Good for him. And Joan, since he took the heat off of her—though not literally. He liked being in control of his public image, and she liked avoiding meet-and-greets.
Locals were still wondering about the power-blocking tech that Padma had coached all the Supers not to discuss. They didn’t want to give other Villains any ideas, nor give the norms a reason to suggest all superpowered individuals should be barred from using their abilities. It was a hotly debated topic on late-night news programs, along with whether former Villains should be allowed to crawl out from the dark side.
Repairing and repaving what Quake had crumbled outside HQ had been a good distraction. And making good on a whole lot of damage claims. Plans were underway to bring Friendship Park back to its former glory. And seriously, what Villain would be foolish enough to come to Vector City now?
If they did, Joan was ready.
“Checking out all the comments about lesbian icon Spark?” Sadie teased.
“It’s so embarrassing,” Joan said, cheeks warming.
“It’s awesome.”
“Glad you think so.”
Spark didn’t discuss her personal life despite people wanting to know all about the two newest Supers. No Hero divulged that sort of information. She couldn’t even remember when it got leaked that the Villains Spark and Ice were gay.
Sadie had assured her more than once that Joanie Maloney was very much her girlfriend, and they had a wonderful, safe, private life together.
“I need to use the restroom,” Gus announced. “Dadgum bladder can’t hold anything these days.”
“This way,” Perry said, leading her toward the two small washrooms.
Sadie not so subtly reached for the pastry bag sitting on the counter. “My arms don’t hurt anymore after our workouts.”
“You’re getting used to it,” Joan said, peeking at the large round treats. “And getting good at it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be up for it the rest of the week with everything going on here.”
“Of course.”
“I need to conserve my energy for a quickie or two in our busy schedules.” Sadie waggled her eyebrows.
Joan sighed. “I’m gonna miss regular morning sex.”
“Me, too. But I’m confident we’ll find the time.”
They laughed together. Joan kissed her cheek. There was a lot going on. Scary, yes, to both be starting new phases of their lives. But they had each other’s support as a constant.
Sadie pulled out a strawberry concha, making yummy sounds. These had been given as a joke, really. It wasn’t the same as expecting a freebie.
Things were gonna be different now. They were changing for the better, right? All good things from here on out: for Superhero Joan, for café owner Sadie, for them as a couple.
Right?
* * *
