Epilogue 2
“Why the hell did they not see the villain sooner? And why the heck did he save the day? He spent the entire movie complaining and then turns around and does that?”
I forgot that watching a movie with Griffin was a lesson in patience. It only got worse when he insisted we see the latest superhero film. Why we needed to watch a fictional movie about heroes when they were flying outside our windows, I’ll never know.
I stood from the table, collecting the plates from the dinner table.
After the movie, Sebastian had been kind enough to let us descend on his apartment, far nicer than anything the three of us had.
He also had the best Chinese takeout in the city.
The least I could do was be a pleasant guest and help clean up.
“I liked the suits,” Sebastian chimed.
“They looked comfortable,” I added. “Spandex is probably more breathable than leather.”
Aiden shot me a look. While having a secret identity meant frequently lying to those around me, I had given him full access to my alter ego.
But the rest of the breakfast club remained in the dark.
It was the only way I could keep them safe from the growing number of villains that’d see Lionheart dead.
“How are things going at the Beacon?” Aiden asked. I found it amusing that Griffin worked at his boyfriend’s rival company. I imagined there were dozens of arguments about which magazine was crushing it.
“Did you see the new issue?” Sebastian jumped in, heading to the living room to dig through the magazines on the coffee table. “The cover alone…”
“You’re going to make me blush.” Griffin tried to sound modest, but he couldn’t hide the pride in his voice. Good for him. After everything he went through with both magazines, life had turned around. Dr. Solaris’ voice echoed in the back of my head.
“Griffin,” I started. God, why was it hard to toss out a casual compliment without sounding like a squishy mess? “I have to say, you’ve been doing pretty damned well for yourself. I’ve never seen you this confident in your work.” See, Doc, I can highlight the good things too.
“That’s…” Griffin spun about in his chair, eyeing me. “Almost sweet? What have you done to Xander?”
I ignored the jab. Instead, I set the plates in the sink and wandered around Sebastian’s apartment.
It was obvious he made good money at the magazine.
The man had impeccable taste, the dark reds and blacks woven through every piece of artwork on the walls and even the throw pillows on the couch.
I should have expected as much. Griffin had said the man was an amazing artist.
The open concept floor plan made it easy to move from the dining room to the kitchen and into the living room.
While I inspected the art, Griffin and Aiden moved to the couch, returning to their discussion about the movie.
It was ironic, Aiden dating a superhero and Griffin in love with the entire genre. If only Griffin knew…
“Xander,” Sebastian started washing the dishes. “Mind drying?”
This double date had been Aiden’s idea. He wanted to meet my friends, and truth be told, I wanted them to meet the man who saved me from myself.
I hadn’t expected him and Griffin to hit it off so well.
Sebastian, however, had been tougher to crack.
He was far more reserved, and other than working at the magazine, I knew nothing about him. For Aiden’s sake, I’d keep trying.
“Sure, might as well let them geek out.”
“Once Griffin gets started on superheroes, he’ll ramble until he tuckers himself out.”
I laughed. “Do you know how many times at breakfast he’s gone on about a superhero? Then we find out it’s not a real person but a character in a comic book.”
Sebastian stopped scrubbing to laugh. “I know exactly what you mean.”
He handed me a dripping plate, and I snatched a rag off the counter. Okay, small talk that didn’t include mentioning bodily fluids in the ambulance. How hard could this be?
“I like your art.” Wow, Xander. When this was over, I’d be sure to Google how to make small talk.
“Thanks. Griffin mentioned you work as a medic. How’s that going?”
“Now that heroes are powered again, it’s back to normal. I didn’t think I’d miss saving people who could rip open portals in space. It’s a very different type of medicine, but I’m glad to be of service.”
Since I uttered the phrase, “Maybe heroes aren’t so bad,” at breakfast, Griffin had made it his mission to open my eyes to the secret lives of heroes.
Apparently, working at the magazine gave him a special insight.
While I bit my tongue, holding back snide comments, he did, in fact, give me useful information.
Who knew there was an etiquette about fighting another hero’s arch-nemesis?
“What about your other job?”
I froze as he handed me another plate. Right now, the only people who knew my secret were Aiden, Hellcat, Lei, and William.
Had I slipped up? Did William finally wake up from his coma and tell the prison guards?
This had been a worry in the back of my head ever since the hero community watched me rescue Aiden. Had somebody spilled the beans?
“No side hustles for me.” It was as convincing as I could make the statement.
I glanced from the burly hand holding the plate to his eyes.
If he hadn’t been holding the dish, I’d have dropped it on the floor.
His iris’ vanished, replaced by a brilliant white light.
They returned to normal quickly, and I’d have worried I imagined the glimpse of power, except the smirk remained on his lips.
Sebastian and I had more in common than I originally believed.
“I want to talk to you about joining the Night Guard.”