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The dark quiet room was lit up by a dozen monitors, all displaying different angles of the same fight, that was hardly a fight, the opponent went down almost instantly. In this specific situation the hero who won was clearly tired, maybe even distressed by other matters completely unrelated to the usually life threatening situation he was in. Then he looked at every single camera and turned them off with a snap.
What a peculiar man.
On his nth watch the observer would go frame by frame, looking at the surreal colors that seemed to shift between realities, he noted how in person these shifts, these special effects weren't in place. They looked as if they were added in post production rather than happened in the moment. I mean a comically sized "POW!" covering a punch? Really? He could not have missed that while observing the fight from his not-so-safe spot.
His fans later criticized him for putting himself in danger by sitting in an active battle zone just to get a few shots of the top hero. However what his fans failed to realize was that this was the clearest footage of X that he could have gotten, no other video did him justice. Only these far away and up close shots portrayed the small loc of hair that separated from his slick backed hair and the blink and you'll miss it crease that formed between his brows when he watched the fear monsters body dissolve.
It was fascinating. No other camera out there portrayed the hero as his did. No other streamer or reporter caught captured him with this amount of detail, trapping the almost-god on a dozen of high quality digital screens in the observers dark room. He snickered to himself, nobody else was graced with the privilege of admiring the mans face in 4k. Only he could. Only he had the right. Nobody else would reach these, nobody else would see the smallest details of X's face, of his suit, of his glasses reflecting the flash of the FOMO drones so aesthetically.
Only he could watch him with this amount of precision. It felt parasocial, truly it did. But he didn't care, he was absorbed in the analysis, drowning in the minute details. So much so that he didn't notice one of the screens freezing with a click, then another and another. Until when he looked up at his glamorous display and only saw the dark screens staring back at him.
He panicked. Who wouldn't? He was almost infected with fear during that fight and for a second he swore he was in an alternate dimension altogether. And now he felt all those risks turn into meaningless notions as all the footage turned into soft electrical mist. Gone with the slightest blow of wind. Never to be seen again.
Tears welled up in his eyes, until the screens lit up once more. His heart flipped up in happiness and beat to the sound of hope. But the images that held his admiration didn't return, instead on the giant display, like a puzzle piece stood X. Separated by the gaps between the screens. Confused he tried to pause the footage, why was it all in sync? That wasn't a feature! He typed on his keyboard frantically, until a hand glowing with a digital halo lifted his chin forcing him to come eye to eye with a hologram of the man he was studying coming out of his screens.
"So you're the one who's eyes i felt all day hm?" The touch felt like nothing at all, no warmth no chill. Just digital realness that held no weight in this world. Yet he was here, he was real. And the observer was stunned. "I must say, i haven't had a fan this dedicated in... a while! I mean to go into an active battle just to snatch some shots, and with no real powers. That requires a sort of audacity only a certain few posses."
The rest of his body slowly peeled itself away from the grasp of the screens, glitching in RGB around the newly freed limbs. His touch still didn't carry anything but a soft rumble against the observers skin. "Are you here to hurt me? Take my footage away? Destroy my equipment or simply to scare me enough so that i won't chase you again." He spoke, far too calmly for the fact that the man holding him was an almost-god who could do much worse things.
He thought of all the ways he could be damaged by the reality shifter, all the ways he could be stripped of his identity. All the ways he could become nothing at all. Yet the hero just shrugged and then fell into a loud full chested laughter. His hand no longer on Enlighters face. Now it supported his hip as he bent over backwards to laugh at the apparently absurd idea.
"If not for that. Then tell me, Hero why are you here?" His voice was silky and unbothered. Yet his eyes carried a flame of excitement that resembled a kid who wanted candy but knew they wouldn't get it if they didn't keep calm.
"Im here to see you, you know who I am, or if you don't you will figure it out soon enough. You're smart I know you will." X smiled as his thumb moved in hypnotizing patterns on Enlighters jaw. "So tell me, do you know my face? you're so dedicated to me. You must know."
The observer shook his head, know him? How could he, there was virtually no clue left behind that he didn't follow already. He even spoke to some suspects from the company he traced X's timetable back to. He knew for certain that he worked in there. No way he didn't.
"All i know is that you work in the FOMO advertising department. In the building overlooking the monument dedicated to Zero's defeat. And I am sure that i am correct. Unless you wish to tell me that I am not?" His smug smile didn't escape the taller mans eyes, same eyes that were staring at him mocking on the footage a few minutes ago.
X just smiled going back into the screens and walking around them "how did you come to that conclusion?" that wasn't a confirmation Enlighter had hoped for, but he was more than happy to entertain his willing audience.
"Well, you only appear at the times people from that department are supposed to go on break, this is significant since" he opens a spreadsheet of all the corporations from that area's timetables on one of the monitors, X sits comfortably in one of the cells "all the others start lunch break at 10 AM rather than the 12 AM you are mostly seen at. However the FOMO department i have concluded you are affiliated in starts their break at 11:30 sharp, which would give you just enough time to eat something and go to a secluded spot to help those attacked." His tone is proud and confident. X looks at him and nods with interest. "Another thing that is suspicious, is that Ahu is seen next to the building quite often. Usually accompanied by his owner and a third person." He pulls out a folder of photos, all of them featuring Ahu Xinya and a third mysterious man who is always conveniently covered by something in every shot. "I speculate that this is the girl's father or legal guardian." X jumps into the image as if he was walking along the trio.
"That's impressive!" he leans his arm on the third man's shoulder "I must say, i didn't expect these to be the clues you found but nonetheless i am very pleased with your ability. Truly! I am." in his mind X also thought about the fact that no, he was not paranoid like Ahu had said and there in fact WAS someone stalking the trio.
