Flash Fire by T.J. Klune

13

Fic: A Pleasure to Burn

Author: PyroStormIsBae

Chapter 36 of?

138,225 words

Pairing: Pyro Storm/Original Male Character

Rated: R (Rating is finally going up!)

Tags: True Love, Pining, Gentle Pyro Storm, Happy Ending, First Kiss, More Than First Kiss, Fluffy Like a Cloud, So Much Violence, Evil Shadow Star, Bakery AU, Private Investigator, Anti-Rebecca Firestone, Hands Going Under Clothes, !!!, Naked Party and You’re All Invited

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Chapter 36: NOT A CHAPTER

Author Note: Sorry for the delay! Things have been … weird lately. I wish I had a new chapter for you, but I don’t. I tried to sit down and write, but I can’t focus on this right now, not when it seems so … trivial? I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but things are happening that are bigger than me. This was a place where I could not worry about what others thought about me (though I love all your comments!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!). It doesn’t feel the same now. I’m going to take a bit of a break. It’s not going to last forever because I refuse to let another fic go unfinished, but I need to step away for a bit.

Extraordinaries can do incredible things, but I think we forget that no matter what powers they have, they’re still human.

Anyways, the Extraordinaries fandom is the best fandom there is, especially since the K-pop fandom likes to spam the fancams EVERY SINGLE PLACE I LOOK. SERIOUSLY. STOP IT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU. That being said, thank you for going after idiot politicians and making their lives miserable, as they so rightly deserve. I love you. But stop spamming.

I’ll be back! I promise. After all, Nash and Pyro Storm are still about to get down and dirty, and I’d hate to leave them (and you!) with blue balls.

See you soon,

PyroStormIsBae

March came to Nova City with an icy grip, temperatures plummeting, though the worst storms stayed up north. Nick was of the mind that if it was going to be this cold, then the city should be blanketed with snow so he could stay in bed until spring with his own personal space heater in the form of Seth.

But it was probably for the best, especially since he found himself standing on the roof of a building on the first Saturday of the month, peering over the edge, trying to convince himself that if he fell, it wouldn’t be that big of a drop. If anything, he could probably grab onto the metal stairs that lined the outside of the building. Thirty feet, max. Maybe forty. But he could do this.

“I don’t think you can do this,” Jazz said, standing next to him and peering over the edge. “I mean, I’m all for a montage, but I thought we’d start a little smaller. Maybe some cappuccinos in a cozy coffee shop while we discussed what your potential Extraordinary name could be.”

Now that he was here, Jazz’s idea sounded much better than what he had planned, but he couldn’t back down just because of something as inconsequential as becoming a smear on the pavement.

“I’d really appreciate it if you all backed away from the edge of the roof slowly.”

They turned to see Gibby looking pale, her mouth curved down. She was wringing her hands, her breath pouring from her mouth in a thick cloud.

“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.

“She’s afraid of heights,” Jazz told him. “It’s cute.”

“I’m not afraid of heights,” Gibby snapped. “I’m not afraid of anything. Just because I don’t want to watch Nick splatter on the ground doesn’t mean I’m scared.”

“So cute,” Jazz breathed.

Nick shook his head, not wanting to get caught up in their flirting, even though it was ridiculously endearing. “I don’t know what my Extraordinary name will be. I can’t decide that until I know what I can do.”

“Which is why you want to jump off a building,” Jazz said. “That doesn’t make any sense and actually might make things worse. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but this is objectively a dumb idea.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “We tried jumping off the porch for the first part of the montage. It didn’t work because it was too small. We tried jumping from the roof of my house, but before I could climb the ladder, Seth threw a snowball at my head, and I couldn’t let that go without an appropriate response.”

“Why do you have to jump off anything?” Gibby asked in a strangled voice. “Why can’t you move cups again?”

Patience, Nick knew, was a virtue and a sign of a good Extraordinary. If he had any hope to become just that, then he needed to listen to the concerns of his friends and not make them feel lesser for sharing. “Because my powers seem to come out only when I’m super pissed off or scared or some other heightened emotion yet to be discovered. And since I don’t want to be mad today, I figure it’s better to be scared by jumping off a building.”

“This is why men don’t live as long as women,” Jazz said. “It’s not your fault. It’s your penis that’s making you do this.”

“Not all men have penises,” Nick reminded her.

“True, but you don’t see them up here trying to jump off a building, do you?”

