"Sorry," I say, awkward. "I actually didn't mean to."

With one arm, Burner grabs me roughly around the neck, squeezing me tight and close. "Honestly? You really gotta work on your entrances," Burner grouses. "If I hadn't said you were my friend, he would've straight up clocked you and you'd be breathing through a tube." Then, he sighs again. Settles for letting the furrows in his brows slip away and his lips spread wide into a grin. He spins me around by my shoulders. "But hey, how you've been? It's been a while." He opens his arms wide and gives me a huge hug.

"Really great," I wheeze. That sound was definitely not my ribs cracking. He might actually make good on his promise if Lockdown really doesn't call. I hug him back, though, because it really has been a while. Also, I immediately reach out for the faint graphene signal, and put CALL BURNER (pls) on Lockdown's smartwatch before he's out of range. "I've been good. Recently charged up."

"Still hacking tech with your brain?" Burner asks. He releases me. "Can't relate."

I cough. Yup. Lungs work. "Just as I can't relate with you destroying an entire few blocks so you can French with a superhero."

Burner laughs, loud and bellowing. That's why I like him so much. He doesn't stay mad long. He pounds my shoulder with a sturdy, large palm, and my knees almost buckle. "Don't knock it until you find someone you want to try it with. Superheroes really enjoy wanton destruction they can blame us for."

I'm confused, even though I'm wincing. Superheroes can like destruction? "In any case, he sounds like your dream guy. I hope he calls."

"How do you think we met? He'll call." Burner scratches his ear. He shrugs. "If not, I'll call anyway. I've got his number, and Neil just prefers to act tough when he's embarrassed."

"That's great," I say. "And, seeing as you like me again, do I still get that ride?"

Without even looking, Burner snaps a controlled fist in the direction of the wreckage I climbed over. Like a flamethrower, the fire explodes out with a fierce momentum. With a sizzle, everything melts under the heat into the street. He lets the flames die out, before he flicks a second fist, this time with no flames, forward to cool it all down.

"Uh, Burner?"

"I'll forgive you," Burner says, and then points to the now clear path before us. "But only if you start River Dance Ng your way over."

"Ha ha," I say, like I haven't heard that one before. But when we cross, I end up hopping a little because the tar is hot and sticky under my shoes.

Burner grins with white teeth.

"You're an asshole," I say. "This is going to be hell to clean."

"Save it," he says, laughing, as he crowds me into an abandoned bus stop shelter, activating the magic on the graffiti with the skid of his knuckles. "You deserved it."

We teleport from aboveground to one of the underground car park bunkers specifically cordoned off for supervillain usage. There's little to no more people around anymore, what with this area being evacuated. A quick feeling out tells me that almost all signals have all cut off. I'm vulnerable, but Burner walks smoothly, at ease. Probably because he punches hard.

"So," I say, rushing after him. "You and Lockdown...huh?" What I know of Lockdown is that he's serious stuff--one of the big names. "You guys serious?"

"Hell, yeah," Burner declares. "Might even pop the nemesis question next month. Then we can see each other almost every day."

He sounds proud. Happy, even. It's a big difference from the Burner I knew when he was still in the Institute. Back then, he was just Terrance trying to make it through without accidentally blowing up a gas line. Now, his strides are confident, and he doesn't seem to care.

"What's it even like?" I ask. Fortune's words swim in my head. "When you find the superhero for you? That connection?"

"You just know."

He stops at his ride. I don't know designs, but there's literally just a paintjob of flames all over it.

"Hey Burner," I say, as he unlocks the doors. "Does Guy Fieri know his car's missing?"

"Listen," Burner says, holding one finger up. "One, it's a chick deflector. So they will know, right away, I'm not playing for their team. Two," he holds up a second, "cleverly interprets my interest to Keep Flaming On, which is a complete fallacy of ambiguity right there. Three," he continues, conspiringly, "No one who gives a damn about their rep is going to want to willingly sit in my car. I will not be obligated to give carpools to assholes."

"Except me," I say, and Burner snorts. "But then again, I have no rep."

We slide into the vehicle. Contrary to the outside, the inside smells nice and fresh, like apples. Burner keeps his car clean too. It all looks new, from the rearview mirror he's checking on now, to the nice sleek wood-finish upholstery.

I click my seatbelt on, and lean back in relative comfort. It's like this car is cuddling my tushy in its leather seated embrace. Burner turns the engine on. "Lockdown been in here yet?"

That gets Burner's face to scrunch up, even as he drives us out. "He'd probably hate it, but whatever. He'll warm up to it."

Seeing as the upstairs is officially ruined by Burner's version of dating foreplay, Burner opts to take the underground roads. Vehicles whiz past us in the tubes, and soon we join the mass of civilians just trying to make it to their next destination.

"How'd you think your first day is going to go?" he asks, after a while. "You just graduated, right?"

"Who knows?" I stare at my hands. "I want to make it big, you know that. I want to leave my mark in history."

"Yeah," Burner muses. "But the shameful thing is that your greatest weakness is the Wifi going down."

If this was an electric car, I'd have hit his face with a blast of cold air from an overhead vent. As it is, I think fondly of the time we drenched his bed with the help of a bucket, a very long hose, and a girl with telekinesis. "Mm."

We take the next exit up, the ramp smoothing out into the aboveground roads again. Burner drives me right down to the meeting point.

"Who's supposed to meet you?"

"Wes," I say, searching the people on the sidewalk. "Then she'll take me to the team lead. But I don't see--"

That's. That's Wes.