Pretend To Be Nice (2)

Science! Girl & Chained Lightning #2: Apologies, revenge, you know, the usual.

Science! Girl & Chained Lightning is a spinoff of Radiance; both stories take place around 2013 in a world where atypical abilities have become increasingly common, with the storyline following a group of minor-league superheroes based in Washington, DC. This one is all about belligerent not-quite-a-couple Dr. Marissa Cotlin and her favorite test subject Baz Grimes, who clearly adore each other but keep finding new and interesting ways to avoid getting the point across.

Previously, a cascade of willful misunderstandings and a little static electricity blew up what should have been a perfectly good confession. This time, Sebastian tries a different tack.

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What the hell, man. You used to be good at this.

Sebastian put his keys away and started to punch in the secondary security code for the labs’ back door. Yeah, sure he had—before frying most of his nervous system on a hot line in a rural Afghani power station, brain first. There wasn’t much left of that old self, except for the memories and a familiar voice in the back of his head, whining about the bitch-ass wet blanket who was in charge now. Real fun guy. If he’d always been that unbearable, no wonder he’d had to get good at convincing girls to overlook his personality.

Well, he’d bet money that the old Baz would’ve struck out with Marissa too. It would’ve been hilarious. She looked like an easy win, but she would have put that kid’s ego through a shredder before he finished asking to buy her a drink. Even now, she scared the hell out of him sometimes. He’d been saying so for years, but always with the punchline that her distracted nature was going to get them blown up one of these days. What he would never have admitted, because he got enough crap for it from himself, was that what really scared him was the possibility of her rejection.

Honestly, he didn’t even like to think about that. Rissa was moody, lippy, stubborn, hotheaded, disrespectful, and generally difficult. Also, somehow, she was everything. He would kill and die to keep her safe, no matter how much she resented it. Anywhere. Anytime. That was non-negotiable.

Everything else, though? Very flexible. So, as much as he wanted to shake her for keeping her secrets, there would always be a way around that. He wasn’t that thick—he knew she liked him, and he could see there was something getting in the way. He’d just thought he had fixed it. Apparently he hadn’t, but that was all right. She’d given him just enough information to regroup and try again.

Baz opened the break room door and sauntered in without being particularly careful about it. This was a trap, of course—as if he would have been fooled for a moment once Christabel, the perfect vector for an “accidental” leak, innocently mentioned the “backup snacks” in an otherwise unused freezer. The only pinch was that it had been a month since then, so Marissa might have given up in the meantime. A quick once-over, picking up unexpected electrical activity near the fridge, told him she hadn’t. He pushed the dangling half of her motion-detector system back into place, and proceeded to take out the pizza rolls and shake the bag’s contents into the toaster oven tray like he didn’t have a care in the world.

If Marissa preferred the way things were before he started trying to be nice to her—when he was being that obnoxious bastard who stole her food, changed all her ringtones, and started a two-week-long parking-lot Nerf war, but only after bribing “Hawkeye” Lewis to join her team and then defect during a critical skirmish…if that was really what she wanted from him, well, come and get it. And good luck getting any mercy this time.

It was just about two in the morning, now, and Sebastian hadn’t expected to hear anything about this until tomorrow. Maybe an aggrieved text message if the alert woke Marissa up at home and she already knew who Christa had talked to. The door slammed open instead, straight into the opposing wall, and wasn’t she lucky that the enhanced reflexes ran faster than the instinctive reactions did.

“You,” she snarled.

Baz casually quirked an eyebrow to buy himself a second of recovery. Marissa tripped whatever was broken in him that made him want to run toward danger, and he’d almost forgotten that it was how she’d got him in the first place. Besides, it had only been a few days, but it was good to see her again. “Yeah, every day of the week…are you sleepin’ here?”

“Are you eating my pizza rolls?” she countered.

“I asked first,” he said.

Marissa waved a hand at her fuzzy pajama pants and oversized hoodie. “Well, what’s it look like?”

Like I should just scoop you up and take you home with me, where you belong. “Rissa, you are feral, you know that?” He pointed to the still-running oven. “And same to you.”

She grumbled something into her hands and pulled them back through her hair. “I don’t believe this.”

Sebastian shrugged, not bothering to filter his smirk at all. “Hey, you said—”

“Don't tell me what I said. I don’t need anything else to regret.”

“Drama queen,” he said, because he could see where this was going if he didn't deflect her.

“Oh, I’m a drama queen!” Marissa gave one last groan of irritation and came in, leaning against the counter. “Never mind. There’s no talking to you. Are you at least going to share?”

“If you’re stayin’, sure,” he said.

She seemed to consider this a moment, pressing her lips together into a long drooping line as her eyes drifted across him. It had taken some trial and error to optimize his appearance based on her attention, but he figured she had earned it. If she ever figured out how to do the same thing, he’d be sunk, of course, but he didn’t think she had the observational skills. He would’ve gotten cussed out by now for staring at her ass if she did. “Sure,” she said. “I’m going down to the Coke machine, though. I think there’s some of the caffeine-free stuff left. D’you want anything?”

