-for just one yesterday-

Okay, so maybe they were all in some weird superstorm and maybe they all have powers, now.

It's not as ridiculous as it sounds.

No. No, it really is just as ridiculous as it sounds.

Emma's in her room, getting ready for bed, when it hits her like a steam roller. There's no lead up, no clouds, nothing in the forecast that even suggests there should be a torrential downpour. The only warning she gets is about the loudest clap of thunder she's ever heard, right above her head. And the lightning strikes, and she feels it from her wrist to her head to her toes.

When she opens her eyes, she's on fire. Really, there are actual honest-to-god flames licking up her body. And it's like, singing the floor.

Emma doesn't scream, because she's Emma Chota and she's taught herself better. Instead, she runs to the dark corner by her bed and shuts her eyes and takes a huge breath. And she lets it out. And she breathes in again. When her eyes flutter open, and she examines her arms, they are perfectly normal.

(well not normal, they're still not thin enough, but at least they're not flaming.)

Emma considers for a second she might be contact high from spending too much time with Dash, because really, this doesn't happen. Except she looks at the floor, and there are footprints. Black footprints, burned into the wood. And they're her foot size.

She decides to go to bed, because it's late, and maybe everything will be normal when she wakes up.

X

In short, it's not.

Nurse Jackson isn't exactly mad, but she does stare at Emma like maybe she should be in the psychiatric ward instead of the eating disorders one, even after Emma swears up and down that she has no idea where the black footprints came from, which is actually mostly true.

Brittany's even worse. When she brings Emma breakfast her eyes flick to the burn on the floor, and then she squeaks and almost runs away. Emma wonders what's up with her, because Brittany's weird but not that weird.

And then her day gets weirder, because she barely makes it out her door before she's being dragged away. Sharp nails dig into her skin and when Emma looks at her kidnapper she's met with Kara's terrified face.

Before then, Emma wasn't sure she'd ever use Kara and terrified in the same sentence. But there's no other way to describe it - her eyes are huge and her breathing is quick and her lip is actually quivering, and Emma would find it funny if that wasn't exactly how she was feeling. "Tell me it happened to you too," Kara begs, and Emma wasn't sure she'd ever use Kara and beg in the same sentence either but there's a first for everything, it seems.

"What do you mean?" Emma asks carefully, because she's walking on glass and she knows it.

Kara retracts her hand, rolling her eyes like she's trying to erase what had just happened, and then promptly disappears. Emma blinks, looking around to see what kind of joke she's playing, but Kara is really not there.

"I'm not going crazy, right?" Kara's voice says, shaky, and it's coming from right there, but there's no one there.

And suddenly Emma gets it.

"Cool trick," the brunette says, holding out her hand. The fire comes just as easily as it did the first time, starting at the band on her wrist and spreading it up to her fingers. This time she can control it and it stays in her palm, flickering and popping.

Kara fades back into existence and she looks like she's torn between crying and laughing. Eventually the cheerleader cracks a smile and Emma returns it, clenching her fist and the fire disappears. "So... what now?" She asks.

"Well I'd imagine you can sneak into Hunter's room and watch him while he changes," Emma suggests, and she feels a whole lot lighter when Kara shoves her with her shoulder, muttering and burning bright red.

"Shut up," Kara says, and Emma knows, she knows this is good for both of them.

X

It doesn't become an issue again until a couple days later when Emma and Leo get into a fight (because they're a couple and they fight and screw anyone who says they can't).

There are tears threatening to pour out of Leo's eyes, because he's Leo and he has more feelings than most people manage in a lifetime, and when he's upset they kind of explode. Emma's almost used to it.

"Leo, I'm your freaking girlfriend! I'm allowed to see you at your worst!"

"I can deal with the chemo by myself, Emma!"

"Stop trying to be so self-righteous all the time and let me help you!"

"Says the girl with the eating disorder!"

"Oh, yeah, because I don't have to be here, because I want to live like this!" And then one of the CDs on his wall flies between them across the room and shatters.

And this is definitely enough to make Emma pause, because she knows this is a line Leo would never cross, even in the deepest darkest parts of her mind she knows Leo would never hurt her.

Leo stares, wide-eyed, eyes moving from her to the shattered CD, mouth opening and closing, but nothing comes out. Emma is frozen, confused, scared, because what just happened?

