Glee Fic: To Burst the Bubble (Mercedes/Sam PG-15)

[bana05]

As Sam had told Quinn what seemed like eons ago, he was pretty, but he wasn’t dumb.

Something was off between him and Mercedes and had been ever since he’d returned from Tennessee.  She didn’t look at him anymore, shied away from his touch, kept their phone and text conversations so brief he’d often wondered if he’d imagined the entire exchanges.  True, they’d decided to continue keeping their relationship a secret, but he didn’t mean even from him!

“Did you two break up?”

There was a sharpness to the question that made Sam jump and wince before shaking his head and staring at the mocha he’d ordered.  Kurt regarded him with concern and a little suspicion but thankfully reserved judgment.

“I don’t know what’s going on in that beautiful head of hers; but for the past two weeks, it’s been really weird.”

“Are there any…problems…in the love department?”

Sam frowned and shifted a little in his seat, looking around the Lima Bean.  “Um…not to my knowledge.”  Never mind he was still stuck on first base with occasional sprints to second.  But he’d never rush her; surely she knew that-

“Because I can give you some pointers if-”

“I thought you were gay,” Sam interrupted with an arched eyebrow.

“Flames all around,” Kurt agreed waving his hands about him as if he were on fire, “but I am often privy to lady chats from which you men are barred.  I know things, Sam…lots of things…”

And as much as Sam desired to get in on some of that wisdom, he knew instinctively that wasn’t the crux of the odd vibe between him and his lady.

“That’s not it,” Sam said with less confidence than he liked despite himself.  “It’s…we agreed to keep things quiet still, but she’s taking it to the extreme and I don’t like it.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because glee club is crazy,” Sam said automatically.

“It is that,” Kurt conceded, “but you should know we’d all support you…even Santana.”

Sam wasn’t all too sure about that, but he wouldn’t argue the point.  “She doesn’t want people in our business.”

“Glee club isn’t ‘people’,” Kurt said.  “We’re family, and Mercedes is one of the main ones always saying so.”

“Well, then, I don’t know anymore,” Sam said in a huff, throwing up his hands.  Kurt said nothing but stared at a fixed point on his body.  Brows furrowed in confusion, Sam looked down to see the gaze trained on the “M” of his letterman jacket.

Understanding hit him like a bucket of cold water.  “Seriously?”

Kurt pursed his lips and shrugged.  “That could have something to do with it.”

“I don’t care about that!” Sam said.

“But she cares about you,” Kurt said.  “Yes, Mercedes can handle herself; but she’s very protective of the people who matter to her-in fact, I'd forbidden her from ever approaching Dave when he was bullying me, actually.”

“Dave?” Sam repeated with derision.

“He is turning over a new leaf and so shall I,” Kurt said, and his tone indicated that particular decision was final.

“Whatever,” Sam muttered, slumping back.  Karofsky wasn’t even in the top ten of his concerns right now.  “So you think she’s really keeping us under wraps because I’m on the football team?”

“And you dated two of the hottest girls at McKinley before moving on to her,” Kurt added and sipped his espresso.

“She’s the hottest girl at McKinley!” Sam said, presenting an imaginary Mercedes to Kurt.

Kurt didn’t even bother to look.  “And while you will not get an argument from me, let us not be deliberately obtuse, Sam, which is something you are so very fond of being, unfortunately.”

Sam sat back heavily in his seat and glared at his drink.  Funny how he’d first dated one girl who’d been on a never-ending quest for all eyes on her and now one who shied away from the spotlight unless it was on a stage.  And yes, he would love nothing more than to be popular and respected around school, but not if Mercedes thought she was a burden.  He didn’t need the school’s adoration and love-just hers.

“I need help-”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Kurt interrupted immediately, bending forward until the glint of a plan couldn’t be hidden from his eyes.  He clapped excitedly, but then his face fell a little.  “To do what I’m thinking will require the boys, at least, to know about you and Mercedes.”

That made Sam pause, but only for a split-second.  “Fine.  You and Mike already know.”

“Great!  Round up the boys after football practice and tell them to come to the Hummel-Hudson home.  We’re going to have a powwow!”

“I’ll check with Mike first, since he is my ride at the moment.”

