Step. Shoulder tensed. Strike coming wide and low. Adjust spear. Impact. Manageable. Adjust. Thrust. Contact.

  “Point, Cunningham!” The judge called.

  Jeff stepped back, a grin on his face as he pulled his helmet up. His HEMA instructor did the same, only he was breathing heavily under his own protective helmet. Curtis was in his late thirties, but he was one of the best fighters among the group, and besting him with a spear was unheard of even for unseasoned members of the team.

  “Damn, son,” the man said. “You weren’t bad when you first walked in my door, but these last two months you’ve become a demon with a spear!”

  Jeff smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Yeah, he could mention how he had fought machine and mutant both alongside his team for the last month. How Nicole nearly put herself back in the hospital during the first training session after the battle with Bartran. Yet, he kept that to himself.

  His attention then turned across the hall to where Nicole danced around Devon’s sword and board. She was quick on her feet even without her transformation backing up her movements. He knew she did gymnastics, but that only explained part of how supple her movements could be. Devon strained to keep up, but he was managing it all the same. It was an impressive improvement compared to their first week practicing.

  They covered one another’s weaknesses, helped each other prevent bad habits from settling in. The other group caught his eye and he could only smile. Grace was a powerhouse, but Kayla was proving to be a quick study when it came to evasion and counters.

  Kayla had taken up staff fighting, using a stick the same length as her Ranger staff. It was unconventional, and it wasn’t like she could sling plants around without morphing, but he had noticed how every plant she touched seemed to shine just a bit brighter afterwards. Each of their weapons were on the nose, yet nobody had brought it up. If his peers figured it out, he wouldn’t lie to them, yet there was no reason to hand them the truth of it either.

  “I’ve been practicing, sir.”

  Curtis shook his head. “Whatever you say. That group you brought in are all monsters. I’d love to see you enter into some of the official tournaments.”

  “If only we had the time,” Jeff answered.

  A snort was Curt’s answer as he began to pull off his gear.

  Jeff moved off to the side, doing the same. He didn’t really need the gear unless they were fighting with live weapons, but that would only serve to broadcast his enhanced physiology. Nicole’s identity was already frayed even with the help of Xavier Sinclair and his team of doctors that had saved her life. Being beholden to some secret organization really didn’t sit well with him, especially with the knowledge that they knew who their entire team was under the helmets.

  Just as he was pulling his boots off, someone sat down beside him with a heavy sigh. He looked up, smiling at Kayla’s sweat matted face. Strands of hair stuck to her skin, and she was clearly flushed from exertion. She looked radiant as always, not that he was one to say that aloud. He didn’t want to appear forward, but he also knew he was bad at reading signals.

  “How’d it go?” Jeff asked.

  Kayla huffed, throwing a piece of gear aside. “You’ve fought Grace, you know how she is.”

  Glancing across the way, he could only smile as Nicole and Grace teased one another, helping their partner out of the bulky gear. They were adorable together and it made him wish he could have something half as cute as what they had found. On the other hand, their final team member sat alone, a consequence of his own choices.

  “Brutal. Hits like a truck?”

  Tracing a hand along her ribs, Kayla chuckled darkly. “I am so glad we heal faster. These bruises would suck otherwise.”

  “Sometimes it still takes too long,” he said casually.

  Watching a teammate nearly die still stuck with him, and knowing that she did it to protect them made it hurt all the more. It was why he was so dedicated to his training. He didn’t want to ever be the reason that one of his teammates got hurt ever again. Jeff knew that was naive, but he didn’t like being the weak link. He would strive ever onward, until his spear could protect everyone from whatever came their way.

  Kayla ran a hand through her hair to pull the matted strands away from her face, then smiled back at him. He could tell it was a little forced, especially with the way her eyes crinkled slightly. They had all learned to fake a smile, to put on an act for those around them when times were hard. He couldn’t exactly tell his friends in school that he was down because one of his teammates almost died fighting the closest thing to a god he had ever met.

  Jeff had tons of useless skills, all from one hyper-fixation or another. Magic tricks from when he was twelve and had watched this one VidTube creator explain all the tricks and how to do them. He knew the details of every steam train to ever run in the US. Hell, he’d placed third in the nationals for a damn card tournament!

  It was why he knew how to handle a spear, but only the basics.

  He regretted not giving that one his all from the beginning, it might have made a difference. Okay, he was likely deluding himself there. Bartran was someone who knew their own capabilities intimately, who had fought for a thousand lifetimes. A literal immortal.

  The Generals beneath him weren’t much different. Even Maraline had been enough to hold their entire team back while Guiana pushed Nicole to the brink, all to collect some form of data from the battle.

