The Real Heroes

THE REAL HEROES

Simon tugged on my left hand while my right tried to keep the rain out of my eyes. At first, I thought he meant to escort me to the comic shop. Through the window, I could see Amanda and Jon dressed up as Dyno and Mite, twin superheroes. They stood behind the counter, helping customers — There must be thirty people in line.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Patience, dear citizen."

Water had made it through my jeans, and I shivered as it dripped down the crack of my ass. He pulled as if he were a man on a mission, and I was about to demand an explanation when we walked around the building and I saw the mill parking lot filled with cars. Like the parking around the green, there wasn't a free spot, and cars circled, getting creative as they parked on the curb.

Barrels with arrows had been put up, all pointing to barn doors in the old part of the mill. While a handful of stores occupied one side, the rest of the old lumber mill was nothing more than?—

"Holy. Shit."

There were hundreds of people inside. We stood in the entryway, and I pulled my hand free. The tears were hidden by the water dripping from my hair. Simon turned around, a smile stretched across his face. When he saw me about to have a breakdown, he wrapped his arms around my torso. I needed that hug, otherwise I'd have collapsed.

"We didn't want to let you down."

Firefly. They… I sobbed. It was only days ago I thought about leaving. Created by geography, this family had its ups and downs. We squabbled, hurled insults, and held grudges like no other. I almost forgot the extent to which they would go to lift one of their own. I forgot the heart of Firefly Valley.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Boogie! What took you so long?"

Mom wedged her hands in, prying us apart. She handed me a towel. Over her shoulder, I spotted a folding table stacked with towels. Mom had cleared out every closet. I didn't comment on the gentleman sitting at the table, handing a face towel to a couple of superheroes.

"You were in on this?"

She held her hands up, feigning innocence. "This is all Simon and Amanda's doing."

"Liar," Simon said. "Your mom gave us everybody's phone number. Without her, we'd still be knocking on doors."

She squealed as I gave her a hug, lifting her off her feet. "Put me down, you brute." Of course, I didn't. I carried her over to the table with a handwritten sign. Drying station. "What are you doing?"

I set her down. The man sitting on the other side stood. He didn't resemble my father, but I could see why Mom found him attractive. He held his hand out. "You must be Susan and Phil's son." With one sentence, Gerald put a childhood fear to rest. Mom had been right. Things might not be so cut and dry.

"Gerald," I shook his hand. "So, you're the man dating my mom?"

He took a slight bow. "I have no idea why that pretty lady puts up with me."

I wiped the water from my brow. "You and me both." Mom clasped her hands over her heart. There was something about seeing her happy that helped seal an old wound. Dad would want her to be happy. "Can I expect you at family dinner night?"

"If Susan will have me."

"Oh, that's not how it works. Show up. Get put to work. Eat until you're stuffed."

"Gerald, meet Jason's new man friend."

I almost giggled at my mom's phrasing. She knew how to dodge the boyfriend word before I gave an official statement. He reached out and shook Simon's hand .

I stared my mother in the eye as I spoke. "Simon, this is Gerald, Mom's man friend."

"Oh, I know Gerald. He brings me the paper when he stops by for his breakfast." I hadn't realized how quickly Simon infiltrated Firefly. Normally, the town didn't warm up to newcomers, but then, how could I blame them?

"Hate to be rude, but Jason needs to put in some face time." Simon grabbed my hand, pulling me along. At every booth I passed, the owner waved. Simon and Amanda had somehow gotten every vendor for the convention into the mill. Now it made sense why Simon stayed up all night. There was no way this could have happened without everybody pitching in.

I spotted Walter and Hank luring a handful of middle schoolers to a table covered in medieval maps. But it was Abraham in a full suit of armor, wielding a sword, that caught my attention.

"Try ye' might in a game of Monsters & Mayhem. Will thou save the damsel?" The younger kids flocked to him, touching his metal suit. I loved that comic cons catered to an array of geeks. Firefly Con became a place for comic lovers to mingle with tabletop gamers and share space with art vendors.

"This is amazing," I mumbled.

"It's all because of you," Simon said. I think he overstated my involvement. I had gathered the people in town, but he and Amanda had rallied the troops. "But you haven't seen the best part."

It got better ?

There were couples wearing geeky t-shirts and carrying bags from Legends. I couldn't help but chuckle as somebody walked by with a chainsaw statue of a superhero under their arm. It was one thing to bring the attendees, but to see them spending money? An injection of income benefitted every small business in Firefly.

"Jason!"

I almost didn't recognize him in his costume. White spandex with red undies and a giant V on his chest. He came charging forward, hands out as if he were flying. His cape whipped back and forth as he navigated the crowd. He stopped short, hopping as he struck a pose. I see he and his father had practiced together.

