"So... you that superhero?"
"Beg your pardon?" The college freshman nearly chokes. He turns to face me, his shoulder pressed up against the dorm elevator's wall. Chin-length curls of soft gold tumble down and hide his rounded face. I hear the delicate
clk-clk-clk
of his teeth anxiously tapping against a lip piercing.
He's got some sort of budding alt-boy aesthetic going on -- black boots, black choker, black nail-paint. All of it contrasts with his bright white pull-over hoodie. It's a cute look, particularly with his lean dancer-like figure.
"News keeps talking about people trying to figure out this superhero's identity." I offer him a teasing smile. "Figured I'd ask."
He folds his arms over his chest and laughs. There's a nervous energy to it -- but that's no surprise. He's
made
of nervous energy. Even before I spoke, he was tapping his toes. Now he's tapping that piercing, shifting against the wall.
clk-clk-clk
. "How do I know it isn't
you
?"
My smile widens into a grin. "Don't think I have the figure for it." I'm built like an aging linebacker: twice his age, with a massive torso and a slowly forming musclegut. Dense stubble coats my face. A scar that starts at my chin follows the length of my jaw, stopping at my left ear.
He looks me over, then shrugs and turns to the door -- trying to hide his blush. "Yeah, guess not."
clk-clk-clk
.
We stand in silence as the elevator descends toward the ground floor. I take a moment to admire the slope of his back; the topography of his shoulders, the sudden dip at the base of his spine. That toned, tight knot of a backside, wrapped in tight denim.
"You didn't answer my question, though..."
He turns his head to me, teeth clicking. I notice the gap between his two front teeth -- nearly invisible, but just enough to give him a sort of awkward post-adolescent charm. "Hm?"
My eyes darken. Something stirs within me. A low thunder rises from the pit of my chest.
"Whether or not you're the Spider."
clk-clk... clk...
clk... clk...
...clk...
Those bright blue eyes focus on me and only me. In this moment, he and I are the only things that exist.
He swallows.
I lunge.
Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn't stand a chance. He might be cute, but this kid is strong enough to rip the elevator doors open with his bare hands. His reflexes are so fast that he reacts to a punch before you even throw it. But these aren't ordinary circumstances: I have a couple of advantages.
For starters? That superhuman reflex of his doesn't give him enough warning. We're also in a tight space; not much room for him to rely on that incredible agility. His back is to me, his guard is down... and I've unnerved him.
My body slams into him from behind, flattening him against the doors. I shove my palm into the 'HALT' button. We both feel our guts lurch up as the elevator stops. His lean, supple figure tenses; he braces one leg against the wall to kick. The force of it will be enough to hurl us both to the other side of the cramped room.
That's when my chest splits open -- letting the force of his kick plunge his upper half into the massive cavity inside me.
Probably should have led with my main advantage: not being human.
He panics. He's enveloped by me; surrounded by a convulsing mass of rolling, churning black that wraps him in living, writhing strands. Each thread secures a part of him; his throat, his waist, his arms, his chest. They pull him into the suffocating warmth of my body, squeezing him tight. I feel him pressed to the membrane of my internal walls. Just as he tries to yell out, my chest closes -- muffling his cries inside of my chest.
"Mmmphhh! Mmmmphhhh--!"
"Shhh..."
I shed my human form. My skin and clothes ripple away to reveal the sleek ink-black surface of my body: Muscular. Powerful. Monstrous. A massive beast of raw strength, carved from liquid obsidian. My eyes are pure white; my mouth is full of serrated steak knives.