Madilyn was just getting her shoes on when she heard tapping coming from outside of her apartment. At first she thought Phenomaman was at the door, but… upon going to open it, she looked through the peephole to find no one out in the hall. The tapping could be heard again, and the girl realized it wasn’t coming from the apartment door–it was coming from the window.

Pulling back the curtains, she found Phenomaman outside; hovering right in front of the window with a warm smile on his face and a bouquet in hand. As the stunned girl opened the window, Phenomaman spoke in a confident and enthusiastic tone:

“I would like to express once again how thrilled I am to know that you requite my feelings!”

“… Um…” Madi was visibly stunned as she looked between the alien superhero’s face and his feet levitating in the air. “I–I expected you at the door… Specially since this is the third floor…”

The smile on Phenomaman’s lips faded as he looked a tad sheepish now. “Forgive me, I had… gotten so eager for our date that I did not consider how approaching at the window would be complicated.”

Seeing his slight change in demeanor troubled Madi for a moment–she didn’t want him to think he was giving a poor impression on their first date. “Oh–Phenomaman, no, no, don’t–don’t feel bad, please…” Madi held out both hands. “Here, I’ll… I’ll put those somewhere safe before we go, alright?”

His eyes lit up in response to the girl’s reassurance, sitting on the windowsill as he handed her the bouquet with that returning smile. “I did not know what you would prefer,” he admitted, “but I heard these were appropriate for communicating romantic intention…”

It was a bouquet of red roses. Madi took them as the corners of her lips turned up, having not expected a gift but touched by the gesture. “Thank you,” she muttered… She was quick to place them on the closest countertop, not wanting to keep him waiting for too long before they departed. “Hey—um… Can I… admit something before we go?”

Phenomaman looked inquisitive and attentive in response.

“I’ve… never… been on a date before,” Madi timidly confessed. “I only know the basics of dating… I’ve never liked hookup culture, I struggled with dating apps… And you’re the first person I’ve met who’s ever… requited my romantic interests. So… I’m sorry if I seem… lost.”

The extraterrestrial had a kind and understanding expression on his face as he took the girl’s hands. “It seems you and I already have one confirmed thing in common. I hope we can explore more of our interests together and bond over them with non-traditional Italian cuisine.”

Madi felt relief upon hearing this. A smile crossed her lips as she leaned in a bit close. “Yeah.”

To her surprise, Phenomaman took her into his arms before gently lifting her out through the window. Something about how he spoke, how he treated her, how he seemed to understand what she meant about dating despite having previously been in a relationship… He didn’t only feel familiar—he felt safe.

“Perhaps… we can travel to Italy itself on a future date?” Phenomaman seemed hopeful, yet a twinge of uncertainty was still prominent in his tone.

It seemed Madi had no reason to be anxious if her date was this eager. “Go there… for a date…?” She was curious to hear such a proposition.

“I will take you to any location you ask of me, Madilyn.”

That smile as Phenomaman said those words… Oh, Madi felt as if she would melt in his arms… Though upon glancing down for a moment, she remembered why he was holding her in his arms in the first place.

“Ah—uh—let’s… focus on where we’re going tonight for now… okay?” She looked a tad nervous as she noted the 20-foot distance between them and the ground.

“Why, yes! You’re quite right!” the alien hero replied with a sheepish smile. “Come: to the non-traditional Italian restaurant!”

A yelp escaped the startled girl as Phenomaman suddenly took off in the air, instinctively putting her arms around his neck. It was a little scary at first, but… after a moment, it made her think of a rollercoaster without crazy loops or corkscrews or uncomfortably sharp drops. It was… exhilarating without overstimulating her. And of course she felt secure in his arms the whole way.

────୨ৎ────

“I hope this date has been satisfactory,” Phenomaman confessed during dinner. “It has been… a long time since I had a relationship.”

Madilyn could notice his self-consciousness from his demeanor alone, lowering her water glass before she responded: “Hey… I promise you, this has been a fun first date so far,” she assured him. She felt less shy the more she spoke with him—and the more he shared about himself as well. “Am I… the second person you ever dated…?”

“Yes.” Phenomaman’s brow furrowed slightly as he recollected his first. “My only prior relationship was with the Blonde Blazer. But we had proven to be… incompatible in more ways than one. I had felt so much pain inside when she first ended our relationship… But I then understood I was able to use the time to understand myself.”

“… That’s the best thing to do after something like that,” Madi remarked.

