Chapter 6: Ch. 6 Super Suits and Dinner
Nolan, Jay, and Mark fly over the city. They keep going until they get to the outskirts of said city. They begin to descend behind a strip mall.
Jay knows what will happen next.
"Are you taking me shopping?" Asks a confused Mark.
"I am" Nolan says as they land behind a shop.
TAILOR Shoppe
Art's Tailor
Was the signs on the front of the store they landed behind. Various suits could be seen from the front glass windows.
Nolan leads Mark to a door. Jay stands behind Mark to see his reaction.
Their dad types some numbers into a hidden keypad and the door doesn't open into the shop. No, it forms a staircase leading down. Technical and machinery whirring and hissing and all.
Inside was an old man. He was kinda bald, but kinda not. He was just seeing some cloth together before he heard the door open and smiled at who is walking down the steps.
"We're you seen?" The old man asks.
Nolan walks up to the man and shakes his hand. "Who are you talking to?"
"Sorry, sorry. I just need to ask" The man says and let's Nolan's hand go.
Mark looks at the hero suits on display. "Wooooah"
There was a very bright orange and yellow suit right on the center podium. It even had goggles that stuck to your face.
"Prom dresses by day, indestructible super suits by night. Unless your Eternal over there, he goes through them like candy" He laughs as Jay shrugs. He turns back to Mark. "I'm Art Rosenbaum, kid. A pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard so much about ya" Art says.
Mark doesn't know how to respond. He grabs his right arm with his left hand. "Hah, you too"
Art shrugs. "Heh, your brother and dad never mentioned me huh?"
Mark puts his right hand behind his head. "Well… I… uh…"
Nolan speaks up to save his mumbling son. "He's a teenager Art. He barely remembers anything he doesn't see in the mirror every morning"
"Wait. Super suits?" He turns to his dad and puts both hands on his chest. "Am I getting a costume?!" He turns to Art. "Do you really make dad's costumes?!"
"He's a quick one, this kid" Art jokes as he looks at his old friend Nolan.
Jay facepalms. "How are you my brother man?" He looks to Mark. "Glad your brain finally caught up"
"Cant have you running around in your pajamas all the time" Nolan says with a smile.
Mark begins freaking out and fan gir- boying out. "Oh man! Aw-hahaha-some!" He looks at Art. "Wait! Do you already have one made for me? Is it a surprise?"
Art looks at the corner of the room with his eyes. "Usually we start with a conversation, and then I make something custom" He looks back to Mark. "But I do have one that might work"
"Really?! Which one?!" Mark looks at the ones on mannequins.
——————
Mark steps onto the center podium with the yellow and orangish-red suit on. Goggles included. And the gloves are fingerless.
"What do you think?" Art asks.
Mark looks at his hands before posing and looking at the colors. "Well… I don't know about the orange and yellow. It's pretty loud. Dad? Jay?"
Both Jay and Nolan grab their chin as they look at Mark.
Nolan looks over at his pal Art. "Ehhh, not your best work Art"
Art shrugs. "Heh, can't blame a guy for trying to move unsold merchandise"
——————
Jay looks at Mark. "I can't decide if it makes your hair or your ass look bigger"
"Dude!" Mark complains. But then he tries to look behind him. "Is it that bad?"
——————
Mark gives up and takes the goggles off and checks them out. "I like the goggles" Mark turns to face Art.
Nolan sees his sons back. 'Do our suits all do that to us? I should ask Debbie when I get home' He thinks to himself. He saw the emphasis this suit gave Marks butt.
"They keep the wind out of my eyes when I fly". He looks down and scratches his hair. "But I was really hoping for something… more uhhh… I don't know… Iconic?" He looks back at Art.
Art brightens up as a big smile grows on his face. "Of course you were. That's what everyone wants. Iconic. A symbol. Something kids will draw in the margins of their notebooks while they daydream about being as cool as you"
Mark brightens up and smiles widely.
Art then turns around and strokes his chin. "It's also tough as hell to pull off. But listen, your dad being who he is, and your brother too, I'm willing to put a lot of elbow grease into this one" He turns around and faces Mark. "But I'm gonna need a little help from you" Art puts his hands on his hips. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
Mark smiles. "Hadn't really thought about it"
"Well~ having a name helps. Dark Wing has dark wings. The Red Rush is a red rush when he runs by you. Get it?" Art explains the blatant examples. "You give me something to go on, I'll strive for iconic. Think about it then get back to me"
Mark chuckles.
Art then turns to Jay. "And I see you haven't torn this one to shreds yet. As your tailor, I recommend you shake that bad habit of yours off soon"
Jay looks down at his suit. "Yeah, but I did just get this one a little bit ago, it would be bad even for me if it already had wear and tear" He looks at his chest. "And I think it's about time I consider a new design. But I'll share my ideas after Mark gets his first one"
"Will do kid. Just let me know and we can brainstorm. Was wondering when you would ask for a change" Art nods.
