What a journey, you thought, looking deep into the clear skies. Three years had passed since the day you were given great powers that turned you into an amazing superhero. By taking the words from your grandpa to heart, you stood up for justice and became the hero known to everyone today:
Astrodium-Man.
From day one, you’ve gone through numerous battles and done many good deeds. You’ve saved more than a hundred people from almost drowning in a sinking cruise ship, fought your first villain, who was a pretty tough one to beat but later you managed to subdue him. You successfully prevented a second nine eleven terrorist attack that almost took the lives of a thousand people, men, women, and children. But two of the biggest obstacles of your life were fighting villains worse than the ones you face; and keeping your secret identity hidden from the world. Your parents, your siblings, your friends, even your beloved girlfriend Aria.
Oh man, you thought, what am I gonna tell her if she ever learns the truth.
Not only will she know about your powers, but that you’re also a superhero! What do superheroes do anyways? What are they supposed to say to each other?
“Hey Aria, you can see ghosts right? Well, I have this ability too, and it makes me really strong!”
No, no! She can’t know—no one can know. If your enemies were to find out about those you care and treasure, they won’t rest until they get to you through them. Including Aria. Her death would be far too painful to bear.
You stopped at a bus stop and sighed heavily, leaning against the wall. The sun was setting over the horizon, painting everything in shades of gold. You closed your eyes and listened to the soft murmur of the city beneath the bright light. You opened one eye and looked around to make sure nobody was coming before quickly changing back into your normal clothes, walking away with heavy feet.
The bus stop was empty as you walked home. After all, it was nearly midnight. The streets were silent and dark save for the small, orange glow coming from the occasional streetlight. It was peaceful and calming, making you feel like you could sleep for the next decade.
“Ah-Ha! I was hoping I’d find you here!”
Your eyes shot wide recognizing the familiar voice. You turned to your shoulder and your heart dropped. It was Aria Blaze, your girlfriend. Her hair wrapped in twin tails behind her, giving off a very different vibe compared to your calm demeanor. She wore a pink tank top and shorts with black knee high boots. The outfit looked so simple, yet it brought attention to her body.
And your eyes kept flitting between Aria’s chest and legs.
She smirked mischievously “What, afraid that someone will catch your eye, or that I’m going to eat you whole?”
Oh no.
Aria walked closer, standing in front of you with her hands on her hips and a challenging look.
“Or is it that you’re secretly attracted to me?”
This wasn’t how the night was supposed to turn out. In fact, you weren’t supposed to find out about your abilities at all. And you certainly weren’t supposed to meet someone so beautiful after finding out about them. And you definitely weren’t supposed to fall in love with said person.
But here you were.
“I’m not…” you trailed off, trying to think of something to say.
“Come on, don’t lie to me.” Aria crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. Her eyes held an unimpressed look, almost daring you to admit to it.
“Okay fine. I guess you did catch my eye, but not because of that!” You blurted, your cheeks burning crimson. That came out way louder than you intended. Thankfully she didn’t seem to mind.
“Oh yeah? Then what are we waiting for?” Aria grabbed both of your hands in hers and pulled you towards the nearest alleyway. This time, you allowed yourself to smile. You never thought you’d ever go this far to meet anyone again, but here you are.
As you two walked down the darkened streets together, Aria’s hand felt warm in yours. You didn’t let go, nor did she pull away. Every once in a while you’d glance up at Aria, but most times your gaze was on the ground. You were just glad it wasn’t raining anymore.
Soon enough, you reached your destination. A dingy, rundown warehouse was located right across the street. It made sense, it housed your favorite superhero hideout. The building itself was dirty, covered in cobwebs, dust, and grime. There were various windows in every room, revealing a plethora of darkness inside. The floor creaked loudly when you stepped on it, echoing throughout the place. It always gave off a creepy vibe and the sound sent shivers down your spine.
It was strange, knowing this place used to belong to the villain you defeated three years ago. Sure , he may or may not have been dead now. But he still haunts your nightmares. It's not his ghostly presence you're scared of. It's him.
"Come on." Aria grabbed your wrist gently and led you to the entrance of the old warehouse. You knew exactly where you were going but you followed anyway.
But what you didn’t understand was why she brought you here. You cleared your throat and asked. “Um, Aria, why did you bring me here?”
She didn’t respond right away, instead continuing on ahead without saying a word. Eventually she stopped in front of a door and turned to you with a serious look on her face.
“Listen, I know you wanted to hang out with the boys, but we need to talk.”
The expression in her eyes told you everything you needed to know. No matter how much you wanted to protest against the plan, she wouldn’t listen. Not unless you complied and told her everything you learned. That meant revealing the truth about you and your powers. And not to mention telling her how you feel about her.
Aria turned and opened the door then headed inside. The lights flickered on and you blinked a couple of times. You took a quick glance at the inside of the room and noticed it was completely empty. As soon as you took a seat on the cold metal bench, Aria sat beside glancing at the floor.
Silence erodes through the room between the two. You opened your mouth as to say something but shut it quickly when Aria started.
“I know you’re Astrodium-Man.”
Her statement caught you by surprise. Had it not been for the sudden shift in the atmosphere and her tone of voice, you might not have heard properly. You swallowed hard, trying your best to keep your cool. “Wait, what?”
“I’ve known for months now. My mom mentioned it to me when she was talking about you having similar eye color to Astroduims. So don’t lie or play dumb with me, cuz that’s not gonna get you anywhere!”
