Despite having already known that Wayne’s Power was Gun, or at least believing him when he said it, Trevor froze when he saw the pistol. The dwarf’s body language was hostile and guarded, and the reaction came from years of active shooter training and terrible news reports. Even still, he took a breath and centered himself.

While he was sure Wayne meant to be intimidating, and he was succeeding, that wasn’t the thing that went through Trevor’s mind. Instead, he was thinking about how he would have ran at the mere sight of a frightening person with a gun before. The young man still wanted to run and hide, that didn’t change, but he was also confident enough to stand his ground.

“That’s a good response,” Wayne said, setting his jaw as he nodded. “Wary, but not backing down.”

“I don’t think you’re going to shoot me,” Trevor stated. “Plus, there’s nothing going on with me and Adabelle.”

“Well now, you must think I’m blind,” Wayne retorted before picking up the gun. “I saw how you reacted when I said you two were flirting.”

Wayne didn’t aim it at Trevor, but instead towards the nearest scarecrow. Taking a moment to line up the shot, he fired. A loud crack echoed through the clearing as the scarecrow’s head was blown right off. The dwarf’s arm kicked back due to the powerful recoil, but he had seemed ready for it.

“Was that to prove you aren’t blind?” Trevor asked.

“Yup.”

“That’s pretty good proof,” he said with a nervous laugh. “But I’m being completely serious, there’s nothing going on with me and Adabelle.”

Wayne narrowed his eyes. “Then what was all that with the hand holding and the tail swishing?” he asked loudly.

“She was comforting me,” Trevor replied. “We got into a really deep discussion about our pasts, and I guess she thought holding my hand would help or something. I don’t know. We’re definitely not dating, or anything.”

The dwarf fell silent for a moment before removing his hat and tossing it onto the ground. “Man, I did not think I misread that situation,” he sighed. “Here I was, all ready to tell you not to hurt her. Had a whole speech ready to go and everything.”

Suddenly, Trevor was a lot more amused about this situation. “If I hurt her, you’ll hurt me?” he asked.

“You’re darn right about that,” Wayne replied, slapping the table before pointing at Trevor. “And that’s still true, dating or not, got me?”

“I got you, Wayne,” Trevor confirmed while holding his hands up.

“Good, Addy’s gone through a lot even after she got here,” he said, looking back over the shooting range. “Nothing you’ll get out of me, she deserves her privacy, but she’s a good kid just like Rashie. In different ways, but she deserves happiness, not some American from another world coming and going as he pleases.”

Trevor found himself nodding. “So you’re worried about me and her hooking up, and then me leaving for Earth? You know, on the extreme off chance that she’s actually into me, which she isn’t, that she’s still a grown woman, right?”

“I know. I’m allowed to be worried about the people I love,” Wayne said defensively.

“I’m not saying you aren’t. You’re just kinda, like, everyone’s dad, then?”

“Could say that,” the dwarf replied, smirking as he picked his hat back up and brushed off the dirt. “But this ain’t about me, it’s about you. And even if you aren’t dating her now, you want to, don’t you?”

“I’m-“

“And don’t lie to me,” Wayne interrupted, pointing his finger at the young man again. “Because you’re not good at hiding your feelings.”

“Am I that easy to read?”

“You’re about as easy to read as Jack’s Bookmark, I reckon,” he retorted.

“Oh, well if you reckon, then,” Trevor said, though it meant nothing and he was just buying time. Wayne had taken to staring at the young man, making him uncomfortable.

When Trevor opened his mouth to speak, Wayne furrowed his brow, and he paused again.

“I don’t know,” he finally claimed.

It took the dwarf a few seconds to respond. “That, I believe.”

“Well, at first, I thought that she was really dangerous but also cute. Which, she is, but other than that there wasn’t really anything I felt for her,” Trevor answered. “The ears and the horns and the tail were pretty weird, admittedly. Still, the brain thinks what the brain thinks. That kept up for a while, and we spent time with each other. Became friends, but…”

“But?” Wayne urged.

Trevor thought back to when Adabelle had brought him soup and how he felt when she had left. That hadn’t just been another declaration of her cuteness, but the realization that she had tugged at his heart in a way he hadn’t felt for a very long time. It wasn’t love, he knew that right out the gate, but it could be some day. He wanted her to care for him like that again, and he wanted to take care of her, as more than just friends.

And it was all because she had shown him the minimal amount of kindness.

Standing up, nearly knocking over his chair, he yelled into the wind. “Is that really all it takes!?”

Wayne couldn’t help but laugh. “There it is!” he wheezed, slamming his hand on the table. “Oh Trevor, you really wear your heart on your sleeve. The moment you figured it out, it was like flicking a switch.”

