by TJ Klune
“Yeah. I mean, it’d be nice, you know? Having you around.”
“I thought so too. And as a bonus, it means that you and your boyfriend won’t have a lot of time to rub against each other before I get home.”
Nick choked on pot roast.
Dad took a sip of his water.
After he’d managed not to die, he spat, “Oh my god, why would you say that?”
“Kid, I was a teenage boy once.”
“Yeah, when mastodons roamed the earth.”
Dad snorted. “Keep telling yourself that, Nicky.”
“We don’t—we’re not rubbing on each other. God! I haven’t even seen him since…”
“Since he lit the bridge on fire and then punched Owen Burke in the face?”
Nick slumped in his chair. “So, we’re going to talk about this now, are we? I knew this dinner was a bribe. You’re not subtle, Officer Bell. At all.”
“I’m allowed to be worried, kid. Comes with the whole being-a-dad gig.”
Nick sighed. “I know. And while I appreciate your intrusive concern, you don’t have to worry about me. Or Seth. He’s not going to hurt me.”
“I know that, Nick. Seth Gray would rather cut off his own arm than see any harm come to you. It’s not him that I’m worried about.”
Nick was confused. “Then what’s the problem?”
“He’s an Extraordinary. A powerful one at that. And no matter what he does, it’s going to attract attention.”
“That’s not his fault. He’s not trying—”
Dad held up his hand. “I’m not saying it is. But there are going to be people who won’t like what he is. He’s always going to have a target on his back. Which means the same thing could happen to you.”
Nick didn’t feel very hungry anymore. “So I shouldn’t be his boyfriend? Or what about just his friend? Are you telling me I need to cut him out of my life altogether?”
“Of course not, Nicky. I would never ask that of you. And even if I did, what are the chances you would listen to me?”
“I would try,” Nick admitted. “I’d probably be really pissed off at you for a long time, but then I’d see him in one of his sweater vest combos and decide he’s worth it.”
Dad stared at him.
Nick shrugged. “What? I can’t help it if I think it’s adorable. I mean, he’s got this one bow tie that makes me want to—not finish that sentence, because you’re my father, and I’m a virgin.”
“Good to know,” Dad said dryly. “Let’s keep it that way for a while, shall we?”
That was okay with Nick. He wasn’t in any rush, even if he was filled with certain inclinations that pointed toward his virginity being destroyed quite spectacularly. “Deal.”
“I just…” Dad looked down at the table. “I need you to be careful, Nick. That’s all I want, okay? You’re old enough to make your own decisions, but that also means you need to think of the consequences. I can’t have anything happen to you.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Which is why I’ve accepted an offer.”
Nick … didn’t know what to do with that. “From who?”
“Cap.”
“What kind of offer?”
“To head a new division with the NCPD.”
So far so good. He hoped. “Doing what?”
“I’ll be in charge of investigating the activities of Extraordinaries. Monitoring them. Helping them. Stopping those that need to be stopped.”
Nick went cold. “You’re going after Seth?”
Dad’s eyes widened. “No, Nick. No. It’s not like that. It’s … think of it as checks and balances. I’ll be working with Seth, if he decides to continue with being Pyro Storm. He’s—I’ve gone back. Through the files. He was always trying to help. It was—”
“Owen,” Nick said bitterly. “It was Owen that was causing all the trouble. He tried to take credit for everything. And we all fell for it.” He shook his head. “But it wasn’t all his fault. His dad hurt him. Made him do things. And Simon Burke is getting away with it.”
“But you figured it out,” Dad said lightly. “You saw the truth. And I have to believe it wasn’t always that way for Owen. That had someone been there to guide him, he could have ended up differently. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else. And it’ll be my job to make sure it doesn’t. Simon Burke won’t get away with this. Not for long. I promise.”
It was a cold comfort, but Nick let it go. “You’ll be doing this by yourself?”
Dad shook his head. “No. I’ll have officers under me. I’ve already asked Cap to give me Officer Rookie. He agreed, though we haven’t told the rook yet.”
“Oh man, I bet he hates that you call him that.”
“I blame it all on you. He understands.”
Nick chewed the inside of his cheek. “You’ll have to talk to Seth,” he said finally. “I don’t know what he wants to do. He’s … This took a lot out of him.”
“I know. And I already did.”
“What? When?”
“Thursday.”
Nick could barely contain his outrage. “You said you had a doctor’s appointment. You liar.”
“I did. It didn’t take very long. I went to the Gray house after.”
Of all the deceitful— “You could have taken me. Maybe I would’ve liked to go too.”
“I know. But I needed them to see I was doing this on my own. It’s not every day you tell a teenager and his guardians you’re aware he can create fire out of nothing, and you want to help.”
Okay. Now Nick was impressed. “Whoa. Badass.”
“Language.”
“It is.”
Dad looked pleased. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“What happened?”
“His voice got really high-pitched, and he squeaked a lot.”
“Yeah,” Nick said dreamily. “He’s just the best.”
“Oh boy. Not gonna touch that one.” Dad shook his head. “They listened to me. I told them I would keep Seth’s secret, as long as he doesn’t do anything to force my hand. He asked if he could think about it. He didn’t know if he wanted to be Pyro Storm anymore.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me any of this,” Nick muttered.
