Atlantic Studios.

It was one of Metro City’s most exclusive converted warehouses with luxurious industrial space repurposed as a premier film studio.

Pulsar sat rigidly in a high-backed director’s chair emblazoned with her name in elegant silver lettering. This location had served as a major filming site for the Blue Thunder superhero movie franchise.

Its huge interior spaces, with their dramatic lighting rigs and reinforced sets , had seen some of the biggest names in the industry. Top directors, producers, and A-list celebrities had all walked these floors at one point or another. Some came for brief cameos, others took supporting roles, but all of them helped erase the line between the fictional world of Blue Thunder and the very real community of superhumans.

A team of professionals swarmed around Pulsar.

Makeup artists dabbed at her flawless skin.

Costume technicians eagerly adjusted the sleek lines of her Pulsar supersuit.

Hairstylists coaxed her hair into perfect waves.

Vincent Lakewood directed a camera crew to capture every moment in high definition.

Pulsar let out a long, weary sigh as her dainty shoulders slumped slightly.

"Vincent, do you really need to film me while they’re doing my makeup? This feels excessive."

Vincent flashed a polished smile.

"Of course we do. It humanizes you, Pulsar. Makes you relatable to the fans of the Blue Thunder comics. They love seeing the real hero behind the power."

Irritation flashed across her features.

She folded her arms tightly and turned her gaze away.

"I’m already a real superhero. I don’t need fans from some fictional series to validate me. I have over two hundred million followers on Insta alone. My merchandise lines sell out in hours, the book deals keep pouring in, and I’ve been on every major talk show that matters... Late Night Spotlight, Morning Metro, Heroes Unmasked. I’m exhausted from it all. You should be more than satisfied by now."

The room’s atmosphere shifted.

Vincent’s expression darkened. He signaled sharply for the makeup team to step back, then waved the cameras aside. Turning to face her directly, he glared with barely contained fury.

Before, such a look from him might have made a delicate girl like Pulsar shrink back and brace for whatever harsh words or career threats followed. But tonight, she was utterly fed up with the endless demands, the endorsement deals and the relentless spotlight... that triggered her to equally fire back a deadly glare of her own.

Vincent faltered and stepped back half a pace.

He cleared his throat.

"P-, Pulsar, let’s not forget the contracts you’ve signed. Including the new moisturizer brand deal from last week. You have a promo shoot in Italy in just a few hours. You can’t simply walk away from this."

Several team members nodded, though their tones were gentler than Vincent’s. They knew she was still only eighteen years of age and deserved to enjoy experiences so many of her peers had. It wasn’t fair to her, neither was it fair to their conscience that had been tested so many times since they started working for Vincent Lakewood.

"He’s right about the obligations, but we also want you to enjoy this stage of your life. Don’t let it take everything from you."

Vincent glared at the person that spoke which prompted them to shut their mouth in shame.

Pulsar confidently rose from her chair.

"No. I’m done with this garbage."

She began marching toward the exit.

"Pulsar!"

Vincent screamed after her.

"Get back here right now or I promise I’ll end end your fucking career! Do you hear me?"

She whirled around with her purple cape and shoved him with one effortless push. Vincent stumbled backward several meters and crashed into a equipment cart which left a few actors laughing.

"Do NOT speak to me like that again."

"This little..."

Vincent recovered with a face full of anger.

"That crappy bastard, Nightwatch, is probably trending everywhere—number one across any social media chart you can think of, even though he’s not even a registered hero. You think that’s fair?! I’m trying to make YOU the next big thing!

"I don’t give a shit about Nightwatch!"

Pulsar screamed back.

She stormed out and left the green room in shock.

A-list actors and actresses exchanged uneasy glances, unsure how to react.

In the corner, The Peak continued his own livestream where he flexed his massive biceps and kissed them theatrically for his viewers.

"You see this, folks? Powerful men like me don’t sweat some unregistered vigilante. Heh, recently I even helped Nightwatch take down Grave, one of the world’s deadliest assassins. Gave him all the credit, too. That’s just the kind of hero I am."

The chat was packed with viewers.

