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Seth sighed. “I dunno. Maybe I don’t want to be an Extraordinary.”
Nick was scandalized. He said, “But—” and “Are you—” and “How could—” before deciding on “Why?”
Seth shrugged, but didn’t look up from his lunch box in front of him. “It sounds like it’d be hard work, you know? More than you think it ever could be.”
Nick didn’t understand. “But—it’s about being brave. It’s about helping people!”
Seth jerked his head up, and his jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed. Nick had never seen that expression on his face before. A chill ran down his spine.
“Helping people,” Seth said, laughing quietly, though it didn’t sound like he found anything funny about it. “Sure. There’s that. Once you decide to go public and help people, youalwayshave to continue helping them, no matter what. You can’t help one person and not another, right? And what happens when there are multiple people who need help, but you can’t get to all of them at once? Who do you choose? And when youdochoose, how can you live with that choice if one of the people you didn’t help gets hurt? Or worse.”
Seth was getting upset. Nick didn’t like that at all. When Seth got upset, it made Nick twitchy and want to maim whatever had caused it. “Is this about what Owen said? Don’t listen to him, man. It’s just a game. You don’t need to—”
“It’snota game,” Seth snapped, slamming his hands on the table. Nick struggled not to move away. “And even when you try your hardest to do good, there are always going to be people suspicious of your motives. Wondering what you’rereallytrying to do. Andit doesn’t help that there’s going to be some jerk who appears out of nowhere and thinks he’s your archnemesis, and does his best to make everything worse.”
“But—”
Seth shook his head. “And it’s lonely. That’s the one thing you don’t expect. How lonely it is. Because you can’t tell anyone about it. You can’t tell your family because they wouldn’t understand. You can’t tell your friends because they could become targets, and you don’t want them to get hurt. So you keep on going by yourself, hoping one day it will get better, and theonlything that’s in your head is why you started to begin with. Why you put on that stupid costume in the first place. The promise you made to yourself. And some days, that’s almost not enough.”
Silence fell over the table.
Gibby was staring at Seth strangely, and looked like she was going to open her mouth and say something, but Nick got there first. “Whoa. That… was…amazing.”
Seth’s eyes widened. “What?”
“No, seriously. That was perfect. Holy crap, Seth. Did you think of that off the top of your head? Oh my god, we need to collaborate on a fic together. Why didn’t you tell me you had an imagination?”
Seth groaned, putting his face in his hands.
“Did you guys hear that?” Nick demanded, looking at Gibby and Jazz.
“I think so,” Jazz said, squinting at Nick. “We’re sitting right here.”
Gibby didn’t say anything. She continued to stare at Seth, brow furrowed.
Seth groaned again.
“Yes, I know,” Nick said, reaching over and putting his arm around Seth’s shoulders, pulling him close. Seth came willingly enough, and Nick was pleased. “It’s shocking when you discover the depths of your creativity. Believe me, I would know. It happens to me on a daily basis.” He smacked a kiss on the top of Seth’s head. “By the way, I’m stealing everything you said as my backstory when I become an Extraordinary if I want to be the brooding kind. I haven’t decided if I’m going to do that, or go the happy, sarcastic, kick-ass way.”
“You don’t know how to brood,” Seth mumbled.
“Aw, isn’t this cozy,” Owen said, tossing his bag on the table, almost knocking Jazz’s quinoa tabbouleh into her lap. She glared up at him, and Nick wondered if Owen was about to go through the rest of his life without his fingers. Thankfully, Gibby put a hand over Jazz’s and squeezed, keeping her from getting up. Owen was too busy staring at Nick and Seth to see how close it’d been. “You two are so adorable, I can’t even stand it. Seriously. Stop. It’s disgusting.” He sat down, the bench creaking beneath him.
Seth pulled away, even though Nick was loath to let him go. It felt… nice, sitting like that with Seth. “You just missed Seth being so badass,” Nick told Owen.
Owen rolled his eyes. “First time for everything, I suppose.”
That didn’t sit well with Nick. It never did when someone talked badly about Seth. “That’s not fair. He’s badass all the time. More than you could ever be.”
Owen winked at Nick. “I highly doubt that.”
“You have sunglasses on top of your head.”
“And?”
“You just came from class. Which means you’re inside. Which means you look like an idiot.”
Seth snorted.