  Then again, Nicole had demonstrated that the Commander was no god, he could bleed, which meant he could die. Guiana fared better due to her speed and caution, but even she had taken a hit that saw her retreat. Next time they met, Jeff would see to it that the monsters would die, no matter the cost.

  A gentle nudge at his side had him look up, relaxing the fists he hadn’t realized were clenched tight enough that they could crumple steel.

  “Thinking heavy thoughts again?” Kayla asked.

  Was he really that easy to read? “Hard not to, given everything that happened. I felt so useless, still do if I’m being honest.”

  Kayla regarded him for a moment, her face completely placid and blank. She presented herself as a nature girl and a bit of an airhead, but he could tell it was a front. She wore a mask that wasn’t her helmet, just as he did.

  “We survived,” Kayla said softly. “Next time we’ll make sure tgose bastards regret it.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” he said with a mirthless chuckle. A heavy sigh followed as he leaned back. “How much longer do you think this reprieve will last?”

  “I’m honestly surprised it’s lasted as long as it has,” Kayla said. “It’s like this all over the planet too, not one Sylan attack since the battle.”

  It was almost enough to convince some that they might have won, but the ships in orbit hadn’t so much as shifted. The break was welcome, because they had a hell of an introduction to Ranger life compared to most teams. All because one of their Generals took an interest in their teammate. It would have been easy to just blame Nicole, but it wasn’t her fault at all.

  Truthfully, everyone was waiting for the shoe to drop, expecting something major to announce the return of the Sylan attacks. It was a combination of anticipation and dread that permeated every moment and only grew thicker with each passing day.

  Yet, they wouldn’t let it stop them from living.

  Packing his gear away, Jeff ran through his mental list of things that needed done before he went to bed. The new expansion was coming out soon, so he would need to go over the card list to prepare an updated deck for the upcoming tournament. That would probably take most of the evening if he was being honest with himself.

  That meant finishing the Lyger model kit would have to wait, unfortunately.

  He was just about to get up and head for his car when a firm hand came down on his shoulder. He blinked, surprised to see a pensive expression on Kayla’s face. She was even biting her lip as she looked away. He’d never seen her so nervous about something before and his mind raced to figure out what might have her so on edge.

  “I’m gonna go see a movie,” Kayla said softly. “Could you keep me company?”

  An explosive breath left his mouth as his shoulders slumped in relief. That was it? A movie? She was so nervous about asking if he wanted to see a movie with her? For a minute there he was afraid she was about to admit that Maraline had started visiting her in the night or something. Jeff hadn’t even realized how tense he was until she spoke the request.

  “I’d love to,” he said brightly. “Did you have your heart set on something, or do you want to wing it?”

  Kayla looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. “As long as it isn’t a Ranger based story, I think I’m burned out on those.”

  “Or superhero,” Jeff agreed with a chuckle. “Hits a bit too close to home lately.”

  Kayla snickered, dipping her head a bit as she covered her mouth. “No joke. Come on, there’s a place with heated recliners not far from here.”

  Jeff perked up. Sure, becoming a Ranger had helped with his intolerance of the cold, but he still didn’t like it in the slightest. Winter was creeping closer and he wasn’t looking forward to it, even if his skinny frame had bulked up a bit with some muscle.

  Stolen story; please report.

  A comfortable warmth settled beside him and he savored the human contact. Jeff had never gotten much in the way of touch based affection from his parents, and had no siblings or cousins, which meant this was something somewhat novel to him. Kayla pulled away a moment later, getting up to stretch. Like him, she hadn’t been all that muscular even after the Ranger enhancements, yet she’d begun to put on some definition as well. It was good to know that they could still improve, that they weren’t static.

  Not that any among them could really compete with the literal marble statue that was Nicole. At least the girl seemed to be owning it rather than letting it continue to shame her. He was proud of how far she had come in the weeks since they first met.

  Their final member stood alone, his gear already packed away and he happened to catch Jeff’s eyes. A flash of something passed through his eyes, then it was gone as the man nodded and headed for the front door.

  Just because he was cute didn’t mean he got a free pass.

  It was hard to feel sorry for the man, but he’d made a few poor choices in life. Still, if he was willing to put in the work to be a better person, who was he to hold it against him? People could change and grow and everyone making a genuine attempt at change deserved a chance to see it through.

  Kayla hopped to her feet, slinging a heavy bag over her shoulder as though it were weightless. That was another thing that was taking some time to adjust to, how simple and mundane things required conscious effort to hold back. It was why he had improved so much in his training, he could follow his instructor’s every move with minimal effort. It was an unfair advantage, and one that would teach him bad habits if he weren’t also training all out with his fellow Rangers at every opportunity.