“Great, great, do that.  In the meantime, I’ll consult with Blaine to see what his ideas are-he’s a genius at serenades…”

Sam caught up with Mike first, who had appeared just as bewildered as he’d felt for a while now.  They hovered by Mike’s locker as they watched Tina and Mercedes whisper fiercely to each other, linking arms and heading for the cafeteria as they did so.

“Something’s goin’ on,” Mike determined.

“Yep,” Sam agreed.  “Talked to Kurt about it.”

“We’ve been solid for over a year now; why is she suddenly acting weird?” Mike asked, more rhetorically than anything else.

“He said to get the guys together tonight at his and Finn’s place to get a plan in action.”

Mike shot him an incredulous look.  “You want me to take advice from a bunch of guys who can’t even keep a girlfriend for a week?”

“Well, considering all the couples who’d been around before I left are still together, I think we’ll be okay,” Sam tried.  “Besides, Kurt’s been pretty stable; maybe because boys aren’t as moody…”

The incredulous look remained for another beat before smoothing away.  “Noted,” Mike said, then groaned and leaned against the locker.  “At this point, I’m game for anything; I just miss holding my girl.”

The day dragged on for Sam and it felt as if football practice would never end.  Beiste decided she’d use both Finn and Sam’s services at quarterback in addition to Sam playing cornerback on defense.

He could barely walk after practice.

“Good job, guys!” Finn cheered, just as refreshed as ever since he’d mainly gone over the playbook during practice.

Sam glared.

“Are you gonna mention the Kurt thing?” Mike said in his ear, sounding just as weary as Sam felt.

Sam almost cried; the pain having temporarily removed that bookmark from his mind, he’d forgotten about it.  “Yeah…”  Love waited for no man.

Sam chose not to go into detail just yet-too many ears-but the guys were definitely game; and Artie, blessed Artie, insisted they postpone the meeting until after the next glee club rehearsal tomorrow.  Finn promised to smooth things over with Kurt when he got home, and the glee boys shuffled and wheeled out of the locker room with every intention to collapse into bed once they reached their homes.  Just as Sam was about to pass out for the night, a text from Mercedes pierced his sluggish brain.

<3

He returned the text and grinned slightly as he fell asleep.

The next morning found Mike and Sam entering the school at the same time Tina, Quinn, Mercedes, and Lauren were.  Per usual, their two ladies barely met their eyes.

“Heard practice was brutal yesterday,” Lauren said.  “Did Tina give you a nice rubdown last night, Mike?  Puckerman enjoyed his…”

Tina grabbed Mercedes’ arm and hightailed it in the school, garnering curious looks from Lauren and Quinn to the dancer.

“And there’s your answer,” Mike said dryly, rolling his eyes and sullenly let himself get swept into the throng of students.

“Trouble in paradise?” Lauren asked, the concern genuine as she entered the school as well.

Quinn hugged Sam’s arm to her and squeezed.  “Want me to talk to Mercedes?”

“Give it a shot.  Might as well talk to Tina too.  I thought it would be a good thing I was back, but she’s been treating me like a leper!”

“You’ve not been coming on too strongly have you?” Quinn asked.  “No promise rings or anything?”

Sam huffed out a laugh as they approached his locker.  “Learned my lesson with you.”

Quinn laughed as well and kissed his cheek.  “You two will work it out, Sam.  She loves you very much.”

Sam nodded and smiled, appreciating Quinn’s words.

Sam didn’t pay much attention during class, which was already a struggle enough with his dyslexia; but he relaxed when glee club arrived because he knew they weren’t learning music yet.  As before, Tina and Mercedes were attached at the hip, forcing him and Mike to sit together.  The two girls were bent of a sheet of paper, Tina spreading her fingers as if she were playing piano keys.

“They’re working on something,” Mike said.

“That they can’t tell us about?”

“Aren’t we about to do the same?” Mike asked.

Sam didn’t respond, but it sure didn’t feel the same.

When glee club ended, Tina and Mercedes approached Mr. Schue, who smiled and squeezed Tina’s shoulder with a nod.  They both got comfortable at the piano and waved at Santana and Brittany leaving.

“Ready?” Kurt asked, coming up beside Sam.

“Yeah,” Sam said, dragging his eyes away from his and Mike’s ladies.  “Let’s do this.”

There were boxes of pizza already waiting for them when they arrived at the Hummel-Hudson home along with Ms. Carol’s chicken wings.  Sam honed on those first and grabbed three, accepting the kiss on the cheek Finn’s mother gave him.