Her comment intrigued the extraterrestrial. “You comprehend this despite never having dated before… Do you speak from memory of rejection?”

The girl’s eyes shifted. “I… lost people who I thought were friends,” she muttered. “And self-reflection was the only thing that helped me recover. It still hurts… thinking about how they betrayed my trust… but…”

Phenomaman seemed stunned. “You were betrayed by friends?”

… A slight nod was the best response the timid girl could give him. To her surprise, he took her hand into his own.

“I would like to use this moment to acknowledge your pain. As someone who has been shunned by my home planet and has fought all faces of evil, I understand how the cruelty of others can leave figurative scars on your mentality. Despite how much it hurt when my first relationship was unexpectedly ended… the Blonde Blazer and I were fortunate enough to have a gentle outcome in which we could remain coworkers on good terms.” He seemed to be absentmindedly rubbing his thumb on the girl’s hand… “I am sorry you were less fortunate in your platonic relationships.“

Phenomaman had a familiar sadness in his eyes… like Madi had experienced it herself before. Seeing how vulnerable he was being about such a topic was causing her to fall harder in love with him.

“… Thank you,” was all she could muster out as she placed her other hand on top of his own. “I—I didn’t mean to get too personal out of the gate; it’s just…”

“I see nothing wrong with what you shared.”

Phenomaman’s assurance caused a relieved exhale to escape the girl as she instinctively squeezed his hand, and she had instantly gone from avoiding eye contact to gazing directly into his eyes… Not only was he supportive, he had a level of understanding she wouldn’t have expected before joining SDN.

────୨ৎ────

“…. Nommy–” Realizing that the nickname slipped out without thinking, Madilyn covered her mouth for a moment with a blush covering her face. “I–I’m sorry, I mean Phenomaman…”

They were just leaving the restaurant when she had spoken up, but Phenomaman stopped in his tracks with a soft expression on his face in response.

“I very much prefer that name over Dumpy.” He smiled warmly at the girl as he spoke. “It is adjacent to Phenomaman… or ‘phenomenal’.”

“O–Oh.” Madi started her sentence over now that she felt relieved to hear this assurance. “Well, um… I just wanted to thank you for… for… not only taking me out on a date, but… being braver about asking me out than I was. I–I think this would have been delayed by another week if… I was the one confessing my interest.”

Phenomaman gently took the girl’s hands. He was very physical with his affections, yet it was always in a respectful way–even his enthusiastic hugs.

“I confess I was eager to learn more about you… but a part of me feared the slim chance of rejection. I had wanted to ask you on a date from when I had first laid eyes on you, yet upon asking for dating advice in the past I was advised by my coworkers to not ask someone that soon due to the higher risk of incompatibility…”

… The girl’s eyes widened, stunned by hearing how soon he had fallen in love since they met. “Wait… Wait, you–you liked me from the start…?”

Phenomaman seemed puzzled. “Was I not obvious enough?”

“… I guess I was… too busy also being scared of you not liking me back…”

The alien hero lifted her hands, bringing them to his chest. “It seems we truly are compatible in more ways than one, Madilyn~” He had a loving tender expression on his face as he stared down at her. “Perhaps we can both learn about romantic relationships through forming our own~”

The way he looked at Madi was making her melt again. God, he may have been considered socially awkward by humans but he was phenomenal in her eyes–flaws and all.

“Nommy… I think… we only need to learn how we wanna be loved.”

“… 'We’, as in you and I?”

“Yeah…” Madi leaned forward, still looking up at the extraterrestrial as she leaned against his chest. “I think… we both know enough about relationships to personalize the rest.”

“Do we…?”

A shy smile appeared across the girl’s lips. “I feel like you do from all you’ve done for me… at least.”

… To the girl’s surprise, Phenomaman scooped her up into his arms; hugging her tightly enough to make moving in his embrace difficult.

“You are the most patient and understanding woman I have ever met during my time on Earth,” Phenomaman murmured… Though upon hearing a small squeak, he had a sheepish expression on his face for a moment as he pulled away from the hug; holding the girl with both hands. “I am sorry–please, tell me if I hug you too tightly.”

“I… I can tell you’re happy,” Madi replied shyly. “But I’ll keep that in mind…”

Her hands rested on Phenomaman’s shoulders, and for a moment they found themselves simply staring into each others’ eyes… It still surprised both of them how easily they understood each other, even if they had their differences. The girl soon found herself wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned in closer, though Phenomaman was the one who closed the gap between their lips as they both found themselves melting into a kiss…

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