The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism

"You know her?" Sloane asked, finally sliding down from my waist but keeping her arms around my neck.

"I know of her. Former military, specialized in unconventional warfare tactics. She’s been with Halloran for about five years now." Diane’s expression was thoughtful as she continued reading, her eyes tracking across the letter with the same focus she gave contract negotiations. "Says here that 1-B focuses on tactical flexibility and non-traditional Aspect applications."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"It means," Diane said, setting the letter down with a satisfied smile, "that they didn’t put you in remedial classes. They put you in the experimental program."

Sloane’s head snapped up. "Experimental?"

"Think about it. Your entrance exam ranking was third overall, but your practical performance was completely unorthodox. Using Force Manipulation for rescue operations instead of direct combat? That’s not standard Hero thinking." Diane’s eyes were bright with the kind of excitement she got when she figured out a particularly complex PR puzzle, when something that looked like a problem revealed itself as an opportunity she could work with. "They’re not trying to fix you. They’re trying to figure out what else you can do."

The System chimed in with what sounded suspiciously like approval.

〘 Assessment accurate. Class 1-B placement indicates recognition of non-standard tactical potential. Instructor profile suggests optimal environment for continued development. 〙

Well, when the universe’s most annoying AI agreed with Diane, maybe she was onto something.

"So 1-B is actually good?" Sloane asked, her voice cautiously hopeful in a way that made it clear she was still processing the idea that my class assignment wasn’t a disaster.

"1-B is different," Diane corrected. "Which for someone with Lukas’s particular skill set might be exactly what he needs."

I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease. Maybe being in a different class wasn’t the end of the world. Maybe it was actually an opportunity to develop without the pressure of constantly being compared to the traditional Hero track students, which I was not particularly interested in being compared to anyway.

Plus, if Diane was right about the experimental aspect, it might give me more flexibility to explore the System’s capabilities without raising too many eyebrows. Hard to explain sudden new abilities when you’re in a class full of people who’ve been training their whole lives to notice that kind of thing. In a class that was explicitly structured around unconventional applications, sudden unconventional applications were just on-brand.

"Besides," Diane continued, moving closer with that particular grace that meant she had something specific in mind, "being in different classes means you’ll both have your own achievements to be proud of. No one will be able to say Sloane succeeded because of Lukas, or vice versa."

She had a point. The last thing either of us needed was people assuming we were only successful because we were dating, which was a framing that would land harder on Sloane than on me because she was the one with the Legendary Aspect and I was the one with the Unmarked file. Especially given how complicated our actual relationship had become, which was complicated in ways the general public was not going to be briefed on.

"And," she added, her voice dropping into that lower register that made both Sloane and me pay very close attention, "it means you’ll have even more to talk about when you come home for visits."

The way she said ’home’ made it clear she had very specific ideas about what those visits might entail. Ideas that involved significantly less talking than she was implying. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Sloane caught the undertone too, if the way she pressed closer to me was any indication. Her body was warm against mine, soft curves fitting perfectly against the harder lines of my frame. The morning light caught the pink in her hair, making it look like spun cotton candy, which was a comparison she would hate and which I was not going to say out loud.

"We should celebrate," Diane said, setting down her coffee with deliberate care. "Both of my children getting into Halloran Academy deserves proper recognition."

Both of her children. The casual way she included me in that statement made something warm and complicated twist in my chest. I’d been living in this house for almost ten years, but hearing her claim me as family so matter-of-factly still caught me off guard. The original Lukas had probably heard it more than once. The transmigrant in his body was still processing what it meant.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked, though the heat in her eyes gave me a pretty good idea.

"Well," she said, stepping closer until she was near enough to trace one finger along Sloane’s arm where it rested on my shoulder, "I was thinking we could start with breakfast. Something special to mark the occasion."

Her touch made Sloane shiver, and I felt the tremor run through her body where it pressed against mine. The kitchen suddenly felt smaller, charged with the kind of tension that meant clothes were probably going to end up on the floor in the very near future, which was a development I was completely fine with.

"I like the sound of that," Sloane said, her voice slightly breathless in the specific way that meant she was processing Diane’s proximity and her tone simultaneously.

"Good." Diane’s smile was pure sin wrapped in expensive lipstick. "Because I have very specific plans for how we’re going to spend the rest of this morning."

The System helpfully chimed in with a notification about increased arousal metrics, which I dismissed without reading. I didn’t need an AI to tell me what was obviously about to happen when Diane had that particular look in her eyes and Sloane was practically melting against me. The Oracle Feed could file its observations elsewhere.

"Should we go upstairs?" Sloane asked, her fingers playing with the hair at the base of my neck in a way that made it very difficult to think about anything else, which was probably the point.

"Eventually," Diane said, moving even closer until she was near enough to brush her lips against Sloane’s temple in a gesture that was affectionate and promising in equal measure.

"But first, I want to read the rest of the letter. It should have your dorm assignments and what’s needed for your rooms. Class supply lists. The logistical details that someone responsible should probably pay attention to before we get distracted."