DC Genesis

"No, I mainly try to stay out of things like this," Neal admitted as he was looking up at the television. "Course you already knew that, considering that I didn't want to go in and help Selina and Holly," he recalled as he glanced over at Rose. I've always just used my power to help me with small things, kinda like I did with the receptionist. I've also used it to help me in school and stuff like that," Neal admitted.

"I don't know, guess I'm just a coward at heart."

"Hmph, guess you need someone like me to give you a little push then," she said, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder. She rolled over onto her side and held her head up with her hand, her expression growing sly. "Help you in school, huh? Bet that comes in handy... sneaking into the girl's locker room and all. I could see you doing that, considering the way you kept taking pictures of me in you room."

"Yeah I guess you could say that," Neal said with a smile. He knew that Rose had been annoyed at him for not going straight in, but at least she appreciated the fact that he had gone in at all. He was amazed that he had gone in. Course the idea of saving Holly was part of the reason. These ideas quickly slipped away as Rose said something that made Neal's face turn pure white.

"You....you knew about that the whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I honestly don't care," Rose replied, with a simple shrug. "You think if I'm open enough to walk around naked in front of you without giving a shit that I'd turn around and bite your head off for taking a picture? Please, that's the least of my concerns. If you want to use my ass as you wank material, then whatever, your business. If you didn't have a picture you'd just think about it anyway, so I hardly see the difference. But let me make you have one thing straight..." Her eyes suddenly grew cold. "I don't care how you use those pictures on your own time, but if I see them on the internet I swear I'll make you wish you were Mac."

"Huh, I suppose that you make a point," Neal remarked as he thought about Rose's point of view. At least she wasn't hypocritical, the kind of girl that liked to show off but than got offended when guys looked. He hated girls like that. Course Rose's threat was enough to make his pupils get to about half the size. "Don't worry I have no intention to put them up there at all, these are my eyes only," he said with a small smile. "Promise."

"Alright, good," she said. She glared at him a long time, making sure that she believed he was telling the truth. When she was satisfied, she stood up again and went to go get one of those fluffy bathrobes for when the food got there. "So long as you're clear on that, you can keep the pictures. Hell, take more if you want." She stopped a moment, glancing back over her shoulder. "But I'm not going to pose for you, so the best you'll get are candids."

"That seems fair, you won't hear me complaining," Neal said with a small laugh. Rose believed that he wasn't going to post them, and that was enough for him at the very least. When Rose stood up to go and put a robe on, Neal made sure to snap one more picture. Because....why not right?

"Don't worry Rose, I'm more than happy with this little arrangement we have," he said with a smile. "More than happy."

"I bet you are," she said, giving him one last look before she slipped into the bathrobe. She could hear the camera on his phone go off this time, but as already established she didn't care. All it did was reinforce the stereotype of how easy men were to please. Several minutes later, a knock came on the door. Rose opened it, allowing a server to wheel in the food cart with their very late night dinner on it. Oh how good it smelled...

The man seemed to appreciate the hundred she gave him for a tip, as he practically skipped out of their room. Closing the door behind the guy as he left, Rose returned to the cart and took in a deep breath through her nose. About the same time, her stomach growled something fierce. "Oh god... I'm so starving."

Neal slowly sat up as he looked over at the food that was brought up for them. He too was very hungry, and it all smelled like it was going to be quite the meal. He felt his mouth watering already. "You're not the only one," Neal said as he moved over and waited for his food to be handed to him. Neal was quick to begin taking bites of the sandwich, along with munching on several of the onion rings.

For some reason it felt like he hadn't eaten in ages. "Thanks for buying."

"Well, you paid for the room," she said, as she bit into quite possibly the best steak and cheese sandwich she had ever tasted. Then again, the only other one she ever had had been in some greasy roadside diner... so she didn't have a lot to compare it with. "Mmmph, god... this is fucking great." And for the next ten minutes she didn't say another damn thing. She just sat there and completely devoured her food, as though she hadn't eaten in days. It was strange, the kind of quality meals you could get at a backroad motel at four in the morning.

Neal was also one to eat in silence. While he didn't know it quite yet, the illusion had taken a little bit more out of him, combined with how he had used it to fight earlier. Thus, he devoured his food easily and continued to enjoy it. He washed it all down with the root beer that Rose had gotten before eating the cheesecake as well. God it had tasted so good, he just savored all of it.

As he finished his food he looked up at Rose. "If you would like, I can stay up a while longer and keep up the illusion while you get some sleep," he offered as he looked towards Rose. "I won't be offended by it."

As Rose finished the last of her food, she raised an eyebrow when he suggested she get some sleep so he could maintain the illusion for a little while longer. While she honestly hadn't expected that, she couldn't say she minded too much. After all, if he was offering, then it wasn't actually rude, now was it? "Hmm... well I guess if you don't mind, then yeah I could use some sleep, thanks." She took a moment to clean up after her meal, then headed back over to the bed and dropped her bathrobe again. "Oh, I prefer to sleep nude, by the way. I take it that won't be an issue?"

"By all means go ahead," Neal said as he moved over and took a seat in a chair that the room had provided. Neal wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he'd have to find some way to stay awake. He was starting to get tired but he needed to make sure that the illusion stayed up in order to help their alibi stay strong. If anything went wrong who knew what the police would end up doing to them.

