“I wasn’t,” Zielinski said. “Or, I didn’t mean to. I’m waiting for one of my co-workers since he had too much to drink and I agreed to give him a ride home.”
“And you got a free breakup show for your trouble.”
“I’m sorry your relationship ended.”
Aiden shrugged. “No need to apologize. Breakups happen.”
“You don’t seem torn up about it.”
“Because I’m not. I like to have a good time. When the times are no longer good, I end it.”
“Hmm.”
Aiden felt the censure in that green gaze, the color somehow still clearly visible in the shadows where they stood. “Whatever. My life. My rules.” He looked out to the parking lot. Steve’s car was gone which meant he was free to go. “See you around, Beefcake.”
He started walking down the street to the crosswalk, headed to where he’d parked his bike when a furious yell came from the alley he’d passed.
“Stop! What are you-? No!Stop!”
Aiden didn’t have his mask or his sai, but he didn’t need either to fight if someone was being attacked. He turned back and ran around the corner in time to see a tall, heavy-set man dressed in a plain brown sweatshirt and cargo pants, with his hair covered by a gray skullie, backhanding one of their club’s cocktail servers across the face. The young man cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
“You’re gonna regret that,” Aiden snarled before he dropped his bag and charged forward. The guy spun around to face him, but Aiden was on him before he could get his guard up. He didn’t go for the obvious punch, instead he swooped in close and jumped up to hit him with a headbutt. The guy yelled out with his own cry of pain, a sound that was immensely satisfying to Aiden. But the mugger didn’t back down after the nose-crunching blow. He squared up, so Aiden got ready to fight.
∞ ∞ ∞
Mike stood outside in the warm late summer night, his ears buzzing as they adjusted to the absence of bass-heavy music thumping against his eardrums. His co-worker had been pretty green around the gills when he’d rushed to the bathroom, so he expected to be there waiting for a while. Running into Stardust again when he’d exited the club was unexpected. He looked different from the first two occasions he’d seen him. Gone were the tight pants and weapons of his superhero outfit and the makeup and exotic costumes from his time as Glimmer. Instead, he appeared relaxed and casual in sweats and sneakers. But his mood had taken on a hard edge, no doubt attributed to the breakup he’d witnessed. His unintentional role in the scene as an eavesdropper probably hadn’t helped. Realizing the situation must be awkward for the other man, Mike didn’t try to prolong their conversation. Besides, lap dance aside, they hardly knew one another.
Stardust walked off but barely thirty seconds after his departure, there was a cry of pain, followed almost immediately by sounds of a scuffle. Mike instinctively jumped into action and ran toward the fight. He might not be a superhero yet, but he wasn’t going to sit there and do nothing while someone was hurt.
He made his way around the side of the Flirtatious Fox to where the noises were coming from. A slim young man huddled on the dirty, uneven pavement, torn dollar bills scattered around his feet. He’d obviously been assaulted and mugged, but Stardust was there fighting off the assailant in the narrow space between two buildings. The dancer had the upper hand with swift punches and elbow strikes, until the attacker got in a punishing blow dead center on his chest and sent him stumbling back.
Without even thinking about it, Mike activated his power. Twin beams of bright green energy blasted from his eyes, knocking the assailant off his feet and throwing him back several paces before he could land another hit on Stardust. The beams also clipped the side of the building opposite, tearing loose a few bricks before Mike blinked and stopped the blast.
He rushed over to check on Stardust and the victim. “Are you guys okay?”
“I’m fine,” Stardust said. He kneeled down to help the other guy sit up. “How about you?”
Mike stayed alert while Stardust checked on the victim, who he recognized as the camouflage wearing cocktail server, in case the guy came in for another attack. But he was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, he’d done the smart thing and taken off when he realized the odds had turned against him.
The young man gingerly touched his bright red cheek. “Going to have to go heavy on the makeup to cover the bruise I’ll probably have, but I’m okay.” He started trying to gather the money at his feet but it was torn into so many tiny pieces, there was no way to salvage it. “Damnit! That guy yelled that I shouldn’t make money peddling sin and ripped up all my cash.” He flopped back to the ground in frustration. “An entire night’s tips. Gone.”
Stardust opened his backpack and pulled out a thick stack of bills folded and held together with a rubber band. Without a moment’s hesitation, he held the money out to the young man. “Here.”
“What?” The server slowly sat back up, his eyes wide. “I can’t take that. That’s your money and it’s way more than I made tonight.”
“Yes, you can. I know you’re new and you’re working your way up the ladder in the club. I remember those days and how tough they can be. Take it. And don’t worry about paying me back.” He took hold of the server’s hand and pressed the money to his palm.
After several seconds of prolonged silent shock, he finally let his fingers close over the money. “Thanks, Glimmer. This means a lot.”
“You’re welcome.”
They exchanged a hug, the blond’s face tucked into Stardust’s chest. When they parted, the guy smiled up at Mike.
“Thank you for helping too. A round of drinks on me next time you’re in the club.”
“No thanks necessary,” Mike said politely.
“We’ll watch you walk to your car,” Stardust said as he helped him to his feet.
