Nell avoided eye contact almost at once, and Derek behaved as if nothing had been said. He continued to root around in the boxes. The girl got up and sneaked off to her possessions. She wondered if it would be best to leave--Derek was in a creepy mood and she was afraid that he might go into a bad mood.
Once, last winter, she had seen The Afterdark in a bad mood. She'd listened to him tell a story about his fight against another person with superpowers. The fight had been bloody, brutal, and Derek had left the man looking like he'd been run over by a steamroller--it had barely been a fight, it was more of a slaughter. Derek wasn't just freakishly large, he was freakishly strong. He had always maintained that this was not a superpower, however, and that his monstrous size and proportionate strength were purely coincidental.
Nell never wanted to see him in a bad mood ever again.
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Derek let her use his bed again that night. He rested on a couch in the main area, but didn't sleep right away. Oddly enough, he was thinking about Nell Conrad and how he felt vastly superior to her.
He also thought about how much he enjoyed her company. And how the overall smell of his home became more feminine when she was present.
He wondered briefly what the age difference was between himself and Nell. He reasoned that it was eight years apart and eventually decided that a relationship wouldn't be too creepy, but then he changed his mind.
And then he fell asleep.
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Once, last winter, she had seen The Afterdark in a bad mood. She'd listened to him tell a story about his fight against another person with superpowers. The fight had been bloody, brutal, and Derek had left the man looking like he'd been run over by a steamroller--it had barely been a fight, it was more of a slaughter. Derek wasn't just freakishly large, he was freakishly strong. He had always maintained that this was not a superpower, however, and that his monstrous size and proportionate strength were purely coincidental.
Nell never wanted to see him in a bad mood ever again.
----------
Derek let her use his bed again that night. He rested on a couch in the main area, but didn't sleep right away. Oddly enough, he was thinking about Nell Conrad and how he felt vastly superior to her.
He also thought about how much he enjoyed her company. And how the overall smell of his home became more feminine when she was present.
He wondered briefly what the age difference was between himself and Nell. He reasoned that it was eight years apart and eventually decided that a relationship wouldn't be too creepy, but then he changed his mind.
And then he fell asleep.
----------
