Testing his power

How powerful was Aaron? What could he do? What were his limits? Questions, questions, questions. Being declared as the Chosen One didn't help nor did the fact that his powers were incomplete. What could he do, really? His experiments in the past weeks had failed. Other than his minor reality warping, the ability to control his cum, the generic super strength, super speed, and endurance, he hadn't felt an immense distinction inside him. He felt…half-full. Content but not at his maximum potential. The Fourteen Forces of the Universe were what seemed to power him, the Chosen One, pulling him between Anti-Crisis Energy and Crisis Energy, between the Seven Harmonious Forces and the Seven Hidden Forces.

From what his intuition was telling him, Crisis Energy was evil and born from the concept of entropy and the rebirth of the multiverse. It forgoed the past and erased memory and meaning. Anti-Crisis Energy opposed this as a connective source of good. It was a bonding between people, memories. and morality. For example, one of the most powerful forces of the Anti-Crisis Energy was the Speed ****. It was a **** that surrounded everything and granted them motion. Aaron could feel it in the tips of his fingers every time he moved. Due to his inexperience, he couldn't go faster than light or anything ridiculous like that. As a matter of fact, besides quick bursts of it, he couldn't use the Speed **** at all, but he could taste its limitless potential within his lungs. It was there. Just at the tip of his tongue. The Speed ****, the Emotional Spectrum, the Life ****, the Sphere of Gods, the Dimensional Superstructure, the Collective ****, and the Faithfulness.

Source: The Seven Forces of the DC Universe by Zal-Cryptid on DevianArt [Noosphere: the sphere of human thought and all human ideas, existing to house everything that humans could ever or will ever think of. Aaron's understanding is incomplete, hence why some terms don't match up. ]

However, that very same pull extended towards the Crisis Energies: the Still ****, the Invisible Spectrum, the Void Wind, the Tear of Extinction, the Sixth Note, the Black Apple, and Faithlessness. Perhaps it was because of his greed for a normal life or his desire to remain invisible in the world. It didn't matter. He could taste the Crisis Energies just as much as the Anti-Crisis Energies. Aaron, in all honesty, didn't believe the world was as black and white as the energies suggest. He hoped that with time he could master both aspects.

For now, he couldn't. He was unable to meaningfully use his abilities. Minor bursts of the Speed **** and the Still **** wouldn't help in controlling Gotham Girl, a human who was more or less a fully-fledged Krytonian. Luckily for him, said fully-fledged Kryptonian was weakened. A psychological and physical crack he could take advantage of with a classic hypnosis.

Claire Clover. Gotham Girl.

He knocked on her door. He had told Stephanie and Cassandra to take Chloe on that dinner reservation he booked. He said couldn't join them because he had to talk to Claire. Stephanie and Cassandra understood. After the bomb they dropped on him, they reckoned a conversation was necessary between the neighbours.

The five-foot-five college student opened the door. A familiar smile spread across her face. "Hey, sir! You need someone to take care of Chloe again?"

'She doesn't know.' As suspected, Claire was too kind to eavesdrop on people. It was unfortunate that Aaron was too cautious. Otherwise, he would have left her alone.

"Can we talk?" Aaron said, putting on a grave face. "It's important."

"O-oh, sure. Come in."

The small apartment was adorned with scattered textbooks, crumpled papers, and half-empty coffee cups. Clothes strewn across the floor and unwashed dishes piled in the sink added to the disarray. The air carried a distinct scent of stale pizza and worn-out sneakers. Claire exemplified the busy, careless life of a college student. He saw the back of her neck creep in red.

"S-sorry about the mess…" Claire muttered, tossing away a graphic t-shirt and grey sweatpants. She gestured at him to sit. He did. Her couch must have been ten times older than his because he sunk way down. Flushing with embarrassment, Claire said in a rush, "Coffee? I know you like it."

"Oh, yeah?" Aaron didn't even hide his suspicion. Claire froze in her spot. She cleared her throat but didn't offer an explanation. Aaron feigned a weary sigh. "Look, sit here." He patted the seat next to him. She glanced between him and the seat, tomato red. Muttering an apology, she sat. Her thigh nearly touched his. She instinctively scooted away.

"I know your secret," Aaron declared after a while. Claire blinked and terror overwhelmed her face. "I know you're Gotham Girl."

The terror transformed into a primal shock. For a good ten seconds, she was frozen in time, unable to respond. Eventually, she worked up the courage to ask. "H-how did you…" Claire swallowed down her nerves. "Is it because…of when I mentioned powers?"

"Yeah. You have the same height, same build, same attitude…" Aaron started to list the identical features. "...same level of attractiveness…" He put the last one on purpose to throw her off. He could sense her shyness weighing her down. Weakening her. "...same blonde hair, same blue eyes, same head structure."

"I…" Claire bit down the anxiety in her throat. Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze and started speaking in full. "I became Gotham Girl when I was sixteen with my older brother. His name was Henry and he…he died years ago. It was…honestly, I don't know whose fault it was. But I've been on and off on this whole superhero business since then."

Aaron's expression softened. Fuck, he wasn't second guessing the hypnosis but he did emphasize with her. Like always, the sullen look of a woman weakened his resolve. "I see…"

"Um, I…" Claire grabbed him by the arm, her breasts hugging him. "Could you please not tell anyone!? I…I…"

"I won't. Promise." Aaron offered her a comforting smile as well as a touch to the back of her hand. "I'm just scared for my daughter, that's all."

"O-oh, you don't have to worry." Desperation reeked in her tone as she confirmed the one thing he had been hoping for. "My powers have been weird the past two months. See, I was ambushed while I was patrolling with the Signal and…well…you don't have to worry. I'm on hiatus! I don't have a nemesis either. Chloe is safe!"

A genuine, honest-to-god sigh left him. No nemesis, no unexpected powers capable of toppling a building, and not an ounce of evil in her heart. This was going better than he expected. Wearing pyjamas, attached to him, breasts comforting his right arm, this was the situation he had hoped for. Her big blue eyes stared into his grey. Her breath oozed towards his chin, his mouth, as she tilted up at him. The height difference was there yet it wasn't.

Her cheeks were already red and her grip on him tightened. "I…" she began huskily. "I know this might be wrong but…I…I sometimes spy on you with my…with my powers."

The poor girl was too pure a soul. Seriously, to admit something like that to someone was stupid. Many would have labelled her a pervert, a stalker. Aaron labelled her as an opportunity. He tilted his head to the side, coming closer. "Really…?"

"Yeah, I…" Claire whimpered. "You smell so good. So good. And you…remember that one time you…you know…" Fucked? Railed? Rutted? Demolished? "...slept with those two girls? Riko and Izzy? I…I was watching with my X-ray vision. Not the whole thing since my powers kept turning on and off, but…I'm sorry."

Was guilt forcing her to admit this? Her altruism? Or was it something else? Seeing how she looked away from his piercing gaze, he suspected a thought that he had entertained before. Something that he considered to be a mere fantasy. A thought that nearly stopped his heart.

'Does she…have a crush on me?' A textbook case of the hot next door neighbour. It was possible. Her hugs, the way she sometimes couldn't make eye contact and strayed towards his crotch, and her absolute obedience. Aaron wasn't ignorant to his looks. Still, besides Cassandra and Riko, he never really considered love. Romantic love, not sexual love.

Did this throw a wrench in his plans? No. Did it make him reconsider his morality? Hell yes. Here he was manipulating a college girl for his own sake–for the mere possibility somebody would interrupt his peace. In spite of her dangerous powers, she was just a normal college girl. He could see it clearly now.