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Nick sighed as the light changed, and they crossed, walking around the cars still gridlocked on the street. A cabbie leaned out his open window, yelling at them as he honked the horn obnoxiously. Nick waved back. “A little too well, if you ask me.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “Oh, boy. Nick, we’re allowed to be happy.”
“I know,” he said quickly. “It’s just… it’s like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Burke. Owen. Stupid Rebecca Firestone, oh my god, just hernameis enough to make me want to punch something.” Regardless of all the villains they’d fought, Nick Bell’struenemesis was always going to be the reporter turned press secretary. At least when she’d been a reporter, he’d been able to keep track of her bullshit. Now thatshe wasn’t on television every day, it made Nick nervous, wondering what fresh hell she was planning.
“We’ll figure it out,” Seth said. “Whatever happens, we’ll handle it like we always have.”
“With me complaining about everything and wondering why so many people seem to want to kill teenagers?”
Seth chuckled. “Together. We’ll handle it together.”
Nick grinned at him. “Damn right we are. Motherfreaking Team Pyro Storm and Guardian with Support from Jazz and Gibby. Okay, that name needs some work, but I’ve got ideas that I’m workshopping. I’ll run it by you when I’ve got something concrete.”
“Looking forward to it,” Seth said dryly. “I’m sure it’ll be as lasting as the first name, or the Twitter account you haven’t touched in weeks.”
Nick scowled, using his arm to wipe the sweat from his brow. “I turned off the notifications becausewaytoo many people were sending us nudes. Seriously, you find out the identity of an Extraordinary, and the first thing you do is send them pictures of your junk? Men are gross. And some women, too. The things I’ve seen. The last time before I quit checking it, a poly commune in Oregon sent a video inviting you to live with them and partake in their nightly orgies. Guess what the video showed?”
“An orgy?”
“An orgy,” Nick agreed. “I guess that’s the price of fame. You get famous enough, and people want you to see their genitals and invite you to cult sex parties. Explains a lot, if you think about it.”
“No more,” Seth pleaded. “Dear god, no more.” He pulled Nick off the sidewalk, leading him through a gate to a small park. It was vaguely familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. An empty playground, the chains of the swings creaking in a hot breeze. A stone pavilion surrounded by trees, and for a moment, Nick thought he’d been here before, hiding behind a tree, listening as… someone… what. Talked on a phone? Who would it have been?
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he pushed the thought away. “What are we doing here?”
Seth glanced back over his shoulder. “Do you know what today is?”
Uh-oh. Not Seth’s birthday. That was in December. It was a Friday in June, so it wasn’t as if he’d missed a holiday, or so he hoped. “Uh, yes?” Nick said, trying to keep his voice even while his thoughts whirred frantically. “Of course. Today is… today. Aspecialday. The… best… day?”
“That’s right,” he said, and NickknewSeth was giving him shit. “It is the best day. I’m glad you remembered.”
Nick groaned as Seth led him toward the swings. Seth helped him take his backpack off, setting it on the sand under the swings before pushing Nick to sit down. He dropped his own backpack as Nick grabbed the chains, letting his feet make divots in the sand. “You should probably remind me what makes today special so we’re both on the same page.”
“Close your eyes.”
Nick did. He heard Seth open his bag and pull out something that crinkled, like plastic. He felt Seth take his hand, tugging it away from the chain and turning his palm up. A moment later, Seth placed something in his hand.
“Okay,” Seth said, sounding as if he were sitting on the swing next to Nick’s. “You can open your eyes now.”
Nick did, looking at what Seth had given him. As soon as he saw it, he knew. He knew that Seth was it for him. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky to have someone like Seth love him despite… well, despite Nick’s everything, but he’d never take it for granted.
A package of Skwinkles Salsagheti. Watermelon flavored.
“Today, we’ve been together for seven months,” Seth said. “Officially.”
“Holy shit,” Nick said in a choked voice. “I freaking love you, dude. Don’t ever leave me.”
Seth laughed, lifting his feet as he began to swing. “Deal, Nicky. And I love you, too.”
Flustered—they’d gone from bros, to bros who kissed, to bros who kissedandwere in love becausewhat—Nick said, “I didn’t get you anything. I suck. I’m sorry.”
“Nah,” Seth said. “The great thing about Skwinkles Salsagheti is that we can share it.”
And so they did. For the next hour, they sat on the swings, laughing, Nick peeling off strands of candy and wiggling his eyebrows, putting one end of the candy in his mouth, holding the other out for Seth. His boyfriend didn’t hesitate, leaning over and taking the other end between his teeth before sucking it in. Closer, closer, until they kissed, sticky, sweet, and oh, how Seth smiled against Nick’s mouth, and for a moment, Nick could pretend that nothing else mattered. That they were just two queer boys without a care in the world.
This is what I fight for,Nick thought as he gave up trying to swing and instead tackled Seth to the ground, lying on top of him and deciding that making out in the park was pretty damn rad.This is what’s important. Not powers, not villains who want to kill us. This. Just this.
No public indecency laws were broken, though not for lack of trying.
