What if everyone got super powers(part 128). Remake
The snow no longer crunched. It screeched.
Under his feet, under his soles, under his nerves.
The town lay ahead—warm, noisy, alive. But for now… there was only the road. Narrow, trampled, with sparse streetlamps lazily casting yellow light onto the white void.
Side by side. But… not together.
Fran ran ahead, occasionally turning back to check if they were still following.
He was the only one who felt perfectly fine.
Because Enzo… Enzo had a mess in his head.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, hunching slightly against the cold.
He glanced sideways at Regina.
She walked calmly. Evenly. No wasted movement. Eyes forward.
As if… she was completely fine.
“How do you even talk to a person…”
“…whom you just protected.”
“And who… protected you.”
“That has to… mean something, right?”
“Like… well… if you really don’t care about someone… you don’t just jump into the line of fire, do you?”
How long had they known each other?
And they were already fighting together, coordinating, covering each other’s backs.
“Is this normal? Is it weird? Is it…”
He scratched the back of his head.
“AAA, why is this harder than fighting a cultist?!”
Fran suddenly came to a halt, sniffed the snow, and began aggressively digging for something.
Regina spared him a brief glance.
"If he finds something edible right now—it doesn't mean it’s actually edible," she said dryly.
"I’ll keep that in mind," Enzo replied automatically.
“Okay. I need to speak. About anything.”
He looked up at the sky.
“…no. That’s so cliché even I’d hate myself.”
He glanced at her again.
She was still walking calmly.
“Is she even thinking about anything?”
“Or is she just walking and ignoring me?”
And at that moment, a thought struck him.
A dangerous one. Very dangerous.
“I wish I had Ivan’s abilities right now…”
He let out an involuntary chuckle.
“Just read her mind and get it over with.”
He shook his head violently.
“That’s creepy. Really creepy. Like… maximum creep levels.”
He glanced at her once more.
“Like… just to know: is she just tolerating me, or is she actually… okay?”
Enzo nearly collided with her.
"Are you thinking out loud?" she asked calmly, without turning around.
"WHAT— no!" he straightened up quickly.
"I… I didn't say a word!"
She slowly turned her head.
"Your face is very… talkative."
Fran joyfully leaped out of the snow with a chunk of ice in his teeth.
"Don't eat that," she said immediately.
Fran stopped. Thought about it. And… spat it out.
Enzo couldn't help himself.
"Sometimes," Regina shrugged.
And… strangely, the tension eased… just a bit.
Like a tiny crack in the ice.
Enzo took a deep breath.
"Listen…" he started, a bit hesitantly.
"Do you always fight like that?"
"Like how?" Regina clarified calmly.
"Well…" he tried to find the words.
"Fast. Harsh. Without… well… hesitation."
Regina tilted her head slightly.
She thought for a moment.
"…Ah. Useful answer," he muttered.
"Did you want a lecture?"
"No, just…" he stammered.
"Usually people don't look this… calm after their first fight."
Looked at her companion.
But this time—a little longer.
"Do you look calm?" she asked.
The wind swept between them.
Enzo scratched the back of his neck.
They started walking again.
A few steps in silence. But now, it was… different.
"What about you?" Regina said.
"Do you always move like that?"
"Or is that only when suspicious types are watching you?"
And… he smirked. A little.
"Sometimes it’s also when I want to make an impression."
But the corner of her mouth… twitched, just slightly.
Fran barked happily and ran ahead.
The town didn't greet them all at once.
The dim glow of streetlamps grew brighter, warmer, denser. The snow here no longer seemed endless—it lay in even layers on the sidewalks, cleared from the roads, packed down by the footsteps of others.
The distant hum of cars. Voices. Laughter. The creak of doors.
After the empty, cold river, it felt… strangely vivid.
Enzo stole a glance at Regina.
She walked calmly, but her movements still held that same precision. Every step was confident, calculated. Fran would occasionally dash ahead, sniff the snow, then return.
The silence between them… stretched on.
"Um…" he slightly raised a hand as if asking for the floor, though no one was interrupting him.
