by TJ Klune
“I won’t.” Then Dad grew stern again. “But that’s all you get it for. I’m going to call the service provider and restrict your data usage. I’m serious about this, Nick.”
“Okay.”
“Dammit, kid.” Dad shook his head, and Nick could see he wasn’t angry anymore. Only disappointed, and that stung even more. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Nick didn’t have an answer to that. He never really could explain why he thought some things were good ideas. “I don’t know.”
“You’re going home. I’m going to have someone drive you there, and you will stay there. God help you if I find out otherwise, you understand me? I don’t have time to do it myself. Your stupid Pyro Star and Shadow Whatever are making more work for everyone.”
“Pyro Storm and Shadow Star,” Nick corrected automatically. Then, “What happened now?”
“Oh, no. Absolutely not. You don’t get to know anything. Grounded, Nick. Remember?”
Nick scowled at him. “I’ll find out from the television when I get home.”
Dad narrowed his eyes. “No TV.”
Nick gasped. “How am I supposed to stay informed? Do you really want your only son to not know what’s going on in the world? Current events are important to the shaping of my young mind!”
“I’m sure you’ll find some way to deal,” Dad said. “And while you’re sitting in silence without any electronic devices to distract you, perhaps you can use that time to come up with an idea or two about the changes that need to be made. Because the talk we’re going to have won’t be a good one if you don’t give me something.”
It was apt how he smelled, given the shit he was in.
* * *
The unfortunate assignment of taking Nick home was given to a rookie. He looked resigned at the outset, but when he got a good whiff of Nick, the resignation morphed into outright horror. Cap just grinned and slapped him on the back, saying something about having to start somewhere.
“You don’t give him any grief,” Dad warned as he handed Nick a plastic bag filled with his clothes, wallet, and phone. “If I hear you said anything but yes, sir or no, sir, you can bet that this grounding you’ve found yourself in will extend well into your thirties.”
“You can’t ground me into my thirties!”
“Watch me. Shape up, Nick, or you’ll find out what it’s like to be thirty-two and explaining to your friends that you can’t go out because your dad grounded you and you have to get home before curfew.”
Nick thought this could potentially be considered child abuse, but since he didn’t want to risk being thirty-two and not being able to get online, he kept it to himself. Instead, he said, “Whatever. You suck. Everything sucks. My life is so hard. No one understands me.”
“And I feel just terrible about it. Get home, get cleaned up, and do your homework. I’ll be following up with the school next week to check in and see how you’re doing. Anything I should know about beforehand?”
Nick grimaced. “Um. No? If you hear anything about the mating habits of box turtles, know that it didn’t start out that way, and I have no idea how I got there.”
Dad looked toward the ceiling for reasons Nick didn’t quite understand. “Box turtles.”
“And also, maybe give consideration for leniency if anything is said about an AP History pop quiz, emphasis on the word pop, as in it popped out of nowhere. Which is unfair.”
“Nick,” Dad warned.
“Gotta go, bye! Bye, Dad! Goodbye! Officer Rookie, move. Move right now. Oh my god, why are you still sitting there? Stop making that face at me, I don’t smell that bad. Okay, maybe I do, but seriously. Cap told you to move, so move.”
Apparently, Officer Rookie didn’t like being pushed out of the precinct, but Nick figured he needed the experience.
* * *
Officer Rookie refused to let him sit in the front seat, instead relegating him to the back like a common criminal. And since it was the second time in the space of a few hours that Nick had ridden in the back of a cop car, he wasn’t in a very good mood. Add in the fact that he was grounded for what would most likely amount to the rest of his life and that apparently his nose was starting to work again and he could smell himself even though all the windows were rolled down—Nick wasn’t having a very good day.
It didn’t help that when he got his phone again, there were texts from Jazz (DON’T BECOME A SNITCH IN JAIL BECAUSE SNITCHES GET STITCHES) and Gibby (u need to bathe in tomato juice u idiot), but nothing from Seth. Nothing from Owen either, but Nick found he didn’t care too much about that.