“I asked him not to. I wanted you to hear it from me. It’s … important, Nicky.” His smile faded. “This work. What it would mean. The people we could help. And I’m not going to lie, it scares the hell out of me to think of you getting in harm’s way because of who Seth is.” His hands curled into fists. “I’ve—we’ve already lost a lot. I can’t lose anyone anymore. I know I can’t keep you from Seth, and I don’t want to. But at least this will put me in a position to make sure you’re never taken from me again.”
Nick didn’t hesitate. He stood from his chair and rounded the table. He reached down and put an arm around his father’s shoulder. Dad laid his head against Nick’s chest, just above his heart. “I’m not going anywhere,” Nick said quietly. “I promise. You and me, okay? That’s how it’s gonna be. It’s easier to stand together than it is to struggle apart. And I know I’m getting older, but if you think that means I won’t need you as much, you’re wrong. You’re my dad. No matter where I go or who I’m with, that’s not going to change.”
Dad chuckled hoarsely. “That so?”
“Yeah. I mean, you break it, you buy it. You’re pretty much stuck with me forever.”
“I’m okay with that.” Then, “She’d be proud of you, you know.”
Nick’s breath caught in his chest.
“I know … I know we don’t talk about her as much as we should. And that’s my fault. I should—I should have done things different. I got lost a little, I think. And I’m sorry for that.”
“It’s okay—”
Dad shook his head as he pulled away. He looked up at Nick. “It’s not. You deserve everything, Nicky. And someday I’ll tell you everything. But know that she’d be proud of you. Everything you’ve done. The man you’ve become. You’ve done
good, kid.”
Nick sniffled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Now, eat before this gets cold.”
* * *
Gibby and Jazz were sitting on the bench in the Franklin Street station the next morning. They both jumped up when they saw him, hurrying over. Jazz kissed his cheek and cooed in his ear, and Gibby admired the sling. “You look better than you did at the hospital,” she said, ruffling his hair. “It was touch and go there for a moment.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “It was a dislocated shoulder.”
“Yeah, we know that, but you were the one shouting that they were going to have to amputate. It was probably the morphine talking, but still.”
“I regret nothing,” Nick said grandly.
“All right otherwise?” Jazz asked.
“Yeah. How bad is it going to be?”
Gibby grinned. “Pretty bad. I think almost everyone at school is talking about how you cheated on Seth when you had a threesome with Pyro Storm and Owen.”
Nick groaned. High school sucked balls.
“I also heard a rumor that you are actually the evil mastermind behind all of it,” Jazz said, flipping her hair. “Because of your manifesto, which is just ridiculous. You’re about as evil as a puppy.”
Rebecca Firestone was going to get her comeuppance. Nick would make sure of that. “Hey! I could be evil if I wanted to.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Gibby said. “There’s even a rumor that you’re an Extraordinary yourself, and you’re keeping it secret.”
Nick scoffed. “Yeah, if only they knew what I went through to try and be one. I swear I still smell river water every now and then.”
Jazz shrugged. “It doesn’t help that you fell off the spire and landed on your feet.”
Nick frowned. “Yeah, I haven’t quite figured that out yet. Seth thinks I got lucky. I think it was Owen. Cap told me I just … stopped before I hit the ground. I mean, it had to be Owen, right? His shadows. Maybe he’s not totally bad. I mean, he’s still a dick, but…”
Gibby eyed him curiously. “What did your dad say? He saw it too, right?”
“Wouldn’t talk about it. I think it’s still too much for him. He’s a softie.”
Gabby picked up her backpack, slinging it over her shoulder. “Well, whatever it was, expect lots of people to be staring at you and whispering behind your back, with nothing but wild speculations.”
“So, pretty much like normal, then. Cool. Cool, cool, cool.”
“Yeah, but think. Now you can tell everyone if they don’t shut up, you’ll sic your Extraordinaries on them.”
That sounded like the best idea ever. “Oh, man. Can you imagine? I’ll tell them that they’ll be lit on fire if they—”
“Who are we lighting on fire?”
Nick said, “Meep.” He whirled around.
There, standing in a pair of chinos and a bright green sweater vest with a pink bow tie, was Seth Gray.
“I want to put my face on your face,” Nick breathed.
Seth blushed brightly, looking down at the ground as he shuffled his feet.
“Oh my god,” Gibby muttered behind them. “I honestly thought it couldn’t be more awkward. I was wrong.”
“Young love,” Jazz said with a sigh. “Remember when we were like that?”
“We were never like them,” Gabby snapped. “We’re queer women. We have some sense of decency.”
Nick ignored them, his heart stumbling all over itself as he watched the boy in front of him.
“Hi,” Seth mumbled.
“Hi,” Nick managed to say. “Um. It’s … nice to see you?”
“You too.”
“You look good.”
Seth blushed harder. “Thanks. So do you.” He shuffled his feet some more before saying, “I brought you something.”
“You did?”
“It’s nothing big,” Seth warned, pulling his backpack around to his front. He opened the pocket on the side and pulled out a plastic package. He shoved it into Nick’s hand.
