Gatherings and social anxiety [Goliath]

”So I can tell.” He said with a smirk, watching the male take pride within his own strength, though he had a feeling that he could do far more than just what he was doing with a little enhancement. His mind was already running over formulas that would multiply his maximum far beyond a simple ten tons, but this was not the time to mention things of that nature. The male would remove his shirt to reveal what appeared to be pitch black wings, drawing his interest even more as grey orbs would widen marginally as if distinctly interested in what he was seeing. A metahuman with strange black wings was something that he was not used to seeing everyday, especially when it was coupled with superhuman strength. It reminded him of footage involving a blond that he had seen once before, fighting alongside another with strange capabilities that involved an unknown energy that one could call magic if they did not know better.

”Who knows, maybe before you know it you could be lifting alooot more than just 40 tons. Maybe even in the hudnreds of tons. I’ve read up on metahumans that could do things like that. Their development started off slow, but then it skyrocketed.” Travis would toss out there, letting some research and just general knowledge of the metahumans that worked around the world spill out while leaning forward somewhat interested in what this family as a whole could do. Did they all share some sort of enhanced physicality, or was his more of a specialized thing? His mind was running now, trying to figure out all of these possibilities while trying to appear as interested as possible with whatever the male was likely to say. He mentioned a Ryan and Travis found himself drawing a blank as far as who that was, considering that EVE had drawn nothing as far as information on these two went.

”I do my fair share of lifting. I can’t say I’m able to bench ten tons, but for a guy my size I’m pretty good. I guess I could lift around 250 lbs on a good day, gotta keep my body in shape.” Of course he could lift more than that, but not as if it would seem anymore impressive to the metahuman. ”You could say my specialty is this.” he said tapping his temple softly, showing that his strength was more than anything his intellect. Even without the telekinesis, Travis would have gotten along fine with the powerful brain that he enjoyed sporting. ”I would not be wrong to assume that those wings would allow you to achieve flight, correct? Because they are….rather magnificent.” Compliments seemed to roll off of his tongue with an absurd ease, and so he let them, looking to the male with the same friendly smile.

Aaron smirked just a bit with pride when he saw the other's eyes widen a bit. Aaron wasn't a fool. He knew that he had a near flawless physique, and he made sure to maintain it. Sure, Aaron was pretty smart, but he valued his strength more than anything. Which was why he was frustrated that he hadn't been able to lift more than eleven tons, though he had been training several hours a day, everyday. He had no clue what was up with him. His twin usually tried to reassure him that eventually he'd be able to lift much more, but Aaron was starting to doubt himself. Maybe this really was his limit, although he would really be mad if it was. It would be embarrassing to be his father's son, if his weight limit was so low. He realized that he was lost in his thoughts again, and that the other boy was still here. He liked Travis so far. He seemed very interesting.

“You think I could lift that much? That would be very impressive. My brother insists on heroing, so even more strength could be helpful for that,” Aaron nodded. He was still not sure about heroing. While it did feel good to help people, he wasn't sure that it was good for him and his brother to go around risking their lives for people they didn't know. But Ryan would probably do it anyway, with or without him, so Aaron figured that it was just easier to tag along, so he could be sure that Ryan was safe. And that would always be his main priority. Aaron still was dealing with feeling like a failure for getting them blasted back in time. He missed his proper home.

“250? That's pretty impressive for someone who does not have some kind of physical enhancement, or natural ability,” Aaron said with a genial smile. He wondered if Travis was a metahuman, or just smart. He had a feeling that it wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. He hadn't talked about himself very much, and Aaron really wasn't one to pry. If Travis wanted to indulge Aaron's curiosities, then he would have to be the one to initiate it. Aaron nodded and smiled “Yep, they let me fly. Pretty fast as well,” He fluttered his wings a bit and smirked “I could take you for a fly, if you would like?”

Travis smirked, nodding as the male said that being able to lift that much would have been impressive. If he had known how powerful the person standing before him truly was, perhaps he would have found Travis equally as interesting, but that would have been something that he was fine without. If the male thought him mundane then that was absolutely okay, as he did not need anyone knowing that his Travis masters persona was more than a billionaire playboy. Alpha was the powerful one, and only he would be known as what he was. Innocence took many forms, and by some twisted definition he was indeed innocent, but not by the way used most often. ”I think its very much possible, though there are always ways that one could speed up that process.” He would add with a shrug, taking note that he said his brother was a hero, which meant that he was a metahuman as well.

