Arch Frenemies

Part 67: The L Word

Galaxy Girl fiddled nervously with the red and black fabric of a skintight costume that in her opinion, was just a little too revealing. She watched as the twin speedsters glided across the room; only one word could describe their tango: FIERCE. 

If dad could see me now... he'd probably throw me in a holding cell with the rest of the ladies of the night. She gulped, thinking to herself, staring at her reflection in the free standing mirror, arms pressed tightly to her sides as she waited alone in the shadows at the bottom of the steps. 

Her stomach churned and twisted with nerves; there was a pained tightness in her chest, but she dared not allow it show. As the brother and sister finished another flawless routine, and took a bow, she forced herself to clap lightly at the near impeccable score of 29.9. Even if Toxic showed up, there was no way she felt they could beat that. The female dancer shot over an arrogant glare, aimed directly at the disguised hero, making her set her jaw tightly. 
It's a good thing I'm not here to beat them at ballroom dancing, just beat them. 

Next the German ambassadors took the floor. It was less two minutes till their turn, and Toxic had still not arrived. 
Galaxy Girl watched as the matching platinum blonde couple started to dance the most innocent Tango she had ever seen, it was so beautiful and sweet that it genuinely moved her, making her heart yearn for something she knew she couldn't understand. They appeared so unbothered by the competition as they stared lovingly at each other. They had gotten married only a couple years ago, and had a little platinum blonde toddler waiting for them back in Germany.
Franz and Mina could care less about the ego and politics of it all, they weren't here for any other reason than a shared love of the sport, and they almost glowed as they floated across the polished floor. Their pure love; it showed.   

She had spent an hour waiting for Toxic in the rehearsal room earlier, but he never did show. Even though she had no routine, and no Supervillain, she kept stupidly telling herself he'd be there soon. 
She knew he had too much at stake, and was never one to not finish something that he started. 
With a sigh, she finally understood why he did what he did. 

"You have to know this can't work. Me and you? A hero and a villain? Children of another set of arch rivals? Please, this makes Romeo and Juliet look like amateur hour." 
Fragments of the argument kept repeating themselves in the Hero's mind. Like that when she was 7 and Mastermind had trapped half the United States in a time loop. 

"If we succeed this mission and we can go back to our normal lives.... Nothing will have changed between us. You're still the hero in this story and I'm still the villain. We keep fighting. I continue trying to kill you, and you keep putting me in jail until one of us eventually kills the other."

He was right. They both had jobs to do, roles to fill and parents to please. It could only end horribly. Even if it meant lying to me to make me see. She gritted her teeth. Toxic didn't honestly believe that after a lifetime of nothing but the absolute truth, she wouldn't be able to see right through his first lie? 

He had given himself away with those last few words
"You didn't think I could actually love, did you?" 

That was a lie. Sure, the whole world might buy the whole emotionless robot thing that he's been marketing his whole life, but not her. Toxic loved a lot of things, he was more human than he knew, and she’d always seen right through that part of him. He loved his inventions, he loved 80's music and movies. Like most teenage boys, he loved fast cars, and chocolate, he loved being overly dramatic, he loved puns and though he'd swear otherwise, she knew that deep down, past all that resentment and anger, he loved his father. He can, and does love.  That was the thing though, nobody had ever brought the "L" word, and it had never even come up. He was just saying it to hurt her, to make her angry at him. He'd rather it be all his fault, for it to be physically impossible for them to be together. 

It had taken her a while to realize it though, she was in such a state of shock after the abruptness of the whole thing, because moment ago, they were laughing and excruciatingly happy, and the next moment, they weren't.
It had crushed her. Here she stood, hour’s layer and the pain in her heart still refused to go away. The tightness in her chest, mixed with the tightness of her dress, was a reminder of just how painful being human could be.
By appearing unattached, he was trying to spare her feelings, and both of their lives. 

It would be easier on her if his delicate temperament was the reason they stayed strictly coworkers than  to both go on pining after something they could never have. In a way, it was a form of kindness bestowed on her. She smiled slightly at the irony, only a Supervillain could show kindness by breaking someone's heart. 

Glancing around the room, she tried to discreetly search for potential bomb hiding spots, wondering where 'Quickstep and Cha-Cha' might have hidden it.

The lights dimmed and their names were called to the stage. The spotlight lit her up, and she gulped as several eyes bore into hers at once, watching her standing there all by herself, without her partner. Her cheeks burned red as a few muffled snickers erupted amongst the crowd. 

A warm, but gloved hand slipped into hers. 
"I'm here." 
Toxic whispered.

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A/N: Boom. It's been updated. Hope you guys enjoyed, and per usual, hope you vote and comment.
Thanks for all the love.
-QueenOfGeeks