"I didn't-"

"I wouldn't-"

"I know-"

And Emma can't help but fall into Leo's arms, and he lets go of his crutches to shakily stand on his feet and hold her as tightly as possible. And she can't help but shake a little as his fingers thread through her hair and she grabs at his jacket like he could float away at any moment.

Which is, in short, how she figures out Leo has telekinesis.

X

The three of them call an emergency meeting to their whole red band crew, because like. Once is an anomaly, twice is a coincidence, and three times? That's a pattern. And the only reasonable constant Emma comes up with is the red bands clinging to their wrists.

They all meet on the roof - her, Kara, Leo, Dash, Hunter, Jordi. "So... what's this about?" Hunter asks, chewing on a toothpick.

Emma stares at him. "Have you noticed... anything strange happening these past couple of days?"

"What do you mean strange?" Dash asks. Jordi is silent, toying with the bottom of his shirt.

"Like... something that you think couldn't happen in real life," Leo puts in slowly.

There's a silence. No one wants to say what they're thinking.

"Oh, come on," Kara says, stepping forward and then disappearing. Hunter's toothpick falls out of his mouth. Jordi falls out of his chair. "Ta da, I'm invisible. Any of you three have super powers?"

So then Dash can stretch all of his appendages and Hunter is really strong and Jordi can sort of levitate off the ground.

And Emma's mind is sort of super sensitive, like when you keep poking at a bruise. And she's sort of freaking out inside, because it isn't supposed to be like this, Emma Chota doesn't have any unknowns, she's made sure of that.

And then this happens.

It's okay, don't be upset. And Emma's head shoots up, because she didn't think that.

Everyone looks sort of like a deer in the headlights. "Charlie?" Leo whispers, uncertain and voice sort of gravelly.

Woah, you guys can hear me?

"Yeah," Leo says, looking to nowhere in complete awe.

I guess that's my super power, huh?

And Emma thinks maybe she's crazy, because she bursts into uncontrollable laughter and can't stop.

XXX

The thing about Brittany Dobler is that she's always been very alive. Adam knows this. Adam, who has grown to love the ginger haired girl and all of her weird quirks, knows this better than anyone.

So while it's surprising that one day he walks in to work to have her pull him to the side, looking almost sick, and whisper, "Adam, I think I'm the Flash," it's certainly nothing he can't handle.

And because he's a good friend and a good person, he never freaks out, not once. Not as she brings him outside and makes him watch her run around a bus three times in less than a second. Not as she stares at him with huge, brown eyes and whispers, "What is wrong with me?"

Of course he replies by carefully folding her into his arms, and it's like all of a sudden she's glass or china and he doesn't want to break her. "There is nothing wrong with you, Brittany," Adam says. "If anything, I think you just got more awesome and I didn't think that was possible."

She laughs into his shoulder, and he wants to take the sound and bottle it up forever. "Says you." His chest doesn't tighten up when she says that, it doesn't. "I think... I think it has something to do with the red bands, I was holding one and there was this lightning..." She shivers and he holds her. "I know it sounds crazy, like completely stupid, but I just..."

"I believe you." And for some crazy, stupid reason, Adam does.

X

It happens for him as he's hooking Jordi up for his next chemo session. The kid looks exhausted and scared, and Adam hates that look, on anyone.

He puts the drip on and lays a hand on Jordi's shoulder, says, "Hey, you call me if you need anything, okay?"

And he doesn't mean to, or maybe he does, but as soon as he touches Jordi's shoulder something changes. It's like someone's pressing a weight on his shoulders, and he feels completely, irrationally terrified and alone. And there's guilt there, but it's not his guilt and terror and loneliness but for some reason he's feeling it.

And Adam is so confused, up until he looks at Jordi's face and it seems like a totally different person from five seconds ago. His bags are gone, his whole face seems brighter, happier. And then for some reason he thinks of a beautiful girl running around a bus and swallows hard.

"Dr. McAndrew, what..?" Jordi asks, completely confused.

I took it, Adam thinks, I took the pain. I took it from him.

"Uh, yeah." And he doesn't know what to do, so he claps Jordi on the back and gets the hell out of that room.

X

Brittany finds out not two hours later, and it's completely by accident.

