"I-I'm Rachel Roth," she said, taking Alex's hand. Her grip was stiff, a little unsure, and the nerves in her voice were clear—but she didn't pull away.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," Alex replied, offering a light smile. "You seem a bit young to be buying a car by yourself."
His tone was casual, more teasing than judgmental, meant to ease the tension rather than add to it.
"I'm turning 18 tomorrow. I came to look for a car for school," she said. Alex nodded, a little surprised—she looked younger than her age.
"Really? I'm turning 18 tomorrow too," he said with a light laugh. "Looks like we're twins."
Rachel gave him a skeptical look, clearly not buying it. Seeing her reaction, Alex chuckled and reached into his pocket, pulling out his ID to show her.
"You look like you're having a mid-life crisis," she said flatly.
Alex's eyebrow twitched. A mid-life crisis? That usually hit people in their 40s—and he definitely didn't look that old.
"I don't look forty," Alex replied, visibly wounded. Her words struck a little deeper than expected.
His appearance wasn't just natural—it was the side effect of killing his own limitations. As his body adapted to rapid growth and strength, it aged faster to keep up. It wasn't something he could control… but still, being mistaken for a middle-aged man stung.
"Oh—one does go through a mid-life crisis in their 40s… I just meant you look like you're in your mid to late twenties. That's pretty much it," she said quickly, trying to walk her words back. Alex gave a small shrug.
"It's alright," he said, letting it slide. Then, deciding to shift the conversation, he added, "By the way, I don't know much about cars—and I don't really trust the guys working here. Did you come prepared?"
"Yes. I've heard how the guys here operate, so I didn't want to get cheated," she said with a slight smirk. "Plus, I'm planning to come back at the end of the month—that's usually the best time to buy a car."
There was a bright look in her eyes, clearly proud to show off what she knew.
"Really? Why's that?" Alex asked, genuinely interested.
Rachel wasted no time diving in. She explained how dealerships worked, how they often preyed on buyers' lack of knowledge, especially young ones, and how end-of-month sales quotas often made dealers more willing to negotiate. She even went into detail about how interest rates played a role and outlined the smartest ways to get a good deal.
"Anyways, I'm starting college soon, so I'm just looking for a simple car to get me to and from campus," she said casually.
"I'm looking for something to get me to work and back," Alex replied. "Probably an SUV—just in case I need the extra storage space… and I'll need insurance too, in case Superman decides to pick it up and throw it at someone."
He sighed at the thought. Rachel let out a quiet laugh, clearly amused.
"What other stuff are you looking for? I can try and help you pick," she offered.
Alex paused for a moment, giving it some thought. "Well… I've got the money, but I still want something cheap. I'd rather pay in cash to avoid interest, so I'm aiming for a used SUV—something practical and affordable. But it also has to look decent. I don't want to roll up to work or any future meetings in something that looks like it's falling apart," he said with a light shrug.
Rachel nodded, already pulling out her phone. She opened a car-shopping app, added a few filters based on what Alex had described, and handed him the screen.
"I thought you were going to do something super smart," Alex said flatly, feeling a little dumb. He'd completely overlooked the obvious solution of just looking online. Then again, he'd wanted to see the cars in person.
"That was super smart," she replied with an eye roll.
Alex had no comeback to that, so he focused on the screen and began scrolling through the listings. His eyes quickly landed on a five-year-old SUV listed for just $16,000. Curious, he tapped into the details. It had noaccidents, it had a clean history. Just over 80,000 miles on it.
"I'll take this one… and it's right over there," Alex said, his gaze landing on a red SUV parked a few rows down—the same one from the listing. He handed the phone back to Rachel and gave her a nod of thanks.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Rachel said with a small smile.
"I don't see why it has to be," Alex replied, returning the smile. "We should meet again—so let's schedule something."
"Are you asking me out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Alex froze, realizing how it must have sounded. He paused for a second, then smiled and nodded.
"Sure. I don't see why not," he said smoothly. "It would be my pleasure if you'd do me the honor… of making me your boyfriend."
He placed a hand over his chest in mock sincerity, like a knight pledging loyalty to his queen. Rachel stared at him for a beat, then laughed softly, caught off guard by the unexpected charm.
"The honor is truly mine. I gladly accept. It would be my pleasure to have you by my side… as my boyfriend," she said, matching his tone and even returning the playful bow.
Alex's eyes lit up, a rare smile forming—not just on his face, but in his expression. In that moment, he fell in love.
***
Alex headed home—today was his day off, and he had the whole day to himself.
He settled in front of the TV, casually checking his bank account. The number on the screen made him nod in quiet satisfaction—he currently had just over $41,000. He planned to spend $16,000 on the car, but that would wait until next week, at the end of the month, conveniently, also his payday.
After a moment of thought, he decided to dive deeper into research. If he was going to buy a car, he wanted one with high fuel efficiency. Something reliable, with solid mileage per gallon.
It didn't take long before he came across a model that caught his eye. It boasted an impressive 60 miles per gallon and was surprisingly affordable.