“Glad you’re back, Sam,” she said with a smile.

He blushed and grinned.  “Thank you, Mrs. Double-H.”

“Oh, if you weren’t my mom I’d so call you that,” Finn said.

“Or H-squared,” Artie offered, earning high-fives from Finn and Puck for his suggestion.

“Of how about Ms. Carol just like the girls do,” Ms. Carol said with a little laugh, pinching her son’s side affectionately.

The doorbell rang while they were making their way into the living room, which had been decked out with an easel and packs of pens and notecards.  Mike gave Sam a baleful look, but he shrugged and chuckled at Kurt’s efforts.

“Blaine’s here, you guys, so we can start!” Kurt announced, and the guys waved to the Warbler good-naturedly.

“So, what’s this ‘girl trouble’?” Artie asked, frowning at both Mike and Sam.  “You’ve not been playing too much Halo, have you, Mike?”

“Tina’s the one all about the video games!” Mike said in his defense.  “And no, I don’t think so.”

“And dude, you move fast.  Only been back at school for two weeks and you’re already moving in for the kill?  Who’s the Cheerio this time?” Puck asked Sam.

“She’s not a Cheerio,” Sam muttered, resenting that particular implication.  “Not anymore-”

Finn made an unsure face.  “Dude, if it’s Quinn again-”

“Not Quinn,” Sam interrupted, sighing.

“Nope,” Mike reiterated.

Artie’s usually pleasant disposition darkened considerably.  “I would really hate it if I lost another girlfriend to one of my good friends.”

“Not Brittany, either, Artie, so don’t worry,” Sam reassured, and Artie visibly relaxed.

“Damn sure not Satan,” Puck said confidently.  “She’s a sex shark and sex sharks do the wooing, not the other way around.”

“You mean the negotiating,” Sam muttered and Finn mimicked a bobblehead, so emphatic was his nod.

“Dude, seriously, she treats relationships like they’re business transactions!”

Puck shrugged.  “Which suited me just fine-”

“Can we get back on topic?” Kurt asked wearily, sitting by the easel, and Blaine squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulder in support.

“I have a severe case of déjà vu,” Mike muttered.

“No kiddin’,” Sam said, rolling his eyes.

Puck eyed Mike.  “Obviously Mike knows, so spill!”

“So does Kurt; but he’s suspiciously tight-lipped about it,” Finn said, narrowing his eyes at his stepbrother.  “In fact, the only time he’s that quiet is when it has to do with-”

If Mike had just been a hair slower with his reflexes, Sam would be sporting a nice shiner on his eye.

“Jesus, what’s your problem?!” Sam asked, scrambling backwards into Blaine and Kurt on the couch.

“Stay away from Rachel!” Finn yelled, struggling against Mike’s hold.

“Really, Finn?” Puck asked and scoffed.  “Nobody wants your girl but you!”

“Kurt’s keeping secrets, and he only does that with Rachel-”

“And Mercedes!” Kurt snapped, his eyes crackling as well.

The air, along with Finn’s fight, was immediately sucked out of the room just as Finn’s mother entered it.

“What in the world is going on here?” Ms. Carol asked, glaring at them all.

“Sorry, Ms. Carol; brief misunderstanding, all resolved now,” Blaine said placidly, and Finn slowly returned to his seat.

“It better be, or I’ll have to ask all of you to leave, okay?” Ms. Carol warned.  The boys nodded and she looked at her son pointedly before leaving them alone again.

“Sorry, Sam,” Finn said after a silent while.  “Again.”

“And let’s not rewrite history-you took Quinn from me, not the other way around,” Sam muttered.

“You’ll have to forgive him a bit if he he’s quick on that trigger,” Puck said.  “Did it to him…twice…”

Sam cast a wary eye at the Mohawked teen.  “Will you do it to me?”

Puck threw back his head and laughed.  “Do you know how much effort it took to get Mercedes to go out with me the first time?”

“Can’t go wrong with the Rat Pack,” Artie said.

“Yeah, but back to Sam,” Puck said, sprawling in the arm chair.  “How will you pull that off?  Mercedes is one of the most badass girls at the school; and I should know-I only date badass.”

“And Rachel qualifies how?” Artie asked.