  Outside, Jeff caught sight of Devon talking with someone in a Jeep, then blinked in surprise when he realized it was Anita. He didn’t seem happy about it, but seemed to accept whatever she offered and hopped in with her. Not far away, and completely oblivious to that exchange, Grace hopped on a motorcycle behind Nicole, gripping her tightly. Behind him, Kayla giggled then nudged his side with a mischievous smirk as the motorcycle hummed to life. Then his fellow Ranger cupped her hands over her mouth.

  “Aww, look who’s riding bitch,” Kayla teased.

  Grace flipped Kayla off even as Nicole started laughing. Grace smacked Nicole’s shoulder playfully and the pair departed on the bike leaving them alone in the parking lot. Jeff envied them a bit for how easily they interacted with one another. Granted, Kayla had needed to hit them with a clue by four to get them over that hump.

  “They seem comfortable with one another,” Jeff said with a smile. “A far cry from the two dense idiots at the food court.”

  Kayla snorted. “Yeah, they were kinda hopeless back then. Almost as bad as someone else lately.”

  Jeff blinked, tilting his head. “Oh? Some gossip I’m not aware of?”

  “You’ll figure it out eventually,” Kayla said, patting Jeff on the back. “Now, we had best hurry before we get stuck watching a shitty movie or something.”

  Laughing, he shook his head. “Truly a horrid fate. Very well, lead the way.”

  Kayla shook her head and led him to her van, not that he needed the help given they had carpooled. They had been spending a lot of time together since the battle, helping one another however they could. He was glad they could be friends.

  Once again, perky pony songs dominated their adventure, the pair singing along with wide smiles and barely suppressed giggles. It felt strange to him to not be judged for his appreciation of wholesome kids shows, but Kayla wasn’t like that. She only judged people by the content of their character, not for what they happened to enjoy.

  Well, mostly. She did have an issue with people that liked certain factions of a tabletop game he wasn’t too familiar with. She hadn’t gone into detail, but it didn’t surprise him that some people couldn’t understand satire and took it literally.

  Five songs in and they were already pulling up to the theater, which was entirely too soon for his tastes, but they could always sing more on their way back. Kayla needed help setting up her new appliances that had been delivered earlier in the day and he had offered without hesitation. Anything for his friends.

  He had only been there once, along with the rest of the team, while they had a meeting during Nicole’s recovery. Standing in an empty living room was a bit much, and learning that Kayla had lived out of her backpack for the past four years made a lot of sense in retrospect.

  Prying would be rude, so he simply let it be. Kayla would open up when she felt ready and he was a patient man. Stepping up to the list of showings, he looked everything over and came away mildly disappointed with the selection. Two Ranger movies, one of which was filmed using actual Rangers for the transformed sequences. It was interesting the first time, but this was their eighth movie in three years.

  Two romcoms, a movie about street racing, a remake that would never live up to the original, a giant monster movie, and… Oh, that was just perfect.

  He was grinning when he turned to face Kayla, who was still frowning at the list and clearly hadn’t spotted the movie that had him almost giddy. So, he nudged her, getting a bit of a glare at first before she caught sight of what he was pointing at.

  “Oh hell yes,” Kayla said. “I didn’t know it was still in theaters!”

  “Looks like it might be a late run,” Jeff said.

  He was fairly certain the movie was on streaming and coming to physical media soon, which meant it should also be a cheaper showing. With Kayla in agreement, he punched the code into the kiosk and sure enough the theater was completely empty despite the show starting in ten minutes. The best seats were picked, popcorn and soda was acquired, and they settled in for what should be two hours of hilarious hijinks involving adorable ponies.

  “That last scene was adorable,” Kayla gushed as they rode the elevator up to her floor.

  Jeff was still grinning, even if it wasn’t the first time he had seen the movie, it was the first time they had seen it together. He loved that they had a shared fandom they could mutually gush over and a part of him wished they had gone further down the rabbit hole the first time it came up, but Devon’s near fatal foot in mouth had derailed the conversation.

  “I’m glad they didn’t go with the traditional ‘friendship always wins’ plot device to pull it off,” Jeff agreed.

  “They save that for the episodes,” Kayla said, opening her apartment. “Anyway, the stove still needs to be hooked up, and I think I got the right plug for it…”

  Jeff stepped inside behind her and grinned at the sight. The couch was freshly delivered, and the furniture place was nice enough to assemble it for her, but the hardware store hadn’t been as nice. The stove stood in the middle of the kitchenette still in its box along with a fridge. The minifridge she was using up till now would be relegated to the bedroom or something.

  “Already looking more like a home,” Jeff said approvingly.