Nick looked down to see watermelon-flavored Skwinkles Salsagheti. He didn’t know that Mexican candy could make him feel like flying. “I got you something too.”
Seth perked up. “What?”
Nick shook his head. “You have to close your eyes.”
He did it without hesitation.
Nick stepped forward, his Chucks bumping against Seth’s penny loafers. He leaned forward and kissed Seth on his lips.
It was brief, this kiss—barely scraping his lips against Seth’s. It wasn’t much, but he gave it his all.
He felt Seth’s smile.
He decided right then and there that smiling while kissing was the greatest thing in the world.
He pulled away first. Seth’s eyes were sparkling. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” Nick said. He wanted to do it again immediately.
But before he could, Gibby said, “Okay, as sickly sweet as this is, we’re going to be late. We gotta go.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Way to ruin the moment, Lola.”
“Don’t make me punch your good arm, Nick. How do you think Seth will feel when you can’t use either hand?”
Seth squeaked.
Yeah, Nick was pretty sure this was love.
And without even thinking too hard about it, he took Seth’s hand in his own. Their fingers interlocked, and Seth smiled so bright, it felt like fire.
“Let’s go,” Nick said cheerfully. “I need to get to school in time to tell as many people as possible that some of the rumors going around about me might be somewhat true. Especially the threesome one, because that makes me sound awesome.”
“Nicky, no,” they all groaned at the same time.
“Nicky, yes,” he crowed, and led Team Pyro Storm toward the stairs.
* * *
Fic: A Pleasure to Burn
Author: PyroStormIsBae
Chapter 1 of?
3,164 words
Pairing: Pyro Storm/Original Male Character
Rated: PG-13 (Rating will go 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, Anti–Rebecca Firestone
Chapter 1: Everything Will Be Okay, I Promise
Author’s Note: Hi, and welcome to my fic! You’re probably wondering who I am. I’m not exactly new to the Extraordinaries fandom, but I’ve decided to start fresh given … certain events that I can’t really talk about due to … reasons. So, new me, new screen name! I’ve worked hard on this, and I can’t wait for you to see where it goes. I live for comments, so please let me know what you think! Unless you’re going to be a jerk, then don’t even bother. And MIND THE TAGS. This is hardcore anti–Rebecca Firestone and I won’t apologize for it. This is beta read by my awesome boyfriend. YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
* * *
Nash Bellin groaned as his alarm went off. Given that he owned his own bakery/detective agency, he was used to the early hours, but some days, it wasn’t easy crawling out of bed at three in the morning, even if scones needed baking and crime needed fighting. It didn’t help that his ADHD caused his brain to never shut up, but he’d learned that having a disorder didn’t make him disordered. It was part of him, his very own superpower.
He reached over and slammed his hand against the alarm, cutting it off. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. He groaned as his back popped deliciously. He was about to push himself out of bed when a crash came from below.
Nash shot upright, heart thundering in his chest. The crash had come from downstairs in his bakery that also served as client intake. He’d lived above his shop for close to a year and had never had a problem. He thought quickly as he climbed out of bed, wincing at the cold floor against his bare feet. If someone was breaking in to steal, they’d quickly realize they’d messed with the wrong baker detective.
He crept toward the door, grabbing the baseball bat his father ha
d given him, even though baseball was the most boring game ever created. He clutched the ash handle, choking up on the grip like Dad showed him. He opened the door.
Silence.
He moved quickly and quietly toward the stairs. He stopped at the top, peering down into the darkness. He thought he heard a low groan, but it could have just been the wind.
He took the steps one at a time, avoiding the next-to-last step that always creaked. When he reached the hallway that led to the storefront, he pressed himself against the wall, sliding down.
He took a deep breath as he reached the end of the hall. He kissed the tip of his bat and whispered his amazing catchphrase: “It’s time to take out the trash.”
He jumped out from the hallway, bat raised above his head. He looked badass and terrifying.
And there, slumped against the confectionary display case, bloodied and bruised, was a costumed man, his cape in tatters.
The man looked up at him. “Are you Nash Bellin?” he asked in his deep and sexy voice. He was also really muscular, and even though he was hurt, he was very attractive.
Nash lowered the bat. “I am. Who the frick are you? What are you doing in my bakery?”
The man grimaced behind his mask. “I’m not here for the baker. I’m here for the detective. I need your help, Nash Bellin. You’re the only one I can trust, even though I’ve been hurt before.” He looked off into nothing, filled with quiet strength and angst. “You’re the savior this world needs.”
Nash sighed. “I always knew I’d get pulled back in. It was only a matter of time.” And with that, he strode forward toward the man, not knowing then that they would soon be in love and having mind-blowing sex in a variety of positions. “You might as well start from the beginning. What’s threatening the world this time and how can I help?”
CREDITS
A bunch of awesome people helped to make this book the best it could be.
To my editor, Ali Fisher, you rock, as always. And to the assistant editor, Kristin Temple, you’re pretty rad too. Thank you for believing in Nicky.
Christa Désir and her mentee Deborah Oliveir of Tessera Editorial provided invaluable insight to make sure I got things right. Thank you.