"Citizen…" Simon whispered, pointing at Lucas. "Stand back…"

"Oh!" Lucas pointed at me. "Citizen, stand back! This is a job for Valiant!" He held his hands out as he flew around us.

I had convinced myself the convention was for me, a little slice of the big city in our small town. As Lucas made ‘pow' noises, fighting invisible villains, I realized it wasn't for me, at least not me now. My younger self needed to see he wasn't weirdo, or at least he wasn't the only weirdo.

"Jason," Lucas whispered. "It's me." He lifted his mask, and I feigned surprise. "I'm not the real Valiant."

"I would never have?—"

"The real Valiant is over there." He turned and pointed to a crowd of people gathered around a table. The real Valiant? It couldn't be, not in Firefly. I looked at Simon's face for guidance. What was going on?

"I called in a favor."

It wasn't Simon who made miracles happen. I made an audible gasp as Lucy emerged from the crowd. While Simon and Lucas had donned store-bought spandex suits, Lucy had chosen a ferocious vigilante as her avatar. The leather hugged her curves and the heels… how the hell did she expect to fight crime in those shoes?

"Hellcat?" If Lucy confessed to a side gig fighting crime, I'd believe her. "How did you…"

"I have a friend who makes costumes for movies. If I'm going to be a superhero…" She gave her ass a light slap. "I'm going to look hot doing it." Other than the hair color, she could have been the actress who played Hellcat. The similarities were mind-boggling.

I snorted. Amanda would destroy this poor woman.

"He owed me for a late-night house call after a few too many shots."

"Well, the outfit is perfect on you."

She shook her head. "Oh, this? He threw this in on top of the other favor."

Simon gave me a light shove toward Lucy. She held out her hand. I wasn't sure if I could handle more surprises. At any moment, I was going to yell, "Big feelings."

She took me by the hand while Lucas snagged my free hand. I had thought about Lucy's comment the night before. If I were going to keep seeing Simon, this relationship would consist of more than two people. The speed at which Lucy invited me was almost as heartwarming as Lucas jumping up and down with excitement as we moved through the crowd.

"Holy shit," I gasped.

"Bad words," Lucas said. "You owe the jar."

"Holy crap," I corrected.

"Better," he said.

Standing in front of a cloth backdrop, the actor who played Valiant in the Centurions movie shook the hand of an adoring fan. He wrapped an arm around her, giving the thumbs up as she took a selfie with him. Everybody knew Chris Wilde. He had grown so popular that after his debut, the studio offered him a spinoff.

"How in the?—"

"The man who made my costume used to date him."

This had gone from amazing to surreal. The bigger conventions had famous people posing with patrons. They could afford to bring Hollywood's best. When I discovered how much it'd cost to get a celebrity, I decided to focus on local talent.

"Can I get a photo, Mom?" Lucas asked.

"Can I get a photo, Mom?" I asked.

"Boys and their heroes." She winked before reaching into one of the many pockets on her costume and pulling out her phone. "Go on, both of you."

We waited patiently for him to finish signing an action figure of his character, and as soon as the floor cleared, we ran over. This might very well be the closest I ever came to a real superhero. With the white mask hiding his face, it was hard to describe the man. Handsome and thick, but I wanted to know how much of that was him versus the padding in his costume.

"You're my hero," Lucas said.

"Funny," Chris said, "you're my hero."

Lucas's face turned red. If I were his age… heck, even now, I wasn't sure how much my heart could take before I dropped dead. When Chris struck his signature pose, Lucas followed suit. Fine, I did it too. Lucy laughed while she snapped photos.

When she finished, I reached out to shake the actor's hand. "Thanks for coming. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

"You're the guy in charge?" I nodded. "My ex was prepared to beg for me to show up. Then I heard it was the town's first convention. We can't let Boston have all the fun."

He bumped fists with Lucas. "Am I going to see you at the contest?" If Lucas nodded any faster, his head might fly off. "Good." He pointed at me as he leaned closer to Lucas. "Make sure this one gets his suit on."

"What suit?"

Lucas just about exploded. "Mom has something for you."

Lucy took Lucas by the hand. She said nothing as she gave me an eyebrow waggle. As I wrapped my arm around Simon's waist, I could see him checking out Chris. He might be a handsome bear, but he wasn't my handsome bear .

"Don't worry, you win the best-dressed hero award."

I yelped as he gave me a swift smack on the ass. "Don't speak yet. We have one more surprise for you."

I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked. The crowd didn't pay us any attention as they swarmed the actor's booth. If the day ended this very moment, I'd consider it a success. I almost cursed the idea of moving away. I had needed one reason to stay and as I looked around at the people of Firefly, it was more than I could have hoped for.

Simon, the boyfriend, he was a bonus reason.