Adam is just back from a quick Starbucks run and sees her sitting at her desk, head resting in her arms. He holds out the coffee got for her, taps her shoulder gently, and it happens just like it happened with Jordi.

He feels so tired all of a sudden, and so stressed, almost to the point where he wants to cry. It's so much that he has to set the coffee on her desk and sit down hard in his own chair, or else he might have just passed out. It's possibly the absolute worst he's felt in a long, long time.

Sometimes he forgets just how alive Brittany Dobler is.

Adam swallows and looks up as he hears his name, and there's something on her face like confusion and happiness. "What the hell did you just do?" Brittany whispers.

"I took it, I think," he replies. "The... whatever you were feeling. I think I took it."

Brittany sighs, a slow smile crossing her face. "That is so you," she says, reaching over to hug him, and he swears his heart sputters to a stop.

"You think so?" He finally asks, regretfully breaking away to hold out her coffee.

Her eyes widen, as if she's still not used to this, and she accepts the drink with a smile. "Mocha?" She asks.

"Extra chocolate," Adam promises, placing a hand on her shoulder and trying to suck up the last of the weariness.

And if his eyes droop a little for the rest of the day, well, whatever.

X

"C'mon, Kara, it's not funny."

"Yeah well if I hear correctly, Dashel, you're laughing!"

Adam pauses outside of Kara and Charlie's room. It's almost a half hour into dinner, and none of the famed Red Band society are attending.

And then he looks inside the room and all the thoughts just stop.

It's Dash, Leo, Emma, Jordi, and Hunter, and they're all strewn around the room. But that's not all.

Dash's left arm stretches at least five feet. Leo is making his phone float in the air, at least that's what Adam thinks he's doing. There's a ball of fire in Emma's hand. Jordi is floating above Hunter, who is holding a book that is clearly bent in half.

Adam clears his throat, and everyone freezes. Kara pops into existence on her bed. "Please don't tell anyone," Emma says quickly, her face flooding with panic.

Adam grins, and life feels sort of like a dream that he's not quite ready to wake up from. "Our secret is safe with me."

Kara crosses her arms, regaining her composure. "Our secret..?"

Adam nods slowly. "I can sort of... take people's pain. And Brittany has turned into the Flash."

Jordi lets out a loud, "Oh! So that's what happened during chemo!"

Adam laughs. "It appears so. Is there anyone else I should know about?"

Well, there's me.

Adam's head snaps towards the bed where Charlie is lying peacefully, jaw slack. The boys start laughing, and Emma and Kara share an exasperated glance, and since when can Charlie Hutchinson talk because I'm pretty sure he's in a coma -

Yeah, that's me. Talking to you. From a coma. Deal with it.

"Okay." And Adam is weirdly okay with this, and so he turns to the not-in-a-coma kids and continues, "Dinner's been served for a half-hour. Go eat."

And so they go, and he looks at Charlie and grins and shakes his head, because wow. That is amazing.

Thanks, doc.

And so Adam's a little embarrassed because privacy, but he still grins and thinks very clearly, 'No problem.'

And he thinks maybe Charlie would have laughed.

XXX

Hunter is not used to being this strong.

And you may think it's not something to complain about, I mean geez unlimited strength, great way to add to your I Don't Give A Damn persona, but it's not that easy. Because like, when he grips something sometimes there's handprints.

It sort of scares him, because for some reason these people are his friends and what if he hurts them (what if he hurts Kara)?

It's stupid, really. Hunter is not used to caring about people. Before, if this had happened, he would have used his weird superpower to completely wreck havoc. Bend the beds in half. Flip over cars in the parking lot. Now he doesn't even consider it, except when he's considering not considering it.

"You alright?" And out of all people to notice that maybe he's a little quiet and contemplative today, it's Emma. "You're not being as much of a jerk today."

Hunter knows it's a joke, but it still sort of stings because he know it's completely true. "Uh, yeah." He rubs as the back of his neck, biting hard on the toothpick, and it snaps clean in half. He fishes a new one out of his pocket. "I just... not used to all this."

Emma doesn't ask what all this is: friends, powers, not wanting to be a jerk. "I know what you mean." She pauses, staring off to where the rest of the Red Banders are, across the roof, playing with their respective powers and Hunter is sort of reminds of puppies. "This place changes a lot of stuff."

And that's true. Hunter knows this.