“But they also can’t move stuff with their minds,” he said. He paused, considering. “Well, not that we know of. Oh my god, wait. There have to be trans Extraordinaries! Do you think we’ll get to meet them?”

“Probably,” Jazz said. “I’ve personally met an absurd number of queer Extraordinaries. Poor straight people. They really don’t get to have much, aside from fake-white Jesus, do they?”

They took a moment of silence for the heterosexuals of the world. When enough time had passed (six seconds—straights didn’t need that much sympathy), Nick clapped his hands and said, “Okay! I think I’m ready to do this. Once Seth gets into position, I’ll …” He peered over the edge again. Had the building gotten taller? It sure seemed like the ground was further away. “Jump, I guess.”

“I feel like we should talk about this more,” Gibby said quickly. “Like, a lot more. Weigh the pros and cons. Make a list! Yes, a list. Nicky, you love making lists.”

“I do,” Nick agreed. “But I know what you’re doing, and I won’t be distracted.”

“Seth agreed to this?” Jazz asked.

“Sort of?” Nick said. “I mean, there might have been some yelling and also some crying, but then I remembered that tears can be manipulative, so I said he could catch me if it looked like it wasn’t going to work. It pays to have a boyfriend who can fly.”

“Yeah,” Jazz said. “Still not used to hearing that.” She glanced at Nick, expression softening. “How’re things with your dad?”

Nick groaned. He’d been waiting for that question. After his confrontation with Dad, things had been weird. They were walking on eggshells around each other, Dad trying too hard to make up for all the shit he’d kept a secret. Every morning, a full breakfast. Every night, dinner that didn’t need to be heated in the microwave. “Weird,” Nick said. “It’s getting better but it’s going to take time. Just when I think we might be on the mend, I have to do things like vet the new doctor he found to make sure they’re not connected to Burke at all.”

“New meds?” Jazz asked gently.

Nick scratched the back of his neck, uncomfortable. “New meds. I’m still getting used to them, but they don’t seem to be too bad. I can think without my brain exploding, so that’s good.”

“Speaking of brains exploding,” Gibby said. “I will not go to your funeral if that happens, closed casket or not.”

“Her parents aren’t happy,” Jazz told him.

“About the school thing?” Nick asked, watching Gibby rant about the idiocy of queer teenage boys. He knew it was probably a whole hell of a lot more than just the school thing, but he didn’t know what else to ask without making it sound like he was protecting his father and his job.

Jazz shook her head. “No, they’re mostly okay with that. They went on a campus tour of NCU, and I think they’re coming around. It’s what she wants, and she’s managed to convince them it’s her idea and has nothing to do with us, which is somewhat true. It helps that she’s gonna be valedictorian.”

And even though Gibby was insulting him in the background, a swell of pride roared through Nick’s chest. “Damn right she is. Smarter than anyone we know. Her speech is going to be epic. But it’s not just about school, is it?”

Jazz sighed. “Your dad. And the NCPD in general.”

“Yeah,” Nick muttered. “I thought as much. They’re right, you know.”

“I know. My parents aren’t very happy, either, but I’ve managed to talk them down from sending me to private school in Switzerland, which is good because I don’t even know where that is.”

Nick scowled. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me. He’s got a lot of shit to make up for, if he even can. You should have seen the look on his face when he came back from meeting with Martha and Bob. He said she didn’t even offer him any cookies.”

“Whoa,” Jazz whispered. “She gives cookies to everyone.”

He was about to say that was how he knew she meant business when he heard a voice shout up at them. He looked over the edge of the roof again to see Seth standing in the alley below them. Nick gulped at how tiny he looked. He was at least six thousand feet down.

Nick waved back, ignoring how panicked Seth looked. He needed to be in the right headspace. He couldn’t let doubt seed in his head. If it did, he wouldn’t be able to jump off the roof of what had to be the tallest building in Nova City.

Nick took a step back, tilting his head side to side, popping his neck. He shook himself out, wiggling his entire body from his shoulders down to his toes. He looked across from them at the other building, pausing when he thought he saw a flash of movement. Probably a pigeon.

“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this. One time—that’s all it takes. And when I do it and live”—he shot a glare at Gibby, who rolled her eyes—“we’ll go celebrate by getting our fancy clothes for prom, which is not the best way to celebrate, but I agreed to it anyway because that’s the only way you said you’d come.”

Jazz sniffed. “I won’t have you looking like crap when we make our entrance. It’s going to be the biggest night of our lives.” She leaned forward, dropping her voice. “And don’t forget, we need to go buy condoms in case you and Seth decide to … you know.”