"Do you… come here often?"
He immediately winced internally.
“BRILLIANT. JUST BRILLIANT. ‘Do you come to the city often?’ TO THE CITY.”
Regina shot him a brief look.
"Sometimes," she replied calmly.
"I see…" he muttered under his breath.
He let out an involuntary sigh.
"Well… here we are," he said, a bit quieter than intended.
"Welcome to… civilization."
Regina slowly looked around.
Her eyes caught everything—storefronts, people, signs, reflections in the glass. She wasn't used to walking through the city on days like this; she preferred the outskirts or the forest. Her gaze wasn't one of wonder, but rather… assessment.
"Noisy," she said shortly.
"This is actually the quiet part," Enzo shrugged.
"You just haven't been here on the weekends."
Fran ran ahead, leaving paw prints in the snow, then stopped abruptly in front of a shop window, staring at his own reflection.
He tilted his head. The reflection did the same.
"He's about to pick a fight with himself."
"It’s happened before," Regina answered calmly.
The park was their first stop.
Small, snow-covered, with empty benches and lanterns that turned the snow almost golden. The trees stood bare, branches coated in frost.
"You said you understand what to expect from me."
He scratched the back of his head.
"That sounds like a bad thing."
"It sounds like 'safe'."
He was a little surprised. And… he exhaled a bit.
"And you?" he asked cautiously.
Fran barked softly, as if in agreement.
He immediately bolted toward the trees.
Regina followed him with her eyes.
"He won't run away," Enzo said.
But she didn't look away.
Enzo noticed and took mental note.
"Do you… come here often?" he asked, just to fill the silence.
He immediately winced again.
"Do you always ask questions like that?"
"The ones with obvious answers."
He blanked for a moment.
They passed the swings. The creak of the wind in the chains sounded almost like a voice.
But it wasn't awkward anymore. It was… strangely comfortable.
Next, the square was different.
People. Lights. Someone was laughing, someone was arguing, others were just passing by. A Christmas tree stood decorated with lights. A pair of kids were building a snowman.
Fran stopped. Looked. Ran over.
The snowman didn't survive; it lost its head a second later.
"Fran," Regina said dryly.
And just as slowly… sat down.
"…He apologized," she added.
The corner of Regina's lip curled into a smile.
The boy slowed down a bit, deciding to look around.
"People usually gather here," he explained.
"Well… aside from the fact that strange things happen here sometimes."
"Like the cult?" Regina clarified calmly.
"Well... Yeah, mostly at night… for example."
Fran returned, stood beside her, and sat down.
He watched the people intently.
"He feels it too, doesn't he?" Enzo asked softly.
"Sometimes before I do."
"We have this one…" he began but cut himself off.
"A friend. He also senses energy. Well... a specific kind."
"And you trust him?" she asked immediately.
She noticed, but said nothing.
The shops were the next stop.
They went into a couple—just because.
To warm up, to look around.
Enzo tried to act normal.
Regina did the opposite. She barely touched anything.
She watched the reflections in the glass, the people, the exits. Always the exits.
“She’s calculating routes.”
Meanwhile, Fran was trying to swipe a package of something edible.
Regina was looking at him.
He carefully placed it back.
Enzo let out a quiet snicker.
"You two have a real contract going on."
"We have an understanding," she replied.
"I want that with people," he muttered.
"Yeah, thanks, I noticed."
Enzo suddenly lingered for a moment at one of the storefronts.
"There's… a gaming club over there," he said, perking up a bit.
"I used to hang out in those a lot."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Lately, there’s… less time."
He didn't finish the thought.
But the meaning was obvious.
The cult. The investigations. All of it.
They peeked inside for a few minutes. The noise, the screens, the teenagers, the shouts of "YEAH, I HIT HIM!"
Enzo practically came alive.
"Oh, I love this place."
Regina stopped at the entrance. Surveyed it.
"I said so, didn't I?" she shrugged.
And right then, Enzo stopped thinking about how to talk.
He just started: explaining, showing, gesturing.
Sometimes too fast. Sometimes stumbling over his words.
