@theatomichero location: downtown, skyscraper
There was one place Morgan always felt powerful and that was in the sky. Somedays he went with headphones plugged in, other days he dove from high as he could for the air to scream at his ear drums. Mute all that mental noise. On his own he'd landed on mountain peaks, launched himself through storm clouds, and got a little too familiar with the local bird migrations. His own escape could be as loud or peaceful as he chose.
Today, it wasn't his own escape as Olympian himself agreed to a fly day. Before last mission, Morgan's heart would have been pounding and a smile stretched ear to ear at the prospect of joining such a hero. Coming out of it, Blackout was more calm but still anxious to get out. No longer for fun, no headphones, he needed the roar to mask all the thoughts eating him up.
Surprisingly, flying at Charlie's side offered a third option. Crazy, wild, distracting pure joy. Floating, falling, flipping together or apart, mirroring those childish smiles. Fuck. Morgan really needed this. He hated himself for that. Why was life, superpowers, not enough for him? Why did he need... always need someone there too?
Charlie naturally was leagues ahead of Morgan as far as ability went, but Morgan could definitely keep up given all the solo flying he'd obsessively practiced the last month. The blond showed him how much was still to be explored and improved. A total pro. They took a break in town and landed at the local Burger Mart. Practically earning the lunch for free, if Morgan didn't toss some cash at the employees while sharp-eyed fans drove them out.
The final escape was a sheer climb atop the tallest skyscraper they could find, and that's where practically no one would find them. Kicked back, enjoying the view of infinity, fingers greased with Burger Mart signature fries and sandwiches.
"My kid showed me, ok? It's basically science." Morgan enthusiastically explained while dipping fries. "Burger Mart sauce, combined with Tangy Tiki..."
He finishes them in one bite before savoring and flourishing with a chefs kiss to the wind. Black locks being tossed about and appearing more brown in the non-polluted sunlight. "science should always taste this good."
for someone who was branded as the human personification of the sun, charlie has only recently just realized he didn't spend a lot of time in the sky. he only ever took off during missions and situations that required the use of such an ability. however, more often than not his feet were firmly on the ground. a shame, really. so many supers longed to have the power of flight. not even all members of the ten could fly, so charlie really ought to consider himself blessed by the meta gene gods.
so when the only other flyer in the team asked him to hang out, charlie didn't expect to be hundreds of feet in the air headed towards the city. he remembered extending the invitation to morgan before during their first encounter, but they've only recently gotten the chance to make it happen now. and honestly after all that's happened, charlie couldn't think of a better time than the present. "try and keep up," he mused, boosting his speed using a burst of energy to propel himself like a rocket.
charlie was unable to stop himself from smiling the entire trip. he's never felt so free before. "the world's literally our oyster!" the blond remarked at the top of his lungs, admittedly impressed with how morgan was staying at the same speeds as him. he smirked, feeling particularly competitive but deciding to simply relax and enjoy their time together in the sky. charlie even performed a few flips and aerial loops just for the fun of it.
eventually, the two decided to take a break at the local burger mart for a good old fashioned american meal. they both were reminded of the cons of celebrity statuses as fans rushed to take selfies with their favorite recruits. managing to evade the paparazzi rush, the duo soon found themselves atop the tallest building in the city. "this is fucking great. can't say i've ever clogged my arteries with great food so high up before," he spoke with a mouthful of fries.
beaming brightly, paragon's golden boy was happy to participate in morgan's little science experiment and tested the sauce mixture himself. his eyes instantly became the size of dinner plates. "your son's a genius," he replied while literally having a food-gasm. "takes after his daddy, i'm sure!"
"let me tell you, this whole week has been so great. and our little sky date is the icing on the cake," he commented after swallowing a huge chunk out of his burger. after the vr mission orchestrated by ash, he was at an all time high. "and how's things with you? any other leads on that supe you've been investigating?" he asked, going back to their previous conversation.
