Nicholas D. Wolfwood

you’ll see the real me. And, trust me, you don’t want that.”

His eyes rested on her hands, head tilted down, dark bangs obscuring his face.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I don’t want it to end either. But…as stupid as this is gonna sound, I can’t stand the thought of you looking at me with anything but that hope in your eyes. And if you come with me now-

There it was. He saw it as he pulled her up to her feet. A reflection in her expression. If it wasn’t a mirror image of the hope twisted around knowledge of the truth in his own heart, he might have been able to brush it off. He reached for her other hand and held them both gently in front of him.-

[Stares.]

……………………

[Bursts into laughter!]

Oh my God! That’s goofy as hell!

Lay it on me, Ivy. I wanna know what the plants are joking about.

“All together, ‘Florecita’ means ‘Little Flower,’ with some fondness behind it. If that makes sense.”

He finished up his bowl of noodles. Then he abruptly stood and held his hand out to her.

“Anyway, no sense in lingerin’ here. You got me to where I needed to be. I can take it from here.”

she? She was more resilient, more focused on any ounce of joy she could squeeze out of the heartlessness of life.
His dark eyes widened. It felt like he’d swallowed a stone and it had just dropped mercilessly into his stomach.

“Uh. Yeah. It’s um…a term of endearment,” he confessed.-

At first he wasn’t sure how to respond. Her laughter, true laughter, in the face of whatever darkness they’d both experienced seemed bright and defiant. She could’ve become someone totally different. Someone as bitter as the man he tried to hide behind the sunglasses. But she wasn’t like him, was-

Oh yeah? What’s the best one you’ve ever heard?

Plants tell jokes? Are you serious?

Too bad! It’s dirty again now. Enjoy your extra chores.

road. But I should probably use your real name, right?

[He was strong to begin with since he’d been modified in a lab, but now the huge cross he carried over his shoulder felt even lighter.]

I was recruited into trouble sorta against my will. And it follows me everywhere.
Thanks, Feathers. I’ll send you some prayers while I’m on the-

Black and white photo of a kind looking older white man wearing glasses, gently holding a very brave looking tabby kitten up to the camera.

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this. Photo from my collection, 1949.

Alright, which one of you degenerates stole my whiskey? If you fess up, I promise I won’t be angry.

{{Hope your sister receives great care!

[Yanks him downward by the helmet and kicks him with force of a dump truck going full speed.]

Control? And talk? That’s…interesting! What do they say to you?

Two months.

[He considered this fact and seemed to be calculating something in his mind. He shifted on the couch, leaned his elbow on the armrest.]

Were you planning to move after that on purpose?

When he looked into her emerald eyes, he knew she’d seen the horrors of man just as he had. So he kept his tone low and casual, and a grin on his face.

“I’m not pretending, Florecita. I’m probably about as ok as you are.”

Their bowls clinked together. He slurped another long line of noodles.

His first instinct was to draw back and throw up his defenses. To default to the anger and bitterness that gnawed at his soul. But when his brown eyes flicked from her fingers at his wrist to her face, he couldn’t bring himself to lash out this time.-

[Is yeeted]

[He steps back to observe the way the little keychain settles amongst the fabric.]

Hey, that looks pretty damn good! Good call on the colors. Hmm…ambition and power, huh? I’d be interested in that. I’ve got some enemies that are near impossible to get rid of.

“Oh, well, hell. It’s easy. You just put your palms together like this and close your eyes.”

Demonstrates.

“And talk to ‘im. Whether He listens or not is up for debate.”

“I mean, everyone can. You don’t talk to Him?”

Huh. That’s what really matters. You get any cool powers?

[Tackles him again]

NO! NO! NO! NONONONO!

{{I just woke up like an hour ago. What year is it?!