“Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

Phil opened his eyes and saw two foot tall Bruce standing in front of him. Looking down, he saw he was standing there with his arms held straight out. He tried moving his arms, but they wouldn’t budge. He tried moving his legs, with similar results. It seemed all he could move was his head.

“Great,” he muttered. “Even in my own dream I’m stuck like this.”

Bruce laughed at him. “Don’t worry. It’s not like your arms will get tired or anything, and the girls won’t let anything happen to you in this state. They’re debating getting you out of the suit as we speak, so I’ll make this fast.”

Phil nodded, not liking not being able to move. “Faster would be better, yes.”

“Ok. When you wake up, I’m going to need you to concentrate. I’m going to help you interface with the suit. They were designed on a whim by Jonas, but he never put any thought into how the suits would work like this. What you’re going to need to do is think of the suit as a party member.”

“A party member? Like the girls?”

“Kind of. It’s a bit more complicated with actual people, but the magic imbued in the suit is compatible with your party leader power.”

“That seems remarkably convenient, don’t you think?” Phil said skeptically.

“Are you really in a position to look a gift horse in the mouth right now?” Phil shook his head. “Good, now listen, while you’re doing that, I’m going to do my part to integrate the suit to your thoughts. If I do this right, I’ll be your own personal Jarvis while in the suit.”

Phil smirked. He was about to say something when he suddenly snapped awake again when he felt an impact in his chest. He still couldn’t hear anything, but he could see Britt staring into the eyeholes, her arm outstretched, fist no doubt planted in his chest. For a second he marveled at how blue her eyes were, but then mentally shook himself and tried to remember what Tiny Bruce had told him.

Imagine the suit as a party member, he thought to himself. He imagined giving it commands like he did the girls and having it obey them. The suit trembled a bit around him, then stopped. Okay, he thought. It’s not a suit. It’s a full fledged member of the party. I’ll call you MB-1. Mithril Bruce 1. How’s that? A way to honor the man he used to be. Come on, MB, help me out here. Phil closed his eyes and concentrated, ignoring the girls’ frantic motions in front of him as they attempted to get his attention.

“I’m honored,” he suddenly heard. Was it heard? Did he actually hear it, or was it in his head?

“Does it matter? It’s nice being able to communicate while you’re awake for once. I’ll only be able to do it in the suit, however.”

“Bruce?” he whispered.

“MB, if you’ll please. Can’t let the girls hear you talking to me, alright? You should be able to move now. I’ll get to work on the hearing and speaking. The magic is a bit complicated.”

Phil was immediately able to move, just as Bruce… no, MB, had said. He looked down in time to see Reese’s hand snaking between his legs. Thankful they couldn’t see his expression beneath the helmet, he took a step back, startling everyone. The girls jumped back at the sudden movement, then immediately started saying something. He held up an armored hand to quiet them, then placed it over his ear and mouth, shaking his head. They nodded in understanding, then stood and watched as he took a few practice steps around the room.

It was awkward at first, but he soon got used to it with MB’s guidance here and there. The first couple steps cracked the tiled floor. While the armor wasn’t heavy, the power driving it was intense. Phil knew with any small miscalculation he could easily kill a person. At MB’s suggestion, he walked through the house to the kitchen and opened the hutch that held the plates and such.

“I’ve almost got the communication side of things figured out. Jonas used some ridiculously old fashioned spells for this thing. Oh, don’t worry about the dishes. A) you can afford to buy as many new ones as you want to replace what’s damaged, and B) I always hated that design. Knock yourself out. Practice taking them out one at a time and replacing them until you get the hang of it.”

Britt leaned over to Reese as they watched him crush a couple plates and grip his fists in frustration. The armored fingers were naturally bigger than his own, so he was attempting to pick up the plates with both hands.

“What’s he doing?” she asked.

“Looks like he’s practicing picking up plates,” Reese answered, an impressed tone in her voice. “He’s practicing his fine motor control already. I actually figured he’d want to practice punching things first. Isn’t that what guys would want to do when they get some sort of power armor?”

“It’s what I would want to do,” said Britt.

Rose chuckled. “Knowing him, he probably wants to master it as soon as possible so he doesn’t accidently hurt one of us. How many times did you yell at him for pulling punches when you sparred, Britt? It was cute the way he worried about hurting you.”

“In that suit, he may just do it,” remarked Reese. “We don’t know how much that could add to his offense yet. The automatons in the yard pack a punch by themselves. How much of that will he be able to control?”

“Apparently if I attempt to use the suit’s full power in a punch or a kick, I risk more damage to myself than what I’m aiming at.” His face was covered by the helmet, but they could make out the crinkled eyes of someone smiling broadly as he turned to face them. “Sorry. I just got the communications figured out. The interface for this thing is weird. No, I didn’t call you weird, just the interface. Calm down, MB. We’re in this together, right?”

Britt leaned over to Reese again. “Ummm, is he alright?” she asked, but was only met with an astonished look from Reese.