"Sleep well," Neal said before starting the sounds of the illusion up once again, switching up the rate of their movements and changing what exactly Rose said this time around.

"Just one thing before I catch some shut eye," she said, as she slipped herself beneath the covers. A small, sly smirk came to her lips. "What are you going to tell your dad in the morning?"

Neal thought about it for a moment, not really sure about how he would answer. He hadn't really thought about it before. "I'll probably just tell him that you and I were talking because we got upset at dinner. Ended up having a good chat and stayed out all night before coming home," he said with a shrug. "He probably won't believe me, but it'll make it more convincing if we are tracked back here."

"Hmm... not bad," she muttered, finally settling down to sleep. "Not bad."

---

The next morning (or rather the afternoon was when they finally started to wake up), Rose let out a tiny groan and slowly opened her eyes. She took a few moments to blink the sleep out of them while letting out a deep yawn. It was only when her vision cleared that she realized she had somehow ended up rolling halfway on top of Neal during the night. For the moment, she just lied there, still trying to fully wake herself up. The fact that the blanket had somehow coiled around her legs didn't help her much in trying to shift her position.

Neal had stayed up for the next hour, making sure that the illusion stayed strong until it was a little before five. He knew that Rose wanted to go till five, but what was a few minutes right? Neal cut the illusion off with a climatic finale before moving to the bed and lying down. It didn't take him long to fall asleep at all.

---

He let out a tiny groan as he felt something move against him. HE wasn't sure what it was but it made him slowly open his eyes. His eyes moved and he slowly opened up the eyelids in order to see Rose laying partially on top of him. "Hey there," he said with a tiny smile. He was still partially waking up as well, but apparently he felt the need to say something as he saw her in this position.

"Uh, hey," she said, with another small yawn. She finally managed to push herself off of him and untangle herself from the sheets, then getting up and stretching out her tired limbs. "I think we were awake for a while... should probably check your phone in case you dad is looking for us." Rose yawned one more time before heading back towards the bathroom. Even though she had taken a shower the night before, she always took one when she got up. No way she was going to go through the day with that lingering night sweat still soaked into her body. "I'm taking a shower, you gonna come too, or what?" At this point she just wanted to get of the motel and go do something worthwhile, so the sooner they got out the better.

Neal allowed himself to yawn as well, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes as he slowly moved up and began to stretch. "Right right," Neal said as he looked at his phone. He had a missed call from his dad but no voicemail. "I'll handle it," Neal said before sending his father a text. He just sent a message saying that he and Rose were okay and together and that they would be home soon. "I'll talk to him once I get there, it'll be fine," Neal said as he stood up. However, he stopped immediately once Rose mentioned that he should come to take a shower as well.

"Well that would be how we save water right?" Neal asked with a smile before getting up and following Rose to the bathroom. Once again, why not?

"I was thinking more along the lines of time..." Rose said, heading into the bathroom. "Couldn't give much of a rat's ass about the water, I mean we're not the ones paying for it." By the time Neal joined her in the bathroom, Rose already had the water going with her hand held under the spray to test the temperature levels. The shower itself wasn't too big, but still had enough room for them both to fit, even if they would be a little close to each other. Once the water was finally hot enough, she pulled back the curtain and stepped inside. "Alright, off with the clothes and get in here already."

"Oh right, the time too," Neal added as he continued to follow Rose in. At first he just watched her getting ready to take the shower, partially wondering if she was actually going to go through with the joining that she had suggested. Part of him was still uncertain if she was serious. Thankfully he didn't have to wait long as Rose quickly told him to undress and get inside. "Right, on the way," Neal said as he got undressed and quickly stepped inside.

It was now apparent why he had baggy boxers.

Unlike someone with more modesty who might have kept her comments to herself, Rose let them spew right out her mouth the moment that Neal dropped his underwear. With widening eyes and an abrupt, amused laugh, she said, "Wow, what the hell, man? It's so..." At first it might have sounded like she was about to make fun of it, but on the contrary, she was trying to get past her initial shock at it. It looked so... out of place on a boy Neal's size. "...impressive. Very... very impressive." She stared at it a little longer than she probably should have, before finally looking away. "So, I don't mean to be blunt, but you a virgin? I'm gonna guess no... not with that thing."

Neal just stared for a moment as Rose allowed herself to react to what she saw. He was just glad that she seemed to have a positive opinion on it overall at the very least. He gave a laugh at her final question. "Far from it," Neal said honestly as he glanced down at himself. "This guy's been helping me out for about two years now," he admitted as he looked up at Rose. "I have yet to receive any complaints."

"Two years?" Rose glanced back at him with a raise eyebrow, while reaching for the shampoo. Her eyes lingered downward for a brief moment before coming up again. "So fifteen, huh? Who was you first?"

Neal just chuckled as Rose went right to the point of asking her questions. He was glad that she held nothing back or danced around subjects. She got to what she wanted to know immediately. "This really cute girl in gym," he said simply. "She's moved away since but boy let me tell you, she was a sight to see while taking a run on the track," he said with a grin and left it at that before grabbing a bar of soap and beginning to clean himself.

"What about you?"