X

They're celebrating at the movies, because a lot of good crap is happening and they're all happy. And so Brittany and Dr. McAndrew - except they all have to call him Adam now, because you're sort of bonded together when you share colossal secrets - are chaperoning and Brittany's showing them just exactly how fast she can move her arms and like. Hunter is weirdly happy.

Of course that's when things start falling apart.

They're out of the movies on the way back to the car, everyone talking excitedly because that's the first time anyone's been to a theatre in forever, when Hunter notices something weird. He can't hear Kara. He can always hear Kara, because she's loud and annoying, but he can't right now.

And then there's a scream and his heart decides to explode right then, because that's her scream and Kara is screaming.

Hunter takes off, sprinting towards the sound, barely realizing that when he runs bits of the street fling up behind him, and he turns the corner into an alley. Kara's backed up against a wall, surrounded by some dangerous looking guys covered in tattoos and one of them has his hand on her mouth. There's a tear falling out of one of her eyes, and her pupils are so big, and something is beeping.

And Hunter doesn't think, he just feels, and the next minute twelve people are being thrown across the alley in rapid succession while he tosses them aside like pieces of paper. And he grabs the guy holding Kara with one hand and flicks his wrist, twisting his arm so hard that the bone snaps clean through his skin. Something's beeping.

The guy drops Kara like a sack of bricks and screams, falls down holding his arm, but that doesn't matter. Because Kara is shaking, and he's got her entire body curled up in his arms, cradled against his chest like a kid. "It's Hunter, I've got you, it's okay," he whispers, but the tears keep coming, and something is beeping.

And suddenly she gasps, "Hunter, I can't see. I can't see," and he feels his stomach drop. Because the Pacemaker is beeping.

Someone's behind him now, gasping at the mess in the alley, but he can't bring himself to care so much. Because even if he's a little too shell shocked to process anything, it still hurts, because even at his most base state of not-really-present, Hunter's first gut reaction is to make sure Kara's okay, and Kara is very, very clearly very not okay.

And she stays very, very clearly very not okay even after they're back at the hospital and she's back in bed and they turned the goddamned Pacemaker off because it's been three hours and Kara still can't see.

X

Nothing is getting much better.

That's an underestimate, because everything is getting so much worse.

Dash's parents comes the next day, because apparently his tune-up is done and now he's got to leave the hospital and do other terrible stuff. And he tries to explain to them, Hunter has got to give him that but neither of them are having it because he gets to leave and they're sooooo happy.

And then Jordi's back on the chemo and he's throwing up just everywhere and he can't get out of his bed and it's bad. Emma and Leo hang out with him a lot because no one really wants to be around Hunter and he really can't blame them.

Adam and Brittany are fighting for some reason, something about his ego and her sensitivity and the chief of surgeries and he hears, "there was nothing between us anyways," and that can't be good.

But Hunter is glued to Kara's bed. He won't leave and Kara's getting worse at faking annoyance because when she tells him to GTFO her voice breaks and she starts crying again and he holds her because what else can he do?

And the icing to top it off is that they still have freaking superpowers and when he holds the bedposts there are still marks and things still move around Leo and Emma is still always warm and Jordi floats a bit in his bed except it doesn't even make them happy anymore, so what's even the point?

Charlie is silent for the first time since he talked and Hunter is so alone.

X

So then about three days after Dash leaves, Hunter's sitting on the couch next to Kara's bed per the usual, wallowing in sorrow. Because he feels like crap. Probably because he is crap.

You gotta stop thinking like that.

Hunter's breath hitches and he stares at Charlie, lying in his bed and yet he can see him sitting next to him on the couch's arm rest. "Like what?"

All that self-loathing stuff, about how you're a terrible person and not good enough. And he can see Charlie crossing his arms, and he would laugh if he wasn't so completely not in a laughing mood.

"I mean. It's true, kind of." It is. Everyone knows he's a complete jerk. It's not news or anything. Except now he can see Charlie staring up at him with these giant hurt eyes, and so he lets him finish.

You're - you're important, Hunter. You're important to Kara. You're important to all the Red Banders. You're important to me. And Hunter stares at his hands, not at Charlie, because it hurts, almost, to hear someone say all that when you know it's not true-

Seriously? While I'm telling you you matter? Really?

Stupid telepathy.