Seth, however, was another story entirely. Nick didn’t know if he should be furious or worried that Seth hadn’t responded. Unless Seth had gotten sick again, Nick didn’t understand why he couldn’t have at least had the courtesy to answer Nick’s many texts, each more irritated than the last. After all, they’d shared Skwinkles Salsagheti on a sort of not-date, and Nick thought that’d meant something. The past couple of days had been … nice? Sure, Nick didn’t really know how he felt about the whole idea of him and Seth being … him and Seth, but it had to mean something when Nick’s heart fluttered a little when Seth had shown up to school the next day after the not-date wearing a bow tie with little unicorns on it. He’d stared at Seth for so long that Seth had blushed and asked if everything was okay. Nick had nodded, unsure of how to say anything that didn’t end with Why are you so amazing all the time?
Because Nick was destined to be Shadow Star’s boyfriend, right? After all, Shadow Star had known his name without Nick giving it to him and had said he was cute. Yeah, he’d been repeating what Gibby had told him in order to take the picture after Nick had accidentally kissed the side of his head, but still. It was something.
Nick sighed dramatically and slumped in the back seat. “My love life is in shambles, Officer Rookie.”
“I told you, my name is Chris. You can call me that, or Officer Morton.”
Nick snorted. Amateur. Who did he think he was dealing with? “Okay, Officer Rookie. Whatever you say. Anyway, my love life is in shambles.”
“I can’t believe I went to the academy for this,” Officer Rookie muttered. “To be a chauffeur to a smelly child. I don’t get paid enough to deal with this.”
“Police officers are woefully underpaid,” Nick agreed. “Especially for the line of work they’re in. It’s dangerous on a daily basis, and they should be compensated.”
“Thanks.” He sounded surprised. “That’s nice of you—”
“As I was saying, my love life is in shambles. Everything sucks.” He turned to stare forlornly out the window. “I’m having feelings, Officer Rookie, and I don’t know what to do with them.”
“We should probably not talk at all,” Officer Rookie said. “Make things easier for every—”
“On one hand,” Nick said, “there’s my best friend. He’s awesome and funny and wonderful, and sometimes, when he concentrates really hard, he scrunches up his forehead, and I think there’s a chance I might want to put my face on his face, even if he doesn’t show up when he’s supposed to.”
“Do you understand what not talk at all means? Because I was serious when I said—”
“And on the other hand, there’s Shadow Star. The Extraordinary who owns my heart because he’s brave and selfless and can climb walls and defeat bad guys. And he saved me once, and even though I didn’t tell him, he knew my full name and said I was cute.” Nick frowned. “Well, sort of. He was coerced into saying it by a baby butch, but I totally believed him because he wouldn’t lie about things like that.”
Officer Rookie sounded like he was going through his own existential crisis. “You’ll be an officer of the law, they said. You’ll help people, they said. You’ll get a Taser, they said, even if they also said you couldn’t use it whenever you wanted.”
Nick barely heard a single word from Officer Rookie. “And it’s not like I want to have to make a choice like this, you know? I mean, yes, it can be sai
d that I’ve known Seth for practically my whole life whereas Shadow Star and I have only spoken once, for like, five minutes, but those five minutes were so … electric. There was something there, and it was awesome.” He sighed dreamily as he looked out the window again. “But on the flip side, Seth got weirdly muscular when I wasn’t looking. It’s like puberty hit him late, or whatever. Not that it matters. I thought he was perfect the way he was before. I mean, he wears ascots, Officer Rookie. If you saw him wearing one, you’d probably want to kiss him too.” Nick turned to glare at Officer Rookie. “Except he’s only sixteen, and you’re, like, thirty. That’s disgusting and illegal. Get that thought out of your head right now.”
“I’m not thirty,” Office Rookie said. “I’m twenty-four.”
What the f—? “That’s still illegal! Why are you arguing with me on this? You stay away from Seth!”
