[center][b][color=ffbc57][sup][h1]H E L L F I R E[/h1][/sup][/color][/b][/center]
[COLOR=ffbc57][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]T H E   S A N C T U A R Y[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][sup][color=darkgray]July 3[sup]rd[/sup], 2020  |  Mount Justice, Rhode Island[/color][/sup][/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[b][color=ffbc57]“I – wait, what?”[/color][/b] was all Andy had to say, rubbing the spot where Steph had elbowed him in the ribs as mild bewilderment crossed his face. She was telling him that his dad, Samuel Hughes – silent, pacifistic Sam, who would sooner be caught asleep at his work desk than doing any form of exercise; Sam, who had no knowledge of the Brown family whatsoever, not even Andy’s connection to Stephanie – not only ran to the rescue of an old lady’s purse, but also took her to the E.R., where Steph’s mum was [i]conveniently[/i] working? And she found him [i]cute[/i]? 

Hope and confusion and annoyance all mixed into a strange cocktail as he tried to process this, stumped that someone would find his wiry, bookish dad attractive, and both happy and infuriated at the thought that Sam might find some romance, too. He couldn’t even consider the chance that his mum might one day run back into his dad’s arms – the thought made him want to take the place of the bacon that was slowly cooking inside the oven, despite the fact that nothing would actually happen to him there – but at the same time, he felt strangely repulsed by the idea of his dad ever replacing her. Which was stupid, really. That woman [i]should[/i] be replaced, and his dad deserved a second chance with someone who’d actually treat him right. But Andy was getting ahead of himself. Sam and Steph’s mum had only had a chance encounter at the hospital. Who was to say that anything would come of it?

Steph had turned her attention elsewhere by the time he snapped out of his thoughts, leaving his question hanging in the air. She might have been joking when she asked him to toast the marshmallows, but having already retrieved the sugar and pepper, he turned his attention to that task instead, mentally reminding himself with some extra urgency to call his dad in the morning. 

The neat part of having a somewhat outdated gas stove was that Andy could toast away without using his powers – something that would likely end in catastrophe, probably to do with his clothes burning off and everyone in the room taking cover from the unbearable heat. With a bag of gelatinous blobs lying open in front of him, he pushed a few onto a skewer he’d taken out of a drawer, turning on the stove with a series of clicks. Whistling, he held the skewer above the small flame, pushing the thought that he looked ridiculous to the back of his mind. His specialty was chicken parma, not marshmallows.

[COLOR=DARKORCHID][B]“You! Who has the best costume and why?”[/b][/color] exclaimed Steph, startling poor Rannik as he walked in. 

Andy had decided early on that the red shapeshifter was cool, and he was yet to be mistaken. He had a calmness to him that Andy often tried to picture Magnus with, to no avail; a chillness that just made the Korugaran seem completely, utterly cool. 

[color=DC143C][b]“Well,”[/b][/color] explained Rannik, [color=DC143C][b]“On Korugar, this is the norm. The more color, the better. When people notice you, it means you stand out, it means you are special. So, really, our "costumes" all look quite similar to me.”[/b][/color] He slapped Andy on the shoulder. [b][colour=DC143C]“Except you. You are exceptionally boring. Like the Batman.”[/colour][/b]

And just like that, Rannik’s coolness was gone. 

[b][color=ffbc57]“Words hurt, Nick,”[/color][/b] Andy joked, grinning. [b][color=ffbc57]“Next thing you’ll say is that Mags’ costume is [i]interesting[/i].”[/color][/b] 

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