CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY

Love and Training, Part 2

Sam awoke to find himself in a fancy room that wouldn’t be out of place at a five-star hotel.

“Where…”

The clock hanging on the opposite wall above the flatscreen TV told him it was five-thirty. However, from the glimpse of the wall-length window to his right, Sam saw that it was still dark out. Beyond this window, the Manhattan skyline remained lit and sparkling against the early morning sky.

“Hold on…” Sam could see the pale green lights floating out of the trees in the expansive field below. “…is that Central Park?”

Something moved on the bed he was in, forcing his gaze to drift to its left side. Thunder was lying on that side, her eyes shut, her breathing shallow. She was dressed in a plain blue shirt with her patented twin thunderbolts logo emblazoned on its chest. Incidentally, Sam was wearing the green Hunka-Herc shirt and shorts that the brand’s marketing team had given him before he’d left the shoot.

“Whoa…” Sam gulped, his face flushing red. “Did you dress me?”

He glanced at her beautiful face while she slept just inches away from him.

“What did I miss?” he wondered.

He wasn’t expecting a reply, but Sam found it curious how that light buzz in his brain that he assumed was Triple-A’s or Chiron’s presence was far too quiet right now.

“I guess they’re giving us some privacy…”

As gently as he could, Sam brushed away a lock of hair that hid Thunder’s face from him.

“Where did you bring me?”

She fidgeted at his touch, and her eyes blinked open.

“Sam?” she asked, her voice groggy.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Sam whispered. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Thunder slid her head closer to his. “Most heroes are light sleepers.”

“What happened?” Sam asked while he too drew closer to her.

It was Thunder who took initiative first though. She wrapped her arm around his neck, which gave Sam the unspoken permission to move his arm around her waist.

Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Friendship, rejoices in seeing the hero take this next step in the path of true love.

Oh, gods, Sam thought. I don’t need an audience for this…

“You lost consciousness while we were training,” Thunder explained, drawing Sam’s gaze away from the golden notification that popped up above the bed. “Standing up too, which Mr. Flint thought was sort of cool.”

“Oh.” Sam didn’t feel cool though. He felt embarrassed. “How did we get here then? And, um, where are we?”

“Well, Mr. Flint wanted us to take a rest in one of his workshop’s spare rooms, but I wanted to try this new thing I can do—I can fly now by the way—and so I flew us here,” she said excitedly, but then that excitement got a little subdued when she added, “to my apartment…”

“Oh,” Sam said, his cheeks brightening once more. “So… we’re in your bedroom, and your bed… together…”

They glanced awkwardly at each other for a while, but then Thunder buried her face in Sam’s chest to keep him from noticing how red her cheeks had gotten. Although he already noticed it.

“Am I… being too forward?” she asked in a self-conscious tone he had never heard her use before.

Sam thought Thunder being self-conscious was quite cute though, and so he brushed back her bangs and kissed her on the forehead.

“No, and I’m at fault for not taking the lead more,” he whispered to her. “I’m sorry if I seem so… slow when it comes to this. To us. I just… I don’t want to mess it up.”

“You’re not going to mess this up, lame-brain,” she replied. “I won’t let you.”

Thunder pulled her head up so she could gaze into Sam’s eyes, and he again felt lost in those bright blue irises that were like the sky on a clear day.

“Sam, you saved my life. Twice.”

“Three times.”

Thunder’s brow furrowed. “When—”

“The bridge at the end of the Endless Maze.”

Thunder frowned. “You think I couldn’t have survived falling off into the abyss as you did?”

The memory of that dark place and the voice that whispered dark portents to Sam caused a shiver to crawl up his arms that Thunder must have felt but didn’t comment on.

“You would have gotten out of there faster than me,” Sam conceded, “But if you were in that abyss too… then I wouldn’t have any reason to leave it.”

She kissed him. Not the usual passionate kiss they’d been sharing recently, but a light peck on his lips that felt just as good to Sam.

“I sort of know how you feel,” Thunder whispered.

“You do?”

She nodded.

“When I caught the Blight, there were days when I just couldn’t get out of bed or think happy thoughts… Everything was just dark and bleak and the walls felt like they were closing in around me…”

Thunder didn’t know this, but Sam knew exactly what she was talking about. He and anxiety—they were old friends.

