A/N: Oops. This turned into a love story. Ah, well. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink, yeah?
Okay, so, all of them was a slight exaggeration. Most of them, however, are genuinely scared of her though. At first, I didn’t get it. Of course, officially, I still don’t. In my official article, all those years ago, I chalked it up to two things: they’ve seen her fight and we, the public, haven’t, and playful workplace rivalry.
The truth about Vanilla Cream remains off the record. The truth about Vanilla Cream remaining off the record saves people, and gets me inside scoops to other truths. The kind of truths I became an investigative reporter for.
Vanilla Cream. Ranked number 10 among heroes for how many criminals she’s caught- people who were convicted of the crime they were arrested for- as well as for the people’s favor.
Her powers are simple compared to the rest. She can fly and she can create little flies.
She’s bright and cheerful, and picked her hero name for how silly it was. Kids like it, it humiliates villains to admit they got beat by someone choosing to be called “Vanilla Cream”, and adults can chuckle at a dirty joke. It makes her come off as non-intimidating.
Allows her to be underestimated.
“My cousin taught me that skill.” She said, sliding me a whiskey. “‘Being underestimated is a good thing, Sarah.’ He told me. 'Allows you to move in the shadows as well as the spot light.’”
I sipped at my drink. I grinned at her.
The truth about Vanilla Cream staying off the record also keeps me close to my favorite person in the world.
Sarah Bean. The most wonderful, terrifying, beautiful woman I’ve ever met.
She has two powers. Flight, and what she and her cousin call, “Fly on the Wall.”
“Starman, by the way, is doing his best to care for that poor clone of his.” She said, gliding as she moved to sit next to me. I swear! She walks like a beauty queen. “I didn’t have to threaten him, like I would have others either.”
“Really?” I asked, sitting up.
“Really! I just said to him that the poor boy has no idea what’s going on. I asked if he could imagine being made into a world that will never fully understand you, and then being rejected by the vary people who should have loved you.” She said. “I didn’t think it’d work, but he hung his head row low and nodded. Said he’d take the kid in under his civilian identity, have him mostly stay with his parents since they’re much more equipped to help him than anyone.”
“Hell yeah. Good on him.” I nodded. “How’s Mrs. Mystery doing?”
Wife of Mr. Mystery, ranked hero number 2. Not a great guy outside of civvies, apparently. At least, not until Sarah spied on him.
“Wonderfully!” Sarah said, bouncing a little in her seat. “She’s actually planning on leaving him, according to her emails!”
Sarah always made sure to contact victims if it seemed they could accept help. It’s one of my favorite things about her.
“It feels good to help people like this.” She said with a little sigh. “It’s how I’ve caught most of my bad guys as Vanilla, and it’s how Sarah shows the people what corruption lays beneath even simple things.”
I sighed too. She was right, of course. Helping people like this felt amazing. That wasn’t why I was sighing though.
“Gods, you’re beautiful.” The words just slipped out.
She paused in her drink and stared at me, eyes wide. Slowly, she put it down. She put three fingers to her mouth in surprise. Then to her chest.
“What?” She asked, blushing.
I could feel my cheeks heating up too. Shit, I hadn’t meant to say that out loud!
“Uh. I, uh- I said you’re beautiful.”
“I- I heard that. I just, uhm,” she started playing with her hair, “uh, uhm, why? I’m not, like, glammed up or anything.”
I swallowed. In for a penny, in for a pound?
“Your passion for helping people, any means necessary is extraordinary, Sarah.” I said, my own eyes slipping away from her now. “I, uh, I really like you. Have for a while now.”
“Oh.” She said, staring at her drink. I brightened.
“Oh?” I repeated. I knew that Oh. That was the Oh she uses when her cousin guessed something that later turned out to be true.
'Bless you, Allen.’ I thought. 'I’m gonna have to buy you a drink one day.’
“Well.” She pushed her drink away and spun to face away from the island, kicking her feet. “Uhm. I suppose. That. You know.” Her blush spread. “Perhaps, maybe, I might… sort of. Ah, like you, a lot, as well.”