And Regina listened. Sometimes she interrupted:
"Why does it work like that?"
Fran immediately tried to climb onto one of the stools.
"No," both said simultaneously.
They looked at each other.
Only then did they go to the cafe.
Quiet, warm. With soft lighting.
"In here?" Enzo suggested.
Regina looked. Then nodded.
The heat hit them instantly.
Enzo’s glasses fogged up.
"Oh, come on…" he muttered, taking them off to wipe them.
Regina let out a quiet laugh.
"This is a technical difficulty," he replied seriously, putting them back on.
They sat opposite each other at a table by the window.
A real one, without movement, without distractions.
Enzo stared at the menu. Not reading it.
"Do you have…?" he started.
"Well, besides…" he waved a hand vaguely.
Regina tilted her head slightly.
"Sometimes I fix things."
She tapped her finger on a multi-tool.
"And…" she looked at Fran.
"That’s… cool. I…" he stammered.
"...I play games. And… I write sometimes."
"Just… articles. Like… investigations."
"So you really are a detective."
"In training," he corrected quickly.
She leaned back slightly.
"So, are you… analyzing me right now?"
He gave in a second later.
"That’s why you’re readable."
"Is that ever going to stop sounding like an insult?"
Fran wagged his tail quietly.
They placed their order.
The conversation… flowed.
Unevenly. With pauses. Sometimes hitting dead ends.
"Do you have a family?" Regina asked cautiously.
"Yeah. My dad, my stepmother… my sister."
He thought about it. And… smiled slightly.
And with that, she closed the subject.
He understood. He didn't push.
"I have one," she nodded toward Fran.
She added a bit more quietly.
And surprisingly, he really did.
Warm, living, without pressure.
They didn't dig deeper. They didn't touch the wounds.
But… they already knew where they were.
Regina took a sip. Looked at him. A bit more intently than before.
"It’s not a compliment."
"But… not in a bad way."
"Oh, great. A clarification."
The snow outside the window continued to fall.
Two people who yesterday didn't even know each other.
Who… were now just talking.
The warmth of the cafe no longer felt so sharp.
It… became the background.
Like the noise around them. Conversations, the clinking of dishes, quiet music—it all dissolved into the distance.
And a conversation that… no longer needed to be forced.
"…and then he actually thought he could jump over the railing," Enzo was saying, a bit more animated than before.
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"And he couldn't. Not even close."
She let out a quiet snort.
"That’s what I said," Enzo nodded.
"While I was helping him up."
"Are you always like this?"
"Think first, act later?"
"I try. But it doesn't always work out."
Fran gave a quiet huff, resting his head on his paws.
The conversation dipped into silence for a second.
But this time, it wasn't awkward.
Enzo tapped his fingers on his mug. Then leaned forward slightly.
"...a standard part of your… kit?"
"You sounded like you were adding me to a dossier just now."
Fran gave a quiet bark, as if laughing.
Enzo relaxed into his chair.
"Well… you’re not exactly ordinary either."
He started counting on his fingers.
"Claws. A tail. A ghost-dog that can grow in size and…" he thought for a second.
"...what even was that?"
"Yes, I know it's Fran. I mean… everything else."
Regina tilted her head slightly.
"He feels things before I do."
"I noticed… It’s… useful."
And for a second, her hand automatically touched his head.
A light movement. Habitual.
"You have…" Regina began.
Regina paused for a second, weighing her words.
And she didn't ask again.
Not out of indifference.
But because… it was enough.
Enzo understood that too.
And for some reason… it felt right.
"We talk about our abilities like we're talking about the weather."
"Considering they’re the reason we weren't killed fifty minutes ago—it’s normal."
He looked out the window.
The snow was still falling.
"Are you…" he turned back to her.
She didn't answer immediately.
"I wouldn't mind… knowing what's going on."
Enzo went quiet, thinking about how to finish the sentence. She had made it clear she didn't trust people easily, and even trusting him was a stretch. Trying to force her into the rest of the group would end badly.
"Without the 'joining the team' part."