“I’m not trying to—you know what? No. I’m not going to get involved.”
“Damn right, you’re not. That’s creepy, Officer Rookie.”
Officer Rookie sighed dramatically as the heavy traffic slowed to a stop. “If I give you some advice, can we finish the rest of this ride in silence?”
“I have ADHD. I don’t do many things in silence.”
Officer Rookie muttered something under his breath. It didn’t sound complimentary. Rude. “Shadow Star is cool and all, okay? I get it. He’s an Extraordinary, and some of the things he can do are nuts. But he’s always going to put the needs of Nova City first. For whatever reason, he thinks it’s his job. And you won’t be able to compete with that.”
“But—”
“And you have your best friend, who sounds like a really great guy. Maybe he’s busier than he’s been before, but it sounds like you really care for him. And you know him well. Why would you still be vacillating between the two? The answer is obvious.”
“Huh. I’ve never thought of it that way before.” Nick narrowed his eyes. “What’s your play here, Officer Rookie? You trying to convince me one way or the other so you can go for the one I didn’t choose? So if you’re not trying to get with a teenager, you’ve got some kind of superhero kink and you—”
A streak of light appeared from above, meteor-bright and harsh.
Nick knew that light.
He heard shouts coming from outside the car, and he leaned his head out the open window.
There, high above the streets of Nova City, were Shadow Star and Pyro Storm.
Nick squeaked when a bright bloom of fire burst from Pyro Storm, hurtling directly toward Shadow Star. Shadow Star managed to leap off the roof of an apartment building, narrowly avoiding getting caught in the flames.
“Dammit,” Officer Rookie whispered. He picked up the receiver to the radio and barked something into it. He threw it back down, twisting to look at Nick. “You stay here, do you get me? I swear to god, if you get out of this car, I will find you, and I will mace you.”
“That’s police intimidation—oh, you’re already gone.”
Officer Rookie slammed the door to the cruiser, shouting at people to get back into their cars. Traffic was gridlocked, so it wasn’t as if they could actually go anywhere, but Nick knew it was safer in the vehicles than out.
Officer Rookie took off down the street, leaving a mostly naked, rancid boy in the back seat of his police cruiser.
All in all, it had been a very weird day.
And, it must be said, Nick did try to listen to Officer Rookie. He really did. He heard Cap’s voice in his head, telling him Dad loved him. He remembered the exhausted look on Dad’s face at the sight of him in the interrogation room.
The problem with all of that was Nicholas Bell happened to look up in time to see Pyro Storm lay a devastating kick right to Shadow Star’s head, knocking him off the side of the building and into a darkened alley.
“No!” Nick shouted as Shadow Star fell. He couldn’t see where he’d landed, but Pyro Storm disappeared into the same alley.
Nick made a choice.
He threw off the blanket and climbed out the window of the cruiser.
He managed to land on his feet on the sidewalk. No one seemed to pay him much mind, too busy hurrying away in case the battle between the Extraordinaries escalated into something more violent. Nick was well aware he was in public in only his underwear and flip-flops, but he didn’t have time to think about how his lack of any sort of muscle definition was on complete display for any pervert who wanted to ogle him. He darted into the alley, jumping over a manhole cover spouting steam. He landed in something wet, and he made a strangled noise but refused to look down to see exactly what it was. He was better off not knowing.
The sky above was overcast, and the lack of light made the shadows in the long alley darker. Nick looked from side to side as he moved, trying to find where Shadow Star had landed. If he was injured, he’d need someone to protect him from Pyro Storm. Maybe Pyro Storm would get one whiff of Nick and run in the opposite direction. Nick never wanted his superpower to be smelling bad, but if it worked, he might have to reconsider. Stink Man, ship name ShadowStink. It needed fine-tuning.
The sounds of the street faded behind him as he made his way down the alley, the buildings looming around him, the shadows stretching farther as he passed an overflowing dumpster. Laundry hung from a line in a window above him, flapping in the breeze. A cat ran in front of Nick, disappearing into a pile of old boxes sitting against the building.