“All she did was bring me soup!” Trevor complained. “How do we get from ‘she’s cute’ to ‘hey, I want to spend more time with you’ from just soup?”

“The heart works in mysterious ways,” Wayne laughed, his amusement not diminishing in the slightest.

“The heart’s dumb!” Trevor claimed.

“No one’s refuting that. But, sit back down, kid, and tell me about Addy.”

“You already know about her,” he said, trying to calm himself down. Regardless, he did as he was told. “You definitely know more about her than me, at the very least.”

Wayne shook his head. “There’s gotta be something, right? You may have been hit in the face with your feelings, but they come from somewhere.”

“Are you actually interested? Or are you just waiting to put your daddy daughter speech back into motion?” Trevor asked suspiciously.

“Nah, your reaction is pretty telling,” the dwarf said with a wave of his hand. “I was fairly sure before, but now I’m positive you’re just a cinnamon roll trying to make the best out of life. Still don’t think you’re good enough for Addy, if I’m being honest, but we’ll see how you are after you get a few more quests under your belt.”

“Really? Quests are what you’re going to measure me by?”The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“No one stays the same when they level up. You either get better, or get worse, there’s no in between,” he claimed. “But you’re stalling. Tell me about Addy.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Trevor said slowly, looking out over the shooting range.

“I’ve got time.”

A quick glance showed that Wayne had pulled an ottoman from underneath the table and got comfortable in his chair. He certainly didn’t look like he needed to go anywhere, and Trevor was sure Rashie was running around somewhere trying to find that dungeon surge they had discussed. His mind wandered as he looked up at the sky. Rays of sunlight shot through the sparse openings in the clouds.

“I’m not sure where to start, so I’m going to pick a random place and go from there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Wayne replied.

“When I took her lunch, which was done for completely platonic reasons, I had told her that we didn’t have nobles in our world. What that left us with were politicians,” Trevor said, remembering.

“It truly is a different world.”

“Truly, but I had told her that because I wasn’t used to the people in charge taking such an active role in the lives of the townsfolk,” Trevor admitted. “Which, I’m not completely naive, I know that's a blanket statement. There’s plenty of politicians out there who are doing good, you just don’t hear about them as often because that’s not what our media’s all about. For every story about a good thing, there’s five that’s neutral and twenty more about the bad.”

“Everything’s doom and gloom,” Wayne stated with a sage nod.

“Right. If it’s not click or rage bait, then it’s not worth publishing. It’s terrible, but that’s what sells.”

“Mmhmm. But, and I’m going to stop you there, what about Addy?”

“Well, that’s great that she’s so diligent in helping people, isn’t it?” Trevor asked after a short pause. “Helping people is one of my core values, and I’ve often worked myself until I was limping back home to make sure that other people felt good about themselves. I see her doing the same, coming home late at night after a long day’s work, and it’s just self-destructive kindness.”

“It sure is,” Wayne agreed.

“And I see that in her, and I want to do what I can to make her pain go away, you know?”

“I know, kid. That’s where love starts.”

“Whoa, let’s not just throw around the L word so casually,” Trevor said, holding up his hand. “What I have is a crush.”

“Aren’t you a little old for crushes?”

“How can you be too old for crushes?” he asked loudly. “It’s literally a feeling people of all ages get. Except for those who don’t, but that’s not the discussion we’re having now.”

“Fine, to get you off of this topic, that’s where romantic feelings start. Better?”

Trevor watched Wayne as the dwarf tried not to laugh, and he shook his head. “I guess a crush is just romantic feelings. So, yes, that’s better.”

“Good, now that it’s settled, you get a pass. Not only that, but I’m going to be your wingman.”

“You were literally setting up this conversation to threaten me with a gun, Wayne,” Trevor said, exasperated. “I'm seconds away from getting whiplash.”

“You’ll find that I’ve reserved the right to change my mind as I please. But, yeah, that was before I saw that you’re pretty harmless,” Wayne chuckled. “I’ve got a good judge of your character now. Thought all that apologizing and helpful attitude might be a ruse, but you come by it honestly.”

“Thank you, I think?” Trevor stuttered out. “But I don’t need a wingman. I’m not even sure if I’m going to pursue her.”

“And why not?” he asked. “Adabelle’s better than the catch of the day. You’d be a fool not to.”

“First, I’m sure she’s not even interested in me,” Trevor began. “She brought me soup once, we talked about our history, that’s it. We’re friends, but that’s it. Second, I’m not even sure I’m going to stay here in this world.”

“It’s a lot better than our old one, you’d be a fool to go back,” Wayne said confidently.