If that were the case, then likely he would have an interesting power that Travis would want to research once he got the chance, of course not invasively as that would have been rude. The male would then compliment his potential benching limit, saying something about it being impressive and Travis making sure that he gave a cordial nod as if he were flattered by the compliment. Chuckling softly and smiling wide enough that the pearly whites were shining. ”You flatter me.” He noted still chuckling, placing his hands on his knees and looking to the winged metahuman with a certain amusement, as well as curiosity, the male even offering to fly him around. Travis considered this for a moment, and then with no real risk he would have to accept it, though the risk that was lurking would have to be addressed back handidly.

”You wanna fly me around? I would be honored really, so long as ya don’t drop me.” He would add with a smirk and a wink. Standing to his feet and stretching with a low groan. His joints would pop, releasing a certain sensation through his body, the male popping his neck then. ”So, do I just leap into your arms or would you rather pick me up?” Travis asked with a small smirk approaching the male casually.

The more that Travis talked, the more curious Aaron grew. He didn't know exactly what the other was capable of, if he was even capable of anything extraordinary. Aaron perked up when Travis mentioned that there might be a way to speed up the process of training. As he was pretty much not able to expand on his abilities by himself so far, the mere idea of being able to speed up the training, was very attractive to the young Ethereal. He had a feeling that Travis might be some kind of genius, which even if he wasn't a metahuman, was still impressive. “How would I be able to speed up the process?” He asked almost jovially. There was no trying to hide the curiosity in his voice. Aaron would do whatever it took to become stronger. Perhaps he would even be able to return to his own time a much stronger Ethereal, and that would really impress his family, which is what Aaron really cared about.

Aaron chuckled softly, a pink blush gently spreading to his cheeks. Aaron didn't really often compliment people beside his brother, so he hoped that he wasn't making the situation too awkward for the other guy. Aaron literally had no friends, so this was all pretty much a new situation for him.”Is it flattery if it is the truth?” He said with a nervous chuckle. Moments after he said that, he felt like he shouldn't have. It sounded pretty cheesy, and dumb. Why did socializing have to be so hard? Someone really ought to write a textbook about how to socialize effectively, and not sound like a total weirdo. Aaron was very thankful that the conversation shifted back to his abilities. That was factual. Facts were endlessly easier to talk about as they didn't really involve having to be charming.

Aaron hummed a bit and began to fly. He figured that it would be easier just to pick him up. He flew to him and scooped him up into his arms. Careful to avoid people, he flew out a rather large open window. With a smirk to himself, he decided to test the limits. He shot up about seventy feet and smirked at Travis. “How do you like this?” He winked and flew in a corkscrew pattern. Aaron definitely made sure to hold Travis tight against him.

”It’s not that hard. Science is an amazing thing really.” Travis noted with a smirk and a shrug, the males over all interest in what he had said both expected and interesting. Something about being stronger interested the male and that was enough to pique the males curiosity, and perhaps reveal him as the possible tool that he was. Not that anyone should expect any less of Travis, considering that   he used anyone that he found of use. The small amount of color that spread along the males cheek was amusing however, drawing an interested hum from Travis as he then considered what the male said about flattery tapping a finger against his chin. If it was true then he supposed it was not flattery, but that did not keep it from flattering him, so that might also be the logic of someone similar to how he was presenting himself.

”I suppose it still is.” Travis noted with a shrug before the male took flight and then in turn lifted him into the air, Travis not quite expecting it and instinctively finding himself huddling closer to the male. Luckily however he would hold true to the not dropping him thing, as he was trying to hide his whole super human portions and being dropped would have ruined that portion. Afterall Travis Masters was supposed to be nothing more than human, so he would have to keep up that appearance. ”I like it, very much.” He would answer as the male corkscrewed through the air, partially enjoying himself.

