Hughie finally had a normal life again. Well, kinda sorta. He was still working with The Boys behind the scenes, and he was still willing to do whatever it took to ruin Vought once and for all. But he had a regular job, too. And Robin's death didn't hurt as much as it used to. Now it was more of a dull ache that got stronger in nightmares, rather than a neverending agony that kept him from getting out of bed during the day.

And his new girlfriend was a supe.

Hughie hadn't expected your presence in his life. Sure, he'd dated Starlight briefly. But it had been more artificial. Her being in the Seven and him trying to infiltrate Vought with Butcher... it had created a void of trust that no amount of playing house could fill.

But you felt real. You were a supe, yeah. But you weren't affiliated with Vought and didn't really use your power often. It was easier to pretend you were just a regular girl on bad days when Hughie couldn't even look at a Vought ad without getting nauseous.

Today was one of the bad days. Days where Hughie woke up in a cold sweat and ignored most of the breakfast you made him. They were trying to shill more A-Train hype on the news again. Probably to cover up another vile thing he got away with. You were at the kitchen island finishing up the dishes when Hughie rolled over on the couch.

"You know where the fuckin' remote is?" he grumbled, his everyday dry tone more annoyed than usual. "I want to get that douchebag off the TV."

Without thinking, you used your telekinetic ability to switch the TV off. It just seemed like the easiest way at the time. Hughie couldn't handle watching the A-Train PR shots, so you turned them off in a blink. But the reminder of the Compound V in your DNA only seemed to agitate him more.