“Yeah, anything’s fine.”

“Really?” Marissa looked hard at him again, and he remembered that it was two in the morning and he was dressed for the day already. That probably explained the long look. “Were you planning to sleep?”

“Meh, I got my four hours. That’s all I usually need, ever since…”

“Since?” she said, eyes narrowing.

“Uh…Formula 85. June, I guess.” A classic trap. He’d got distracted thinking about that one pair of skinny jeans and forgotten all about keeping his improved sleep efficiency off the side-effect report, in case they tried to fix it. Shit. Well played.

“Well. That would’ve been nice to know in June.” For a moment, Baz thought he’d ticked her off so badly that this was going to be a bust after all, but she looked away again and pulled her ponytail over her shoulder to try to get her fingers through a tangle. “So is this what you’ve been doing with the extra time? Making a secret nuisance of yourself?”

“No…I mean, not all of it,” he said. “Mostly it’s Chained Lightnin’ stuff. Nobody else can handle the night shifts for too long.”

Marissa still looked suspicious. Sebastian wondered how close she was to figuring out that there would have been no Chained Lightning without something he’d been grateful to see evaporate along with the need for normal sleep: the nightmares. He had put up with them for a long time, not even bothering to darken the box on the paint-by-numbers VA psych eval, until suddenly it was her there dying. Avoiding seeing that meant avoiding sleep. Trying to fill his nights otherwise meant he started to notice just how dangerous it was out there. Hanging out on the roof kept the anxiety for Marissa’s safety down to a dim murmur. Then, that sneering inner voice switched sides and began badgering him about what he thought he was doing, letting his fear call the shots and trying to get rid of the only thing that would let him defend her effectively.

“Well,” Marissa said, folding her arms under her chest, “you still contaminated my data. You can go buy my drink.”

It took a little effort not to just give her the loopy grin he wanted to, because apparently she didn’t like that, but he managed. When he got back, she hadn’t moved, but was looking across the room in an unfocused way while picking at a thread on her sleeve cuff. Talking to her had never felt so much like trying to defuse something that was doing its best to blow up in his face anyway, but here he was. “I guess you want me to apologize, huh?” Baz said, putting the can down next to her.

“People usually do. But I don’t think you’re sorry.” She popped the drink open and turned to look at him over the top. “Seriously, was that all you?”

“Most of it,” he said. “I got Jake’s help with a couple of ’em, ’cause I thought you were onto me.” The kid had been annoying about it—about the whole thing, really—but he probably deserved the flack. It had just been too perfect, the opportunity to get himself an alibi in exchange for not telling Christabel about her brother trying to sleep around.

Marissa shook her head. “You were on the list, but not too far up. I didn’t think you had the long game in you.”

“Ouch, thanks.” The oven dinged cheerfully, and he waved her back so he could pull the food out. “In my defense, y’know, it wasn’t supposed to be a game.”

“Oh?”

“Nope.” Sebastian paused to balance Marissa’s skeptical look against the possibility that he was about to cut the wrong wire. “I’d been there all night, and I was hungry. You had five boxes, remember? I didn’t think you’d miss one, especially after those mooks turned up and started trashin’ the place the minute I left. I had no idea you were gonna go count them. But, uh…after that, yeah, sorry. It was funny as hell.”

She was quiet for a minute, like she was waiting for him to say something else. “You never mentioned you’d been there,” she said.

He shrugged slightly. “I don’t tell you everything. Especially if you’re just gonna get pissy about me tryin’ to help.”

Marissa flicked a roll to test the temperature before picking it up. “I’m sorry,” she said, not looking over. “That was stupid of me.”

“I wasn’t gonna say it…”

She smacked him reflexively on the arm, and Baz pretended to flinch because it amused her to think she could hurt him. See, this wasn’t so bad. They were halfway back to normal already, as long as he didn’t screw it up again.

“You realize I can’t just let this slide, though, right?” she asked.

He just shrugged again. If she had one real flaw, it was that Marissa seemed to have some personal grudge against gaps in conversation.

“I guess you can get off easy for now, though,” she added. “I’ll have to figure out something when I get back.”

That sounded familiar, but Sebastian wasn’t entirely sure what she meant. “From…?”

“Houston? Sorry, I thought you knew. My sister Morgan’s getting married next weekend, so I kind of have to go.”

He nodded vaguely, trying to remember what he knew about the area. Not much. All the big cities had supervillain problems, but he was pretty sure Houston was in whatever the opposite was of a sweet spot, where lower-level crime was still just as much of an issue. “Who’s goin’ with you?”

Marissa mumbled something through a mouthful.

“What was that?” he asked, looking over to see she was turning pink around the edges.

“Nobody,” she said, blushing harder. “I don’t have a date, so I’m going by myself. What’s it to you?”