Puck cut his eyes at Artie.  “She’s a Jew; automatic badassery right there.”

Artie rolled his eyes.

“Whatever Sam will do, I’m fairly certain it won’t involve comparing her to a Nissan ad,” Kurt pointed out.

“You did not,” Sam implored.

Artie cracked up.  “Mercy turned him down flat.  Puck was proud of that line too!”

“Nissan ads have curvy roads, Mercedes is curvy, made sense to me…”

The others groaned.

“It’s actually a wonder any of you have ever had girlfriends at all,” Blaine said, shaking his head.

“No truer statement, Blaine,” Kurt agreed.

Sam sighed and dropped his head against the back of the couch.  “None of this is helping Mike or me!”

“Speaking of,” Puck said, pointing a lazy finger at Mike.  “You do know you two aren’t allowed to break up, right?”

“Yeah, Brittany’s already declared herself a bridesmaid at your wedding and has even started scouting venues,” Artie continued.

Mike perked up.  “Really?”

“Yeah, man!  Brittany is a planner, but not as anal as Rachel-”

“Nobody’s as anal as Rachel,” Finn mumbled.

“The fact you’re not freaked out by the ‘M’ word is a little unsettling,” Puck said, regarding Mike warily.

Mike shrugged.  “I love her.”

“I love Rachel, too, but I’m not thinking of marriage!” Finn said.

“That’s because you’re incapable of thinking more than five minutes into the future!” Kurt joked.

Sam shook his head.  Perhaps including all of the guys on this was a bad idea.  So far, the glee boys as a group were 0-2 when it came to wooing a girl.  Then again, they’d not consulted Kurt in either instance.

“You know what, guys, never mind-”

“NO!”

Sam reared back against the couch, surprised by the emphatic response.  “Jesus, y’all!”

“You can’t give up!” Puck insisted.

“Yeah, dude, why don’t you just pick a song to sing to her in glee?  That generally works,” Finn added.

“That’s how I got Mercedes to go out with me,” Puck reminded him.

“This is not just about glee club, y’all,” Sam mumbled, running a tired hand over his face.  “This is about me walking the halls with Mercedes’ hand in mine or giving her a kiss on the nose because it’s so cute when it scrunches up as she laughs or beatin’ someone’s ass because they look at my lady too long-”

“Wait a minute-how long have you liked Mercedes?” Artie asked with a frown.

“Yeah, you’re talking like you’re not trying to get her; you talk like you already have her and want to keep her!” Puck said accusingly.

“Since New York!” Kurt squealed, bouncing in his chair excitedly.

“No way!  Really?” Finn exclaimed.

“Damn, you really know how to keep things hush-hush, don’t you?” Artie added.

“Wow, her idea, wasn’t it?” Puck asked.

Sam nodded and Mike lightly punched his shoulder in support.

“Well, I get it,” Puck said.  “When we were dating, she was the same way, really standoffish.  Granted, we didn’t like each other like that, but still…I wouldn’t have minded some makeout sessions in the halls…all those lovely lady lumps-”

“Seriously?” Sam almost snarled.

Puck shrugged unapologetically.  “I call her sexy mama for a reason-”

Sam started to rise, but Mike held out a staying hand.  “So how about you don’t do that anymore-”

“Boys!” Kurt interjected, clapping his hands.  “As much as my romantic heart flutters on Mercedes’ behalf, we need to focus.  And honestly, Mike, I think for you, you just need to talk to Tina.  We cannot help you with that.”

“But we got your back, dude, totally,” Finn said.

The others nodded, and Sam and Mike fist-bumped each other.

“As for you, Sam, you have to convince Mercedes you don’t consider her a social liability-”

“What the fuck, dude?” Puck interrupted, he on the verge of attacking Sam this time.  Finn stopped him, though.

“Simmer down, Puckerman,” Kurt said sharply.  “Of course Sam doesn’t think that, but there are plenty of others who would, and you know this.  Think about all the grief you’ve been getting for dating Lauren.”

Puck rolled his eyes and folded his arms at his chest.  “Fuck them.  Fuck them, Sam.  Just claim your woman and fuck the haters.  They’re mad they can’t pull women like ours.”

“Yes, but I don’t think a big production is Mercedes’ thing,” Blaine pointed out.  “Like…the glee club shouldn’t be involved.”