"Look," he says quietly, "I get what you're trying to see and I appreciate it and all that, but it's not going to change anything. It doesn't really matter."

Hunter frigging Williams. It is taking me a lot of energy to talk with you so do not interrupt me or I will wake up from my coma just to slap you.

Hunter raises his eyebrows, because the sass is actually pretty refreshing. And he knows Charlie probably would be able to go through with that threat, but -

Don't doubt it.

Hunter swallows. "Continue."

I want to try to show you, you. Like, how I see you. You might want to shut your eyes.

So he does. Close his eyes.

And then Charlie does. Show him, him.

Hunter is walking down a hallway, probably towards the roof, because back then when the only time he wasn't on the roof was when he was walking to it. And then there's a kid, probably loose from pediatrics, but he's sobbing, eyes red, and clinging to Hunter's pants leg and Hunter swallows. "What's up, kid?" He says.

"I'm lost, please help me, mister, I wanna see my mommy!" And two weeks ago, Hunter would've shoved him in the elevator just like he did with Kara, except something makes him hesitate.

And then he ends up walking the kid back to pediatrics, and stealing him some ice cream from the cafeteria, and the kid loves him and it feels good.

It feels good.

X

They're all sitting on the couches by the operating room, now, because Dash is literally touch and go as they're terrified.

And Hunter had barely met Dash, didn't even know him but Leo and Emma and Jordi and Kara, they're all so scared and he feels scared for them.

There's a terrified silence in which Emma chokes into her hands and Leo stares at the ground and Jordi is curled up into a ball and Kara looks like she's barely breathing. And so Hunter carefully wraps an arm around the cheerleader's shaking shoulders, and when her head snaps up to glare at him, he tightens his hold on her shoulder and looks right back.

And then she relaxes a little into his arm and the silence is a little bit less scary.

X

This memory, Hunter's not in it. He can tell because it's late, and it's in Kara and Charlie's room and it's just the two of them. "Can I tell you something, Coma Boy?" She says, and it almost sounds vulnerable.

"Why thank you." Kara pauses. "Literally, I think I'm sick. I think there's something wrong with me. I mean, I'm Kara Souders, I'm not supposed to get all glass-eyes over some stupid guy, I'm-" she breaks off.

"God, he makes me really happy and I'm scared. I'm scared, Charlie." She gives Charlie a sad smile. "What the hell. It's not like you can hear me."

Hunter jerks back to reality the way someone jerks forward after the rollercoaster stops. There are these tears in his eyes, and he can't quite remember how they got there. "That's how you... that's what..." As it's so weird, because when all this happened, Hunter didn't think it was anything special. Just thought he was being human that day.

Yeah. Like I told you. You're important.

And maybe this brand new revelation fills him with a sort of hope. And so he goes up to Charlie, lying in his bed, and takes his hand. "Hang in there, Charlie. We're gonna make it."

Charlie is silent again, and something about how talking takes up a lot of energy crosses Hunter's mind. He squeezes Charlie's hand and moves back over to Kara, who is fast asleep.

He doesn't know if anything will make a difference. But if he can help, he will. He wants to make everything better.

XXX

Yeah, so maybe Brittany was there when the whole Charlie Hunter thing happened and yeah, so maybe it was incredibly adorable.

"We're gonna make it." And that's kind of funny, because of the many things the Red Banders are making, it does not fall into that category, more like sadness and trouble and anger.

That's such a pessimistic thought that Brittany wants to throw up.

And so maybe now she wants to help them make whatever they're going to make, because really, making everyone happy is going to take more than Hunter.

So she starts with Jordi.

He's been alone a lot, she notices, so she comes to his room with a book, some movies, ice cream, ice water and a sandwich. "Brittany?" He asks, and his voice is rough.

"Pick a movie," she says breezily, tossing them onto his bed. He holds up The Incredibles with a grin, and she laughs, popping it in and holding out the ice cream.

"What happened to healthy food before desert?" Jordi says.

"Special circumstances," Brittany excuses, putting the water bottle full of ice water by his bed. "Only eat what you feel good eating. Today is a Be Happy day!"

Jordi is silent for a minute as she pulls a chair up next to his bed and they watch the opening scene of The Incredibles. "Thank you," he says.