Mark changes out of the suit and Jay walks over to a mirror and turns around. 'It's not that bad for me…. I think? I should ask Suzu later' He thinks to himself.
Nolan and Art were talking and catching up.
*Bzzzt*
Jay takes his phone from a well hidden pocket.
It was a text from Suzu.
'Going home from work finally. It was hectic. See you at around…?'
Jay smiles and sends his reply. 'Don't know yet. I'll be sure to tell you when I find out. Drive safe'
——————
That night.
"Are you nervous?" Jay asks Suzu as they walk from her house to his parent's.
"No… well, not really….. ok, a bit. I've known them for forever. But it's like I'll be meeting them for the first time" Suzu admits. She started off in her serious tone. But it quickly crumbled away.
"That's because you are meeting them for the first time" Jay smiles and grabs her hand. "The first time as my girlfriend"
"Jeez" Suzu shakes her head. "I can't tell if that's sweet or cheesy"
"I like to think I walk that fence a lot" Jay jokes.
"You certainly do" Suzu looks at the house that she's lived next to for her entire life. She used to come over and hang out with Jay a lot growing up….. at least until they started slowly drifting apart.
It was after high school that communication became really rare.
"It's been a while…." Jay says as he looks at his house. "….since you've been over, hasn't it?"
Suzu smiles. "It has….. I've honestly so busy I wasn't even able to stop by and say hello to your mom at times. She does check up on me from time to time"
They get to the front door.
"Huh?" Jay hadn't heard anything from his mom about that.
"Here we go" Suzu says and knocks on the door.
"Wait, can we talk about what you just said real quick?" Jay asks.
The front door opens and Debbie is standing there. "Hi Jayd-"
Debbie pauses when she sees Suzu.
Debbie clasps her hands together infront of her chest as she smiles widely. "Is Suzu the mystery girl?!" She excitedly asks.
Suzu smiles. Jay scratches the back of his head. "Yeah, she's the myste-"
Debbie doesn't wait for Jay to finish. She leaps forward slightly and hugs Suzu. "Ohhh! I waited for this day! I almost gave up hope you two would get together one day! I'm so happy for you Suzu!"
"Mom!" Jay says, embarrassed by his mom.
Suzu lets Jay's hand go and hugs Debbie. "It's nice to see you again Mrs. Grayson" She says as she hugs her back.
Debbie takes a step back and looks Suzu in the eyes. They both are 5'8" so they just look straight at eachother. "Don't be so formal dear, you can call me mom"
"Mom, please" Jay pleads.
Debbie looks at her son. "Oh suck it up, I haven't even started my job of embarrassing you yet"
Suzu laugh into her hand. "Yeah Jayden, suck it up. We haven't even gotten into your house yet"
Debbie smiles at Suzu and grabs her hand. "Let's go get the picture books!"
Suzu sent a wave to Jay as she was pulled inside.
Both Suzu and Debbie leave Jay on the front porch as they walk inside.
"I guess that's better than the worst case scenario?" Jay says to himself. "And it's not like Suzy hasn't seen..." Jay pauses. "Wait! Don't show her those pictures!" He shouts as he bolts inside at human speed.
But it was too late. His mom had already pulled out 'those' photos.
Jay had tried to keep those buried and hidden from the light of day. Even Suzu hadn't seen them. But alas, they were dug up. Almost like his mom prepared to show whoever walked in the photos.
Suzu and Debbie were on the couch beside eachother. The coffee table was moved towards them and photos of Jay were on full display.
It wouldn't be so bad if it were just normal photos. But there were ones of him dressed in girls clothing when he was 5 to 6 years old.
Mainly because Debbie was pregnant and got girls clothes just in case she had a girl. That's the excuse she gave at the time at least.
There were many photos of that. But there were others, many were equally as bad. And some worse.
Suzu picks a photo up. Her smile turns evil and smug. "I remember you losing that bet, Jayden~"
She turns the photo towards Jay. It was him sophomore year, wearing a big princess dress because he lost a big bet. It wasn't like he had to wear it to a school dance or anything, just wear it in front of their small friend group. He was the one that missed the most days of school so he had to wear the big frilly, pink, dress.
"Pink is 'so' not your color" Suzu says.
Debbie looks at the photo. "Really? I think it suits him pretty well"
Suzu looks at it again. "You know what? It think you're right. Maybe we should take an updated photo to make sure" She evilly says to Debbie.
Debbie looks at Jay for a second. "I think that's a great idea. Just to make sure, right?"
Suzu looks at Jay. "Right"
"Can I say no? Because I do" Jay moves to sit beside Suzu.
"I'm only messing with you" Suzu grabs his hand. "You won't need to wear a dress, I'll settle for a pink outfit"
Jay sighs. "That, I can tolerate" He thinks about a pink superhero suit he saw in Arts gallery before. And it wasn't made for a heroine.
"Hey mom, where's dad at?" Jay asks his mom to hopefully change the topic.
Debbie takes out some more photos. "He got called into work. It seems it'll be another all nighter" She says apologetically.