Kurt gasped.  “But Blaine-!”

“Remember the Night of Neglect benefit?  After she killed her song, she was happy, but shy, and practically ran off the stage.  You don’t want to embarrass her, Sam, but yeah…‘claim your woman’ like Puck says.”

Kurt looked like the wind had been knocked out his sails.  “She did it for me; I want to repay her…”

Blaine kissed Kurt lightly on the lips.  “But Mercedes isn’t you, babe, and Sam isn’t me.  They have to travel their own course to love.”

Determining just what that course was, however, proved far more difficult than Sam had anticipated.  One would think knowing Mercedes loved him would make things easier, but it didn’t.  Over the next two days, Kurt texted him every single idea that came to his mind; and while Sam appreciated the appeal of a horse-drawn carriage through the halls of McKinley, he didn’t think Principal Figgins would be up for that…let alone Mercedes.

“Hey, Sam?”

He spun around so quickly he almost fell into the lockers, and Mercedes looked away from him with her lips pulled into her mouth, clearly trying not to laugh.

“Hey, uh, Mercedes, what’s up?”  To say he was surprised she was talking to him in the full view of the halls was something he resented.  Still, she was his friend, regardless of what else they were to each other.

“After you have football practice…could you come to the choir room, please?  I have to tell you something.”

His heart plummeted into his stomach.  “It isn’t anything bad, is it?”

She nibbled her bottom lip and shook her head.  “I hope not.”

Sam bent closer to her and stared directly into her eyes.  “I’m not breaking up with you.”

Mercedes gripped the straps of her book bag tighter and released a shuddering breath, swaying into him before catching herself and looking around.  “Later, Sam.”

He was restless for the rest of the day, irritable, that even his teammates gave him a wide berth in the locker rooms during football practice.  The only one to broach the invisible barrier was Mike.

“Um, Tina wants me to come to the choir room after practice.”

Sam immediately jerked up his head.  “So does Mercedes.”

Mike’s eyebrows rose.  “So they were planning something…”

Sam still wasn’t sure if this were good news or not.

Nevertheless, the two returned to the choir room when practice ended.  Mercedes paced in front of two chairs with headphones in her ears while Tina played a very pretty melody on the piano.  Sam and Mike looked at each other, then broke apart to head to their girls.  Sam didn’t speak, merely standing in Mercedes’ path as she walked away from him, and quirked his lips when she jumped upon finally seeing him.

Her smile was tiny and embarrassed as she took the headphones from her ears.  “Well, have a seat.”  She waved a hand to the chairs.

“I want a kiss first,” Sam declared.

Mercedes rolled her eyes but did grant him one.  Her lips trembled beneath his even as she slipped her fingers into the pockets of his jeans.  It’d been too damn long since they’d done this; and Sam hoped she didn’t think he’d be relinquishing her mouth anytime soon.

She started to pull back, but he gripped her elbows to keep her near.  “Sam-”

“Not finished,” he muttered, grasping her upper lip with his teeth.  “You have the best lips, lady.”

“Yeah, I’ll have to disagree with that,” she replied softly, licking his bottom lip quickly before stepping away from him.  He glared but she smiled coyly and looked over her shoulder.

Mike stood behind Tina with his arms around her and they swayed, both of their eyes closed.  Mercedes flashed Sam a shy grin then cleared her throat.

“We better do this before they close up the school on us,” she told Tina.

The other girl pouted, but it smoothed away when Mike kissed her temple.

“I love you,” Sam heard Mike say.

“I love you too,” Tina replied.

As Mike walked passed Mercedes, he kissed her cheek and winked, and Mercedes bumped her shoulder against him in recognition.  The two ladies spoke to themselves, with Tina shaking her head and Mercedes nodding hers.

Mike eyed him.  “Sit down, man; it won’t be bad.”

“Glad one of us is confident.”

Mike smirked and nodded his head to the empty chair beside him.  “C’mon.”

He did, his knee bouncing from the nerves attacking his body.  Mercedes finally faced him, her smile bright for Mike and more subdued for Sam.  She opened her mouth and took a breath as if to prepare speaking, but then she shook her head and glanced at Tina, who nodded encouragingly.

“Had a whole speech prepared, we did,” Mercedes began, waving her hand between her and Tina, “but if I say it, I won’t be able to get through the rest, so I’m just gonna start, Tina.”

