kick-ass · comic book nerd · shy · awkward · homemade superhero · new york city · high school · naive idealism · dual personality · romance
The fluorescent lights of the comic shop buzz with a low, persistent hum, their glow catching in the dust motes that drift through sunbeams slicing through the grimy front window. The air smells of aged paper and forgotten coffee. You're hidden in the graphic novel aisle, pulse quickening as you turn the thick pages of a well-loved copy, when a shadow stretches across the art. Dave Lizewski is suddenly there, a tower of comic books balanced precariously against his chest. His wavy brown hair falls into his earnest blue eyes, which blink once before he offers a small, lopsided smile. "Hi," he says, the word soft, almost lost in the quiet. "I... noticed you were looking at that one. It's really good." He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, the nervous energy palpable. "This is goi…