“I'll agree with you there,” Aaron said with a smile. He was glad to find another person who seemed to admire science the same way hedid. He loved his twin brother, but he never really seemed to care about the sciences, as far as Aaron could tell. He figured it would be interesting to do reasearch with Travis sometime, or at least see his workspace. Aaron's own was very ridy, though he knew not a lot of scientists kept theirs very clean. He had no idea why he was thinking about cleanliness at a time like this. What he was more interested in was how Travis might be able t help him. Which made Aaron feel like he was using him a bit, but Aaron was too excited to let ethics get in the way of possibly being able to lift more than his father. And Travis seemed equally as interested in him, so Aaron doubted that there would be any kind of problem between them.

Aaron went a bit higher in the sky, careful not to let go of the other male. It wasn't hard, seeing as Travis wasn't anywhere close to eleven tons. He smirked to himself before dive bombing at the ground. “Here we go!” He called out in an uncharacteristically jovial tone. He hadn't shown off for someone in awhile, and it felt kind of good. “You're so light” He chuckled at him. Aaron flew about for a few more minutes, doing some more tricks. “Is there anywhere else you would like to see?” He asked, looking curiously to the other male. “Like going into the city or something?”

It was not every day Travis found himself being flown around by winged metahumans, so this was perhaps just a new thing entirely, and rather he was just not used to being so close to strange people, so there was that too. Something did tell him however that his hinting at being able to help increase the males overall strength was appealing enough, though everyone enjoyed the chance to improve himself or so the male could surmise. The male would continue to fly Travis around more, showing off his overall skill with flying before asking what he wanted, after of course saying how light he was. ”Well I am nowhere close to eleven tons, so I suppose I would seem light.” Travis noted with a chuckle, keeping a small amount of the males shirt balled up in his hand, mostly as a personal safety procedure, or to remind that he was still here.

He would of course save himself if his safety was compromised, but then again he wanted to avoid having Travis Masters personally shown as a superhuman. Still, there was the question about what he wanted to do and so Travis would answer, since he had not gotten around to looking around a few important locations in Chicago. The foremost location being The Sears tower, seeing as how he just wanted to see it personally. ”Well this is my first time I’ve been to Chicago, so I guess you could take me to the Sears Tower. Heard a lot about it but never been there personally.” Travis noted with a smirk, suggesting it to the male and considering just letting him take things from there.

Aaron was a bit happy about this, to be honest. He thought this evening was going to be terribly dull at a party that he didn't really have an interest in. He wasn't expecting to meet someone who was actually cool. Plus, Travis seemed to know about how to make Aaron stronger, which Aaron found extremely fascinated. Aaron liked science, so he was eager to hear Travis' theories, if it ever came to that. With a smirk to himself, he flew a bit higher. Aaron wondered for a moment if Travis was cold. He knew that the higher you went, the colder it got. He wrapped his arms a bit tighter about Travis, hoping to keep him warm. Aaron really never cold from flying, since his body was meant for it. He looked around the now almost completely dark sky and sighed contentedly. The city lights really did look nice.

“Sears Tower it is!” Aaron said with a slightly devilish smirk. He altered his direction a bit before flying at a very quick speed. Admittedly, it felt really nice to give his wings a chance to stretch out and actually be used. After about ten minutes they reached the tower. He debated just flying to the top, but he didn't know how comfortable Travis would be with that. “So do you want to be put down, or do you want to see the top?” He asked softly.

If one knew the phrase, the cold never bothered me anyway, that would have suited Travis for the most part as he did not find the cold to be much of a problem. Of course intense cold would slow him down, if not kill him with annoying hypothermia, but the wind chill was just enough to cause a small shiver. Luckily he had a warm body pressed against his own, and the body heat was welcomed really, not that he wanted to appear as if he were clinging to the male like a damsel in distress. The male would alter their course slightly, and soon enough with a superhuman speed they would be at the tower, with Travis being carried by the superhumanly strong blond. The question being posed then was if he wanted to see things from the top or the street level, though he would have much preferred the top, even if the wind was likely to be strong.

”The top sounds nice, if you don’t drop me.” Travis would note to the male, waiting for him to do either of thre choices given, not that he really cared one way or the other.

