Chapter Text
Daylight was beginning to drain from the streets and alleyways, but the setting sun illuminated the Aegis building like a golden jewel. The open house was winding down but it wasn't over yet.
Sadie strode inside. She wore her best sundress, light brown with tiny pale yellow and orange flowers. She'd taken down her ponytail so her hair fell in golden-brown waves over her shoulders. She’d even worn the high-heeled sandals that Heather said made her legs look miles long.
Even so, Heather had told her she looked ridiculous. That she looked like some midwestern farm girl. That she needed to dress more sophisticated, or at least sluttier, to get a super to notice her. Especially one as handsome as The Tick, who could have any girl he wanted.
Sadie had told Heather to eat a dick, and Heather had disappeared in a huff. She'd be back before midnight. She always was, usually with harsh words and sometimes with worse. Sadie tried not to think about that.
For now, she tried to enjoy the confidence comfort lent.
The crowd was thin at this hour. Was her hero still here? A couple of supers were still out signing autographs. Bronze Star and that nipple guy. Sadie hugged herself and rubbed her bare arms. A laugh echoed around the room. Sadie turned around and saw him, The Tick, his head thrown back, his mouth wide open, roaring laughter. Arthur stood next to him, one hand grabbing his other elbow, smiling awkwardly.
The Tick. Six foot eight, blue armored exoskeleton. In the same room with her. She needed to get him alone, to confess her feelings, to let what would happen next happen. Butterflies floated in her stomach. Why was she so scared? He was her hero.
First things first. She had a photo for him to sign. She could do that. She could even introduce herself. He was so huge in person. It was like coming up close to a giraffe for the first time. Pictures couldn't convey the enormity, the sheer presence of such a creature. "Nice to meet you, Sadie, I'm the Giraffe!" she said.
"I think you have me mixed up with someone else, Miss Giraffe!" he said. "I'm The Tick!"
Was he teasing her? A black pit opened up below her. She wanted it to swallow her up.
"No, Tick,” Arthur said. “She means her name is Sadie."
"She called me Sadie, chum."
"She said the wrong words because she's nervous."
The Tick smiled at her. Oh...his smile was so charming! "No need to be nervous, Miss Giraffe. We're friendly superheroes."
Could this be going any worse? The lights flickered slightly. No one seemed to notice. “Excuse me,” she said, scurrying off. She didn’t step carefully enough and one of those damned slutty heels slid out from under her. Her ankle rolled and she fell to her knees. "Ow! God! Fuck!" she swore. She pulled the shoes off and tossed them weakly aside. Had her picture gotten bent in the fall? No, the envelope still lay flat.
"Are you all right?" the Tick said, looming over her. She looked right up into his face. Wow, his eyes were even bluer than his costume! He offered her one of his hands, and she took it. His glove was smooth, but more like cloth than leather. His grip was very strong and his hand was warm, even through the glove. He lifted her to her feet with no effort at all.
"Thank you," she said. Her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat. "Um, thank you, and also, for de-uh, defending. Um. The city."
"You're welcome!" The Tick said. His voice was so loud and masculine. Sadie cringed even as her heart did a flip-flop in her chest.
"I've been following you guys since the beginning.” She released his hand. He retained hers briefly, as though reluctant to let go. Heat crept up her cheeks.
She took the photo out of its envelope and held it up. It showed The Tick holding onto the rear end of a bus, keeping it from falling off an overpass. “See?”
"Neat!" Tick exclaimed. He took the photo. "Look, Arthur. It's from your hero debut!"
"Yeah," Arthur said. "I see that."
"My friend Heather was actually there, on the overpass. She took this picture." She sighed, gazing up at The Tick. "I'd give anything to have been there myself."
Arthur looked up from the picture. He smiled a knowing smile. "Why don't you sign this one yourself, Tick, since I'm not in it?"
"Okay! What should I write?
"Sadie, please, my name is Sadie."
Arthur spoke up, "How about, 'To Sadie, keep fighting the good fight, your friend, The Tick.'"
"That's a lot of words, chum."
"Just 'to Sadie, your friend, The Tick' is great,” Sadie said. “The picture sort of, um, speaks for itself."
"It does?" The Tick held the photo to his ear. "I don't hear anything."
Sadie giggled. The Tick had dad jokes? How old was he, anyway?
Arthur chuckled. “No, Tick, it’s an expression.”
“Ah! Then I will let the picture speak for me.” He wrote ‘To Sadie’ at the top, and ‘your friend, The Tick’ at the bottom.
Sadie barely held back a squee. The Tick was so good and kind! Maybe there was hope after all. She tucked the photo back in the envelope. “Thank you so much. You’re so awesome!” She tried to scurry off but had to limp slightly instead. She picked up her shoes and dumped them into the nearest trash can.