In the mirror, Vic watched as the towel flew into hishand on its own accord. Another day,another odd superpower to deal with. What was this one?Telekinesis, maybe? Moving things with thought alone…
As he toweled off, he tried again, staring at hisrazor on the edge of the sink. It didn’t move an inch, but themoment he opened his hand above it, he was able to make it dance.So the power was somehow channeled through him, he suspected. Goodthing it was Saturday. Viccould sit around the apartment with his hands balled into fistsuntil the power passed.
Down the hall, Vic heard the front door open and knewMatt had returned. ::I said I’d getyou up,:: he teased when he sensed Vic no longer waited forhim in bed.
::I plan to hold youto that,:: Vic replied. ::Imay be out of bed but that doesn’t mean I’m anywhere nearawake.::
Through the bathroom door, he heard his lover’ssurprised laugh and he grinned into the towel. He was a bear in themornings, he knew, and damn it, but Matt loved to mess with himwhen he wasn’t quite coherent. He should go into the kitchen andshow off his new power in a dramatic way, just to get Matt workedup. Pour his coffee without touching the mug, perhaps, or mentallyturn the pages of the newspaper as Matt tried to read it. If heclosed off his thoughts and snuck up on his lover, he might get agood laugh or two before Matt figured out what was happening.
The smile was back, and on his reflection, it lookedscheming. Vic dropped the towel, but instead of falling at hisfeet, it flew back to its place on the rack and settled itselfneatly across the bar. Then he raised a hand and his bathrobejumped off its hook as if waiting to cover him. Vic shrugged intoit, not bothering to close the front panels or tie the robe aroundhis waist. This was proving to be a pretty convenient power tohave.
Leaving the robe open, Vic left the bathroom. Hecould hear Matt talking softly in the kitchen…to himself? That wasodd, but he didn’t want to open the mental channel between thembecause that would blow any chance he had to fool Matt with hislatest ability. Then his foot found the one floorboard in themiddle of the hallway that creaked whenever something passed overit.
So much for sneaking up on his lover.
As Vic headed for the kitchen, Matt called out,“Morning, babe. We have company.”
Adrenaline shot through Vic’s veins, jumpstarting hisheart and setting his hands into motion. Quickly he tugged thefront of his bathrobe shut. The ties jumped into his hands to becinched tight around his waist. Jesus, he thought, covering up. All he could imaginewas that little girl Matt had been talking to earlier on the stoop,sitting innocently at their dining room table and getting more thana glass of milk when Vic came into view.
As it was, the thought of company did little todampen Vic’s ardor, and he had to push down the front of his robe,which threatened to tent over the budding erection he’d sportedsince waking. As he stepped into the kitchen, he groused, “Youcould warn a guy, Matty.”
No one waited for him in the kitchen, and the diningroom table was empty. “Matty?”
The kitchen was a walk-through, the hallway at oneend and the dining area at the other. The living room was adjacentto the dining area, and it was from there that Matt appeared. Inhis arms, he held a very large, very orange cat. “Look who’s up,”he said, his voice pitched higher than normal. Taking one of thecat’s paws, he waved it at Vic. “Hi, Mr. Vic. My name’sTibbles.”
Vic narrowed his eyes, unamused. “Where did you getthat?”
“Followed me home.” Matt set the cat down on thedining room table as he passed, then ran a hand along its back fromneck to tail. Even from this distance, Vic could hear its raggedpurr. “I think it’s one of Mrs. K’s. Maybe it got out when she leftto get her groceries. What do you think?”
“Why is it on the table?” Vic asked, though he knewthe answer already—Matt had put it there. Still, he didn’t knowwhat else to think. He wasn’tan animal person, really. He didn’t love them, didn’t hate them.They just sort of existed in the same world as he, and as long asthey minded their own business and left him alone, he’d do thesame. Hell, Vic could say that about most of the people in theworld, as well. All thepeople in the world, if he were being honest.
Save one.
Matt sidled up to him, arms easing around Vic’sbarrel waist as he pressed himself against his lover and puckeredhis lips to claim a kiss. “If it got out of the building, you knowMrs. K would have a fit, and her local superhero would have tospend his whole Saturday tracking down one lousy cat. Since itfollowed me in, I thought why not let it stay here until she getsback? You help her with the groceries, give her back the cat, andsave the day. Even Superman doesn’t have it so good.”
“Superman doesn’t have this.” Vic wrapped his arms around Matt and grippedhis lover’s buttocks in both hands as he pulled him closer foranother kiss.
Matt laughed. “I don’t know. I often wondered aboutthat Olsen kid. I mean, sure, Lois is hot, but who says Clark Kentdidn’t want a little dick on the side?”
To Vic’s still-waking mind, Matt made no sense.“What?”
Another laugh, and Matt kissed the tip of Vic’s noseonce before his lips found Vic’s again. “Jimmy Olsen? From thepaper?”
Vic wasn’t following. “What paper?”
“Never mind.” Extracting himself from Vic’s embrace,Matt nudged his lover aside with his hip and opened therefrigerator. “Cats like milk, right?”
“Don’t feed it,” Vic muttered.
Too late—Matt backed out of the fridge with thecarton of milk in one hand and a small leftover container in theother. Inside the container was a small section of smoked