He turned his head to follow it and while distracted, bumped into something hot.
Something scalding.
It was about this time that Nick thought maybe he should have listened to Officer Rookie and stayed in the cruiser.
Because he’d run into Pyro Storm. His back, to be more specific. His cape, which had a stylized flame right in the center, flapped against Nick’s bare legs.
“Um,” Nick managed to say.
Pyro Storm turned slowly to look at him. His bloodred mask covered most of his face, leaving only his mouth exposed. The eyeholes of the mask were covered in a white material that kept Nick from seeing what his eyes looked like.
Pyro Storm said, “Why are you only in your underwear?” He raised his hands like he was reaching for Nick, and no, not today, asshole.
“Take this!” Nick bellowed somewhat heroically.
Then he punched Pyro Storm in the side of the head.
While his father always said to avoid fighting if at all possible, he still taught Nick how to defend himself. Thankfully, the only thing he’d ever had to hit in his life was the punching bag at the gym they’d gone to in the magical time known as Before.
But Nick had not forgotten what he’d been taught, and while the punch wouldn’t go down as the best punch in history, it was still pretty good. He brought his arm back, fist curled, and then let it fly.
And learned rather quickly that Pyro Storm had a hard head. Either that, or his mask was made of the densest material known to man. The pain was immediate and fierce, his hand quickly going numb. Nick hissed between his teeth as he pulled his arm back, shaking it out as he winced.
“Did you punch me?” Pyro Storm growled. “Why would you do that?” His voice was modulated much like Shadow Star’s was, making it deeper than it probably was in real life.
“Because you’re a villain,” Nick said, holding his hand to his chest. “And you hurt Shadow Star, who I think I have feelings for, even though it’s recently become complicated due to other factors.”
“Oh my god,” Pyro Storm said, rubbing the side of his head. “So you punch me? Who does that?”
Nick blinked. “Well. I guess … I do?”
Pyro Storm sighed. “Did you hurt your hand?”
Nick squinted at him. “A little? But why do you care? Shouldn’t you be kidnapping me and tying me to the top of a bridge or something while you gloat over your plans to take over Nova City?”
“You’re so dumb,” Pyro Storm muttered. “Let me see your—” His mouth twisted as he reared back. “Wh
at is that smell?”
Nick. It was all Nick. “I have no idea,” he said. “Probably this dank alleyway. I think I stepped in something back there that used to be alive, so.”
Nick tried to scrabble backward when Pyro Storm reached out again to grab his hand, but he didn’t get very far. Pyro Storm wore thick gloves, but Nick could still feel the heat emanating from him. He lifted Nick’s hand close to his face, and the white lenses over his eyes flashed brightly, like he was scanning Nick’s hand. He pressed against Nick’s knuckles, causing him to hiss. “It’s not broken,” Pyro Storm finally said. “You split the skin a little, but it’s fine. Put some ice on it when you get home to keep it from swelling.”
Nick jerked his hand away. “So, you’re not going to kidnap me and hold me for ransom in order to have leverage for your dastardly deeds?”
“What? Why would I do that? Look. Nick. It’s not what you think, okay? I’m not—”
“I never told you my name.” Nick could barely breathe as he took another step back.
“Yeah, you did,” Pyro Storm said. “Right before you punched me in the head.”
Nick stared at him. “I really don’t think that happened.”
“Who are you going to believe? Me? Or you, who’s standing in an alley wearing … is that … do you have lions on your underwear?”
Nick tried to cover himself as best he could, wondering what it said about his life that he was in an alley with the evil villain Pyro Storm, who was staring at his junk. Probably nothing good. “It’s been a lion kind of day!”
“What does that even mean?”
Nick wasn’t quite sure. “It made sense when I woke up this morning.”
“Look, Nick, go home, okay? You can’t be here. Not for this.” Pyro Storm turned to walk away.
“You can’t hurt him!” Nick said shrilly. “You can’t hurt Shadow Star!”