~(Y/n)'s POV~

I grunted as I hauled another body to the pile I had created. "Damn...how...in the world...do they make this look easy...in the movies?"

I took a second to catch my breath, then walked around the interior of the warehouse, checking to make sure I had piled all of the gang members' corpses. After I was sure I had them all, I lit the pile on fire.

"Didn't they say that the boss guy had some type of fire powers? I sure hope his corpse isn't fire resistant or something." I chuckled a bit. "Guess you could say he had a FIERY temper Heh...Heh...Hm. I'll work on it." I watched the flames as they burnt up everything. Instead of rising up, the smoke bent and flowed around me.

"That feels nice..." I breathed in and gagged. "Smells terrible though."

After a few hours, all that was left was ash. I swept it outside and left, letting the wind scatter it. The sun began to rise, and the streets became more active.

"Well...home sweet home I guess." I stretched. "At least it's furnished."

I changed into some casual clothes and fell into the beanbag. I decided to take that guy's room, what was his name again? ...Diego, or...something. After I lit a few candles and turned on the, frankly huge, T.V.

I was doom scrolling on my phone when I noticed the sun creeping through the blinds. I pulled out the card I had been handed yesterday. "Therapy huh...I mean...I don't really want to...I don't really have to either..." My phone buzzed, it was a text...from Cass...

'Hey you idiot! I haven't seen you in a few days! The twins think they can boss me around and say I can't see you but I don't give a damn! This afternoon, I'll be at the cafe we normally go to! If you aren't there then I'm telling the other girls embarrassing stories about you from our childhood!'

I smiled slightly seeing her usual attitude. I couldn't really let her know something was up, I also couldn't let her tell May or Willow anything they could use against me in conversation. Especially May, I need to be able to keep holding the microwave thing over her head.

'I'll head over there, don't worry. Just gotta take care of something first. See you soon.' I shut my phone off and headed outside. Specifically over to the oceanside park I met Courtney at. As I thought, she really was there again.

"Hey! Courtney right?" I leaned on the rail next to her.

"Hey! You're the guy from yesterday! Didn't think I'd see you again. People normally don't like when I hand my card out to them for some reason." I chuckled at that one.
"Well you can't just tell people they need therapy and think they're gonna be thrilled. I'm (Y/n), by the way, and you probably were right if you thought I needed help-" I stuck my hand out for her to shake, which she accepted.

"Well (Y/n), we could have a little session right now? Off the books and on the house, I'm sorta bored anyways." She laughed and led me to the office she worked at. She even had her own little room with her name despite being in training. It had a couch, a few armchairs, and a desk in the corner. There were potted plants in all the corners and a smell I couldn't really identify but it was nice, calming.

Courtney sat in one of the armchairs and I sat on the couch. She picked up a notepad and a pen and set them to the side. "Go ahead and get comfortable, this is about being relaxed and allowing you to open up." I immediately laid on my back on the couch. I mean, who wouldn't? "So, let's try and see what you think you need help with."

I looked at the ceiling, how do I explain everything without actually explaining? "Hmm...I guess the last couple weeks have been...alarmingly different from what I'm used to." I shifted as I started to actually get into it. "I used to be depended on by everyone around me. The best at what I did. Then suddenly I got...I guess just tossed aside?"

She nodded and wrote some notes. "So-" She began, "You're used to being depended on? Or were you just put on a high pedestal and now you're not used to being free?"

"I guess...both? It's true I used to have to watch how I acted...what I could and couldn't say, what I could and couldn't do...so now with less eyes on me it's just...it's like I didn't even know who I was...like I'm a stranger to myself, you know? What's my purpose now? Where do I go from here?"

Courtney tapped her pen against her lips. "So you feel like you lost yourself, like you have no direction? Interesting..."

~On Hour Later~

I stretched as I stood up from the couch. "Jeez...that was actually kinda nice. All you did was poke holes in my logic though."

She shrugged. "It's just one of the things we do to help people realize it's mostly their own thoughts that get in the way." She stood up and smiled. "Although next time, you're paying." She punched my shoulder and I laughed it off. "Sure sure. Maybe I will." I left her office but on the way out...god damn it I hate my luck.

A woman with long white hair was just outside, on her way in it looks like. I'm pretty sure I only know two people with white hair-

"(Y/N)? Is that...really you? It's me!" She looked around a bit then continued quieter. "Douse! Or Stacy, I never really told you my name." I frowned and tried to get around her but she stepped in front of me. "What's wrong? I know what I did was bad-"

"Bad!?" I snapped. "Bad?! Douse, or Stacy, or whoever the hell you are, you fucking tried to kill me. Twice!" She winced but stood her ground.

"W-well...yeah but-"

"But what?! There's nothing about that 'Oops sorry, it won't happen again' is gonna fucking fix!" I pushed past her but she grabbed my wrist.

"(Y/N) please wait! I really am sorry!" Her voice was a bit frantic. "I really messed up, I know. But I still love you! I still think there's a spark between us!"

I turned my arm to smoke and let her hand pass through before making it solid again. I looked her in the eyes, letting the smoke flow into them, snickering. "You have a sick definition of the word love. And either way, you put out anything between us that night when you tossed me off a cliff with a heart more broken than my body." She stayed quiet as I walked away. I didn't even pay attention to where I was going. I just needed to clear my head.