Fran wagged his tail quietly.
Much lighter than before.
"We don't go poking around in each other’s heads."
"But we share what’s… important."
“Seriously? A handshake? Who even are you?”
"No nonsense," she added.
Fran gave a quiet bark, as if approving.
And at that moment… something finally shifted.
Not sharply. Not loudly.
The conversation continued.
Now without the pauses where you have to think about what to say.
Now without the constant analysis of every word.
They interrupted each other.
Sometimes they argued. Sometimes they laughed.
Sometimes they just… sat in silence.
But now it wasn't "we don't know what to say."
It was "we don't have to speak every second."
And that… was far more valuable.
"You know," Regina said suddenly.
"You’re repeating yourself."
"No, this time it’s a compliment."
He thought about it and nodded.
Outside, the snow began to slow down.
The town was gradually quieting.
And inside the cafe, two teenagers who not long ago were fighting for survival were now just sitting and talking.
As if they had known each other much longer than they actually had.
And perhaps, this was only the beginning.
The town began to darken—not sharply, but gradually. The lights of the storefronts grew brighter, and the streetlamps flickered on one by one, reflecting in the slushy snow.
No longer just side by side.
The conversation no longer tripped over itself.
"Wait, do you seriously think the park is a normal place for a meeting?" Regina asked, crossing her arms.
"Why not?" Enzo shrugged.
"Open space, fewer people, easier to spot…"
"…a threat," she finished.
"Are you asking me on a date or for a mission briefing?"
"WHAT— no! I mean— I’m not— that’s not—"
And suddenly… she smirked.
"You’re doing that on purpose."
They walked a little further.
"Okay, then…" Enzo thought.
"Are you taking me there just to show off how 'cool' you are?"
"Thanks for the clarification."
"Then…" he started again.
"...maybe… something neutral?"
"What are we doing right now?"
And at that moment, something changed.
His step faltered slightly.
Enzo’s expression shifted.
The lightness vanished. As if someone had flipped a switch.
Regina noticed immediately.
He didn't answer right away.
And beside him—Ruben Smith.
Standing at the entrance of a shop, talking about something. Laughing.
As if… nothing had changed.
As if they were still the same.
"People you know?" Regina asked calmly.
He stayed quiet for a second, trying to find words that would convey their nature without immediately descending into insults.
"Not the most pleasant types, let's put it that way."
She shifted her gaze to them.
"Not in the way we’re used to. Но… yeah. In their own way."
“Amazing I ever hung out with them at all.”
The thought came unbidden.
A stupid attempt to fit in.
Back then… he wanted to be part of something.
And they were the closest option.
Even if that option… was garbage.
"Do you want to go around?" Regina asked.
He thought for a second. Then exhaled.
Because they had spotted them.
His face stretched into that recognizable smirk.
He said something to Seth.
"Of course…" Enzo muttered under his breath.
"Oh, look who it is," Ruben’s voice carried over a couple of seconds later.
Too confident. Too familiar.
Regina shifted slightly.
Not forward. But not back.
Fran stood his ground quietly.
"Yeah," he replied shortly.
"I would've been fine keeping it that way."
He shifted his gaze to Regina.
Enzo already had his mouth open.
"None of your business," Regina said calmly.
"Unlike some people," she added.
Seth took a step forward.
"Watch your tongue," he said.
Fran’s growl grew louder.
"Hey." He took a half-step forward.
"What, you're the bodyguard now?"
"No. I just don't want to waste time on this."
"You were always like this."
"Only now you're… more confident?"
Enzo tightened his lips.
And… tilted her head slightly.
And suddenly… he smirked.
But… he didn't move any further.
"Whatever you say, Esposito."
Seth watched for another second.
Then he turned away too.
Just as confidently as they had approached.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"What are you apologizing for?"
"They aren't you. Which means they aren't your problem."
They started walking again.
But now… a little slower.
"Were you friends with them?" she asked.
"I tried. Not the best idea."
"The main thing is that you 'tried'."
"It means you actually care."
Fran wagged his tail happily.
And their conversation… did too.