“Sorry again. MB is kind of like an AI, I guess you could say? Some kind of magical AI. He’s helping me figure the suit out. It was his idea I practice finer control before moving on to punching things.” He shrugged as best he could in the suit. “We’re going to need to get some more plates before this is over.”

“Can you open the helmet or something? Hearing you talking like that is irritating as hell,” said Britt.

“Oh. Ok. One sec.” He stood still, his head bobbing a little as he apparently spoke to whatever this AI was, then his helmet retracted, panels sliding within panels until it formed a collar around his neck. Phil gave it an impressed frown. “Not bad. Pretty cool, actually.”

“Nope. I was wrong. The irritation had nothing to do with the helmet,” said Britt.

Phil made a face at her, then looked surprised at his own action. Reese stifled a chuckle. She’d been right. Blocking off Chuck’s influence had done wonders for his personality. Even Britt was smirking at his reaction, which surprised Reese the most. Before, if he’d even glanced at her wrong, she would’ve threatened all kinds of bodily harm and dismemberment. The fact that she now found amusement at his actions (well, some of them) spoke volumes about his personality. She was actually teasing him, Reese thought in wonder. She hadn’t seen Britt do that with anyone in years. She looked at Phil again as he was recovering from his shock and started to reevaluate him in her head. They’d all been disappointed when he hadn’t manifested any powers to aid them, but maybe he didn’t need them. Maybe he just needed to be himself.

“So what do you say, wimp? Wanna fight?” Britt asked.

“Um, I was kind of hoping to learn how to control it better first.”

She scoffed at him. “Best way to learn is by getting your ass kicked. Haven’t I at least taught you that much? Outside, let’s go.” She didn’t wait for a response. Just turned and left the kitchen, fully expecting him to follow. Reese and Rose exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed her. They smiled at each other as he softly muttered to himself.

“God dammit.” The clomps of his footsteps soon followed theirs.

*

Britt bounced on her toes in the training yard, the usual obstacles and automatons cleared out to make a ring for them.

Time to see if the wet noodle’s stiffened up a little, she thought to herself.

“Woo! Go Britt!” cheered Rose off to the side.

“You got this, Phil! Easy victory!” yelled Reese beside her. Britt stopped bouncing and raised her eyebrow in response.

“Seriously?” she asked.

“What? A little positive reinforcement isn’t a bad thing,” Reese responded, shrugging.

“Um,” began Phil. “MB wants me to remind you that while the suit may be able to take significant punishment, what’s contained inside is still squishy and frail. Seriously? Frail?” He cocked his head to the side as he listened to something only he could hear, then his eyes widened. “I am not saying that! Because I’m not, that’s why! We just got to the point where she doesn’t want to kill me on sight, and I am not willing to die today!”

Curiosity piqued, Britt cocked her head. “What’s your magic buddy saying there, Phil?”

He gulped at the inflection on his name. “He, uh… heheh, (I am so gonna die today) he said if you could only use about ten percent of that brutish strength, that would be an adequate test.”

She nodded, cracking her knuckles as she slowly approached him. His face was as white as his armor now. “Brutish, he says? Ten percent? I’ll think about it. Might want to put that helmet on, boy-o.” She grinned evilly. “This is gonna hurt.”

Brutish!? I’ll show him ‘brutish!’ she thought as she drew her fist back. She didn’t normally telegraph her moves, but as pissed as she was right now, she still didn’t want to genuinely hurt him. Pain would still be involved, considerable amounts of it in fact, but nothing debilitating. As soon as his helmet slapped into place, she swung.

How the fuck am I supposed to gauge ten percent? she thought. If he’s unconscious or dead after this, I’ll know it was too hard. His arms were moving up to block, but it was far too slow. Please don’t die. The thought passed through her mind just as her fist contacted the helmet. It wasn’t her first time hitting such armor, but the sound was different this time since there was someone inside. As such she didn’t get the usual satisfying gong she liked as the suit, and poor Phil, were flung across the yard.

“Oh my!” cried Rose as Phil streaked away. He landed about fifty yards away, digging a furrow in the ground where he hit and slid. They started to worry as he lay there motionless on his back for a couple seconds, then his arms shot up.

“I’m okay!” he yelled, and all three women let out the breaths they’d been holding. They watched him awkwardly pick himself up, verify all his parts were in order, then jog back over. They actually heard him laughing as he got closer. “Did you see that shit!?” he asked excitedly. “That had to look like something out of an anime or something! So cool!”

Britt stared at him. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to laugh or get angry at his excitement. She’d meant for it to hurt at least a little. The fact that he was laughing and having fun both amused and angered her. She smiled grimly. Guess I can turn up the power a bit, can’t I? she thought. His laughing stopped abruptly when he saw the expression on her face and the look in her eyes.

“Oh shit,” he said.