The sound Nick made was one he wasn’t proud of, a low wheeze that was better suited for the brakes on a city bus. She was right. Always be prepared. The measuring tape he’d used cemented the fact that he didn’t need Magnums, much to his consternation, but he was sure they made condoms for someone who was … well, average. For his age. Cosmo told him there was a chance he’d get bigger as he got older, but he needed to learn to work with what he had. After all, it wasn’t the size that mattered, but what you could do with it. That also came from Cosmo, in an article titled “So You’re Average? Guess What? That’s Okay!” He’d read it enthusiastically, nodding along with the carefully placed platitudes that assuaged his ego, all the while wondering if Seth would be in the same boat, or if he was hiding some kind of monster that probably only existed in fics and porn—which then, of course, sparked a bit of inspiration: Nash Bellin and Pyro Storm, trapped in a mountain cabin in the middle of a snowstorm, and wouldn’t you know? There was only one bed, and then Pyro Storm would take off his pants, and underneath, there’d be … he’d have a …

“Right,” he choked out. “The condoms. How could I forget?”

Jazz shook her head. “If you can’t even talk about rubbers without blushing, you aren’t ready. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do, Nick. You only get your first time once.”

“Did you—do you and Gibby—”

“Have sex? Yes, but we talked about it a lot before we ever decided to do it. There was some trial and error, but Gibby can do this thing with her tongue that is … absolutely not helping this conversation, by the look on your face.”

“Congratulations on all the sex,” Nick managed to say before coughing roughly.

“Thank you,” Jazz said primly. “We’re very good at it.”

“One thing at a time,” he said. “First, I’ll jump off a building, and then we can go buy condoms.”

“And lube,” Jazz said. “You’ll need lots and lots of lube. Like an entire vat of lube.”

“Stop saying lube!” he bellowed at her as he backed away from the edge of the roof, bouncing on his feet. One jump. That’s all it would take. One jump, and if it didn’t work, Seth would be there to catch him. Do it. Just do it and get it over with.

Raising his hands above his head, he yelled, “It’s time to take out the trash!”

“Nicky, no!” Gibby moaned.

“Nicky, yes!”

And then he ran for the edge of the roof.

He stopped right before the edge. “Okay, that was a practice one to get me in the groove. Only seventeen more of those, and we’ll be in business.”

Gibby sighed. “I can’t believe I’m wasting another Saturday with this.”

Ten minutes later, he’d run to the edge sixteen more times. Gibby had given up on him and was watching cat videos on her phone. Jazz, ever the cheerleader, stood next to Nick, rubbing his shoulders, saying You got this, champ; I believe in you, sport; you’re golden, bud. And while Nick appreciated her support, he stopped her when she began telling him that she always thought of him as a son.

What he didn’t tell her—or any of them, for that matter—was that this very building was one his father had told him about. That his mother had come here with the same idea in mind after she’d revealed what she could do. Dad had been terrified, standing on the ground below, waiting for her to jump. She hadn’t stalled like Nick was currently doing; Dad had told him that she was fearless to the point of lunacy. She’d vaulted off the roof of the building and fallen so fast that Dad had thought she was going to die right in front of him.

She hadn’t. It hadn’t even been close.

Halfway down, she’d just … stopped.

“Brave,” he whispered. “Be brave.”

Everything else melted away. Jazz, Gibby, the birds screeching on the roof opposite them, the cold air, the honking of car horns from the street below—all of it was gone, and the only thing Nick could hear was the sound of his quick breaths, the thundering of his heart.

And in his head, a flash of pressure, a bit of pain.

Gibby said, “Maybe we should—Nick!”

She must have seen the moment indecision was replaced by conviction. Wind whipped through his hair as he pumped his arms and legs, teeth gritted, skin slick with sweat despite the winter chill.

The edge of the roof grew closer and closer.

He jumped.

And immediately regretted all his life’s choices.

He began to fall, screaming, “Mistake! I’ve made a mistake, oh my god, what is wrong with me?” He plummeted toward the ground, Seth already at a crouch, licks of fire blooming around his feet, ready to rocket up and catch Nick so he didn’t freaking die in an alley wearing underwear with buffalo printed on them. He hoped the coroner wouldn’t make fun of him when performing the autopsy.

He closed his eyes—and there, in the darkness, was a little ball of light, a spark floating. He reached out and wrapped his fingers around it. It was warm and soft and he clutched it close, keeping it safe, holding it tight—

The wind stopped slamming into him.

