To Be A Hero

Chapter 17: Something Just Like This

I groan as a hand nudges my shoulder. I pull my blanket tighter around my shoulders, refusing to open my eyes.

"What?" I groan.

"Come on, sleepyhead," Sam chuckles, his voice tired. "We've both slept in late enough."

"Obviously not, because I'm still tired. And by the sound of it, so are you." I snuggle into my blanket. "Don't make me pull you down like you did to me a few days ago."

"Sorry, love, but I do actually need to get up. I've got a run I've got to watch over and I need to get all the paperwork in order."

"Since when do you care about paperwork?"

"Since Janine started biting my head off when I don't have it."

I open my eyes, wincing as light floods my vision. I look up at Sam, and even with my annoyance, I can't help but smile sleepily at him. His hair is disheveled and he's still in his PJs, but he looks better. His dark circles aren't nearly as noticeable and he looks much less stressed. That makes me happy.

"No nightmares then?" I ask with a small smile.

"Hmm? Oh, uh, no, actually. Haven't had one with you sleeping by my side. I guess my nightmares are scared of you. You're my hero even in dreamland."

I laugh at his little joke, but it fades when he stands and heads over to his swivel chair, plopping down into it while rummaging through the papers on and in his desk.

"So why did you wake me up again?" I ask with a yawn, sitting up on my elbows. Strands of frizzy hair lay across my face, obstructing my view, but I make no move to push them away, even as I see Sam glance over his shoulder to look at me.

"Oh, well, you're not the one going on the run or anything, but we're still checking out some of the places those other Netrophil agents lived or worked at. You know hectic two days ago was. I doubt you'd want to wake up to me screaming at Runner Four or Sixteen to get out of there as quickly as possible."

I hum. "Well, you're not wrong, but I still don't want to get up."

He flashes me a smile. "Why? Were you having a good dream?"

"No, I wasn't dreaming at all."

He tsks. "What's the fun in that?"

"I don't care about fun. At least, I don't when I'm asleep. If I have no dreams, then I have nothing to think on when I wake up. It's nice when I don't have to think on something. I mean, it may sound lazy, but I like it when I can just zone out, not really having to worry about anything." I shrug. "It's one of the reasons I like reading. Someone else thinks for me."

"Hmm. That's an interesting way to put it, but I think you probably were dreaming." He sends me a sly grin, eyes sparkling mischievously. I feel my heart skip a beat. "I think you were dreaming about that romance book you just finished, or maybe you were dreaming about Tony Stark sweeping you off your feet."

I smile, looking away for a quick moment. "I wouldn't be opposed to have a dream like that, but I'd prefer my sleep to be dreamless. Most of the time they aren't pleasant, and the ones that are, such as me meeting Iron Man, are unrealistic."

"Dreams are supposed to be unrealistic. That's what makes them interesting."

I shrug. "I guess. But while I have a fictional character crush on Tony, he's honestly not really my type. Heroes almost always end up sacrificing themselves, or their love interests die. I'm not particularly fond of either of those outcomes. And heroes can be so dramatic."

"You do realize you are seen as a hero, right?"

"Yeah, and I'm dramatic most of the time, and I've got serious issues that I refuse to actually admit to having, and I'm going to die."