"SO I WAS RIGHT HA!" Enlighter stands up very quickly with light in his eyes as he celebrates, that celebration quickly fades as his eyes grow fuzzy due to how long he was sitting, he clutches his head and groans at the unpleasant sensation. "give me a moment..." he mutters, embarrassed at his actions.
"You have all the time in the world Truth Eye. I wouldn't be here if i wasn't prepared for listening to you babbling about how you found me out now would i?" The words came from his side and they sounded real, nit recorded, not digitalized. Real.
Enlighter looked to his ride and jumped back as X stood in front of him. Alive, no longer a hologram or a projection on his monitor. The man was grinning, Enlighter did not know why. After all he was so close to cracking the case! Whats there to laugh about!
"Well? Are you ready to talk more? And maybe turn on the light? I don't have night vision you know! Or maybe I do, who knows." X joked as they now stood in the darkness, the monitors turned off and blinds rolled down.
"Right yes, yes right away." He rushed to turn the light on but then remembered how messy the room was. He hesitated for a second before a hand appeared right over his and 'helped' him press down the switch. Exposing the mess to the powerful hero's eyes, and blinding the weaker hero of a moment. When he could see again he pointed to one of the chairs near the closed window. "if you want to talk sit there"
"alright, and if i dont want to talk?" Enlighters face fell, starting to get annoyed at the hero. He sighed.
"Why are you here again?"
"just visiting" X said in a way too happy voice. "No, honestly i wish to see you figure me out in real time, so if you want you can return to your analysis. I feel that you're almost there."
"ugh... why do you even want to see it? Shouldn't you try everything in your power to stop me?"
"I sense that soon my identity will be compromised anyway. So I have no choice but to see at least one person figure it out. Before i do it myself."
"Ah. I see. Well then you might be here for a while. I started this investigation 12 days ago, and I only figured out where uou work yesterday, and i have yet to fimd the connection between you and Ahu and the strange man that i cannot for the life of me get a good shot of- wait." His eyes widened and he sat in his chair, X using the back of it to lean over Enlighter "YOU- that's WHY I wasn't able, because you prevented me from it! Yes? No wait-" He opened a face front photo of X, and then quickly with way too much ease for X's eyes he logged into the worker database of FOMO. He found the most similar man to the one in his blurry photos and overlayed both X's and the man's faces. "Oh. Oh i have it now, yes. It must be true!" he looked up to see X leaning down over him, way too close for comfort.
"Bravo! No wonder it took you so little to figure out Nice's case!" the hero beamed, his face had an uncharacteristic amount of expression displayed on, and Enlighter felt his face grow red as he took in more and more details about the other who, again, was way too close. "You know-" X leaned away and Enlighter breathed a sigh of relief "I've been a fan of yours for a while but you always stream when I do hero work, such a drag." X took a few steps awah from the chair and Enlighter followed shortly after him.
"Why exactly are you bringing this up?" the truth seeker was beyond confused now. A fan? THE hero X was his fan? thats. Interesting to say the least.
"Well, you see i am very happy that it's YOU who I watched figure me out, and i appreciate you not streaming it... since now I can say that i have this memory only to myself and I promise to keep it close to my heart. Very close." He winked at the increasingly flustered Enlighter. "I am not happy at my identity being compromised, of course. But sooner or later, probably sooner since the HAC is on my tail, it will be revealed to the public. But at least I saw my favorite hero solve the mystery. So nothings bad without a good side."
The room seemed to grow warmer with every moment X talked, it was suffocating. His presence his looks... everything the man was. This close Enlighter saw every crease on his face, every little expression every small feature that was usually overlooked. And he couldn't stop looking, until X's eyes caught his.
"Are you even listening? Im offering you such high praise, and all you seem to do is gawk at my face. I know I'm handsome but come on!" X walked closer to the other hero. "Hello? Earth to Enlighter?" he waved his hand in front of the others eyes before Enlighter jumped back at the proximity. Unfortunately luck would have it that there was a cable behind him that tripped him over. He braced himself for impact but, of course, X stepped in to help "Falling for me is one thing but falling FROM me? Kinda rude wouldn't you say?" He joked as he pulled Enlighter close to himself keeping him steady with a hand on his waist.
Enlighter in turn burst into a laugh, flustered and nervous at everything that X was doing "That was terrible! Who taught you how to make jokes? Are puns your specialty or something?" The man laughed and curled slightly forward, his forehead pressed into X's wife chest. It was inly after his laughter calmed down that he noticed the position and the sudden silence from X.
He pulled away quickly, or at least he tried to, but the hand on his waist held him in place. "What is this..?" he said confused as he looked up at the others face, which was now red and uncertain "uh... X?" the other man remained unresponsive just mapping the others face with his eyes. Enlighter didn't run either. During his hours of research he had grown quite fond of the idea that X might notice and acknowledge him one day.
And here he was. eating him alive with his gaze. It stopped and Enlighter quickly concluded that he was looking at his lips, his extremely chapped lips that bled if he smiled too wide due to his habit of picking at the skin when stressed or in thought. X moved his free hand to Enlighters cheek. His thumb rubbing at it slightly and leaned in.
Their lips met for a short moment before they pulled apart, but X quickly chased after Enlighters lips to deepen the kiss and make them a singular being. Enlighters gasped as he gave in, melting under the touch.
Then X looked you in the eyes. "Give us some privacy won't you?" and there wasn't a scene before your eyes anymore, just words on a website.