“Maybe I’m a fool, but it’s where I came from and there are people who are working to save my life as we speak,” Trevor countered. “Can you imagine the turmoil they’d go through if I never woke up? I am in a coma, just waiting for my spirit or ghost or whatever I am to get back to my body. And I’ve got responsibilities there.”

“Could you imagine the turmoil you’d have to go through if you went back because of those responsibilities?” Wayne shot back.

“This isn’t about me,” Trevor stuttered out.

“Yeah? Sure seems that way to me, as it’s your soul. They’ll get over it, will you?”

Trevor, now completely frustrated, crossed his arms and looked back over the shooting range. “I’m leaning towards staying, but it’s not because of Adabelle.”

“She sure helps the case, though, doesn’t she?” Wayne asked, grinning.

Trevor huffed. “Look, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not ready to talk to her about this.”

“Why not? No time like the present, and you can head off to Eskretet hand in hand.”

The thought did cause the young man to pause, but he shook it away. “Wayne, if I tell her and she doesn’t respond the same way, then that’s just a burden, you know?” Trevor said after taking a breath to calm himself. “I would be embarrassed, and that would make me sad. She would start treating me differently, and that would also make me sad. Not only that, but she would be burdened with the knowledge that I want more from her than she’s willing to give.”

“People confess to each other all the time,” Wayne said. “Doesn’t mean your relationship will change for the worse. You miss all the shots you don’t take.”

“I’d rather not take the shot and have something approaching happiness than take the shot and shoot myself in the foot,” Trevor stated. “I’d rather her stay a friend than alienate her.”

“And if she feels the same way and isn’t acting on it for the same reasons?”

“She’s more mature than I am, so I doubt that’s the case.” Trevor said. That caused Wayne to chortle before he began laughing uproariously. Trevor watched the dwarf as he fell over backwards in his chair, legs kicking as he couldn’t seem to stop. “Okay, now you’re just hamming it up.”

“Oh no, it’s real,” Wayne claimed once he started calming down. “You’ve got a lot to learn, kid. A lot more than you even think. But, look, you can’t stop me, I’ve already decided to help you out. You two will make a good pair. Anderson and Halvsar, you can’t miss.”

Trevor watched as Wayne stood up and fixed his chair. “You’ll just be in the way if you do.”

“Stop me if you can, cinnamon roll.”

Narrowing his eyes, Trevor put on a rare sneer. “You're going to try and help no matter what, huh?”

Wayne’s eyes became guarded as he noticed the out of place look on the young man’s face. “Yup.”

“Cool, cool. Well, if you decide to interfere in the friendship I have with Adabelle, then I’m going to make sure you don’t get another moment of peace again.”

Snorting, the dwarf shook his head. “Yeah? Do your worst, cinnamon roll. You’ve got nothing.”

“Oh, there are two very important things that will make you miserable,” Trevor claimed, raising his hand and listing them off. “First, Rashie likes me. That means she'll listen. Second, I know as an indisputable fact that she would love to learn Baby Shark.”

“What’s Baby Shark?”

Trevor sighed. “Well, that just takes the wind right out of my sails,” he said before chuckling. “Okay, so it’s basically the super popular equivalent of every song your son would sing growing up. We’re talking, like, billions of views on the internet. And it’s about sharks, so I’m guessing that Rashie will never stop singing it. It’s not a one to one equivalent, but imagine your son start singing, I don’t know, the Barney song, or The Song That Never Ends, and then just never stops. Those are old enough for you to recognize, right?”

All amusement drained from Wayne’s face. “You’re bluffing.”

“You want to try me, Texas?” Trevor asked.

“You wouldn’t dare. You’d have to deal with it, too.”

“Yeah, until I go back to Earth. Then I’ll be able to avoid it like I always had.”

“What, by not being friends with people who have kids?”

“I guess if you want to put it that way, sure.”

Wayne watched Trevor carefully for any sign of weakness before sighing. “Fine, I know when I’ve been beat,” he admitted. “You got horns holding up your halo, you know that?”

Smiling, Trevor put his guard down and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about that,” he said, sounding halfway sincere. “But, if I decide for sure that I’m going to stay, I’ll… think about what you’ve said. Only if the moment’s right, and only if she starts sending me signals. Okay?” The young man held his hand out.

Eying that hand like it was a snake, Wayne’s shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath. “Fine, but take too long and that’s on you, got it?” he warned, taking Trevor’s hand and giving it a firm shake.

“Yeah, I’ve got it,” the young man said with a smile. “But we came here to shoot, right? Let’s do it. You got more guns?”

That caused Wayne to laugh, and the atmosphere changed back in an instant. “Do I have guns?” he repeated mockingly. “Yeah, I’ve got guns. You ever seen the Matrix?”

The rest of the day was loud, but surprisingly pleasant.