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Everyone at the NSA was fascinated by the new hero. Even Frozone and Mr. Incredible orbited the newcomer with barely disguised excitement, taking him to their table and treating him to lunch. Gamma Jack didn't even bother to hide the tinge of displeasure on his face when he heard them talking about him.
"He's in law school," Mr. Incredible announced with too much enthusiasm, happy to have a personal detail about the new guy.
"Wow! He balances his role as a student and a superhero pretty well," his friend exclaimed. Gamma Jack excluded himself from the conversation, having nothing important to add. He couldn't say out loud that the sudden attention bothered him. Admitting it would be his social downfall.
"Look! Here he comes. Hey! Gazer, sit with us."
With theatrical and careful movements, the newcomer approached the table, his table, with a tray holding what looked like a salad and a piece of seasoned meat. Gazerbeam stood there until Mr. Incredible patted the seat next to him, and the newcomer settled between them.
He was wearing his super suit, with a pair of black straight-leg pants over it and a white bandage covering his head.
What an idiot, he thought, but he immersed himself in the banal conversation between his friends, letting himself be carried away by trivialities and gossip.
From that moment on, Gamma indulged in a strange routine of observation, listing the other man's flaws and calculating how long it would take for them to get bored and return to their usual scattered focus.
The bandage over his eyes only maintained the general excitement, keeping it out of Gamma Jack's reach. He couldn't fault the newcomer for his aura of mystery with the bandage over his eyes during moments when he wasn't wearing the visor. Obviously, mystery attracted the girls, much more than attractive faces and chiseled features.
Though he couldn't help the inner delight he felt upon seeing how unprotected Gazerbeam was as a superhero. He would leave off fighting villains to protect civilians, staying longer than necessary just to make sure they were okay. Gamma Jack didn't understand how the guy had climbed to be a super when his visor had been broken so easily that it nearly split his skull.
He wanted to laugh.
The group of villains that day was in an empty shopping mall, almost deserted due to the newcomer's eagerness to clear the area of civilians. It was a large group. Jack didn't care about the quantity, only the number of deaths that fell under his personal tally. He was sadistic, but at least not a hypocrite. And to be honest, he knew that having a team under his command put him at a disadvantage if he wanted to eliminate the robbers. Because, come on! They were miserable thieves; they didn't even need him there.
"Are you okay, Gazerbeam?!" Frozone snapped, struggling to keep the thieves at bay. His voice was full of worry. When Gamma Jack turned to look at the man in question, he found Gazerbeam trying, and failing, to hold his visor together. He didn't notice the guy approaching him with an axe in hand, ready to finish off the annoying super for good.
In an instant, he had his hand on the villain's shoulder, applying intolerable amounts of radiation until he dissolved. If it was in defense of a colleague, he could eliminate whomever he pleased.
"Hey! Be careful," he called out to the crouched Gazerbeam, who had given up on the object and was now covering his face with his hands.
Jack approached with the same care he reserved for rescuing women. When the other man heard him, he only backed away further and began to babble.
"I'm Gamma Jack, are you okay?" he announced loudly. But it seemed to make things worse, as the man only held his face more tightly with one hand while the other fumbled to find his utility belt.
He effortlessly led him to a small secluded area to deal with the problem his colleague was having. However, Gazerbeam pushed him away.
"No! I'm going to hurt you! Stay back."
Jack's patience was wearing thin. He took a firm hold of the other man's forearms and tried to pull them away from his face. Gazerbeam whimpered in distress and gave in to the force, but kept his eyes squeezed tightly shut.
He noticed a cut on the man's forehead, a not-very-deep gash that shone with the beads of blood beginning to appear. In addition, there were shards of his visor's crystal stuck to his face. And judging by their dispersion, Gamma Jack bet that at least one had gotten into his eye.
"Bandages... I need my bandages," he pleaded in a low, breathless voice. Gamma maintained his grip but glanced around until he found the utility belt. There was a large compartment, soft to the touch.
Without hesitation, he rummaged in the pocket, not caring about the surprised flinch Gazerbeam gave at the intrusion.
"Honey, I'm going to need you to open your eyes. You have crystal in them." Using his "voice for girls," Gamma leaned in to touch the other man's face, a move that caused the man to shiver at the cold touch of his gloves. A hot tear rolled down his cheek, and he began to shake his head.
"No... no, I'll hurt you. I burn."
An involuntary sigh escaped his lips.
"You won't hurt me, sweetie," he repeated.
"No... please, I don't want to..."
Gamma got fed up. He tightened his grip and, with a firm voice, tried again. He had an unrolled bandage in his hand, ready to place it over the other man's eyes.
"I'm pure radiation, sweetie. Open. Your. Eyes."
And when he did... Jack couldn't hide the surprise on his face.
The man's entire eyes were painted a faint red, not from irritation, but from his own power. The color faded as he opened them, revealing a pair of bright, tearful irises. Just as he'd guessed, there were bits of crystal on his eyelid and along his lash line. He had a reddish gaze, beautiful and full of emotions. Gazerbeam was... beautiful.
His eyes flickered, fighting the emergence of his power. It was curious to watch, mesmerizing. Thick black eyelashes fanned out, dispersing tears that looked more like vapor than water.
Gamma, with care, whispered, "You have to clean the crystals out, darling."
He waited for Gazerbeam to finish rubbing and shaking his head, then wrapped his head and eyes in a white bandage.
Gazerbeam looked downcast about his mediocre work.
He dusted himself off and got up carefully; Jack's grip never loosened.
"Are you okay, darling? Do you need help walking?"
And without waiting for an answer, he gently led him toward his team. With their arms linked, Gazerbeam felt safe.
"Hey! Everything okay, Gazer?" Mr. Incredible asked with genuine concern, taking big strides toward them. Gamma Jack was annoyed by the sudden worry, considering they had almost forgotten about both of them.
The thieves were wrapped in a block of ice, and in the distance, he heard police sirens. The mall was... partially a mess, with broken display windows and several bruised columns. Nothing important.
"Oh man, your visor," Frozone lamented from a distance. Gamma Jack didn't even need to look to see what he was pointing at.
"It's fine, I can make another one and improve it," Gazerbeam said, feeling Gamma's hand rest on his. A warmth ran through his stomach, nerves blossoming like daisies in his gut.
"Let Edna take care of it, man, don't worry."
"Yeah! You have a lot to... uh, study! Yeah, definitely study."
"That's it! Go and rest, we'll handle the report."
Gazerbeam blushed. Gamma looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He was an attractive man, a student and hero afraid of incinerating anyone with his eyes. Now he understood the others' interest in him.
Not Jack, of course. Ray needs radiation.