“Holy shit,” he heard Seth breathe, sounding much closer than he’d been before.

“Am I dead?” Nick asked in a quivering voice.

“Uh, no? You’re … doing it.”

Nick opened his eyes.

The ground was at least ten feet below him, Seth looking up at him, mouth forming an O. Nick tilted his head back to see Gibby and Jazz above him, staring down, eyes wide and shocked.

He was floating.

“Ha!” he cried. “I did it! Yes. Yes! Take that, Mr. Baker, who in fourth grade said that I lacked follow-through! Suck it, you bastard! I’m doing it because I’m—”

Extraordinarywas how he would have finished, except he happened to look into the window of the building across from him. Inside, two children were staring out at him, jaws dropped. They had to be only six or seven years old.

He waved at them.

They screamed.

Startled, Nick tried to rear back, but he was floating in midair with nothing but the power of his mind. And said mind blanked out at the sound of overdramatic children.

He dropped a couple of feet in an instant, his stomach rising into his throat. “Abort! Abort!” he cried as he dropped again.

“I’ve got you!” Seth shouted from underneath him, but that did little to calm Nick, seeing as how he’d advanced from the five-pound barbells to the seven-pound barbells, meaning his body was much, much heavier than ever before.

The breath was knocked from his chest as he landed on top of Seth, both collapsing to the ground in a heap of limbs.

“Ow,” Seth said.

Nick blinked down at him before grinning. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Seth said, fighting a smile. “That went better than I expected.”

Nick leaned down and kissed the tip of his nose. “You make a very good landing pad.”

Seth laughed. “You did it, Nicky. Oh my god, you did it!”

He’d done it.

He’d done it.

He didn’t even realize he was crying until Seth said, “Hey, hey, Nicky, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

“I know,” he sobbed. “I’m pretty much the best thing ever. You’re so lucky to have me.”

“I really am,” Seth said.

He raised his head once more, tears streaming down his face, looking up at the pale blue sky above them. Gibby and Jazz were gone, most likely on their way down to congratulate Nick for having the best ideas. He startled when he thought he saw someone looking down at them from the opposite building, their head backlit by the gray sky. But when he blinked, the shape was gone.

Nick sat slumped in a chair outside of a dressing room, making faces at a bank of mirrors on the wall next to him. Jazz was in the changing room with the door shut, trying on yet another dress, searching for the perfect one. Nick had told her she wore the hell out of every dress she’d shown him so far, and while she’d beamed at him, she said that he wasn’t allowed to decide what she looked good in. Nick tried to argue but was immediately shot down when she reminded him the suit he’d decided on was an affront to fashion. Which, fair point.

Nick had tried on suit after suit, lamenting at how ridiculous he looked. He didn’t see the point in getting so dressed up, especially when he’d most likely lose the tie and coat as prom night wore on.

He’d been about to give up—all while groaning that he didn’t even know how to dance and Seth was going to dump him for stepping on his feet—when the clerk had reappeared, followed by Jazz, who looked like she was about to laugh. Nick wanted to know what was so funny, but the words died in his throat when he saw what the clerk was carrying.

“What the hell is that?” he breathed.

The clerk looked down at the suit he carried on a hanger. “This? The last time I rented this out, it was for a magician performing at a child’s birthday party under the name The Tremendous Carl. He died. Lead in the face paint he used. Your friend seems to think this is more your style, and who I am to argue, so long as your credit card isn’t declined?”

The pants were fine. They were black, nothing special. But the coat? Holy shit, the coat was the stuff technicolor dreams were made of. It, too, was black but sequined, the lapels a violent shade of purple that had to be a crime against humanity. The bow tie that hung from the hanger was also sequined, glittering in the recessed lighting.

Nick fell irrevocably in love. “I can wear this in public?” he demanded. “And you won’t give me shit over it?”

“Maybe a little,” Jazz said. “But I’ve already spoken with Gibby to make sure Seth has some similar colors so you two match.”

“Give it,” Nick said, snatching the suit from the clerk. “I’ve never wanted to wear anything so badly. My entire life has been building to this moment.”

The clerk grimaced. “Really? I don’t know what that says about you that—ahem, of course, sir. Please try it on, and let’s see how it—sir, sir. Please get changed in the dressing room and stop throwing pants.”

“I like your underwear!” Jazz called after him as he slammed the dressing room door behind him.

When he reappeared a few minutes later, he was transformed.