[No one’s gonna edit you dawg 💀]

[Bro really said "I helped" SON!! 😭😭]

[The Peak might be the only living organism that literally contributes nothing to modern society besides giving me the worst form of ADD 🤦]

ㄴ[Attention Deficit Disorder? That’s rough buddy]

ㄴ[No, A Deep Desire to slap this guy]

[The Peak giving credit is like me giving my landlord rent on time... never happened 🫩]

The production team turned to Vincent.

"What do we do? She has a scene in a few hours."

Vincent’s lips morphed into a wicked grin.

"Don’t worry. I have a plan."

...

That was how Pulsar ended up hovering discreetly above a modest 24-hour store in the city streets below. She actually intended to clear her head, but the sight of Nightwatch comforting a homeless man inside left her spying on him for half an hour.

She looked at his body more carefully.

『He has such a nice body...』

Her cheeks warmed.

『This is actually the first time I’ve seen him this close but I’d probably need a better look to really appreciate his body and... wait, well not ’appreciate his body’ that sorta makes me sound like a creep... but uhm, yeah, his body does kinda look good. Really good.』

Her face flushed deeper.

『Dang, look at those arms...』

Then she slapped her dainty hands over her cheeks.

『Why the FUCK am I thinking about some random vigilante’s body, dammit!』 (ᗒᗣᗕ)

She shook her smallish head vigorously and slapped her cheeks again.

『Focus. You’ve met billionaires, dude. You shouldn’t be getting flustered over this.』

Yet her gaze drifted back. She bit her lower lip.

『But he does look so good though...』

Her thighs pressed together instinctively.

She clutched at her crotch with a mild groan as she fought the unwelcome heat rising between her legs. The last time she had any "action" was before she and Scott broke up so now she was on a very cold streak of no sex. She wasn’t addicted to it in the slightest, but the fact that a man who wasn’t Scott could make her feel this way was a bit insane to her. She hadn’t felt this aroused in a while.

And all this just from her dirty thoughts.

『I’m so shameless...』 ｡°(°¯᷄◠¯᷅°)°｡

Minutes later.

Nightwatch stepped out of the store after a heartfelt hug with a now-tearful, grateful Gibson.

His camera drones followed smoothly.

"That one was pretty easy, chat."

He waved to the lens.

"Maybe give me something harder. I’m in the mood to really help tonight."

The comments flooded in rapidly:

[Send him my student loans 😂]

[Gaming console for my nephew? Charity goal?]

ㄴ[YO ASS DON’T GOT A NEPHEW LIL BRO 😭]

[Low budget MrBeast fr]

[Bro’s solving homework and feeding the homeless while I can’t even do my laundry]

ㄴ[I barely shower dude 💀]

ㄴ[Eh? I thought we all did this?]

[Crack Foxgirl and post the tape]

ㄴ[How does this help anyone?]

ㄴ[I’m bisexual...]

Nightwatch laughed until his lungs gave out.

"You can ask for anything, as long as it’s not dumb or frivolous. Let’s keep it meaningful."

He scrolled through new invitations while walking down the sidewalk.

"He-, Hello?!" (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) .ᐟ.ᐟ

A cute, feminine voice called out.

He looked up, then around. No one visible.

"Weird..."

"Down here."

Nightwatch glanced downward and saw Pulsar standing right in front of him with a small and delicate frown on her adorable face.

He tilted his head perplexedly.

"Sorry, didn’t see you there."

Her frown deepened.

"I’m short, I know. You don’t have to be a jerk about it."

He lifted his eyebrow as high as he could.

"Since when is saying the truth an offense?" (·•᷄‎ࡇ•᷅ )

Pulsar turned on her heel.

"Forget it. This was such a shitty mistake."

She walked away with those little legs of hers.

It made her look somewhat like a cute goblin or maybe an angry little duck walking away after asking for a treat and not getting one at all.

Nightwatch chuckled and hurried after her.

"Hey, you don’t have to make a big deal out of it. I was just messing with you."

He placed a gentle hand on her small shoulder and did his best to hold back his laugh.

[Nightwatch, I’m watching the stream, why you trying not to laugh bruh that’s disrespectful as shi bruh!]

[HOW DARE YOU MESS WITH MY PULSAR! 😤]

[Look at Pulsar’s ass man. I just know she’s tighter than the bolts on a fire hydrant]

ㄴ[Ass got more gravitational pull than a pulsar ✌🏼]

The hand stopped Pulsar instantly.

