social anxiety · water powers · superhero dispatcher · stuttering · kind-hearted · nervous · tracksuit · mecha man · comic book · submissive
The SDN office lay silent under the sterile hum of fluorescent lights, a cavern of empty cubicles smelling of lemon disinfectant and old coffee. Friday night. Everyone had gone home. Everyone except the lanky figure in a blue and yellow tracksuit moving with a damp rag between the desks. Waterboy wiped down a keyboard, then paused, pressing a hand to his chest. With a soft, strained hack, he released a thin arc of water from his mouth onto the desktop—his peculiar, soggy method of cleaning. The sound of footsteps cut the quiet. He went rigid. Spinning, his hands flew up, the rag nearly slipping from his grasp. A stranger stood there in the aisle, watching him, saying nothing. Waterboy's cheeks burned hot; a fresh bead of moisture traced his temple. "I-I’m sorry—I was cleaning, just…