Superman's My Kryptonite.

It's harder than you think to be the secret gay lover of a man with a secret identity, but I couldn't have known that when I first met Dion.

I probably wouldn't have known of his mutation, or as he likes to say, superpowers, if I hadn't crept into his house that night 3 years ago.

We had been dating about two months and I wanted to surprise him by having a nice dinner waiting for him when he came home. Not a good idea.

I came in through an open window and found him not at his day job, but in his room shedding his skin. He saw me when I puked in the doorway.

Once you get past the nausea-inducing process of the change it can be really fun dating a guy with the ability to look like anyone on earth.

It's not all good though. I never get to meet his friends The Hero Herd, and I get jealous. He's always with guys in spandex and hot bodies.

And just once I'd like a shout out in a press release after he catches a crook. You know, like, this one's for Patrick, the love of my life.

There is one person who knows, his arch-nemesis The Gargoyle. He kidnapped me once. He was actually very civil, wine and cheese in the cell.

Dion rescued me of course, but I had to pretend not to know him after the news showed up. And now The Gargoyle is in some supervillian jail.

I'm mostly happy. I may never meet his mother or have his name, but I'm working on a 3-way with The Javelin who I hear is very well endowed.

Who's Zooming Who?

Purple wasn't her favorite color, but it was his. She chose her outfit very carefully tonight. She needed as much in her favor as possible.

Tonight was the night she told him. She'd been cheating on him. It was someone he knew, a close friend. Well, maybe not a friend, but close.

She rehearsed the speech repeatedly while getting ready. Better to do it after the meal, she thought. She wore pumps, so he would be taller.

She was ensnared in traffic driving to the restaurant. She cursed. She tried so hard not to be late. But it was Friday, he would understand.

It wasn't that she didn't love him. That would have been too easy. But they hadn't had sex in a year. She refused to go without. Then, Ryan.

She first met Ryan at their wedding, had lusted after him even then. They flirted across the years, but harmlessly. Then one day it changed.

That first night, in the hotel, slimy with sweat and smelling of sex, she regretted nothing. She laid her hand on her chest and smiled wide.

It was the first time she had noticed her heartbeat in years. Now she felt it everyday, even without Ryan. The change excited her greatly.

She arrived at the restaurant 3 minutes late. He wasn't there, probably running late from work himself. She ordered a martini while waiting.

She sat alone and had 3 martinis in two hours before returning home. It wasn't til she got to the bedroom that she saw his things were gone.

The Fire Within

The tree burned in front of them now, but it all began before he was born. His mother had suffered a high fever throughout the pregnancy.

The doctors could find nothing wrong and she felt fine, but for nine months she was hot to the touch. When he was born her temperature fell.

When he was young his family would always remark about how cool his room was. Shivers occurred around him frequently. Problems began at 10.

His ball rolled into the fireplace. He cried before plunging his hand into the flame. As the limb moved closer the fire extinguished.

He complained of fever and went to bed. As he slept he cooled, but the air heated until the room was in flames. His family died that night.

By 16 it was controlled. He cooked steaks in his hand with heat from car engines. Match flames he stored for later like holding your breath.

Girls avoided him though. They didn't know what made him different but they got the chills near him and that was enough to drive them away.

He kissed a girl once. She fell asleep in his arms as her heart slowed and the cold took her over. He took her home and never called again.

Now her. He opened up to her. He had nothing left to lose. He struck the match. He took in the flame then threw it at the tree with force.

As it burned she cried for him, and decided to brave the cold. As she embraced him she listened as her tears sizzled like oil on his chest.