"No problem," she replies, grinning. And yeah, she blocks the windows so he can sort of float around without anyone seeing and freaking out and fainting.

X

And so Dash is next.

It's a little surprising, okay a lot surprising when she shows up at his door unannounced, but he still answers and almost jumps out to hug her when he sees her. "Can't stay away from the Dash, huh?" He asks.

"Dashel Hosney, the location of your parents, please?" She asks, but she grinning too because yeah, they all missed Dash.

"They're inside." His grin falters a little little bit. "Is, uh, something wrong?"

Brittany fights the sudden urge to cry. "Yeah pretty much everything is wrong, so play along."

His parents are at the table, eating. "Mom, Dad, this is Brittany, my nurse at the hospital," he says, eyes flickering to her, curious and nervous.

"We'll need Dashel back at Ocean Park for a couple of days," she says with a sugary sweet smile and then spouts some medical BS and producing a regular long term stay form. "Please sign here."

And by some miracle they do and so they get in the cab and Brittany debriefs Dash on everything that's happened. "Jesus," he says, stretching his arm four feet to the front to change the channel, "I can never leave you people alone, huh?"

And that's that.

X

So she's terrified when she knocks on Adam's office door, because she's never been good with apologies, or really anything, and this was a pretty big fight they had.

But when he opens the door, and she sees him, the fear is replaced by worry. For him. Because, and there is no nice way to put it, he looks like he hasn't slept in the three days they haven't been talking.

"I'm sorry, Adam," Brittany says quietly, fighting the urge to stare at her feet. Because she's sort of remembering now, for everyone to be happy, she has to be too. And she can't keep her feelings bottled up anymore. "I'm sorry I got jealous because of the whole thing with you and Dr. Grace, I really - I know there's nothing between us, just sometimes I sort of forget and wish there was."

And Adam sort of stands there, and she's afraid she made some huge mistake, except he's leaning in really close, and his hands brush her sides. "You're not screwing around," he says, and it's more of a question than a statement.

And yeah, she's been waiting for this for months, so she does the sensible thing and just leans in and kisses him. And she feels like she's Jordi and she's floating or something, because it's like.

And so maybe she's had a theory that if Adam can take pain he can also take happiness and she thinks all happy thoughts and gives it to him. It's a victory when he grins against her mouth.

And when she pulls away and says, "Are we a thing now?" she means it.

And when he laughs and kisses her again and says, "We are whatever you want to be, Brittany Dobler," she knows he means it to.

X

So they're all in Kara and Charlie's room, now. And Jordi has finally stopped being really sick. And Dash has finally told his parents to stop making such a big deal yes, this freakin hospital is my home. And Adam's fingers are sort of intertwined with hers, and she can feel her heartbeat.

"It's like one big loser convention or something," Kara jokes. She's in bed, leaning back against Hunter. She doesn't look happy, she still can't see, but she doesn't look like she's breaking and that makes Brittany feel a lot better.

And so maybe Brittany also brings marshmallows and sticks and chocolate and graham crackers. They open some windows and like the losers Kara insists they are, make s'mores on Emma's flaming hands. And by some miracle the fire alarms don't go off. And by some miracle Kara steals Hunter's straight from his hands and manages to eat it and only gets a little on her mouth.

But the real miracle is when Kara lets out a little scream and her eyes open wide and they move from Hunter to Charlie to all around the room and she screams, "I can see!"

And they all maybe go ahead an hug her.

And that's that.

XXX

Charlie doesn't know much, but he knows his friends.

And so yeah, he lets out a cheer when Kara squeals because she can see and the Hunter leans over and kisses her, because come on! He's been shipping this since day one, Karter all the way!

"Get your love away from me," Jordi groans, but he's grinning so wide his cheeks are red.

"Jordi's being a bitter old man," Hunter accuses, pointing.

"Jordi, we've went over this," Adam says, "you're not allowed to be mad at people for being happy when you're happy too." Jordi sticks out his tongue, and Emma laughs, relaxing into Leo, and Dash flicks some of the gooey marshmallows into Kara's hair and she doesn't flip out, only glares and promises to get him back later.

They're warm, and close, and the rain makes a soft pattering sound on the windows. It's peaceful, in the best possible way, and as Charlie relaxes, he's basically fine with what he's getting on the psychic front.

Happy. Content. Adoring. Safe.

Safe.