A devious smirk spread on Aaron's face when he said that he wouldn't mind going to the top. With a rapid flap of his wings, he accelerated, taking only about a minute to get to the top of the building. There was a platform on the top, so he gently set Travis down. Aaron joined him on the top, careful to make sure that Travis wouldn't fall. He was pretty confident that the other would fall, though. The roof seemed safe enough. He hugged his wings to his body and grinned to Travis “So how do you like it up here?” He asked with a soft tone. Aaron was still getting used to possibly having a friend, so he was trying to be impressive. He moved a bit closer to Travis, as to keep him warm. “I don't want to keep you out too late,” Aaron chuckled, tickling at Travis with his wing.

Within a matter of moments the male would ascend to the top of the building, as Travis felt the very wind lash against his face and cause the flesh to go slightly numb from cool. It seemed that even perfection had its flaws, such as this one but then again perfection did not exist, as it removed the chance to improve. If someone proclaimed true perfection, even he would have to humble them, then again perhaps seeing what that was all about would also prove to be an interesting venture within itself. Anything that allowed him to reach that level would have been greatly appreciated, but now his thoughts were straying from the current situation. Soon enough he was standing atop one of the largest structures around, hand buried into his pockets as he took in the view given to him with slightly wide grey eyes.

He had not been expecting to have a handsome blond stranger to fly him to the top of a tower, and yet here he was. Something told him that his companion would be feeling warmer than he was, but that was just from the short time that he was pressed against him from the flying venture. ”I like it up here a lot, the view is pretty nice.” Travis noted with a smirk and a nod, arms crossed over his chest as another breeze would blow across his cheek, sending a chill along his back and causing a few hairs to raise. He couldn’t help the shudder, however that was how his body worked when it came to trying to keep itself warm from the constant gusts assailing him, and for a moment he considered why he had chosen to come up here of all places.

Still, as if reading his mind the male would move close and with him came that body heat, Travis reflexively moving closer as if hoping to bask in it a little. Not that he would do anything as stupid as basically rubbing himself against the male but there was some contact. Travis did however jerk slightly upon feeling the wing poke him, turning to look to the male with a raised brow. A low chuckle escaped his throat as he crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled softly through his nose. ”You shouldn’t worry about that Mister Hale. You’ll find that my father doesn’t worry himself too much with my location, so long as I turn up when called. Like a faithful do you would say, minus the tail wagging.” A lame joke he made sure, but then again faking a sense of humor was difficult when one did not have one to speak of to begin with.

”I should have probably brought a thicker jacket, it is pretty cold up here.”

Aaron would be lying if he said that he wasn't enjoying himself. The view was actually pretty nice, and Travis seemed really cool. What was more impressive was that Travis didn't seemed to be frightened or scared by being up so high. Aaron liked that. He knew many people feared heights, and Aaron never understood why. Perhaps that was because he had been blessed with wings for most of his life. He let his eyes look over to Travis every now and again, admiring both his physical appearance, and his calm demeanor. And he had such curious eyes...Aaron had to make sure not to let his gaze linger for too long, he didn't want to make the other boy uncomfortable. He stretched his arms a bit, looking off the balcony and admiring Chicago. It looked slightly different in his own time, so it was nice to see what it used to look like.

“Mhmm, it's pretty cool. I like the view off of Big Ben, and the Eiffel Tower a bit more, though,” Aaron chuckled, looking out again. Even at night, the city seemed to be bustling. Sometimes Aaron would dart off to small towns to get a chance to actually have some peace and quiet, and to see the stars properly. The city was good for a lot of things, but Aaron found himself preferring small towns. They seemed so quiet, and relaxed. Maybe he would move to one someday, though that was unlikely. His twin would never go for it, and Aaron vowed to always be at his side. Maybe if he bribed Ryan with food...Eh probably wouldn't work. There wasn't much heroing to be done in a small town, and Aaron could almost hear how his fathers would not like the decision. Sometimes Aaron felt too controlled by his family...

Aaron frowned when Travis said that he was cold. Aaron should have told him to bring a thick coat. He was so used to the cold that it didn't really bother him anymore. He wrapped Travis further in his wings, hoping that it would give him more warmth. He had to admit, however, that it was nice to have Travis so close to him. He was rather attractive, and the cold gave Aaron a great reason to 'hold' him. “Is this any better? We can go back down, soon. I don't want you to get frostbite” He whispered into his ear, which was probably pretty weird, but Aaron wasn't really sure how to flirt or do anything like that.