After a few careless searches and scrolling through countless used car websites holding the model that had caught his eye, Alex finally picked one that checked all his boxes. It wasn't an SUV, but it was efficient, clean, and affordable, priced at $17,000. For a work car, it was perfect.
With that decided, he moved on to start doing some deeper research—insurance rates, maintenance costs, dealership reviews—anything that might help him make a smarter decision.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asked.
Alex turned slightly to see Diana stepping into the room, having just returned from work. She raised an eyebrow, noticing him focused on the computer.
"I'm thinking about picking up a part-time job—maybe DoorDash or Uber," Alex said with a smile, still looking at the screen. "If I plan it out right, I could make upwards of a thousand a week. I figured it'd be a good way to cover my spending money."
Diana's expression immediately darkened.
"Absolutely not," she said firmly. "Did you forget you have a target on your head?"
Alex paused, his smile fading slightly. He had forgotten that small but important detail.
"It's bad enough you're going out every day without looking over your shoulder—and now you want to add this on top of it?" Diana asked, clearly frustrated.
"But… money," Alex said in weak protest.
"No," Diana said sharply, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Alex let out a sigh. At the end of the day, she was still his boss—and if he wanted that paycheck, there wasn't much he could do but listen.
"I almost forgot… I have plans," Alex said awkwardly.
Diana's eyebrows immediately tightened, and she gave him a look that demanded an explanation.
"I made a friend," he continued. "And we're going on our first date today."
Her eyes widened in surprise—she clearly hadn't expected that. For a moment, she just stood there, caught off guard… then gave a small nod.
"But be careful. You have a sharp mind—use it. Keep an eye out for anyone who looks off," Diana said, her tone serious, almost like a mother making sure their child is safe.
Alex nodded awkwardly. He wasn't used to someone caring this much—it threw him off a little.
"What clothing are you planning to wear?" she asked next.
Alex gave her a confused look. Diana went speechless for a moment, realization hitting her. He was planning to wear exactly what he had on right now.
"Let's go shopping," Diana said.
Alex looked down at himself, seeing nothing wrong with his clothes… at least, not until she added, "I'm paying."
Suddenly, everything he wore looked outdated. His jeans were faded, the shirt had a stretched collar—yeah, maybe it was time for an upgrade.
***
"You're going on the date?" a voice asked. A girl with bright green eyes floated in midair, watching as Rachel rummaged through her closet in search of the perfect outfit.
Yes—Rachel was Raven. There were two main reasons Alex hadn't recognized her yet.
The first reason was simple—Alex didn't like using his powers. With no danger radiating from Raven, there was no reason for him to activate them. In fact, he disliked his powers; all they ever brought him was trouble.
The second reason? Raven had sealed away all of her magic. Completely. So even when Alex subconsciously tried to sense something, all he found was a normal person. Of course, that was because he only used his passive senses, not his actual power. If he had, the truth would've been far too easy to uncover. Still, Alex's passive senses were enough to see through Raven when she was secretly spying on him.
"Y-yes, but it's just to keep an eye on him," Raven said lightly, trying to sound casual. "No one knows for sure if he's the grim reaper. It's just… things seem to be pointing in that direction."
Starfire laughed softly, easily seeing through the excuse. Raven was nervous, flustered, and obsessively searching for the right outfit.
Though she was an alien and still learning the complexities of human behavior, Starfire offered her help anyway. She joined Raven in digging through the wardrobe, doing her best to help her friend pick out the perfect outfit for the "not-a-date" date.
***
"For someone who's fine wearing the same thing for days, you sure have an outstanding fashion sense," Diana said with a light smile, eyeing the suit Alex had on.
It was simple—a classic white shirt paired with a black jacket and slacks. Yet somehow, with Alex wearing it, the whole ensemble looked elevated, like something far more expensive and refined.
"You really think it looks nice?" Alex asked, turning slightly as he studied himself in the mirror.
"You look perfect—we just have to fix that mess of hair you got," Diana said, eyeing his unruly strands.
Alex glanced at his reflection, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. He usually cut it himself with scissors—he hated spending money on something he figured he could do on his own. But looking at it now, he had to admit… it wasn't doing him any favors.
(A/N: At that moment, he looks 100% like the wallpaper}
"Yeah," he murmured, conceding the point. He'd heard people say a good haircut could turn a one into a five. It made him wonder what it might do for him.
He thought about letting Diana cover it—after all, she had offered to pay—but something about that didn't sit right. It felt like he was taking advantage of her kindness. So, after a moment of thought, he decided he'd cover the haircut himself.
So, Alex quickly changed out of the suit and headed to the counter to buy it. After that, he and Diana walked down the street toward a nearby barbershop.
Neither of them noticed the pair of eyes locked onto them from across the road.
Standing in the shadow of a storefront, one of Alex's former so-called friends watched in silence, narrowing his eyes at the sight of Alex and Diana walking together, chatting, smiling, looking almost like they were on a date. The sight twisted something bitter in his chest.