Victory Speech

Rikki practically burst into the apartment, her hair still damp from river spray, adrenaline still buzzing through her veins like a second pulse.

"Finn?" she called, a breathless grin lighting up her face.

He stirred from the couch, bleary-eyed and wrapped in a blanket, blinking away sleep. "What's going on?"

She crossed the room in three quick strides and kissed him, hard, tasting her own exhilaration on his lips.

"I did it," she whispered against his mouth, eyes shining. "I actually did it."

He blinked at her, still waking up. "Did what?"

She let out a shaky laugh and dropped onto the couch beside him, practically bouncing with energy. "I fought Rogue Knight. And I beat him."

“Wow—good job, babe,” he said, smiling, though still half-asleep.

“No. You don’t understand.” Her voice caught. “He’s the one who—”

Finn sat up straighter. “The one who what?”

Rikki inhaled deeply. There was no point dancing around it now. “He’s the one who nearly killed me. A couple of months ago… before we had that really bad arguement. He had this new nanotech armor, and we got into it. He threw me off a parking complex.”

Finn stared at her. “You never told me that.”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” she said quickly. “It was a lot. I was still trying to process it myself. But tonight… I won. I fought him and I won.”

Finn stood abruptly, pacing a few steps toward the kitchen, running both hands through his hair. “Jesus, Rikki.”

“What?” she asked, confused by the sudden shift in energy. “I thought you’d be happy.”

“You almost died,” he snapped, turning to face her. “And you didn’t tell me. That’s not something you just leave out. That’s not like saying you had a rough day at work. That’s your life—we’re talking about your life.”

“I’m a superhero, Finn,” she said, frustration creeping in. “You know how dangerous it is.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know that happened. Not while we were together. Not that you nearly died and said nothing. Do you have any idea what it feels like to hear that?”

She stepped forward, trying to stay calm. “What do you think I do out there? Talk criminals into surrendering over coffee?”

“I know it’s dangerous, Rikki,” he said, voice rising. “But I try not to think about it because if I do, I’ll lose my mind. And now… knowing that something like that already happened, and that it could happen again, tonight even—how am I supposed to be okay with that?”

She hesitated. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you'd react like this.”

He laughed bitterly, rubbing his face. “Of course I’m reacting like this. I love you. I sit here every night hoping you'll come back in one piece. And you do and I try to convince myself that it’s okay. But now you tell me this!”

Rikki closed the distance between them and placed a hand gently on his chest. She felt his heart racing beneath her fingertips.

“I am telling you because I want to be honest with you. Because I don’t want to keep things from you anymore. Yes, I was scared. Terrified. But I made it through, and I did what I had to do.”

He looked down at her, pain clouding his eyes. “I love you, Rikki. But this—this is a lot. And I know you’re the one risking your life, but I’m living with that risk too. I’m scared all the time. I don’t know if I’m strong enough for this.”

“I get that,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Finn took a shaky breath. “I need time. I’m going to bed.”

He turned and disappeared into the bedroom.

Rikki stood in the middle of the living room, heart still pounding from both the fight and the argument. Later, she slipped under the covers beside him, but the silence between them stretched like an unspoken wound.

They were inches apart in bed—but it felt like miles.

And Rikki knew deep down this wouldn’t be the last close call.

And Finn knew it too.