"Nah. But I'm still pleased by it." *** He frowned, stepping aside for her, not quite saying anything yet.
He laughed lightly, lying back on the pillows. "I appreciate your faith." * * * She brought her hand down, almost as if making a mark on a timeline. "You asked me to make you more comfortable with heroic activities. Right? That was the first request. I agreed. That happened. Then, I make you dive into freezing cold water. This is a startling thing for you, but you do it. We end that first day like that." She stepped over to the side, making a second mark. "Then, I make you jump across a building. You don't like it, but you do it. Afterwards, I make you fight me to test your ability. You seem fine, and you tell me that it's really just getting more comfortable with the more social and cultural aspects of herohood. I agree." She looked up at him, clearly pissed. "Am I missing anything so far?"
She sat next to him, stretching her arms out. "You're welcome." *** He crossed his arms, closing the door with a frown. "No."
He looked over at her, planting a kiss on her head. "You must be tired." * * * She nodded, as if reinforcing the idea in her mind. "Right." She did another little shuffle to the side to point out the next spot on the timeline. "Then, you stay with me all night when I'm sick. You take care of me. You make me tea. I'm sitting there, trying to figure out what you are struggling with; you certainly have no problem being decent to people." She rolled her shoulders slightly. "So, I decide that I'm going to test something, to try to figure out what exactly you're struggling with. The final installment is cliff jumping. We jump together. I play dead to see how you react in a truly high-risk situation. You react accordingly, and when I reveal that it's a test, you are furious. You are silent and angry and bitter, even though just weeks prior, you asked me to do this!" She dropped her hands, looking up at him. "What exactly did I do wrong?"
She hugged him, looking up at him. "Yeah.. How about you?" *** He squinted at her, his shoulders tensing. "Out of everything we did, the only thing you did wrong was pretend to be dead. I can't lie, Gwen, that was a stupid idea. I thought you were hurt or died because of me. I thought I did it because I asked. I never expected you to do something like that. And finally, I was scared to death, Gwen. I was absolutely terrified that I lost you because I care about you."
His face fell slightly and he looked uncomfortable. "Transforming really takes the wind outta me." * * * With every word he said, she looked like she was getting more and more irritated until he said that he cared about her. She paused, tilting her head curiously after a moment. "Wait... what?"
She nestled close to him, looking up. "That's alright. Let's sleep." *** He paused, going quiet and crossing his arms again. "Nothing."
He draped his arm over her shoulder, kissing her temple. * * * She frowned, looking quite unsure as she considered him before she looked over her shoulder. "I just barged into your apartment. I... I'm sorry, I'm going to go."
She closed her eyes, relishing the proximity. *** He was quiet, looking a little upset with himself. "..Goodbye."
He also closed his eyes, his finger brushing along her arm gently. * * * "Bye," was all she said, looking quite troubled as she left, closing the door behind her.
She fell asleep quickly, her head on his shoulder. *** He let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair.
(Zoop!) Ben was asleep the next morning, stretched out on his side of the bed. * * * Gwen was in her house, making tea. She had just gotten off work, her hair still back in the ponytail.
He stirred, waking up and looking around blearily. * * * She sighed, taking off her earrings as she opened the door.
Mari didn't wake, only shifting slightly. *** It was Adonis. He was wearing a clean, white button up and black pants, holding an assortment of colors that consisted of her favorite colors. He looked like he had tried in his appearance, his messy hair brushed and the fresh scent of cologne. "Gwen.."
He smiled before leaning down, kissing her temple before slipping out of bed. * * * She blinked in surprise, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Hi... what are you doing?"
She murmured inaudible, turning over. *** He seemed embarrassed, clearing his throat and offering the flowers. "I'd like.. to ask you on a date."
He went into the kitchen, beginning to make breakfast for them. * * * She seemed extremely surprised, flushing slightly as she took the flowers. "Adonis, what're you doing?" she asked again, tilting her head curiously. "This isn't like you... is this... is this a prank? Did someone put you up to this?" She frowned, peering down the hallway. "If this is a prank, that's so mean..."
A few minutes later she woke, sitting up and looking around. She yawned, getting up. *** He frowned, taking a breath. "The bonus mission.."
The smell of eggs and pancakes streamed through the air. * * * She frowned at him before she understood, her expression clearing. "Oh..." she said quietly, looking down at the flowers before looking at him. "It's me?"
