I Am Tired Of Being A Hero

"Captain. Officer West’s ability is self-healing."

Ravi’s cheeks turned red in a rare fashion, "I said you should put me down. I am alright."

Ravi had never been so embarrassed in his long life, he wanted to sink into the ground and bury himself, never seeing life for one thousand years.

Arlen looked at the man who he was carrying in a panic, his face was tilted so he could not see his expression but Arlen could clearly see one flushed pink ear. To think that he would see that day when Officer West was embarrassed. Cute.

He put him down and smiled, "Officer West, excuse me."

He reached for his clothes and Ravi moved back, his eyes wide causing Arlen to laugh, "I just wanted to be sure."

Ravi gritted his teeth and pulled down the collar of his uniform to show pale olive skin that did not have a single scratch on them. Ravi was quite thin, causing his collarbone and neck hollow to be very distinct, looking at the clear skin, his throat felt dry. He swallowed.

He coughed and pulled Ravi’s clothes to cover his skin, "Self-healing. What an amazing ability! Are you really alright?"

"Yes, he is. What happened, did someone shoot Ravi? The Villains are still outside. Officer Adams and I have already relegated the staff to avoid the walls and the backup generator is running as it should." Lisa said as she looked at the hospital staff that was running up and down.

"Yes, The Duplicator shot at us, Officer West saved my life." He should provide support for Emily to capture that damn woman called Duplicator but right now, he was focused on Ravi who was buttoning his shirt, "Are you really okay?" He asked again.

"I am fine."

"Does it hurt? Should I call a doctor for some pain meds? Or maybe you should rest a bit in the hospital for a while. We, the police, have done our jobs. We apprehended the suspect, the rest is the job of the Hero Association." Arlen’s voice was filled with concern.

"Does it hurt," "Are you feeling okay? These kinds of words were always irresistible. It was a little ironic, how ordinary words could ease pain faster than any pain meds.

Of course, it hurts.

He looked up to see Arlen’s gentle gaze. Recalling how this man had carried him and rushed him to the hospital, he felt a little amused, and said after a moment of thought, "I can request for a paid sick leave right? Can I get a little more for being injured on the field?"

Arlen was speechless. He had just helped Ravi with his clothes so the two of them were standing very close to each other, a bit too close that even the slight airflow caused by the other’s speech was clearly felt. Arlen leaned forward, "Officer West, did you know that the love of money is the root of all evil." The other had bangs so low that they danced with his eyebrows, most of his face was hidden with only a pair of hazel eyes exposed.

Those eyes looked tired, a little annoyed like the owner just wanted to go to sleep and be done with everything but Arlen could recall the hazel eyes he saw when he looked up, those intense eyes.

This person was...

Someone stood between him and Arlen carrying with her the mild scent of Aloe Vera, "Captain wait a minute. I think I blacked out. Did you say that Ravi, Officer West? This one right here saved your life. Like he took a bullet for you." Lisa’s black eyes were exactly like that of a person who heard a knock on her door, and hurried to open it only to find a tortoise.

Immense shock and disbelief. Ravi was speechless and a tad offended. What does she mean by that?

Arlen smiled, "Officer Johnson, I think that you have a wrong impression of Officer West." The moment he finished the words, he recalled the first time he met Officer West, he coughed, struggling to find words to excuse his savior, his voice softened and he forced out, "he just likes maintaining his work within the designated hours."

Ravi and Lisa blinked in sync.

Lisa nodded quietly, "That makes sense."

"It does?" Arlen’s eyes shone and he hit his clenched left fist on his right palm, his voice had an excitement to it.

Lisa nodded, "I have read about it, when people suffer trauma, they tend to have short-term amnesia."

Arlen choked, "Short-term?"

"Short-term amnesia. Good thing that we are in the hospital. Captain, let’s get it checked out."

Ravi bent down, his shoulder shaking suspiciously.

He was laughing at him. Arlen wanted to refute but he just chuckled. Fine, fine, let everyone laugh.

"Captain." Sarah who had left returned. She was followed by three people, two women and one man, all in suits. They were all wearing a light blue suit with the Hero Association Badge.

The first woman stepped forward, she had pale red eyes and her braids were done in a ponytail, "We are the clean-up crew. Is this the primary location of the attack?"

Arlen stepped forward, "Duplicator and Cicada fought in the air above that clearing over there, Vapor stream and Poison did not cause any physical damage. Arlen Sinclair, Captain of the Davenport Team 1."

"Captain Sinclair, nice to meet you. The Attack squad has already tracked down Cicada and they are hunting the villain crew. You can leave the hospital to us. It will be better than before, by the time we leave it."

Arlen nodded, he looked at Ravi inquiringly and when Ravi shook his head that he did not need medical care, he breathed out quietly, "Let us go back. Draco had already taken the suspect to the station. Good job everyone."

They walked out of the hospital, and the front of the hospital was damaged. Ravi watched as one of the men flew up, he lifted his hand, and the elevator that Emily had torn apart started to come together piece by piece.

"Amazing. He must be ranked four or about."

"Rank three." Sarah said and when they looked at her, she explained, "The stars on his badge. I will drive."

The journey back home was quieter, the sky was already dark and the road was clear. Arlen was sitting where he had before in the evening, his head was resting on the chair, he must be very tired.

They reached the police station. It was loud and noisy. The night shift had already arrived and they were gathered around Draco as he retold the story like it was the tale of a thousand nights.

"You guys are back so soon." He said laughing. The officers surrounded them. Ravi had not been wrong when he said that this was the singular most interesting thing that had happened in the Davenport Police Bureau in a year.

The captain smiled at them as he headed to the cells. Facing the empty cell, he looked back at Draco who was still surrounded by other officers, "Where is the suspect, Alex Malley?"

Draco frowned, a trace of confusion gracing his features "Captain, Isn’t he with you?"