Evolved

13. Intertwined.

After the first sleep in weeks not plagued by nightmares, Hera awoke alone. 

She felt empty looking at the couch, knowing Theo would not be needed anymore. A consequence of her growing control. 

After breakfast, she looked for the Director, but he was unusually absent. Hera frowned, looking around the room before seeing a file on the table labelled Anders. She felt her grief rise in her throat. It was so unfair that he suffered at the hands of Panacea because of her. She hoped they would come. 

So she could kill them all, she thought bitterly. 

Peace. Heal, not destroy. 

Hera screamed at the sudden whisper in her ear. "Fucking hell, can you stop that?" 

She heard that soft chuckle once more before the presence was gone. She left then and began her training for the day. Theo stayed on the opposite side of the room for the morning, and Hera found herself agitated by his absence. 

Is he avoiding me? 

Jean noticed her lack of focus from across the room. "Hey, princess! Fifty push-ups and get your head in the game. We're at war!" Hera made a face and started her punishment. When she finished, she felt like she could do more. Her training had paid off, she thought as she glimpsed herself in the mirror; she almost looked as toned as Jean when they first met. 

She was physically so much stronger now, too. Able to grapple with other Evolved of her size. Her speed and agility helped her keep up with the bigger fighters, and she could easily find their weakness now. "Watch their faces, not their hands or weapons, Hera," she remembered Theo telling her once. She groaned, realizing he kept invading her every thought and asked a nearby Evolved to spar with her for a welcome distraction.

It was almost lunchtime, and she still hadn't talked to Theo despite training in the same room all morning. She rolled her eyes when she spotted him staring at her from a few tables over. Two can play at that game, she thought. She headed to the chamber to practice some more when lunch was over. But when she arrived, Theo was already there, sitting in the middle of the room meditating. 

Despite her frustration with him, she didn't want to interrupt,  so she sat facing away from him and focused on her breathing too. She played with her energy for a while before grounding herself and sending it out to see what everyone was doing. 

She could sense Theo was very aware of her presence, and for a moment, their energies intertwined. They both gasped at the pleasurable contact for that brief second before Hera's focus continued through the community. Her heart was racing from the mingling, and she knew he was doing the same. Finally, Hera noticed the complete absence of the Director in the community and opened her eyes, drawing the energy back in quickly. 

She frowned. Where is he? 

The thought didn't go further because she noticed Theo standing over her, breathing shallowly. 

She stood and looked up at him, "Why have you been avoiding me." She was confused, "What is your problem?" 

He looked away, shaking his head and tousling his dark curls. "You don't need me anymore, Hera, so our training is complete. Your father has asked me to give you space to train now on your own."

Hera was fuming as she stood to face him. "How dare he say that to you! I happen to like training with you, and who cares if I don't need you anymore? That doesn't mean I don't want you..." Her voice cracked at the worst possible moment, and she choked on her words, "Don't want you to train me, I mean." 

Heat flooded Hera's features, and Theo clenched his jaw, stepping closer. "Do you feel the same way?" Hera stuttered as she felt the heat radiating from the space between them. "I mean... Do you still want to train me?"

Their bodies were almost touching, and her power reached across the space to caress him. His breathing quickened, and he swallowed, "I still want to." He paused, voice thick with a foreign emotion. "To train you." He finished. His fingers brushed hers, and she felt herself pull his hands into hers. They were intertwined again. She took a deep breath.

"Well then," her head tilted up to his. "Let's train." She breathed as his lips came down to meet hers.

So many weeks of forbidden desire fueled them. Theos hands cradled her head as he deepened the kiss, much to Hera's delight. A breathy moan escaped her lips, and she slid her hands up his torso to his chest. Now it was his turn to moan. His kisses left her mouth and trailed down her neck and across her sternum, stopping over her pounding heart. Each kiss felt electric, and desire pooled in her stomach. She gently guided his mouth back to hers and brushed some stray hairs away from his eyes before their lips collided once more.

Jump, she heard him say in her mind. She followed his instruction straddling his waist as he carried her to the bed. As he sat, she could feel his arousal against her centre. She swallowed deeply, pulling away. "Are you okay?" He questioned her. Hera nodded and smiled, resting her forehead against his. "I think we need to talk."

Theo groaned. "You might be right."

Before they could get a word out, someone started banging on the chamber. "Directors back with a visitor," Jean yelled through the door. Hera jumped up, feeling guilty as the door swung open to a smirking Jean.

"Hmm, I wonder what you were training in here..." 

Hera was sure she was five shades redder than normal.

"Let's go," Theo spoke, rolling his eyes at Jean. "Come on, Hera," He grabbed her hand, and both their eyes widened at the sparks they felt. 

Jean's eyebrows raised, but she said nothing as she turned on her heel and guided them to the garage.