FuzionGuy

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No Ordinary Guy - Chapter Two

By FuzionGuy 8 Comments

Chapter Two - Hopelessly Devoted

New York City, April 1993

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Heralded by April showers, spring had been ushered in at last. The rain came thick and heavy, becoming a nuisance for the people of New York as they hurried from shelter to shelter, wielding make-shift magazine umbrellas or briefcase hats. Yet this torrential torment was absolutely necessary, as it was every year. Citizens rushed to and fro, complaining constantly about the horrid weather, ignoring the many blessings of such a season. Flowers blossomed in window sills; Central Park once more flourished into a green haven; Earth was filling up with beauty again, though the very rain responsible for such radiance was admonished as an unwelcome intruder. Akin to cursing a guest at a dinner party whilst simultaneously praising said guest's anonymous contribution, such was the attitude of New Yorkers to their weather.

The caterpillar must undergo the prison of a cocoon before gaining its wings. And now, at last, our heroic caterpillar had earned his wings.

Guy Geller's life had changed dramatically in only a few weeks, he had undergone a metamorphosis from a skinny, stuttering nerd, into a muscle-bound, confident young man. Throwing away his life to save the girl of his dreams from a malfunctioning fusion machine, Guy was rewarded with a new life. His entire physiology had been drastically altered, as the experimental attempt to spark a fusion reaction succeeded, transforming the teenager's body into a fusion reactor. With boundless energy, his body began to heal and grow, until the young man was the pinnacle of human potential... but it didn't stop there. His heart converted into a self-sustaining power source, Guy started to see even more changes, as he started expelling the excess energy in flashes of light, blasts of pure energy.

Soon enough, Guy was like a god. His strength seemed limitless; his skin impenetrable; he was even able to fly. Adopting an alternative identity as Giga-Guy, he became what he had always dreamed of: a superhero! Dedicating himself to the protection of others, Giga-Guy was the champion of New York. And, with his new-found powers, came the confidence to finally admit his feelings to the girl he loved...

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"I'm not looking forward to going back out there..." The windows of the restaurant were plastered in water. "Do you want dessert?"

"I like the rain." Stacy mused as she stared silently at the chaos outside for a moment, before turning to her date with a smirk: "But I like cake more."

The couple perused the menu for a while before settling on a shared chocolate sundae. Guy had wanted the cherry pie, but had bowed to the convincing counter-argument that a dessert without chocolate was really no dessert at all.

"Except donuts." Stacy explained once their order was taken. "And even then, chocolate is preferred."

"I'll have to make a note of that, for future reference."

"Oh! So confident already that there will be future dates, are we?" She giggled, leaning forwards on one arm, before her face suddenly turned serious as she gazed into the boy's eyes. "You've changed."

"Yeah, I've grown, you won't stop--"

"It's not that." Stacy interrupted, still staring directly at him with no expression. "Physically you've changed a lot, but you're still recognisable. It's your personality, the way you talk, the way you hold yourself... That's changed. You're less reliable than you used to be, always running away from danger, instead of headfirst into it... I'm not sure who you are. Not sure if you're the same Guy who would always be there to listen to me drone on about my dreams. Not sure if you're the same Guy who threw himself in harm's way to protect me. Are you, really?"

"Of course I am!" Guy exclaimed, though he was unable to break her poker face. "At least, underneath..." Breaking eye contact, he started to glance nervously around the room, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to explain himself. "Since the accident, I've gained a lot of confidence. I don't stutter anymore because I'm not worried about what people will think of me, I'm not afraid to show people what's inside anymore. Now, I finally have the courage to be this man, the man I've always wanted to be, but was always afraid of being. I finally have the courage to actually speak to you instead of just listening. I know I've been less reliable recently and I'm sorry, but I'm very... busy. I'm just glad that I finally-- what?"

Stacy was rolling her eyes with a look of exasperation on her face.

"Come on, I gave you the perfect opportunity to finally tell me the truth there!" She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. How do I put this... Guy, I know who you are. I'm not an idiot, I happen to be something of a genius. Did you seriously think I wouldn't notice, that your costume would be enough to disguise you? I mean, for crying out loud, you go by the name Giga-Guy!" Their sundae arrived, and Stacy began to help herself while the hero sat still, utterly speechless. "I mean, I'm not angry about it or anything, just thought you'd have told me about it by now, given how embarrassingly obvious it is. I get it, okay? You've been given an incredible gift and you have to use it to try and help people. I get that it has to be your priority and that sometimes you're going to have to bail on our plans because of your work. I'm not going to ask you to give it up." With a smile, she nudged the sundae across the table.

"I'm asking you to share the burden."

