The fight was over. But let's be honest, battles never truly end. They leave marks like graffiti that can't be removed. Rex sat on the safehouse roof, his boots dangling over the city that always found new ways to challenge him. His coat looked like it had been through a blender, and Rebellion, his battered sword, rested on his shoulder, still buzzing with leftover adrenaline.
Somewhere behind him, Evelyn's footsteps broke the rooftop silence.
"You know, most people would take a week off after almost getting choked by demonic chains," she said casually.
Rex shot her a one-sided
Psmirk, but he honestly looked wrecked. "You calling me normal, doc? That's cute."
She sat down next to him. At first, they were silent. The tension between them felt thick.
"You scared the hell out of me today," she said softly, her voice sharp. "Not the first time, either."
He sat there, staring at the city lights. What was he supposed to say? That it was nothing personal? That this was just how he lived? No way. That would be a lie.
Evelyn continued. "I saw you up there, putting on a show. All bravado. But I know what's really going on inside that head of yours."
He looked over, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, you do, huh?"
She nodded. "You're tired, Rex. Sick of trying to prove you're not the monster everyone thinks you are."
Rex let out a sound that might have been a laugh, but it felt empty. "I don't care what they think."
She looked at him. "Yeah, you do. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be up here."
That hit hard. He hated how right she was.
He shrugged, speaking softly. "I'm not good with people. I don't trust them. I don't go along with things."
"And yet you keep saving them," Evelyn poked him, a small grin on her face. "You're the grumpiest superhero, Devil Boy."
He didn't argue. That nickname was there to stay.
Below, the city seemed calm. He knew better. There was always another psycho out there, always another chain waiting to drag him down.
But right now, sitting with her felt quiet Strange, really.
"Why sticking around with me, Evelyn?" he asked, surprising himself. "You could have left a hundred times by now."
She replied instantly. "Somebody has to remind you that you're not bulletproof."
"That's a full-time job."
"I'm stubborn."
He snorted. "You think I hadn't noticed?"
Their smiles this time were different—not goofy. More like, 'we're both a mess, but at least we're in this together.'
Evelyn took his hand. No drama. No tension. Just a connection.
"You don't have to keep fighting alone, Rex," she whispered. "You never have to do did."
For someone used to getting hit by the universe, that hit harder than any demon ever could.
He didn't flinch. He didn't cover it up with sarcasm.
He just sat there. Existing. No fight. No mask. Just a guy with the one person who could see through all the mess.
[V.E.R.G.I.L.] dinged in with some clinical talk about "emotional stabilization," but Rex tuned it out. Not everything needs a label.
The city would still be waiting. More chaos, more scars, all that.
But for a few stolen minutes, Rex let himself breathe. With Evelyn. In a world that never quite got him, he found something like peace.
And honestly? That was scarier than any demon he'd ever faced.