  Kayla set her bags aside, the thump betraying how heavy they actually were. She didn’t need his help for the muscle, she could probably bench the stove and fridge at the same time with ease. No, she only needed help because she’d never had to deal with setting up appliances before.

  He knew she was a bit sheltered, but he didn’t know her exact experiences growing up. The place would need more personal touches, but that could come with time. Just knowing she chose to stay when she preferred traveling filled him with warmth.

  “Computer, run my ‘Friendship is Mystical’ playlist.”

  A bright and familiar song came across the speaker tucked in the corner of the room and he could only grin as they both began to mouth the lyrics along with the tune. He still couldn’t believe he met friends that wouldn’t ridicule him for his ‘childish’ interests.

  “Sorry to ask all this,” Kayla said, gesturing at the appliances. “I’d just rather not pay more strangers to do shit I should be able to do myself.”

  As he moved to unbox the stove, he waved off her concerns. “Hey, anything for a friend.”

  “Anything, huh?” Kayla asked, a mischievous smirk forming. “I do have this pesky body I need hidden…”

  “If you give me a compelling enough reason,” Jeff said with a shrug. “I ain’t no snitch.”

  Kayla elbowed him, grinning wide as she did. “See, I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

  Warmth filled his chest at how sincerely she had said those words, they made him want to grab her in a tight hug and spin her around. He didn’t, of course, doing so without asking would be far too impolite. He knew full well how most women felt about unsolicited physical contact from men and would never cross that boundary without an invitation.

  Heh, he was almost like a vampire in that regard, only for hugs instead of blood.

  Setting up the stove doesn’t take terribly long, and Kayla had indeed picked out the right plug attachment for the stove. The fridge went even quicker, and soon enough the kitchen actually resembles a space where a meal might be cooked rather than simply set down momentarily after a delivery.

  He would need to make a grocery run so he could cook a proper meal and break the new stove in properly. Kayla deserved to have a home cooked meal once in a while rather than something delivered by an app or heated in a… Wait, there wasn’t a microwave anywhere to be seen either.

  Actually, that made sense given the lack of a large enough freezer, but it did call into question how she was eating without any storage. Was she really eating out for every single meal in her life? Hell, there wasn’t even a coffee pot either. With dread he moved to check the cabinets, and found them completely devoid save for a pack of paper plates and a box of assorted plastic silverware.

  Oh, this would not stand.

  “Don’t,” Kayla said almost the same moment the thought crossed his mind. “Look, I get that you want me to have all the comforts of home…”

  The way she said it carried so much pain, bringing Jeff up short. Just what had she endured that brought such feelings to the surface like that? He didn’t know, but it made him want to comfort her all the more.

  “I’m sorry if I stepped on something uncomfortable,” Jeff said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “I know you didn’t,” Kayla said with an explosive sigh. “My parents weren’t the nicest of people. I’m from a racist shithole of a city on Florida’s west coast. Let’s just say my parents didn’t take me claiming to be bi so I could stand up for my best friend all that well.”

  It was as though his heart twisted in his chest. How anyone who brought a child into the world could hold something they were born as against them was anathema to him. His own parents raised him to know that he never needed to come out to them, they would always accept him no matter if he was straight, gay, trans, or nonbinary. It didn’t matter, they just wanted him to be happy.

  Kayla hadn’t gotten that kind of support when it counted, and it burned. He wanted nothing more than to find her parents and give them a good tongue lashing about what it meant to care for a child. He’d never been what might be called a traditional ‘masculine’ man, what with his tall and thin frame, but now he was a Ranger, and was putting on muscle besides. He could probably fake a fair bit of intimidation if he wanted to.

  “Well, you’re safe here,” Jeff said with conviction. “If you ever feel threatened by them, all you have to do is call.”

  It wasn’t just him, he knew that Nicole and Grace would be right there beside them if Kayla’s parents ever tried to be pricks again. Just as he would be there if Grace ever needed to confront her own. He didn’t have the full story, but he expected it to be similar enough to Kayla’s given he’d heard it from far too many women online.

  A painful sigh followed as Kayla stepped close, wrapping him in a comforting hug. He relished the warmth, returning the gesture happily. Kayla laughed softly at the probably a bit too enthusiastic response, but he was just happy that she trusted him enough to hug him.

  “Jeff, you are far too sweet for your own good.”

  Before he could process what she meant by that, Kayla’s face moved close to his own, looking up into his eyes with an expression he couldn’t quite place. She paused there as if expecting something yet he couldn’t quite figure out what it might be.

  “Far too sweet,” Kayla said with a slight smile. “Kiss me, you noble fool.”

  His eyes shot open wide in understanding then nodded mutely. He barely had a moment before her warm lips pressed against his own.

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