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An hour later...

"You waited." Guy looked surprised as he stepped out of the alleyway, clad once more in his civilian clothes.

"When you ran out of the restaurant the waitress thought you'd just broken up with me. So I may have just spent the past hour eating free muffins..." Stacy giggled as the rain trickled down her crimson locks. "How did it go?"

"It was... interesting. Turned out to be a little more complicated than just your average bank robbery, but I managed to sort it out in the end. It was really easy, actually, I mean the dude clearly had some kind of super strength, but it didn't really..." He stopped and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck again. "This is weird. Talking about it. I haven't talked to anyone about it before."

"It's okay." His date smiled sweetly, reaching out and grasping his hand. "Guy, I've known about all of this ever since the first time you bailed on me to go be a superhero. When you asked me out, I knew exactly what I was getting into. I'm okay with this. I want to help, if I can."

"Thanks." Guy managed a smile as he held back a tear, leaning in closer. "It's hard, you know? I thought this would be easy, and most of the time it is. Physically, I can handle anything anyone throws at me. But mentally? It drains you, makes you question why you even bother in the first place. I think... with you at my side, it'll be easier to take it."

"The world is heavy on my shoulders, but with you beside me... It feels a little lighter."

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The apartment, December 1996

"Don't you dare!"

Shattering as it collided with the back of his impenetrable head, the vase burst and the flowers within were scattered across the floor. Guy turned to face his wife, half of his body already out of the window. In his hurry, he hadn't even changed into his costume.

"You are not doing this again! You're not going back out there until this is settled!"

"Stacy, there are people out there who need my help, I need to do my job!" He bellowed in reply, stepping back inside to face her directly. He towered over her, though she did not move or allow her glare to waver. Christmas carols echoed outside, the chirpy voices of jubilant children acting as the ironic backing music to their row.

"Don't you dare. Don't you dare use them as an excuse again! How many times are we going to go through this charade, Guy? How many times are you going to run away from an argument because 'people need you'? Why didn't they need you earlier, when you were out getting drinks with the rest of your little gang?" Guy's muscles tensed, but Stacy continued, completely fearless despite the fact that she was screaming at a human bulldozer. "Well guess what, Mr. Geller? Tonight, I need you! What's more important to you? Your adoring public, or me?"

"I-- You! Of course it's you!" He replied, as if that were obvious, though he still remained close to the open window. "I'm just tired of going through this, tired of coming back home from a day of saving lives to get into another shouting match with you! You don't show me any respect! The people of this city, they worship me--"

"You want me to worship you?!" Stacy screamed hysterically, the ghost of an incredulous laugh upon her face as her eyes began to fill with tears of frustration. "I'm not your cheerleader or your groupie, I'm your wife! And I'm sorry, that after a hard day of being loved and applauded, that you have to come home to me, I really am. I mean, it's unfair for me to put any pressure on you when my life is so wonderful, right? I spend my days cooped up in this apartment or in the library, studying for a PhD in a field I'm unlikely to ever be employed in. No-one in my field takes me seriously, why would they? I'm married to Giga-Guy, I can't go anywhere without a posse of paparazzi on my tail!"

"Like my fame hasn't opened a few doors for you? All those modelling contracts you've been offered, the clothing lines, the TV jobs... People are throwing money at you and you won't take it!"

"For f*ck's sake Guy, I'm a scientist, not a performing monkey! I'm working towards my doctorate and, when I get it, I'd like to be judged on my academic merit, not how good I look in a bikini! I can't work a full-time job while I'm studying, and I'm not going to trade my dignity to make a living. You're my husband, you're supposed to provide for me!"

"I'm not sure whether you've noticed, but my line of work doesn't exactly pay well! What do you want me to do, get sponsored like some sort of race car? Cover my costume in slogans and brand names? What do you want me to do, Stace?"

"I want you to give it up!"

...

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"I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that you can't give it up, that the people need you, but you know that's not true. Things were different when you started, crime was rampant and you were the only one willing to stand in its way. Now this city has a whole team of like-minded people standing with you; you're not the only hero anymore. It's been nearly four years since you first put that costume on, you've done so much since then. Now it's time to step away and have a real life, Guy. All of your enemies are in jail, even Professor Phusion hasn't been seen in over a year... The Justice Brigade can handle things from here, they've been handling things for a long time. It's not about helping people anymore, it's about the fame, it's about the glory... Come back to the real world."

"I need you, Guy." Stacy coughed, tears trickling through her hair as she struggled to form a smile, her hand reaching down towards her belly.

"We need you."

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End of chapter two.

Comments and critique would be appreciated.

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No Ordinary Guy - An Origin Story

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