Everything's Super (On Temporary Hold)

Chapter 8 - "You have a kid?"

Awkward would feel like the incorrect word to use for how Taylor felt, after all, she knew Clint and they spent hours alone training together. But Taylor couldn't deny the reality of the situation, it felt awkward.

They were at Clint's family storage place, which they had converted into their abilities training center, and it was only the two of them. Dominic hadn't shown up yet. This could explain why the situation felt off, at this location, it was always the three of them. Only at the gym were Taylor and Clint ever alone in a room together.

But for some reason, Dominic wasn't showing up and there they sat on one of the mats, half angled towards each other and saying nothing.

Taylor twisted the cap of her bottle on and off, glancing at Clint. Their self-defense training session had been short, Clint still cautious about her head, but normal. That ease of trainer and trainee seemed to vanish when they found themselves alone in the storage place.

Taylor focused on the bottle, trying not to think about the last time they were alone there. But as thoughts had the habit of doing, that was exactly what she thought of. And the last time they'd been alone there had been the time Clint kissed her.

The only time Clint kissed her.

It had been so quick she hadn't gotten the chance to register what was happening. And since then...

Taylor met Clint's gaze. How did she say she wanted to change what she'd said to him about only being friends for a while? How did she make it clear that if he still had feelings for her, she would like him to act on them? This time would be better than last time.

Did she blurt it out? Was it even stupid to have these thoughts when they possibly had a dangerous situation to figure out with another super being in the city?

Dominic would tell her that her life needed to matter. That her secret life couldn't be the only life she focused on. She believed him, after all, he was the only other super she knew. But she still felt she failed miserably at knowing how to make that happen.

So far it was reading more, not staying out to extremely late hours of the night, and... She didn't know if there was a last part to the list which felt depressing to realize.

Not knowing whether having a boyfriend or even a single date would be the right way to go about getting more of a life, but knowing she needed to take some steps to having more of one, she decided to take a stride forward.

"What do you think about going to a-"

"Should we get started without-"

They spoke at the same time but instantly stopped and smiled at each other. Taylor motioned to Clint.

"What were you saying?" she asked, hoping her face wasn't blazing red.

As she was contemplating how to break out of the friend zone she'd created, Clint was thinking of training, not their last alone time in the storage area.

"I was going to say that maybe we should-" Clint cut himself off as Taylor's phone rang.

"It's Dominic," Taylor said. "Hey, where are you?"

"My house. Something came up. If you want to leave me out of training for today, you can. Or you can do it here."

Taylor looked at Clint for his response but realized one part of their training that day was working on talking to boys. Since she'd already failed beautifully with someone she already knew, she didn't think a session with only Clint coaching her would help.

"We'll come to you."

"Okay, see you in a literal minute."

The line went dead and Taylor looked to Clint. For a second, neither of them spoke.