Jay wonders why he hasn't been called. It's weird for them to not call. Even if he did ask for a small break. But he won't complain. Because he's sure they will be calling soon anyway. "Ah, well. Guess that just means I'll introduce Suzu to him at a different time. And Mark? Also at work?"
Debbie sighs. "Mhm. And he said he will be out late because he wants to workout. Only he would decide to get fit on the worst day" She looks at Suzu. "I'm sorry, but this normally happens with the Grayson boys"
Suzu sends a small smile back. "Don't worry, I still remember. It always happens at the worst times, doesn't it?"
"It really does" Debbie says.
Jay awkwardly sits there. He's one of the Grayson boys. And it's even worse since Suzu doesn't know specifically why they have to leave randomly, or show up late.
——————
The rest of the night goes smoothly. They have dinner. Debbie and Suzu catch up.
The two women had tried meeting up from time to time. But even their schedules were busy. Especially Suzu's. Turns out, being the CEO isn't very fun all the time. She did tell Jay's mom about her job, which made Debbie understand a few things. Not even she knew about Suzu taking over her families business. She didn't even know what job the late Mitsu's had, only that it kept them both extremely busy.
They talked about old times. And then Jay and Suzu explained how they ended up dating. They went back and forth, but Jay was doing most of the explaining.
Debbie talked about her and Nolan dating. Minus the whole alien thing.
Jay was glad that his mom and his girlfriend get along so well. Almost too well, but he won't complain about it.
Even at 10 Mark and Nolan hadn't arrived. The food was already eaten, and the leftovers cold and in the fridge.
Suzu has to leave because she has another big meeting in the morning. So Debbie says goodbye and let's her know she welcome in their home even if Jay isn't home.
Suzu is immensely happy to hear this. She felt like Debbie was a second mom. Even before her parents died. And now, Debbie practically was her mom. Though, it would be a while before she married Jay. She would, but she wants to enjoy dating him before that.
Jay walks Suzu to her home. And along the way they talk. "So… how busy is 'busy' for your schedule? And I'm not gonna lie….. I'm kinda nervous about telling you the truth. I don't want to ruin everything, or… I don't know what I'm saying anymore"
"Jay. Don't stress about it so much. As much as I want to know, I'm not going to force you to tell me when you aren't ready" Suzu walks beside him with her hands behind her back. "And I have a few things to tell you as well. I'm also am a bit nervous about sharing them too"
Jay looks at Suzu. His girlfriend. He doesn't want to lie to her anymore. It feels even worse, like it's multiplied the foul taste in his mouth. It didn't feel this bad years ago. "How about tomorrow? I'll share mine if you share yours?" He suggestively says to mask his worry. "Rip the bandaid off in one go. Deep dark secrets and all. That way we can start our new relationship closer than where our friendship ended? Only hide the super duper secrets that we won't tell anyone. Like if we have killed anyone. Everything else is fair game"
Suzu gives Jay a weird look. A conflicted look that disappears quickly. "Have you killed anyone before?"
Jay smiles. "Mmmmmm. I think I just said we can keep secrets like that to ourselves" He looks up at the night sky. "I'll tell you that answer tomorrow. I don't know why, but you always make me say the stupidest things. Like my words get all jumbled together, and my years of psychology go out the window"
Jay knows this isn't completely true. But for the most part it is.
He wonders why there's always a part of him that feels detached. But with Suzu, it feels like he's almost all attached.
"Ok Mysterio" Suzu jokes awkwardly. "Tomorrow… I should be free. My schedule… I may or may have been slacking because of you. Tomorrow might be the last day I can come home early" She sadly says.
"How late do you normally work? Does your company really require you to work that much?" Jay doesn't understand. He understands late hours and high stress. But Suzu is saying that she works much later than what she previously told him. He doesn't mind the little white lies, in fact. He likes that she was willing to push her work aside for him. If even for a few hours.
"My nights can get turned to morning very easily Jay. Without me even realizing sometimes. And it does require my attention. A lot of it in fact" Suzu somberly says. But then she cheers up slightly. "Maybe I can make it so that you can come to the company with me? I'm sure you'll love a few things about it"
Jay raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I'd love to, but I don't want to disturb your work"
"It should be fine. You might even be able to help with a few things. And probably a few projects" Suzu says as they reach her door.
"Great! I don't have much work to do after school ends on most days, so if you can work something out…." Jay remembers his counselor job is only a front for his superhero job.
"I will. I am the CEO after all. It might take some time though. But I can make time for tomorrow" Suzu takes her key out for her house.
"I look forward to it. Text me when you're free tomorrow?" Jay asks as Suzu takes a step into her house and turns around in her doorway and he walks up to her. He leans forward and gives her a hug.
Suzu wraps her arms around Jay and rests her head on his shoulder. "I will"
She then looks up at his face and kisses Jay. "I love you"
Jay smiles before giving her another kiss. "Suzy, my love for you is-"
ETERNAL
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Quade_The_Unknown
Quade_The_Unknown 3062 words
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone