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you aren't a barista for more than a month before you have a favorite regular. well, regular is a bit of a stretch. you only see him a couple times a week at best, but he still captivates you each time. he's tall, charismatic, and handsome... even if his face is always covered in bruises. it's like every time this guy orders a latte you notice a new thing wrong with him. bandaged hands, black eyes, and small cuts are the norm for him. yet, he always manages a resilient smile and lighthearted quip. he acts as if nothing's wrong, even though he obviously must be getting into some rough stuff to look the way he does. still, you're grateful for times when the cafe isn't too busy and he chats with you for a little while. of course, he never tells you about his injuries, and you never ask. it's an unspoken rule between you two, even though you are dying of curiosity. instead, he rants about his mom, school, and new issues of the comics that you two read like you've been friends for years. he listens so earnestly, as if he's got no where else to be. he's never there for too long, but it leaves you thinking of him from when you starting turning the espresso machine on in the morning to when you're mopping floors at closing.
as you start walking home for the night, a new thought hits you. even though you two seemingly live in the same area, it seems like you never see him outside of work (as much as you want to). what you don't notice however, is the blue and yellow smudge high in the sky watching over you. the creepiness of the situation is not lost on him as he quietly hovers through the air. it makes mark feel a bit slimy, but he assures himself that it's just to make sure you get home safe. yeah, he knows where you live, but it's not like he'd do anything nefarious with that information. if anything, you should be glad that he's watching over you and not someone with worse intentions. he knows firsthand how unforgiving this city can be. he's doing it for you. someone like you deserves to be kept safe, even if you don't know it. it's definitely not a part of his savior fantasy.
and it's exactly what mark wants when the elephant attacks, this time on the same street as the cafe. you're giggling, replaying a joke mark had made in your earlier conversation, when an explosion slices through the normally quiet nighttime air. you flinch, the shaking ground unsteady beneath your feet. but fear not, dear reader, because invincible is here to save the day! in fact, when a table that the elephant threw is heading right towards you, it's invincible who swoops in and pulls you to safety. invincible's strong arms are almost unnaturally warm around you, akin to being swaddled in a (strangely familiar-smelling) blanket fresh out of the dryer. "you okay?" he asks, his voice full of concern. you almost gain the strength to answer before he sets you down. you watch in a bit of a daze as he takes down the elephant with seeming ease. it's only a few minutes later that the police arrive, and invincible takes the elephant into custody. but not before giving you that same geeky smile he flashes every time your hands meet on a warm cup. it isn't until that moment that your jaw drops for a second time.
it's as he shoots off into the night that you finally manage to slip a sound from your mouth. "oh."