~Timeskip~

I walked through the front doors of the cafe I'm meeting Cass at, thoughts racing through my mind.

'She still loves me?! After she sucked face with some windbag blowhard right in front of me before trying to fucking kill me?!' I could feel the smoke leaking out of my ears. 'Great, now I probably look like a damn cartoon character!'

"(Y/n), over here!" I heard Cass's voice. I looked around, before seeing her waving me over to a table. I walked over and sat down on the opposite side of her. "You okay? Smoke was just coming out of your ears, and usually that only happens when you're pissed off. I'd always tease you for it and say that your fire inside of you is getting too big."

I smiled. "Oh, I remember. That just made me more mad too! Remember when I made your smoke detectors go off? Man, your parents were not happy with us."

She laughed. "How could I forget, the fire department had to call to make sure the house wasn't burning down!"

I laughed too. This is...nice. For the first time in a long time, I feel...normal again.

"Anyways, what'd you want to meet up about?" I asked.

"What do you mean? We've barely seen each other recently, I was missing you dude!" Cass reached over the table and punched my arm.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Life's just been...rough recently."

Cass sighed, then sat back in her chair. "It's fine, I get it. But next time tell me that! You scared the hell out of me you know!"

I chuckled. "Right, sorry."

"Anyways, my brothers have been so weird recently. One day they randomly showed up and told me I couldn't talk to you anymore. I tried to tell them off like I always do, but they wouldn't budge. They don't really know I'm here honestly. But seriously though, why do they want to keep me away from you so badly?"

I froze. How do I even begin to answer that question? What would I even say? 'Oh yeah I've actually been Ignite this whole time before my slut of a girlfriend cheated on me and tried to kill me with the number two hero in the city. Now I have smoke powers and have put this entire city into a state of panic.' Yeah, that'll go over super well I'm sure.

"We just...got into a fight." I lied.

"Really? About what?"

"Um...they were mad I didn't let them copy my homework."

"...Are you serious? That's what they're so up in arms about?" Cass groaned and leaned back into her chair. "Those idiots, they need to grow up."

I felt a pit in my stomach. I wish I didn't have to lie for her, but it has to be done. For her safety...right?

"I'm really sorry about them, I'll give them hell when I get home."

"Yeah...thanks."

The waitress came over and took our orders.

~Timeskip~

Cass and I left the cafe, and I was walking her back to her house.

"Thanks again for meeting me (Y/n), it was nice. I had a really great time."

"I should be the one thanking you, this really helped. After the past few weeks, I really needed this."
Cass blushed and started twirling her hair around her finger. "Well then...maybe we should do it again sometime...since you had a good time and all." Cass's eyes flicked back and forth from me to the ground.

"You know what? I think I'd really love that Cass."

"R-Really?!" Cass cleared her throat. "I-I mean...that's great! H-How about the same time next week?"

"That sounds good to me." I smiled.

We arrived at her front door. She turned around and smiled at me. "So, I'll see you next week?"

"Yep, I'll see you next week."

Cass suddenly wrapped me in a hug. "I missed you...don't disappear like that ever again, okay?"

I felt a twinge of guilt. I've been neglecting her, my best friend, all because I've been wallowing in self pity.

Suddenly, her front door swung open and the twins stepped out.

"Hey, (Y/n), buddy. Let's go for a little walk, shall we?" Cam puts his arm around me, leading me away from the steps.

"Hey, what're you two doing?! Stop, leave him alone!" Cass tried running after me, but Jacob held her back.

"Go inside Cass, we'll be right back."

"All of this, over homework, is ridiculous!"

"We're just going to work things out, we'll be back." Jacob tried to reassure her.

"It's fine Cass, I'll be fine." I looked back at her.

"...If you're sure." Cass looked at all of us, then walked inside.

The twins led me away from the house, then down an alley.

"The fuck do you think you're doing hanging around our sister?" Cam asked.

"You mean what am I doing hanging out with my best friend?"

"Oh shut up, you know it's way more complicated than that now! You're a serial killer dude!" Jacob chimed in.

"Yeah, but are you gonna tell Cass that? Are you gonna tell her that her best friend since childhood is on a killing spree? You wanna shatter her entire world like that?"

They both stiffened.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. You tried to keep her away from me, but didn't give her a reason, did you really think that Cass, of all people, was gonna just sit back and listen to you?

"We-"

"No, she won't, because she's her own damn person. Now, if you two ever try to get in the way of my friendship with Cass again, the next bodies they report on the news will be yours."

They both stared at me. I walked past them, bumping my shoulders against theirs.

I stopped for a moment and looked back at them, smirking.

"Thought so. See ya around..."

I turned to smoke, and flew away, leaving two of the people who were once some of the closest people to me behind.

A/n:

Phoenix: And we're back...again. Sorry for the wait, but the chapter is finished. I hadn't really felt a lot of motivation to write recently, but now I do so here we are. Thanks for reading everyone, let us know how you liked it.

Stars: HE'S back, always throwing shade. Here's hoping we can get a lot more chapters out too.