“Yesssss,” he hissed as he looked at himself in the mirror, arms outstretched as he spun around slowly. “Look at that ass. That’s an ass that says open for business. This—this is what we came for. I look like a dollar-store disco ball.”

“Is that … a good thing?” the clerk asked.

“It is,” Nick said.

He hadn’t wanted to take it off, but the clerk had been starting to give him the evil eye, so he’d changed back into his street clothes and turned his attention to Jazz. He was impressed with how quickly she could change, disappearing into the changing room and reappearing only moments later in something new. She took his breath away every time she came back out, but Jazz frowned at herself in the mirror, muttering under her breath before heading back into the dressing room in a swirl of lace, her long hair trailing after her.

He never hurried her, knowing Jazz would finish on her own time. He was messing around on his phone when he heard Jazz say, “I think—I think this is it.”

He looked up at the closed door. “Really? Oh man, let me see.”

“Hold on a second. I need to … there. Okay. Close your eyes.”

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and did as she asked. A moment later, the door opened, the sound of her footsteps soft on the carpeted floor. Fabric rustled, and then Jazz said, “Okay. You can look now.”

He opened his eyes.

Jasmine Kensington stood before him, a vision he wasn’t prepared for. The dress she wore was red, long, and flowing, chest covered in patterned lace, a red sash cinched around her waist. The dress extended down to the tops of her bare feet, surrounded by an exterior layer of white lace with red trim that billowed as she spun in a slow circle, eyes sparkling. Her shoulders were exposed, pale and lovely, and she smiled at him as she stopped spinning. “Well, what do you think?”

Nick swallowed thickly. “I think you’re amazing. And the dress is pretty killer too.”

She laughed as she turned back to the mirror. “Thanks, Nicky. I like it too.” She turned back and forth in front of the mirror, looking at herself from all angles. “I think this is the right one. I hope Gibby likes it.”

“Yeah,” Nick said dryly. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry about that. She’s not gonna know what hit her when she sees you. You want to show her now, or do you want to wait, like me and Seth?” Clichéd, perhaps, but he and Seth had decided to wait until prom night to see each other in their suits for the first time. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Seth’s face when he saw Nick’s dead magician tux.

Jazz gnawed on her bottom lip as she pulled at the sash around her waist. “I think I want to see her now. She was nervous too. I want to show her she doesn’t have to be.”

Nick stood from his chair and bowed comically, one hand behind his back, the other extended toward her, fingers beckoning. “Then, if you would, please allow me the honor of escorting you out of the dressing room.”

She smiled at him as she took his hand in hers. “Don’t mind if I do, good sir.”

Later, when all was said and done, Nick would think back to this moment, the one where Jazz and Gibby saw each other in their fancy dress clothes for the first time. This, he would tell himself, was worth fighting for. Moments like this where nothing else mattered but the happiness of the strong, beautiful women in his life.

“Close your eyes,” Nick told her, pulling her down the hall. He nodded at the clerk who disappeared into the back storage room. “Let it be a surprise.”

She played along, closing her eyes. “I can’t wait to see her.”

“Me too,” Nick said, knowing Seth would’ve done his best for Gibby, like Nick had done for Jazz. Granted, neither of them probably needed the boys’ help, but the fact that they got to be involved made Nick ridiculously happy.

“I’m a little nervous,” Jazz admitted as they reached the door that led out to the front of the shop.

“Why?” Nick asked, looking back at her, hand on the doorknob.

Jazz laughed quietly. “I don’t know. Isn’t that funny?”

“You don’t have anything to be nervous about,” Nick promised her. “Trust me.”

She cracked open one eye. “I do, Nicky.”

He squeezed her hand. “I know. Close your eyes.”

She did, and he pushed open the door.

Seth had his back to them, standing in front of Gibby, blocking him from seeing her as his boyfriend fiddled with something on Gibby’s clothes. “Man,” Seth said, not yet aware they were being watched. “You make this look good. Puts the rest of us to shame.”

Nick heard her snort. “Damn right I do. Pants are a little tight, but I’m sure they can tailor them to make them—Nick, what are you—”

“Nope,” Seth said, putting his hand over her eyes. “We’re going to do this right.” He glanced back over his shoulder, jaw dropping as he saw Jazz standing next to Nick. Then a slow smile bloomed on his face. “Whoa.”

“Right?” Nick said. “That’s what I said. And whoa, Gibby. You look fantastic.”