A strange warmth spread through her.

『This feels so weird... his touch feels so familiar. I swear I’m not a pervert, but there’s something comforting about how he’s touching me. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it feels so warm and homey for some reason.』

She lingered and quietly convinced herself to stay just a little longer.

"Ahem! Si-, Since you’re so desperate to have me around then I’ll just have to satisfy you."

She’ll fold her arms and look away with a very composed look on her model face.

『SATISFY YOU?? WHO SAYS THAT!』 (｡Ó﹏Ò｡)

...

Moments Later.

Nightwatch had barely resumed strolling down the sidewalk when Pulsar floated up beside him.

"Fine."

She rested one hand on her hip.

"Since you’re so desperate for my company, I’ll join your little stream. But only because I feel like it."

"Huh?"

Nightwatch was completely lost.

When did he ask her to join his stream? He knew Maya had big issues with her pride but this was definitely another level of Main Character Syndrome to him. If he or any other male superhero said this, they would immediately get fried in the chat by hungry keyboard warriors.

Before he could respond, she had already waved at one of the hovering drones.

The already massive chat detonated.

[Viewer Count: 1,203,947 → 4,872,391]

In under forty seconds!

Across the internet, the moment went nuclear.

On Instaflick.

Clips of Pulsar appearing on Nightwatch’s stream spread like wildfire. Hashtags #NightPulsar and #PulsarWatch trended worldwide within minutes.

Superhero podcasts jumped on it immediately.

In one popular podcast studio.

Cape Talk Uncensored.

The news-hungry hosts leaned into their mics with unrestrained excitement.

[Okay, folks, we’re pausing everything—Pulsar, THE Pulsar, just hopped on Nightwatch’s charity stream. This is not a drill. The registered darling of corporate heroism is hanging with the unregistered king of the streets. Ratings gold.]

Social media flooded with chaotic reactions.

Chirper Posts:

[Pulsar on Nightwatch stream??? My toxic queen who usually drags vigilantes just soft-launched a collab?? The character development is chef’s kiss 😭]

[POV: You’re Vincent Lakewood watching your biggest client flirt with the one guy you hate while Pepsi is advertising in the chat 💀]

Instaflick Comments under viral clips:

[The way she looked at him when he offered her fries... girl is DOWN BAD. Someone call her PR team.]

Fan art already poured in: beautifully rendered pieces of Nightwatch and Pulsar standing atop a skyscraper with the Metro City skyline glowing behind them. One popular artist captioned theirs:

[From enemies to rooftop dates? The slow burn we didn’t know we needed 🔥 #NightPulsar]

Even Pulsar’s notoriously brutal and protective fangirls that were usually quick to attack anyone who so much as looked at her sideways were melting.

[Okay but why is Nightwatch kinda... attractive with her? The height difference. The way he’s gentle but sarcastic. I’m shipping it against my will.]

[Dropping my own fan art. Don’t @ me. They look good together and Pulsar deserves a man who doesn’t treat her like a walking endorsement deal.]

[I wanna strangle Nightwatch from behind and just jerk him off like crazy 😩]

[GIRRRLLL DONT WE ALL!]

Vincent Lakewood paced in a private lounge at Atlantic Studios, phone pressed to his ear.

"Yes, Fortitude confirmed. He’ll be back from stabilizing that situation in Southeast Asia in two days. Perfect timing for the Pulsar collab. This will definitely shut down all the Nightwatch noise."

He lowered the phone and noticed his team’s uneasy expressions. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"What? Why do you all look like someone died?"

One assistant shifted uncomfortably.

"Nothing happened, boss—"

"Spit it out."

Another team member sighed.

"Pulsar just went live on Nightwatch’s stream."

"Uh-huh... she’s uhm... on it right now."

"WHAT?!"

Vincent froze.

Then he screamed like a mad mad man and hurled his phone to the ground.

"That ungrateful little bitch! After everything I’ve built for her career!"

He began pacing furiously.

"Do you have any idea what this means? She’s associating with an unregistered vigilante! Every major brand has morality clauses—Freya Cosmetics, Blue Activewear, the deals she signed last week. They’ll terminate overnight. Sponsors will flee. The Blue Thunder producers will distance themselves. We’re looking at lawsuits for breach of contract, potential blacklisting from registered hero events, and millions in lost revenue. And for what? To sit on a rooftop with that masked nobody?"