Her grin grew predatory. “‘Oh shit’ is right,” she said, tossing her head left and right to crack her neck. He quickly assumed a defensive stance as she closed in on him with a roar.

*

“I can’t remember the last time I saw her have that much fun,” said Reese.

“Ow! Glad she enjoyed it,” muttered Phil.

“Hold still!” chided Rose. “Nothing’s broken, but you’ve got a lot of internal bruising.”

The three of them were currently in the living room while Britt went to shower after they’d finished. Phil was stretched out on the couch as Rose treated him, slowly healing the internal injuries he’d taken as they tested the limits of the suit and his body. Reese had volunteered as pillow and was currently stroking his hair as he used her lap to rest his head. Despite the pain he was in he still managed to find the energy to be embarrassed by the attention, and his cheeks had been red for at least twenty minutes. He’d also managed to avoid eye contact for most of that time as well.

“You should be proud of yourself, you know?” said Reese.

“No one takes a beating quite like me, right?”

She smacked his forehead. “No, dummy. You actually got a couple hits in. For someone who’s only been at it for a couple months, that’s impressive. On top of that you were wearing a magic suit of armor for the first time and had no idea how to control it. How do you control it anyway?”

He shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I found that if I thought about it like it was a party member, it did what I wanted. By the end of the beating she was giving me, it felt like the suit was responding as naturally as my own body does.”

“And how does MB fit into this?”

“Um… I think, maybe, he’s a manifestation of my party leader power and the magic of the armor combined. Maybe? I don’t know anything about this kind of stuff. I just know that it can be a real smartass sometimes. Be thankful you can’t hear it.” He shrugged, then winced, earning him a dirty look from Rose.

“If you’re not going to stay still, I’ll just come back later and you can suffer for a little while.”

“Nononono! I’m sorry. I’ll be a good boy! Promise!” he pleaded. Rose rolled her eyes and continued her work.

Reese had covered her mouth with the back of her hand and looked over to the corner of the room, doing her best not to laugh at the pair. The scene was just too adorable for her to process. She looked down at him as he closed his eyes and rested with his hands folded on his stomach. He still had that soft face he’d had when they first met, but with the exercise and healthier diet Britt had put him on, it was less baby fat and more… adult. That was the only word she could come up with. A lot had been drilled into him in the last three months and it seemed he’d forced himself to mature to keep up with it. His body was filling out and he was accepting more responsibilities. She’d think he was a completely different man by now except for one aspect of his that hadn’t changed. He still had the kindest eyes she’d ever seen.

Those were the eyes of a man who could change the world, if only he had the backbone to support them. She brushed a tuft of black hair off his forehead, lightly playing with it as she did so. He opened his green eyes and caught her blue ones staring at him. He blushed again but didn’t break eye contact.

“What?” he asked as she continued to stare.

She smiled softly and shook her head. “Nothing. Just thinking how much you’ve changed.”

“Have I?”

“Yes, you have. You used to barely be able to hold a conversation with any of us. Now you can, and you’re working so hard.”

His blush deepened. “If I’ve changed, it’s thanks to you ladies. I used to never want to leave my apartment and spent all my time playing video games. You guys saved me from Chuck, and it would be insulting if I didn’t do my best to repay that by working as hard as I can.”

“Should I leave you two alone?” asked Rose, eyebrow raised as she watched the exchange.

“Sor-” Phil began, but Reese cut him off.

“Actually, yeah.” Rose’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.

“Seriously?” she asked.

Reese nodded, looking her in the eye. “Yes. There’s something I need to talk to him about.” The look on Reese’s face told Rose everything she needed to know.

“Oh,” she breathed. She closed her eyes and nodded solemnly. “I understand. Take your time.”

Phil looked between the two of them. “Uh, what’s going on?”

Rose smiled sadly but didn’t say anything. She patted his shoulder, stood up from where she was kneeling and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Phil looked up at Reese, concern written on his face.

“Reese? Are you okay?”

She smiled, then awkwardly bent down to kiss his forehead. “No,” she said softly. “No, I’m not.”

He sat up at her words, wincing at the pain, but ignoring it so he could focus on her. “What’s the matter? Is it something I can help with?”

She searched his face with her eyes, only finding kindness and worry staring back at her. His image got blurry as tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away and took a couple breaths. This was going to be tougher than she thought, but it was time. Somehow, she knew that if she put it off any longer, she would never have the courage to do this again. If that were to happen, then it would slowly destroy her from the inside out and she wouldn’t be able move on from the pain. And if she wasn’t able to move on from that, then she’d never be able to tell him…

She shook her head. “I haven’t been okay for a very long time.” She reached out and took his hands in hers, wanting the stability he provided her at this moment. He blushed again at her touch but made no move to pull away. He simply gripped her hands firmly, letting her know he wasn’t going anywhere. “I have to tell you what happened to me two years ago.” Phil’s eyes widened, but he kept silent.

“I have to tell you how I first learned that Bruce was changing, and why I haven’t been able to get close to another man since.”