“Keep your eyes closed,” Seth told her, moving to her side and dropping his hand to hers. Gibby did as asked, and Nick took her in. She wore the hell out of an old-fashioned black tuxedo, the coat tails hanging down the back of her legs, her top hat sitting at a jaunty angle on her head. Her bow tie was red, as were her boots, which matched Jazz’s dress perfectly. Separately, they looked amazing. But Nick couldn’t wait to see them side by side. The world wasn’t prepared for them.

Nick led Jazz to the center of the shop. Seth did the same with Gibby, stopping in front of them. “Okay,” Nick said, letting Jazz’s hand go. “Don’t open your eyes yet. I want to record this for reasons that’ll become immediately clear in just a moment. Hold on a second, and I’ll count you down.”

Jazz and Gibby nodded in unison as Seth moved behind Nick, wrapping his arms around Nick’s waist as he looked over his shoulder. Nick held up his phone, hitting the record button. “You did good, Nicky,” Seth whispered in his ear, sending a shiver down Nick’s spine.

“I’m flattered you think I had anything to do with this,” he whispered back. “Trust me, I didn’t. This is all Jazz.” He raised his voice. “Okay, you guys ready? I’m going to count to three, and then you can open your eyes, all right?”

“Get on with it,” Gibby muttered. “These pants are going into places they shouldn’t be.”

“You’re ruining the moment,” Nick said. “Anticipation is the better part of—”

“Nick,” Jazz and Gibby said at the same time.

Nick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. All right. Here we go. Ready? One. Two. Three.”

He saw it the moment it happened, lifting his gaze from the screen to his friends. Jazz opened her eyes, and Gibby did too, and then it was as if they were the only two people in the entire world. Gibby’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of her girlfriend. She recovered quickly, shaking her head and holding out a trembling hand. Jazz took it in her own, smiling as wide as Nick had ever seen her.

“Jazz,” Gibby said in a hushed voice, and Nick felt warm at the reverence in that one word. “You …” She glanced away, blinking rapidly. When she looked back, her eyes were wet, but her own smile rivaled Jazz’s. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Jazz said with a sniffle. “You do too. That tux suits you.” She eyed Gibby up and down. “Really suits you. Wow. Look at you.” She let go of Gibby’s hand and walked around her. Gibby winked at Nick and Seth before she turned her attention back to Jazz, who stopped in front of her once more. “I love it. All of it.”

Gibby blew on her knuckles and rubbed them against her shoulder. “Oh, this old thing? It’s nothing.”

“Bullshit,” Jazz said. “It’s the exact opposite of nothing. It’s everything.”

Gibby leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. “You always know what to say.”

“That’s because I love you,” Jazz said, cupping her face and kissing her again.

“I love you too,” Gibby murmured against her lips.

“You sure you don’t want to show me your suit now?” Seth asked him quietly, but Nick was lost in his head, watching his friends. It was so easy for them. It always had been. Why was Nick making this so hard for himself?

Especially because he knew what he felt. He loved Seth Gray. He was in love with him, and no matter what happened in the future, no matter where their roads took them, nothing could ever change that. Not now, not ever. Here, today, at this moment, he was in love with his best friend.

But he didn’t want the first time he said these words to Seth to be in the middle of a shop, especially since this was about Gibby and Jazz. So he whispered, “We’re really lucky, aren’t we?”

Seth chuckled in his ear. “We are. And we’re going to—”

Seth’s phone went off, loud in the quiet. Seth frowned as he came to stand next to Nick, pulling his phone from his pocket. He looked down at the screen, brow furrowing as he swiped his thumb against it. Whatever he saw there caused his expression to harden. Nick knew that look. Something was wrong.

He leaned forward, trying to see what Seth saw. Jazz and Gibby came over to them, a question on both their faces. They crowded around them, looking down at Seth’s phone. Gibby took off her hat, holding it at her side.

Simon Burke appeared on the screen, standing in front of a row of microphones. Cameras shuttered and flashed, casting dancing shadows behind him against a familiar glass building. Simon Burke was giving a press conference in front of Burke Tower. On his left stood a white man and to his right a white woman, so eerily similar in appearance that they had to be related. Perhaps they were twins. They both looked severe, wearing black suits and heavy coats, staring straight ahead, hands clasped behind them. The man’s head was shaved. The woman’s dark hair was cut short and slicked back. Nick felt a twinge of recognition, but he couldn’t place when he’d seen them. Had he met them when he was dating Owen?

