Jaune and the Real Girl.

Chapter 8

"That's what's so great about it." Jaune explained sitting up for her looking at the dozen or so issues. "You get heroes that are larger than life, you watch them struggle to do good with supreme power in the face of evil."

"So you read comic books because you idolize these characters?" She asked him.

"Yeah," Jaune explained. "They're strong but they use their strength to help people but they also struggle with personal problems and moral dilemmas. Plus it's just cool, ever since I was a kid I imagined what it would be like to fly, or be super strong and able to shoot las-."

Jaune laughed. A deep full bellied laugh that left Penny with a  puzzled expression.

"Penny!" He said grinning at her. "You're a superhero!"

"What!? I am!?" She asked, confused by his declaration.

"You are, you're even the Protector of Mantle. I don't think I've met anyone more like a superhero than you!" He explained to her. "All the best superheroes have a city they defend from evil."

Penny looked back down at the comic she held. The spandex wearing hero flying over a sprawling urban landscape. "A superhero," she said a little smile curling her lips.

"The only thing you're missing is a secret identity," Jaune joked.

"A secret identity?" Penny asked, "why would I need to keep my identity a secret?"

"To protect your friends and family, so villains couldn't target the people you care about," he explained, "that's why so many superheroes wear masks or assume alternate personalities." Jaune took one of the comics flipping the pages to show a timid bespectacled man. "Like him, when he's not fighting villains he's a mild mannered reporter. A lot of the drama stems from living a double life balancing his personal desires with his duty to others."

"I see," Penny said. "Would you mind if I read these with you?"

Jaune smiled at her. "I'd be delighted." He said motioning to the stack of comic books. Penny opened the one she held in her hands starting from the beginning scanning the pages and flipping through them quickly. Occasionally she would stop and ask Jaune for some context on a particular character or their powers. But even with him having to explain the comics to her she flew through it setting the comic down and picking up another.

"You're a fast reader," Jaune noticed watching her move to pick up a fifth comic as he finished his first.

"I am quite efficient at processing words and images," Penny explained to him opening her new comic.

"Reading isn't exactly about efficiency," Jaune told her,"are you enjoying these stories at least?"

"Oh yes," Penny said with a nod.

"That's good." Jaune set his comic down and reached for his water bottle on his bedside only to find it mostly empty. He pulled the covers away revealing his legs, one was still bandaged from the ursai trap that'd got him.

"Here I can get it!" Penny said standing up and moving for the door.

"It's alright," Jaune assured her, "the doctor said I can walk if I need to."

"You just rest, I'll get it," she insisted, stepping out before he could protest.

Jaune sighed and pulled the cover back over his legs. He sat alone in the quiet room. Penny had been beside him from the moment he first woke up. They hadn't really talked much about what had happened, some part of it had seemed taboo for some reason. Past the point where Vasily knocked him down and began punching him like his face was a speed bag things were fractured.