken glass and water covering the floor. "What the hell...?"

"Don't ask," Fuse muttered, taking a shaky step forward, wincing after only one step.

His legs were shaking. His arms were pins and needles. His face was hot and his heart was beating.

How embarrassing. He was sidekick to the town's greatest villain and here he was with tears in his eyes, hardly able to stand. If only he had paid more attention. He would've noticed Kilowatt when she walked into the room. He could've saved himself the biting pain in his legs.

But that glass tube had stolen his full attention.

At least now it was broken.

Fuse tried to take another step, gasping at the pain that shot through his whole body.