“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Burke said gravely. “When I announced our new initiative to Save Our Children a few weeks ago, we never anticipated the level of community involvement it would inspire. While many provided information on our website that turned out to be inaccurate, we were able to parse through the bluster and noise, and as of today’s date, we have received at least seven credible reports of Extraordinary activity from concerned citizens. This list will not be disseminated, nor will it be exploited for nefarious purposes.”

“You know,” Gibby muttered, “when someone tells you they’re not going to be nefarious, chances are they’re going to be exactly that.”

“—while it’s a start, and it’s my hope we can help these people, should they ask for it, we need to take care with how we proceed. Nothing is more important to the future of our city—and our country as a whole—than for us to understand what exactly these people are capable of. Which is why it’s my pleasure to announce that we now have the support of the mayor’s office, and that of the Nova City Police Department.”

“What?” Nick growled. “Dad never said anything about—”

“With me now,” Burke continued, “is Nova City Police Chief, Rodney Caplan. Chief Caplan, if you please.”

Cap stepped into view, pushing by the man next to Burke, who didn’t seem inclined to move. Cap was irritated, that much was clear; his mustache was twitching dangerously, a sure sign to anyone that knew him that he wasn’t pleased. The cameras flashed again, Cap holding up his hands to ward off questions being shouted at him. “Quiet!” Cap barked, glaring out at the reporters gathered before him. “I won’t be speaking for long, and I won’t be taking any questions. I have been asked by Mayor Stephanie Carlson to provide resources to the Burke initiative. I have made my objections known, telling her that my officers shouldn’t be at the beck and call of a private business owner to act as his personal guard dogs. Trust is paramount between the police and the communities they patrol. I will remind everyone watching and listening that I have zero tolerance for anything that causes harm to the people of Nova City, which includes Extraordinaries. We live with them. They are our friends. Our loved ones, even if we might not know what they’re capable of. Remember that as you’re anonymously submitting private information about your neighbors to the wealthiest local business owner in Nova City. And an additional reminder to every single officer who makes up the Nova City Police Department: you do not answer to Simon Burke. Any officer acting outside of my orders will immediately be suspended pending an investigation. Good day.”

Cap stalked offstage, ignoring the reporters shouting after him.

Burke stepped forward once more, a hint of a smile on his face. “Thank you, Chief Caplan. Your years of service are appreciated, and we’re lucky we have someone such as yourself on our side. And he’s right: we do live with Extraordinaries, and they could be our friends and loved ones. But until there are protections in place for those of us who don’t have superpowers, we must do what we have to in order to Save Our Children.”

He glanced left, at the man. Right, at the woman. He faced forward once more, leaning down toward the microphones. “And to show you how serious I am, I’d like you to introduce you to two associates of mine. They are part of a new outreach program to help Extraordinaries come to terms with who they are. With the cooperation of the Nova City School District, we will be sending them out to all the schools in the city to meet with your children, acting as ambassadors to meet with anyone—with or without powers—who would like to discuss things they’ve seen or what they can do in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. See something, say something, because that is the only way we’ll be able to understand our superpowered brethren. Christina, Christian—a demonstration, if you please.”

The man and woman stepped forward. They raised their hands as one, palms toward the sky. From the hands of the woman rose a thick column of billowing smoke, moving as if it were sentient. From the hands of the man, ice, snapping the air around it until it froze. Frozen particles swirled around as the reporters gasped.

“It’s them,” Seth snarled, hands tightening around his phone so hard, Nick heard the case creak. “They’re the ones who attacked us. Smoke. Ice. What the hell is going on?”

Burke stepped forward to the podium once more as Smoke and Ice dropped their hands, clasping them behind themselves. “Christina and Christian were involved in the recent altercation with the Extraordinary known as Pyro Storm. Before that, they came to me, seeking my help. Given my extensive history of philanthropic endeavors, along with the fact that I was unknowingly raising a son with preternatural abilities, they knew I was and am in a position to offer assistance. At my request, they went to meet with Pyro Storm in the spirit of peace, to extend an invitation to meet and discuss participating in the Save Our Children initiative, only to be viciously attacked. They tried to deescalate the situation, but Pyro Storm would not listen to reason. People were hurt as a direct result of his actions. That cannot be allowed to happen again, which is why I am now offering one million dollars to anyone who can identify the Extraordinary known as Pyro Storm.” His smile widened. “Please don’t misunderstand me; this is not a call for vigilante justice. If you possess verifiable knowledge as to the identity of Pyro Storm, we’re asking that you call the hotline number we’ve set up. Operators are standing by to take down all tips, which will be vetted until the truth comes out.”

