Big Salmon Lake wake up, sleepyhead, it's happening without you

His heart drops into his stomach as Firestorm speaks, and all he can do for a moment is stare at him with wide, wounded eyes. Later, he'll tell himself that he should have seen this coming, that his friend has always been rough around the edges, so it was bound to happen. But right here, right now, Firestorm is the last person he expects this from.
What — His voice falters and he swallows hard. He tries to think of something he can say, anything to mend whatever rift has suddenly opened between them, though he doesn't know what caused it. Firestorm hadn't seemed to have a problem before. But I like you. You're not like the others, you're better than them. In his panic, he hardly realizes what he's confessing. All he can think about is fixing the situation.