“I felt lost, but I couldn’t show it to anyone… I was Thunder after all. And people, they just didn’t get it. They kept visiting with their platitudes and their promises of healing, but none of their pretty words could lift me out of my funk.”

Thunder’s fingers brushed against Sam’s chin.

“Then a few days after I felt like I’d started to lose everything I worked so hard to achieve, you walk into my hospital room and swear that you’d cure me.” She brushed her lips against his cheek, while her hand slid down to his so that their fingers could intertwine. “And it made no sense to believe that this zeta could cure me of the Blight even with our mutual friend’s help… It made no sense that I should trust in your words or feel uplifted by your promises… but I did…”

She kissed his cheek.

“Rather than let the darkness take me, or find myself indebted to capricious gods,” and she smirked in a way that made Sam think he knew which god she was referring to, “I chose to believe in you, Sam—I chose to believe in the spark of hope you lit inside me, and that’s how I endured those months of weakness… and loss.”

“And then I healed you,” Sam prompted.

“And then you healed me,” Thunder agreed. “All of a sudden, the world that had gone dark and cold and gray-toned was once more filled with life and wonder and hope… I could be me again, and it was all because of you, Sam.”

Sam shook his head. “It wasn’t just me. You were on that quest too. You picked yourself up.”

Thunder kissed him fully on the lips this time. Passionate, forceful, and filled with promise—and Sam reciprocated. He pulled her toward him and kissed her back with equal passion. And when their kiss ended, she pulled away and smiled at him.

“Um, you might want to brush your teeth first… Your breath kind of…” she teased.

Sam pushed away from Thunder, hiding his head underneath the pillow. “Thanks…”

“I was kidding.” She pulled at his neck and drew him out again. “You taste like sunshine.”

“Um, what does sunshine even taste like?” Sam chuckled.

“Don’t ruin the moment, lame-brain”—she elbowed him in the gut—“and kiss me again.”

Aphrodite is enjoying this development. 100 Fame Points earned. The goddess of love encourages the hero to give his lover a more passionate kiss this time.

Despite Aphrodite’s encouragement, he didn’t kiss her right away, because Sam had a confession of his own that he wanted to tell Thunder now.

“I was lost too,” he began, “before you came into my life…”

“And we nearly died together,” she reminded him.

“Yeah,” Sam agreed. “After I quit being a hero, my world turned into this lifeless thing too and everything was dull and gray… and then you smeared your blood into my mouth—”

“Ugh—do you have to say it like that?” she complained.

Sam wrapped his arms around Thunder’s waist and drew her back to him so that their noses were touching again.

“You brought color back into my life, Thun—Sarah,” he whispered her name like he was praying. “You made me whole too. I think I love you…”

“I know,” Thunder whispered.

He frowned. “Did you just Solo me?”

Thunder smiled sheepishly. “Okay, because you couldn’t shut up about it, I decided to watch your geeky trilogy…”

“And?” he prompted.

“I liked it,” she admitted.

Sam grinned. “Gods, you’re perfect.”

“Say it again,” Thunder said, “but be sure this time.”

Aphrodite is urging Sam to fulfill Thunder’s wish. 100 fame points will be awarded.

Sam ignored the notification. He didn’t need the goddess of love for this next part.

“I love you, Sarah,” he said firmly.

She smiled at him, the kind of smile that made him all tingly inside. “I love you too, lame-brain.”

100 Fame Points earned. CONGRATULATIONS! [CAPRICORN] Bond has leveled up! Tier 3 [ELEMENTALIST] Tree is now available. You now have an increased affinity for the lightning element. REWARD ONE: You have received 10 attribute points. BONUS REWARD TWO: Your growing bond has increased the possibility for a [Fusion Attack] that has a successful fusion rate of 70%. REMINDER: Hero has yet to complete the companion mission [THE LOST THUNDERBOLT]. It is recommended that the hero achieve this quest to help [Thunder] become stronger.

“What’s with that dopey smile?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He stopped skimming the notifications. “I’m just happy.

Sam pulled Thunder even closer and wrapped her in an embrace filled with longing. Then they kissed, and it would be the first of many things they would do this morning.