Shades of Gray

Dan

Dan didn't know the last time he had revisited that memory. He hated it. Even if it was when he met Henry. He couldn't believe that it still was stuck in his mind after what could have possibly been hours. His thoughts had been racing; spinning through his brain. He had hoped it would pass, but it seemed like it had other ideas. He thought he was going to go out of his mind, when the shadow-stepper emerged from the ramp. He tried to wipe his tears before she saw. But, her eyes were sad when she finally stepped into the light. 
"I heard what happened, are you alright?" He was always surprised by how much she always seemed to care, how she could almost convince him. Almost. He nodded briskly and she sighed. She set down a plate she was carrying and inspected his arms and face. When she saw no new burns she moved on and grabbed a baked potato. She always brought them, no matter the time of day. They were high in nutrients after all. He took it gently from her and bit into it. He studied her. She still had her costume on, but it didn't hide as much as Echo's. He could see that she had a very pretty face with full lips and thick eyelashes and an athletic physique. She was honestly his type. If he and Henry ever broke up, he'd ask her out. He shook his head rapidly. What was he thinking? He and Henry weren't going to break up. They'd been through too much together for that to happen. He felt more tears threaten his eyes. It scared him. He was changing, and not for the better. He felt his thoughts always drifting for a darker place. He felt his face drift into a scowl. It was starting to feel natural. How would Henry react when he showed up with a resting glare? Why was he always thinking about Henry anyway? It's not like Henry ever did anything for Dan exclusively. Dan was always the one giving. Always the one coming up with trickier plans to outsmart Captain Night. Always trying. To earn his love, even if he never gave any indication that he needed to, but he knew that people left when he didn't try. He jumped at a hand on his shoulder. She jumped away and gave an apologetic smile. She handed him a glass of water and sat down in front of him. 
"Echo did a number on you." She stated it like a fact. He knew that it was as plain as day. "There is a flame inside everyone, don't let yours die. Let it blaze." Her eyes took on an intensity that he hadn't seen on her before. He nodded. He didn't know what he could have said to it anyway. She stood up and grabbed the plate. He gulped down the water and handed it back to her. She took it and she was gone. He assumed she shadow-stepped away, but the way that she just disappeared was unnerving. He knew that she was probably how Echo had been spying on him. He shivered at the thought. He had always known that dating a superhero would come back to bite him one day. He had just hoped he was wrong. He smiled, not something he thought would be his first reaction. He sat up and looked around. Something sparked within him bringing the world to a new light. In an instant, it felt as if everything in his way was as flimsy and paper. He stood up and walked around the room. He ran his fingers across the desks and tables the filled up the space. He flicked his wrist and the wall split open, cracking in two before opening like a gate. The euphoria of having everything bend to his whim was overwhelming. He heard the rushing of footsteps behind him and the telltale prod in his mind, one he was learning to identify, that signaled that Echo was behind him. He held out his hand and the footsteps came to a halt. He whipped around to face his previous captor. He saw the hard, almost panicked set of Echo's mouth and cracked a large smile. With the flick of a wrist, he was before Dan. It was delightful to watch Echo writhe and squirm as he had not even hours before. He knew that it wouldn't take much to remove that mask that hid Echo's identity from him, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to do that yet. He needed to take care of some other loose ends first. He ran a finger down the line of Echo's jaw and tipped his chin up to face him. 
"I win." The baring of Echo's teeth was all Dan needed to know that he was more freaked out than he was letting on. Dan dropped him and stalked away. He needed to find Maggi. She might not have been Echo, but she was still hiding something. He needed to keep her close. After all, you keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. 

Just a minute, I'm posting two tonight.