“Aria I…” Your words drifted away in the wind. “I…” Your eyes slowly met her stare. “I can explain—“
“Explain what, huh? Why have you been hiding things from me? Why haven't you talked about anything with me for months? Or perhaps I should begin to ask you why you’ve spent half your life avoiding me?!”
At first, the anger inside of Aria surprised you. Your girlfriend’s voice rose and she clenched her fists tightly. She looked furious. It wasn’t often that she lost her composure like this. But deep down, you didn’t blame her either.
“Aria, please, just hear me out. Okay?”
Aria huffed, crossing her arms, glaring at the ground. She bit the side of her lip as she tried to contain herself.
You leaned forward grabbing hold of her hands with both of your own and placed a kiss onto her knuckles. “Please, believe me when I say this. I had no choice. If you know who I am as a hero then you have to understand that what I did was for your own safety; Astroduim-Man will always have enemies, and if my enemies found out about you… If you get hurt I can never forgive myself.”
Finally Aria looked up at you, her face softened. “Alright, alright.” She squeezed your hands letting out a sigh. “So, let me say something…this is all without context?”
“You want context..?”
“Yes! I want to know everything. From the beginning. Starting from the beginning…and ending with the end. Tell me everything that happened. Don’t leave out a single detail.” Aria’s demands, catching you off guard. You stared wide eyed at her, taken aback by her demand. She seemed determined though, and as stubborn as you. You would be lying if you said you weren’t slightly intimidated by her.
And so, you sat down with her and told her everything. You told her about the rocket crashing, accidentally slipping into a pool of biohazard waste and being rescued by some mysterious guy, and answered as many questions as she had. About the incident in Denduron City when you fought Gordan and his goons, and how you saved a little girl who was the first to call you her hero. You even went as far as describing your fight with Gordan’s gang of thugs, which was actually pretty interesting.
After telling your story, Aria sat there in silence. For several minutes, neither one of you spoke another word. Your stomach twisted with tension as you waited anxiously for her to make a comment. Anything, really. But none came. All she did was watch you, analyzing you carefully with those piercing purple eyes of hers.
“You really saved that kid, didn’t you?” she asked with a soft smile on her lips. She looked more relaxed now that she finally understood your reasons.
You nodded.
“Wow…I guess this explains everything, huh?” Aria’s gaze shifted around the room. After a few seconds she returned her attention back to you. “I gotta be honest…I don’t like it. The fact that you’ve been doing this for three years, and almost died like what, once or twice? What’s the point in it all if you potentially get yourself killed like you did two months ago?”
That was one of the biggest points on why you kept the secret from her for so long. You don't like the idea of getting hurt. Especially not when that someone you love is involved. The last thing you want is her worrying about you, when there's nothing she can do. Plus, you figured it was better to tell her when you knew for sure than later during an accident. And that definitely wasn’t an accident. That one almost cost you your arm, if only you hadn’t dodged fast enough. If it weren’t for your speed, you would surely be dead.
“I was once told by a wise elder that it is always best to take action when things are bad, rather than sit there and wait for the bad to come your way. Even if sometimes that means putting others before yourself. He also said that everyone around the world has a gift: Some are skills, others are talents, sometimes they’re given power. With either of these three gifts, there must come great responsibility. That is why I do this. The city and hometown needs Astrodium Man.”
Aria gazed at you intently with an unreadable expression. Her expression was one of disbelief as she stared at you. You stared back at her and continued.
“Astrodium Man isn’t just someone who wears a suit of armor and a cape. There’s more to Astroduim. He’s a symbol of Hope and justice and a force of goodness and light. Like I’ve established before, I’ll always be him. Not because I want to or am chosen by destiny, but because I have to. I chose this path for the sake of saving people, the city and the world.”
Aria still remained silent. She still didn’t speak. Her expression changed to one of contemplation. Her head lowered to the floor as she thought deeply about the situation. Then after a while, she lifted her gaze again, meeting yours.
“How long do you think this is gonna end, huh? That you think you’ll be able to just defeat the evil of ultimate power and evil will just disappear for good?” Aria crossed her arms leaning closer to you.
“No, that’s not the case, nor will it ever happen. You’re gonna kill youself doing this and I…” Aria paused, frowning. “I can’t lose you too. It’d be like losing Dad.” Her eyes softened again and you reached out, placing a hand over her cheek.
“Aria...I have to do this. This is who I am, and you’re not gonna lose me any time soon.”
She smiled weakly and looked at you for a while before she raised her gaze back at you. “You can’t promise that, idiot.”
You chuckled softly at her remark.
“But I can try.”
This brought out a small chuckle from Aria as well. “Idiot,” she repeated with fondness in her tone of voice. The two of you lean close as both her and your lips become one. You kissed her sweetly, savoring every second that the two of you were together. It had been a while since you last kissed her like this, and you both were feeling the effects of that. It didn’t last long however, when you both heard sirens wailing in the distance.
You and Aria whipped your heads at the direction of the noise, and upon spotting hearing them, you both turned towards each other. Aria smirked looking at you. “Looks like we won’t be able to finish our date after all. Go get ‘em, my hero.”
Your heart pounded against your chest as your cheeks flushed red. You nodded in reply as you grabbed your jacket from the couch, quickly put it on and rushed toward the door. Exiting out of the warehouse house, you kicked off into the air. Your cape billowing behind you as you headed for the sound of the sirens.