The male mentioned something about having been on the top of rather important sounding monuments, Big ben and the Eiffel tower, things that Travis could not really claim to have done. A gust of wind blew along, causing another shudder to originate from the male that started at the top of the spine and moving down it. Warm feather wings would wrap around him, furthering the protection against cold and lessening the shuddering some, drawing a pleased smirk on Travis' face as he turned to the blond. ”Its much better.” Travis noted with a nod, feeling a few of the feathers rustle against his forearms, an enjoyable sensation really. It felt somewhat strange to have another person so close to him, but he would not complain really, it kept him warm, and staved off the frostbite, which was indeed a real problem.

”I would prefer to get the ground though, feels a lot safer than being hundreds of feet off the ground.” He noted looking to the male with a raised brow, silently wondering if he would be willing to take him down to the street level. ”I mean, unless you want more of an excuse to be so close to me.” Travis noted with a chuckle, making sure to let his joking tone get across. In the end it all was what Travis Masters would say, rather than Alpha, so he was somewhat out of his element.

Aaron smiled a bit to himself as he held the other boy within his wings. Was it just Aaron, or did Travis seem to be slightly enjoying Aaron holding him? He wondered what his twin brother would say if he saw him hugging another person this close. He'd probably make some joke, or quip. Aaron wasn't usually very intimate with anyone. He pulled Travis just a bit closer, wanting to make sure the boy was indeed warm. Aaron's chest was nearly against him now, which made Aaron's heart flutter just a little bit. He hoped that Travis couldn't see the faint blush that was adorning Aaron's cheeks. Maybe if he did see it, he'd think it was from the cold or something. A small part of Aaron wanted to wrap his arms around Travis, as he was quite handsome, and charming, but he figured that wouldn't be well received, as they had just met earlier in the evening.

“I don't mind being this close to you,” He chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around him. He made short work of getting them back on the ground. Aaron placed him very gently on the ground and smiled. “Next time, we'll have to get you a winter coat or something. There, uh, will be a next time won't there?” He tried to control his blushing, which is he was sure was spreading to his cheeks. Aaron let his green eyes wander to the ground, and his hands slide into his pockets. He was nervous, but he didn't really know why. The evening had gone really well.

The male said something about not minding being so close to him, and the part that was Alpha found himself amused by this prospect, that someone would want to be close physically to him. Perhaps the male was interested in him physically, and if that were the case then Travis could not personally blame them. Data had confirmed that he was attractive as a mate when it came to both his own species, as well as humans and so no blame could be placed. Besides, physical attraction was something that even he found troublesome, though his mental control was well enough that he could avoid any sort of awkward situations.  Still, it was the warmth that he was using the wings for, and so he would enjoy them while they were wrapped around him like a feathery blanket.

Within a matter of moments however he was now standing on the solid ground, tapping a foot lightly on it to make sure that he truly was there before turning to the male with a smile. It was of course Travis masers smiling, hiding any sort of deep introspective going on. '”With how you're talking, you make this sound like some kind of date.” Travis noted with a chuckle, burying his hands into his pockets and looking up to the starless sky. It was within character to tease, and so he would do so to see what reaction he would draw from the rather shy metahuman that had treated him to such an interesting evening. ”If that were the case, you might have to ask me first.” he added a wink and turned upon his heels a full 360 in an almost whimsical fashion.

Now on the ground, Aaron was pretty happy. Everything seemed to be going alright, and Travis seemed to be enjoying himself, even if he was a bit cold. Aaron felt the familiar warm blush spread across his cheeks “Making me ask, huh?” He chuckled “Well, fine, Will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?” He asked politely and smirked at him. Aaron wasn't sure what to expect, as the other boy was a little hard to read, but he was hoping for a yes. With an internal groan, he could almost hear his twin brother getting excited about all of this. Speaking of which, he had to get back and check on Ryan soon. Aaron didn't like to be away from him for very long. He shoved his hands into his pockets, waiting for an answer from the other boy. He was sure that he would say no, but Aaron figured that it was worth a shot.