After that, school became slightly tolerable for the young Sidekick. The stretchy boy and invisible girl stopped ignoring each other entirely. Being together in class was still tense and their conversations were short and often snappy but at least it was progress between the two. Whilst she hadn't forgiven him, Astrid knew that she would only be able to graduate if she worked with him so she had swallowed her hurt and made an attempt at civility. The peace between the two of them was shattered when they were told they had to work on a project together outside of school.

Sitting on the edge of the Livingston's couch, Astrid felt uncomfortable in the house for the first time. Since Lash had been sent to Reform, she had opted out of attending the fortnightly dinners as she found herself unable to face Elizabeth (who had done nothing but cry since she found out what her son had done).

Jackson was harder to avoid when he caught her on her way home but she had successfully evaded a conversation with him since the day he had broken done to her, apologising for his son's behaviour and the terrible memories it would've brought back to her.

Staring down at the notebook in her lap, Astrid focused on her half of the project whilst Lash, seated on the other couch, worked on his. Silence filled the Livingston house aside from the occasional sigh and the scratch of pen on paper. Being alone with Lash wasn't how Astrid had wanted to spend her evening but she knew it was better than trying to work on it her home. Glancing at the blonde across from him, Lash thought he would try and broach the conversation they hadn't had since that day with Freeze Ray.

"Astrid?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

Silence filled the space between them once more but Astrid didn't continue writing her essay. In fact, she hadn't frozen altogether. Sighing at his second failed attempt, Lash picked up his pen.

"Why'd you do it?" She asked after what had felt like an hour. "Why did you become a Villain?"

Unable to answer that question, he took her response as an indication that she was at least willing to listen to what he had to say this time. Whether she accepted his apology was entirely her decision and Lash would respect it either but he had to try. For as long as they were partnered together, he would never stop trying.

"I never intentionally meant to hurt you. In all honesty, I had no idea you were going to be at that party. Yes, I entered you room with the intention of distracting you but I was never using you to get access to the Pacifier. I genuinely cared for you and when I saw you at that party, all I wanted to do was explain what I was doing and beg for forgiveness. However, when I looked at you – looked into your eyes and saw the hurt in them – I realised I would never be able to handle seeing them filled with hate. You're right, I ran. I was a coward and I knew making you hate me would be the easy way out. But believe me, I never used you. I was genuinely falling for you when I kissed you. I'm not asking for forgiveness because I know I don't deserve it but I wanted you to know the truth. I never faked anything that happened between us." Lash ranted, panting when he finally allowed himself to breathe.

"Okay." Astrid said, knuckles turning white with the intensity that she was gripping her pen.

"Wait, what?"

"Okay, I believe you. Now what did you find out about power mimicry?"

Huffing, Lash admired how her face refused to give away what she was thinking or feeling before he glanced down at his notes in search of the answer.

Ducking his head so as to read his own handwriting, Lash was oblivious to the blue eyes staring at him in slight admiration. Not only had he willingly poured his heart out but he had also carried on normally despite her lack of a response. Not many people were capable of that.

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ ⁂☆⁂ ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

Laying on her bed, Astrid had her feet on the wall and her head on the wrong side of her bed as she listened to Natalia alternate between complaining about how annoying her younger brother was and how weird it was that Speed had actually apologised for hurting Astrid. Grinning at the flurry of comments from Natalia, the blonde filled with a spare thread on her sleeve.

"Nat, please breathe." Astrid teased. "You haven't stopped talking once for the past hour."

"You're right. I'm sorry. It just freaks me out a little that the two of them have been so nice for the past few weeks. Speaking of, how did it go with Lash earlier? Did you kill him? Do you need help hiding the body?"

"Surprisingly the evening went in a different direction than I expected."

"What do you mean?"

Sliding her feet off the wall, Astrid flipped over so that her face was in the frame once more. "I mean, Lash apologised to me and tried explaining things."

"He explained why he used you?" Natalia scoffed in disbelief. Astrid giggled at the bitch face her usually cheerful friend was pulling.

"Actually, he didn't use me. I wasn't part of the plan. The night the Pacifier was stolen, he didn't know I was going to be there so he wanted to explain everything to me when he saw me but he got scared. He said he pushed me away so that I wouldn't get hurt. Nat, the guy said he had feelings for me."

"Well he did a great fucking job of showing them." Natalia growled. "He didn't want you to get hurt? Astrid, he hurt you more."

"I'm aware of that, N."

"He can't think that some poor excuse means he's forgiven. He has to try harder than that."

"I haven't forgiven him yet so don't worry. Baby steps."

"Good because if he breaks your hear again, I'm going to have to break his legs." Natalia threatened.

"You can't. He's practically made of rubber. Also, he's not going to break my heart because I'm not going to fall for him."

"Sure you won't, honey. You said that last time and the two of you kissed, and then you cried your heart out over him."

"Piss off, Nat." Astrid laughed before she checked the time. "Shit, it's late. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you too, A. Don't go kissing any stretchy people before I see you."

☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ ⁂☆⁂ ☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰

Scrolling through her phone, Astrid waited patiently for everyone else to board the bus. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly when a fellow student sat next to her. Ignoring him, Astrid continued to stare at the screen of her phone but acknowledged his presence by removing her bag from between them, placing it on the ground. It was their version of an olive branch.

Mentally, Astrid grumbled to herself about how she hated the fact that Natalia might be right. For some reason, she found herself unable to let Lash go. Smiling as he shuffled over so he was fully on the seat, Lash felt hopeful. Maybe they could mend what he had broken.