Chapter 12 Donovan/Flexel
Chapter twelve
Donovan/Flexel
The team dispersed after the boss's orders, boots thudding against the floors as they moved toward the garage. Matt lingered for a second, his gaze flicking between Mandie and me before he followed the others, his shoulders tense with the weight of whatever he wasn’t saying.
The common room emptied quickly, leaving only the low hum of the Keystone’s systems and the faint whir of cleaning robots gliding along the edges of the space.
Mandie didn’t move. She stayed planted on the black leather couch, arms crossed over her chest, hazel eyes sharp as they tracked me.
I should’ve followed the others. But someone needed to stay behind. To watch her. Just in case.
And if I was honest with myself, I wasn't ready to leave.
I had never seen a more beautiful woman.
She was smart, quick with her comebacks, and carried a fire that made the rest of us look like we were just going through the motions.
And when she barked orders or put the guys in their place…
I loved it. I never seemed to upset her the way the other guys did, so she never turned that fire on me.
Part of me wished she would.
She exhaled, a sound that wasn’t quite a scoff but carried the same energy. "I don’t know how you can work with those assholes," she said, voice low, rough around the edges. The tattoos on her arms moved as she tightened her crossed stance.
I shrugged, fingers twitching at my sides before I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my black jeans. "They’re my friends. We are good together."
"Some of you are good together. That Quantum Knight is a real piece of work. The others, maybe not so bad. But you all should consider a change of command."
I tilted my head, messy hair falling into my eyes. "I’ve learned a lot from him. All of them, actually."
"Like what?" she challenged, leaning forward just enough that the neck of her hoodie dipped, revealing the faintest hint of collarbone. "How to stand there and take it while they make all the decisions?"
The frustration in her voice wasn’t just about me. I recognized that tone—the one that said she was sick of being the one left out, talked over, the one who had to watch while other people called the shots. I knew what that felt like.
"The boss taught me how to save people. Get them out of danger without hurting them," I said quietly. “That’s what I do best now.” My fingers curled into loose fists inside my pockets. "That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I got my powers.
Save people. Even if I have to stretch myself thin to do it.
" I offered a small smile. "Pun intended. "
She studied me for a long moment, her gaze tracing the lines of my face. Then she exhaled, her shoulders dropping just a fraction. She reached out and rubbed my shoulder.
"That’s a true hero, I guess," she said softly.
The words settled between us, warm and unexpected. My pulse kicked up, skin prickling under the weight of her attention. I wasn’t used to praise. Not like this. Not from someone who mattered.
Mandie leaned back against the couch, fingers drumming against her arm. "How’d you even get your powers?"
I almost laughed. Not my favorite thing to talk about. The guys knew the basics; the paint, the accident, but I was too embarrassed to talk about the why around them.
"I was having a rough school year. I was a sophomore in high school," I started, voice taking on that distant quality it always did when I looked back. "Halloween was coming up, and I wanted a badass costume. Something that meant something. So I messed around with chemicals from the school lab."
She moved closer on the couch until our thighs were touching. It made me nervous as hell, but I didn't pull away.
"I used it to make this special paint. It was supposed to be for an art project. Something that would react to light, change colors. But I… I don’t know.
I got obsessed. Stayed up for days mixing things, testing reactions.
When I finally got it right, it was Halloween.
I covered myself in it. I’m not gonna lie, it looked awesome. And..."
"And then?" Mandie prompted, her voice low.
"And then I could stretch," I said. "I can still remember the way it felt. The paint slick and cool against my skin, tingling like it was alive. The way my body moved after bending in ways it shouldn’t, stretching beyond limits."
She didn’t laugh. She just watched me, hazel eyes dark. "Must have been some paint. I know you saved a lot of people in your young life. More than I did at twenty-one. The world is lucky to have you, Donovan."
The way she said my name, like it was something precious, sent a jolt through me.
"You think so?" I asked, voice lighter than I felt.
She held my gaze. "Yeah," she breathed.
The air between us thickened. The Keystone’s usual hum faded into nothing. All I could hear was her breathing. All I could see was the way her chest rose and fell.
"Your superhero costume," she said. "Is that what you painted on yourself the day you got your powers?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I can make it appear and disappear on command. Makes it easy. I don't have to carry a suit around like the others."
"What was so special about that design? The black with the green graffiti lines? Don't get me wrong, it’s cool. I just don't see how that drives a kid to splatter chemicals all over himself."
This was the part I didn't like. The part I never told the guys. But maybe… maybe I could tell her.
"There was this girl."
Mandie let out a short laugh. "Of course! It is always a girl."
I smiled faintly. "We were friends at first. We both liked to paint and draw. Liked the same bands. She was my first kiss. We talked about running away together. Just joking around, kid stuff."
I took a breath. Mandie’s hand rubbed my back, a gentle reassurance.
"One night, she asked me to pick her up from soccer practice. I told her I couldn't. I had to work a shift at the ice cream stand. She understood. It was no big deal. Until the next day, when she went missing."
I looked down at my hands.
"A week later, her body was found. Another week after that, her soccer coach was arrested." My voice cracked on the final word.
"Oh my god," Mandie whispered. "I am so sorry, Donovan."
She embraced me, holding me close as I fought back the memories.
"Ever since then, I made it my goal to save as many lives as I could. I should have been the one driving her home. It is my fault she died."
"Don't you dare blame yourself for what that monster did," she said fiercely against my shoulder. "You were a kid. You had no idea."
I pulled back just enough to look at her. "She is the reason I painted myself that way. The design of my suit? It’s a character she created. We used to draw together. She created this idea for a superhero. One that lived to save lives, not just to fight."
"That's beautiful."
"I wanted to go to school for graphic design," I admitted. "But I knew my calling was to use my powers. Since I could flex and stretch, and I would have worked with pixels as a designer… I called myself Flexel. Been saving people since I was sixteen."
"That's awesome," she said softly.
She snuggled in tighter, letting out a small yawn.
"Tired?" I asked.
"No. Sleep is for the dead. And Matt, I guess."
I chuckled. "Lord knows he needs it. We need him. I am not sure how we will stop Capital Punishment, but it is going to take all of us. I just hope we do it before it is too late."
I looked down. Mandie’s breathing had evened out. She had fallen asleep in my lap.
I didn't want to disturb her. Carefully, I stretched my arm across the room. My fingers elongated like shadows and flipped the switch on the wall, turning out the light.