“Okay,” Tina said with a soft, understanding smile, and she began to play.

Mercedes kept her eyes closed as she sung, with Tina providing beautiful harmonies vocally along with the piano accompaniment, but Sam couldn’t take his eyes off her.  As always, Mercedes became one with the song; and this song’s lyrics seemed to really touch her, because sometimes her voice would get all wobbly from trying not to cry.  Tina didn’t bother to stop her tears, nor did she take her eyes from Mike, who seemed to be on the verge of them himself.

For his part, Sam couldn’t stay seated; and it was then Mercedes met his eyes with hers.  He didn’t stop approaching and she didn’t stop singing, but her voice faltered when he cupped her face in his hands and brushed her tears away.  He didn’t let her finish, either, stealing the rest of the song from her lips with his tongue.

“I don’t get it, though,” Sam admitted when he broke the kiss, one hand smoothing along her hair.  “I know you love me, just like I love you.  Why all this distance?”

“Forever, Sam,” Mercedes whispered, clutching his shirt in her hands.  “I saw it, that day you came back.  I saw it with you, and it freaked me out, which means of course it would freak you out too-”

He kissed her again, harder, more intensely than he’d ever kissed a girl in his life.  She broke it with a gasp.

“Sam-”

“Me too,” Sam confessed breathlessly, his forehead against hers.  But he wouldn’t tell her sometimes he’d even imagined they were parents and Stevie and Stacy were their kids whenever they’d babysat together-something he’d never done with Quinn.  That would probably just freak Mercedes out even more, and he couldn’t go through another week of estrangement like this past one.

“Don’t just say that to make me feel better, Sam,” she whispered.

“I’m sayin’ it ’cause it’s true,” Sam replied.

Mercedes didn’t respond and instead hugged him about his waist.  “I’m sorry for pulling away.”

“Yeah, I’d rather be freaked out with you than calm without you, okay?” he told her.

Mercedes giggled and tilted up her head to look into his eyes.  “And Santana said you had no game.”

“This isn’t a game.”  He kissed her nose.  “You aren’t a game.”  He kissed her mouth.  “I don’t want to hide anymore.”

“Okay.”

He pulled back, pleasantly surprised, and he smiled.  “Really?  I thought you’d fight me on this.”

She shrugged, playing with the buttons on the flannel shirt he wore.  “It’s getting more and more difficult to pretend you don’t matter to me the way you do,” she revealed.  “So, we don’t have to be like Mike and Tina over here-”

There was a grunt, but apparently the other couple wasn’t too bothered as they kept on kissing with no end in sight, even causing discordant chords as Mike leaned Tina over the piano.

Mercedes giggled and Sam smiled, touching his nose to hers.  “But when I see you in the halls, I can come up to you and do this…”  He trailed off and brushed his lips against hers.

“As often as you’d like,” Mercedes said, her smile so big and blinding Sam almost squinted.

“Like now,” Sam mumbled and kissed her again.  He’d missed her softness pressed against him and wished they had more time to get reacquainted with each other.

“Okay, I gotta go,” Mercedes said, but she peppered his cheek and jaw with more kisses.  “Thank you for not flipping out.”

He tightened his arms around her and she arched her brow.  Groaning lightly, he snuck one last kiss in before stepping away from her.

All four walked to the parking lot but Mercedes was driving home alone; Mike was his and Tina’s ride.

“Have a good night,” she said and gave Sam one last kiss.

“Text me when you get home, lady,” Sam said.  She nodded and hugged Mike and Tina, the two girls laughing and whispering to each other.

They didn’t even get into Mike’s car until Mercedes turned safely out of the lot.

“Hey, Tina, what was that song y’all sang?” Sam asked as Mike drove them to her house.

“'First Love’ by Goapele,” Tina said.  “Mercedes played it for me and I couldn’t believe how perfect it was.”

“You’re perfect,” Mike murmured, and Tina gave him a smacking kiss to the cheek.

Sam rolled his eyes good-naturedly and closed them, leaning against the window of the backseat.  He was glad to have his equilibrium back, his Mercedes back, but Sam knew he still had to make Mercedes see he was proud to have her as his lady in public.  Luckily, one thing Sam was really good at doing was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

His muscles weren’t merely just for show.