The Heart and the Hero

Chapter Ten - Dangers of Girlbossing too Close to the Sun

(AN: Yay! I finally managed to write some more! Like I said previously, I'm dealing with some medical complications right now, as well as navigating my college/scholarship applications, so I apologize for the long wait, but we're slaying through it! Unfortunately my next couple of chapters that I had planned weren't making sense due to plot inconsistencies, so I may take a brief hiatus (probably about a month or two?) while I attempt to rework my outline for the next three chapters and write at least one, but I pinky swear I'll get them out as soon as possible! And after about Chapter Thirteen, some of my favorite future scenes and interactions will be coming up, so I think once we work through this little rough spot then I should be able to get into a upload schedule that is fairly frequent until I complete the story! once again, Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy Chapter Ten of the Heart and the Hero :)

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As the elevator steadily approached the top floor, the knot in Forest's stomach was only increasing. Thankfully, Cerberus was by their side to support them, but they still couldn't help the strange mix of dread and anticipation that was coursing through their veins.

What were they going to find when they opened these doors? Would it be an upper-echelon society of superheroes? A very strange multi-level marketing scheme attempting to recruit them? A Scientology knockoff? A trap?

That last thought made them pause and look down to their side, where Cerberus had laid down on the floor of the elevator. Were they leading him into a dangerous situation unknowingly? He didn't deserve to be dragged into whatever could possibly happen. Their heart was beginning to race uncontrollably, and even though Forest was pretty sure it was just their anxiety talking, they began to frantically push at the lobby button of the elevator, trying desperately to go back down.

"Are you going to exit the elevator, or would you like me to escort you back out?" A voice suddenly spoke from in front of them.

Forest snapped their attention away from the buttons as they nearly jumped out of their skin, propelling themself backward so hard that they hit their head on the back wall. The girl jumped too, apparently surprised at their reaction. With a start, Forest realized that the reason the elevator hadn't been moving back down yet was because at some point while they were lost in their panicked thoughts, they had arrived at their destination, where this girl had apparently been waiting. There she stood now, holding one hand in front of the door to keep it from closing as she regarded them with concern.

Was that seriously the second time in this building where Forest had just been standing like an idiot while somebody waited for them? This was starting to get ridiculous.

The girl was still waiting for them, so Forest attempted to clear their throat and relax enough to stop shaking. However, as the silence became awkward, they were saved by the girl suddenly noticing Cerberus, who had just stood up and shook himself off in a self-satisfactory way.

Her face immediately changed from one of concern to one of pure joy, and she crouched down to her knees, cupping his face in her hands with a look of excitement.

"Oh my goodness, would you look at this! Is it okay for me to pet them? What's their name?"

The questions were clearly directed at Forest, but the girl didn't look away from Cerberus's face in front of her, where she had begun to scratch his ears with a big smile. Her overwhelming happiness served as a bandage for Forest's anxious energy, as they realized that at the very least, there was nothing dangerous for Cerberus here.

They also realized, slightly embarrassed, that that had probably just been an excuse for them to not have to face this new situation, and they took a moment to remind themself that they had nothing to worry about.