Static watched with nervous unease as Ebon fled into a portal he created at the back of an alley. Static hurled a condensed ball of lightning at the swirling darkness just as the metahuman closed off the portal causing sparks to dance harmlessly across brick and concrete, filtering into nothing. Static let out a snarl of frustration; if his mind hadn't wandered then Ebon wouldn't have escaped, but now his mood was skyrocketing from annoyed to downright unpleasant.

As he jumped to his board and rose above the buildings, Static felt his anger begin to evaporate into empty heartache. Static clenched his hands into fists and just hovered in place. This street in particular held painful memories, and the timing couldn't have been worse. Swallowing down a lump in his throat he jumped when he heard a familiar, but unexpected voice behind him, "What was that?"

He stiffened and spun in the air, only a few feet above the other metahuman. Grimacing at the allusion to the coming conversation, Static looked one last time at escape before feeling stupid and dropping down to the building below, collapsing his disk and putting it inside his jacket, "What was what?"

Hotstreak's frown wasn't so much a disapproving frown as a confused scowl. Static was surprised he could tell them apart, but he assumed it was the lack of vehemence in the others' voice that gave it away. "You know what I mean, you practically let Ebon escape!"

Static jumped up to sit on the edge of the building and snorted, some anger still heavy in his chest, "I didn't let him escape!"

Hotstreak muttered, "Coulda fooled me, I've seen less distracted squirrels."

Static glared but was completely unprepared for what Hotstreak asked next, "So what's wrong?" Virgils' eyes widened and he stared for a moment while Hotstreak grew uncomfortable with the growing silence.

Virgil caught himself though and sighed, running a hand threw his hair as he looked down at the street behind him, pain shadowed in his eyes, "This is the street where they shot my mom. I've gotten past it but, it's just...this place."

Hotstreak hadn't been ready for that, and he couldn't exactly relate, seeing as he'd never really had anyone to begin with, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry...What happened?"

Static was quiet for a moment before he leaned forward on his knees and watched his hands, "She was a nurse, and during those really bad riots, she was called to the street. She was just helping..."

Hotstreaks eyes narrowed in sympathy and he leaned up against the building next to him and cleared his throat awkwardly, "What was she like?"

Static's mind drifted as he started in a whisper, "She was an amazing person. No matter how much wrong you did, she would forgive you and move on. She did so much for all of us, and you only just begin to notice how much when they're no longer there."

Hotstreak felt his heart clench as he murmured wistfully, "Must have been nice."

Static looked at him in question, an invitation to continue. He knew Hotstreak would shut down unless he backed off and let him continue at his own pace. This wasn't the first time Hotstreak had inexplicably found him on patrol and fallen into conversation with the hero.

"I wish I'd had a mom like that...or maybe just..." Hotstreak trailed off, uncomfortable with where he was leading the conversation and finished, "My mom was more the type that was never around, and when she was, I wished she wasn't. As soon as I turned fifteen, I left and never looked back. Sure, all those official papers for school have her address on it, but I haven't been back there in years, and I want to keep it that way."

Static thought about what to say, but just drew a blank. Finally he looked over to the pyrokinetic metahuman and let a sad smile slide into place, "I don't think it's my place to comment on that, but I will say that I think you could have turned out worse."

Hotstreak looked over, confusion written all over his face, "Uhh, thanks?"

Static smiled and whacked Hotstreak across the back, knocking the other forward enough that he had to catch himself, "Hey!"

Static turned to stand on the building edge and smiled back, "Thanks for listening."

Hotstreak fought for what emotion to fall back on as he awkwardly yelled, "Yeah, well just don't let your ass get handed to ya again!"

Static chuckled and left Francis alone on the rooftop. Hotstreak watched the electric hero go with a feeling of satisfaction and remorse welling up inside. He'd stopped to lying to himself a while ago; when the hero wasn't around he was lonely. He was the first person he'd even let know who he really was. Even when he was just a rival he'd been close, but now, he wasn't sure if he could call him a friend; The word didn't come easily to his lips.

Even so, he noticed that since he'd helped Virgil with Richie, the hero was no longer keeping his guard up in his presence. He felt at ease enough to relax around him and the thought that he was the cause of both the unease and then that acceptance was a different kind of thrill for Hotstreak.

---

A couple weeks after Jean's anniversary of her death, Richie sat in Statics' room, the light flickering between various stages of brightness according to the horror flick on the screen. Genius he was, Richie was working on blueprints and coding backpack and at the same time laughing and reacting to Statics' conversation and the movie. Static once wondered was his brain was like, and then promptly stopped when he realized if he kept trying to imagine it his brain would explode.

Richie swallowed a mouthful of popcorn as the alarm clock on V's nightstand flicked to 4:00 AM, "You've been taking longer on patrol lately."

Static choked on the popcorn he'd been trying to swallow and after hacking for a few seconds he had the insight to drink something. Gasping for air Static recoiled, "Not really, it's about the same as before."

Richie sighed and laid down his pencil, "V, two hours is a long time, what are you doing?"

Virgil was at a loss for words as he tried to come up with a feasible lie, but fooling a genius is tough. Eventually Richie pushed up his glasses and answered for him, "I know this involves Hotstreak, so why not fill me in?"

Eyes widening, Static sputtered, "But how did, when, I don't-"

"V! Please! I've known for a while now, I was just waiting to see if you'd tell me yourself. Speaking of that, why haven't you?"

Virgil fell back on the bed, "Sorry Rich, I just wasn't sure how to word it, you know?"

Richie sat cross-legged, seeming very much as ease with the conversation, like he already knew where if was headed, "You were afraid I'd take it the wrong way, seeing as Hotstreak would have gladly taken you out only a few months ago."

Virgil sighed, "I guess you do have everything figured out. Are you mad?"

Richie sighed, "V, do I sound mad?"

"Miffed."

"You could say that."

"I'm sorry, I should have told you." Virgil sat up and continued, "He's just been a lot more..."

"Docile."

"That word fits more than you know. Compared to what he was like before he's almost compliant."

Richie seemed genuinely surprised, "Wow, that is different."

Static shrugged, "I guess I figured I'd give him a chance."

Richie rubbed his neck, 'This isn't an interrogation V, I just wanted you to know that I'm cool with whatever your doing. I trust you V."

"Thanks Rich, I must be a pretty lousy friend."

Richie snorted, "A lousy friend wouldn't make sure I don't get in over my head or make sure I don't kill myself."

Virgil grinned, "Sure man, whatever you say."

Richie stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth and turned back to the tv, "K, now zombies Virg, we can't forget about the zombies..."

Virgil chuckled, "I guess we can't." Both turned their full attention, devoid of the past silence on the movie, both laughing at different things. Richie though it was hilarious that the human capillary system wouldn't be able to support the extremities of the blah blah blah and Virgil just though the gore looked fake. Either way, they were happy.

----

Richie went through his room doing various things he did on routine before he went to sleep. Brushing his teeth, turning off the tv, setting his alarm, making sure backpack was programed, ect. But as he set his glasses on his nightstand and curled up to sleep safe in his home, the genius overlooked something. Something very important...

Thanks to everyone that reviews! I really do listen and take your comments to heart ;) Next Chapter will be longer and better C: It'll be up in a couple days after this one. Now I can has PLOT lol