His team tried to intervene.

"Vincent, calm down. Maybe she knows what she’s doing. The numbers are insane right now—"

"I don’t care about the numbers!"

He roared as he punched the air.

"That low-life Nightwatch is a cancer. I’ll destroy him. I’ll dig up every dirty secret, every illegal operation he’s run, and I’ll bury him so deep even his precious charity won’t save his image. Mark my words."

...

Back at Emma’s mansion.

The living room had been filled with the sounds of Marcus’s frustrated groans as Beca dominated him in yet another fighting game round where she was blindfolded and relying solely on her sensitive fox ears to catch his button inputs.

"Again!"

Marcus demanded furiously.

Beca removed her blindfold to reveal her beautiful fox eyes then fell back on the couch.

"Maybe some other time, loser. I’m bored."

"Please, one more round! I’m begging here—"

An eager Emma suddenly burst into the room and snatched the controller to switch the massive television to a livestream channel.

"Hey!" Marcus protested.

"Nightwatch is streaming..."

Emma said quickly.

But that was only part of the truth. Social media had exploded with Nightwatch × Pulsar posts, and she needed to see it for herself.

The screen showed Nightwatch and Pulsar seated on the edge of a breathtakingly high skyscraper as their legs dangled over the glowing city. They shared hefty takeout bags of juicy burgers and crispy fries while drones captured the scenic view and their casual conversation.

Emma’s face flushed with anger.

She pouted fiercely.

『So that’s how it’s gonna be! Is Pulsar really going this low to steal my boyfriend? Does she know Scott is Nightwatch? That homewrecking, short little—』

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"Hm. They actually look pretty good together."

"THEY DO NOT!" (｡•̀ ⤙ •́ ｡ꐦ) !!!

Emma screamed like a banshee.

Marcus recoiled like a startled cat.

"Okay, okay! I agree. You don’t have to be so rude about it. It was just an opinion."

Emma flicked her hair aside with some pride.

"Hmph. Keep your opinions to yourself."

Adeline, observing quietly, nodded.

"Actually, Marcus is right. Nightwatch does look rather striking beside that Pulsar girl. Isn’t she ranked higher than you in the current superhero charts, Emma dear? I read that somewhere."

Emma looked away and grumbled.

"Whatever, mom..."

...

On the skyscraper edge.

Nightwatch took another bite of his burger.

"These are okay, but there’s this other joint a few blocks from here called Fred’s Burgers... best burgers in Metro City, hands down. Real beef, fresh toppings, none of that processed junk."

Pulsar’s eyes lit up with recognition.

『That’s the same place Scott always raves about.』

A soft, genuinely warm smile appeared on her face.

"Maybe you can take me there sometime."

The moment Nightwatch saw that seductive smile, the first thing he did was glance at the cameras. Emma had never missed a single one of his livestreams. Not once. He already knew she was watching this one too. That meant there was really only one answer he could give her... and it definitely wasn’t yes.

Before he could formulate a gentle refusal, the chat erupted with superchats and gifts.

[$10,000 – Accept the offer or we riot, king!]

[$25,000 – Bro if you say no I’m unsubbing forever 😭]

[$15,000 – You’re so in there bro! Stalk her!]

[$50,000 – PEPSI WANTS YALL ON A DATE! Official sponsorship incoming tee-hee!]

Pulsar glanced at the scrolling comments and giggled.

"Even Pepsi wants us to go on a date. Tee-hee!"

Nightwatch stuttered.

"A... date?" (¬_ ´¬ )

Pulsar smiled softly and scooted closer on the ledge until her thigh nearly brushed his.

"Well, when I said take me out for burgers, I wasn’t exactly talking about just eating burgers."

Nightwatch slowly inched a careful distance away.

"Uhm... then why?"

Pulsar leaned in until her delicate and juicy lips were right in front of his face. The lips of the same girl he used to kiss in the bathroom stall of comic stores.

Her voice went from cute to seductive in seconds.

"You know why ♥️"

The city lights sparkled far below as the stream’s viewer count continued its meteoric climb, the night suddenly charged with far more than just charity and good deeds.