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10
By the time they reached the familiar neighborhood where the Gray brownstone stood, Nick was lagging, his body exhausted, and he’d never been more relieved to see a familiar place.
Seth pulled him up the stairs, looking around to make sure they weren’t being watched. Nothing. He pushed the door open, shoving Nick through before shutting the door behind them as Nick collapsed to the floor.
“Seth?” Nick heard Martha call. “That you? You’re home late. I was down in the secret lair earlier, but I didn’t pick anything up. What—oh no. Bob!Bob!”
Nick rolled over on his back and blinked slowly up at the ceiling. A worried face appeared above him. “Hi,” he said dully. “Sorry about bleeding on your floors. I know you hate that.”
“How bad is it?” Martha asked him in a no-nonsense voice. The nurse was here. “Anything broken?” She gingerly rubbed her hands along his arms and chest.
He shook his head. “Don’t think so. Just scraped up.”
Bob appeared in the foyer. “Why are you yelling? I was in the living—oh, hell. What happened?”
“Bad guys,” Nick said. “Tried to kick our asses, but we gave them the ol’ what for.”
Bob pushed by Martha as she asked Nick if he could breathe without pain. Bob helped pick Seth up off the floor and pulled his helmet off, Seth’s curls springing free and falling messily on his head.
“Who did this?” Bob muttered, running his hands over Seth. “Was it an Extraordinary?”
Seth pushed him off. “I’m fine.” He shook his head angrily.“I—” He turned around and punched the door. The wood cracked as the door rattled in its frame. “I couldn’t—”
Guilt bled through Nick’s rib cage, vast and complicated. On one hand, he was happy to be alive. On the other, a man was out there somewhere, probably on his way to the hospital, his arm broken.
“He saved me,” Nick said quietly. “He didn’t have to, but he did.”
Seth whirled around, eyes ablaze. “Of course I saved you. But I shouldn’t have had to. What the hell were you thinking, Nick? I told you torun.”
Nick flinched at the censure in Seth’s voice. Martha tried to keep him still, but he pushed her hands off, rising to his feet. He glared at Seth. “I wasn’t going to leave you.”
“You should have,” Seth snapped at him. “I can’t always be there to save you. You should have stayed away, Nick. Why were you eventhere? That wasn’t for you to see. That wasprivate, and now it’s—it’s—” He sagged, shoulders hunched near his ears. “Dammit. That wasn’t supposed to happen. This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.” He shrugged Bob off when he reached for his nephew. He stormed out of the foyer, heading for the basement door. Nick winced as it slammed against the wall, Seth stomping down the stairs.
“What happened?” Bob asked as the sounds of Seth’s anger faded.
Nick blinked rapidly against the sting in his eyes. “Nothing much,” he said in a cracked voice. “Attacked by two Extraordinaries made of ice and smoke. Oh, and Seth was meeting with a drag queen Extraordinary named Miss Conduct, and I have superpowers. My dad lied to me and gave me pills that messed with my head, my mom was the telekinetic Extraordinary called Guardian, and at one point, I thought she and my dad were in a polyamorous relationship with Simon Burke—which, now that I think about it, is really freaking awful. Poly people are valid, but Simon Burke sent Smoke and Ice after us.” He sighed. “It’s been a very trying Saturday.”
Bob and Martha gaped at him.
Nick shrugged awkwardly. “It is what it is. Can I stay here for a few days? I can’t go home. Not yet.”
Martha recovered first. “Of course you can. You—you take allthe time you need. And let’s get those cuts cleaned up so they don’t get infected.”
“Great,” Nick said weakly. “Fantastic.”
The doorbell rang as Martha was finishing up with Nick. All in all, it looked worse than it was. He’d gotten away with minor scrapes and bruises, the worst of which were across his chest, where Smoke had held him in place. Already, the skin between his nipples was mottled blue and purple.
While she worked, he told her everything that had happened. It felt almost like betrayal, telling Martha how Dad seemed to be working with or for Burke. The only reaction he got from Martha was the slight tightening around her eyes. She went to the sink, washing up as Nick struggled to put his shirt back on.
“We have a lot to talk about,” she finally said, turning off the faucet. “You can’t avoid your father forever, Nick.”
“I know,” he muttered. “But at least for a couple of days. I need time to think.”
“He’s still your father,” Martha said. “If he wants you home, you have to go, okay?” She turned from the sink and crouched next to Nick, her knees popping. She put her hands on his thighs, squeezing gently. “You’re safe here, I promise. Whatever’s happening, whatever you’re becoming, you’re safe here.”
Nick sniffled, hanging his head. “I could really use a hug right now.”
She hugged him without hesitation, cupping the back of his head, pressing him against her chest. His shoulder shook, his eyes burned, and he hung on for dear life.