Damn it. Thank you, Rissa, for trying so hard to restart the fight he had put all this effort into smoothing over. It was hard to think of an honest answer that didn’t have a proven track record of offending her. “Just surprised,” Baz said. “You’ve got friends. With everything goin’ on, I thought you’d at least take Christa.”

Marissa snorted. “Christa? No way. If I took my eyes off that girl for thirty seconds, one of my no-good cousins would start hitting on her, and she wouldn’t know what to do about it. Plus, she’s sweet, but she’s kind of…”

“Not the most situationally aware?” he suggested.

“I was going to say uptight,” Marissa said, half amused. “But you have a point. If I really thought I needed a bodyguard, she probably wouldn’t be my first choice.”

Sebastian held his hands up preemptively. “I know it bugs you, but think it through,” he said. “There’s been threats before, and you’ve got a couple papers published now, so it’s only gonna get worse. And I, you know…I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

For a second he thought he’d pushed her too hard again, but it was just the blush creeping back. “Okay,” she said.

“Okay?”

Marissa leaned over and pushed a fingertip into his chest. “You’re the one who has the problem with this, so you can come with me.”

…all right, he—he hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. Dammit. “You sure that’s a good idea?” Baz said, reaching for an ironic smile.

She raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? I don’t have to show up without a plus-one; you ensure I’m not abducted and/or murdered; I’m not sure I see a downside.”

You must have forgot you told me to stop trying to act like I like you. “Oh, I don’t see one at all. I’ll be fine. But you know you’ll have to pretend to be nice to me, right?”

“I can be nice to you,” Marissa said, frowning.

“Sure.” He leaned further in with a smirk. “I’ve seen how you look at me, like you wish you were strong enough to put my head through the wall.”

She started to raise a hand and then crossed her arms grumpily. “I can be nice. I’ll prove it.”

“Well, that I have to see,” he said. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

🧪💕⚡

By the time Marissa got the text from Sebastian a few days later, asking for a signoff on a very tailored suit which he thought might be a little bit too formal, she had already started to suspect this was the dumbest snap decision she’d made in a long time. This just sealed it. The suspicion that maybe he kind of liked her and could possibly be convinced to give her a chance was not remotely the same thing as being prepared for…this.

“I’m—fine,” she assured Dr. Marcos in between coughs, her face burning. “Just—ugh. This stupid—juice cleanse stuff just went down the wrong—wrong way.”

“I told you it’s bad for you,” he said mildly.

Marissa sputtered a little more before she finally managed to get the cap back on the bottle. “That’s not the point of it, geez. Two dress sizes in three weeks, or your money back.”

He turned back to his monitor as if he were going to stay out of it, but didn’t. “Was that really necessary?”

“You were obviously never the fat sister,” she said, scrunching her face at the thought.

“No, that’s thankfully not a part of my CV. How is that test coming?”

🧪💕⚡

Messages: Dumb Ass Grimes PhD

Sebastian sent an image.
Marissa: holy flipping what even.
Marissa: no its fine but ur not allowed to look better than me
Sebastian: level up, buttercup

Messages: Lady Christa Jones

Marissa: serious question: how do you always look so good
Christa: Lots of practice! Also that’s really kind of you to say, but you know I think you have this cute casual aesthetic going too.
Marissa: thanks…i think, lol
Marissa: so uh. what if i have no practice, but want to look like the untouchable alien love child of lana del rey and joan holloway anyway ?
Christa: oh! So like…60s details, above-the-knee fit & flare, & unexpected statement accessories? Totally doable! Let me clear my afternoon & I’ll take you on the vintage store tour. 😁
Marissa: BLESS YOU and may you have a clear complexion forever. youre literally the best

Messages: Dr.-Mrs.-Mrs.-Dr. Mallory Cotlin-Ward

Mallory: Marissaaaaaaaa answer your phooooooone
Marissa: malllllll im at woooooork just text me
Mallory: What do you think I’m doing, LOL.
Mallory: You updated your RSVP to have a plus one, what is this about?
Marissa: nunya
Mallory: Um, rude. You know I’m about to find out anyway. Are we engaged? Old college bf divorced and wants a vacation? Spill, babe.
Marissa: omg. no. none of the above. just a friend. why are u like this
Mallory: Because you’re my favorite older younger sister and I love you. :) Pics??
Marissa: …fine
Marissa forwarded an image.
Mallory: Wow. Just a friend. I see.
Marissa: DO NOT MESS THIS UP FOR ME, MAL
Mallory: I don’t know what you’re talking about. :) I would never try to get you back for locking me out of our hotel room in a towel at DragonCon after I told you in confidence that I thought the guy across the hall was cute. :) Water under the bridge. :)
Marissa: omgggg. and he married u didnt he? if anything u owe me
Mallory: :) :) :) :) :) :)

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Thanks for reading! Science! Girl is posting weeklyish through the beginning of October. In next week’s edition, I consider the friction between competitive sisters and recall that playing stupid games wins you stupid prizes every time.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can show it by leaving a like or comment, sharing this post, or just continuing to read. :) Everyone’s welcome in the fan club!