Across the screen, a chyron scrolled with the hotline number.

“Safety first,” Burke said. “Because the emerging generation of extraordinary members of our society deserve to have better role models and options than Pyro Storm.”

Burke pulled back slightly, cameras flashing, reporters once again shouting at him. He looked as if he were basking in the attention.

Burke leaned forward again, raising his voice above those of the reporters. “And finally, a message to Pyro Storm: You think yourself alone, but I can assure you that’s far from the truth. I am here for you. Christina and Christian are here for you. Nova City is here for you, and together, we can make our home the shining jewel of this great country of ours. Make yourself known before someone does it for you. Thank you, and good day.”

The video ended, Burke raising his hands above his head, as if in victory.

Nick looked at Seth. His jaw was twitching as he ground his teeth together. Seth lowered his phone, closing his eyes.

“What do we do now?” Jazz asked in a small voice.

Seth shook his head. “I don’t know. Cap didn’t seem too happy about it, but what can he really do if he’s being ordered into this?”

Nick scowled. “Cap isn’t the biggest fan of the Extraordinaries, but he wouldn’t do anything that put us in jeopardy. Even if he’s being told to do something, he’s not going to make things easy for Burke.” He wished he could believe that more than he did, but he didn’t know what, if anything, they were holding over Cap. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. “It’s not like he knows about Seth.”

Gibby looked perturbed. “Unless you think … Nick, could your dad have told him?”

Jazz and Seth turned their heads slowly to look at Nick.

Nick took a step back, suddenly unsure. “He—he said he didn’t. I know he’s been a jerk, but that’s not him.”

Seth nodded. He looked around at all three of them. “We have to be careful. Anything seems off, we’ll deal with it together. As a team.”

“Hell yes,” Gibby said. “We’re not gonna let something like a million-dollar bounty stop us from doing the right thing.”

Nick wished he had their optimism. “What do we do now?”

“We need to meet with Miss Conduct and TK,” Seth said. “Strength in numbers. I’ll reach out, see if they’ll talk to us.”

“Are you sure about that?” Gibby asked. “We don’t know them.”

“I do,” Seth said firmly. “At least, as well as someone can know them. I’m asking you to trust me on this. I wouldn’t do anything if I thought it’d put any of you in danger. If we’re as alone in this as I think we are, we need all the help we can get. I don’t know if they’ll agree, but we’ve got to try.”

“Superhero team-up,” Nick breathed. “It’s like this is a sequel! Oh my god. Yes. Yes.”

“Uh,” Seth said. “Sure. Why not. Let’s go with that.”

Gibby wasn’t as thrilled. She frowned at Nick before looking back at Seth. “If you’re sure. Be careful, all right? Things are crazy enough as it is. We can’t take the chance that we’ll have someone stabbing us in the back just because we want more people on our side.”

Seth nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Trust but verify, yeah? Nick, get in touch with your dad, find out what he knows. Gibby, go to my house and talk with my aunt and uncle. Jazz, go with her. I need you in the lair to—”

“Secret lair,” Nick corrected automatically.

Seth snorted. “Yeah, the secret lair. Jazz, I need you on comms. You’re the best at it.”

“On it, boss,” Jazz said. “Ooh, that gave me bad chills. I’m not going to call you that anymore.”

“Please don’t,” Seth said. “All right, let’s go. Nick and I will—”

The sound of a door swinging open followed by a voice startled them. “Are you guys going to just stand there wearing my clothing without paying for them? Because that’s not how commerce works.”

They all jumped, looking back behind them. The clerk stood with his arms crossed, glaring at them.

“Right,” Nick said hastily. “We’ll pay for them and then be on our way. And don’t change a thing about my dead magician suit. If you even remove one sequin, I’ll know, and the Yelp review I’ll leave will be emotionally devastating but still have five stars because I shop and support local.”

The clerk rolled his eyes. “Get into tuxedo rentals, they said. You’ll love it, they said. Well, guess what? They lied.”

“That sounds like a you problem,” Nick said. “But since I’m not in the mood to destroy dreams right now, I’ll let it slide. You did a good job. Thank you for your help.”

The clerk blanched. “Oh—you’re welcome. And please, tell your friends about my shop for all their prom needs.”

“We don’t have any other friends,” Gibby said.

The clerk threw up his hands in disgust.