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Nick was already running, bathed in the spotlight and barely able to see. He fell to his knees and reached for her just as she slid off the edge of the platform. His hand hit her arm, and he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Nick was jerked forward onto his stomach, the metal cold against his skin where his shirt had ridden up. He grimaced against the strain in his shoulder. “Stop…moving,” he ground out.

Rebecca Firestone gasped, pulling on Nick’s arm, legs flailing into nothing. The roar of the helicopter thundered in Nick’s ears. People screamed below them. Nick didn’t pay attention to any of it. All that mattered was his arm being torn out of its socket.

He tried push himself up, but only succeeded in sliding closer to the edge of the platform. He looked through the metal grate tosee Rebecca Firestone staring up at him, eyes bulging, mouth wide and slack.

God, his head hurt.

He gritted his teeth together and tried to rise again. The platform shuddered underneath him. He managed to get to his knees. Just when he thought it’d be enough, Rebecca Firestone’s grip on his wrist slipped.

She began to fall again.

He caught her by the hand.

A slick wave of pain crashed over him as something popped wetly in his shoulder. Nick screamed, pitching forward.

The weight was suddenly lifted as Rebecca Firestone flew up in front of him, knocking him back. He landed on the platform, blinking up at the dark sky.

“Nick? Nick!”

A hand touched the side of his face.

Someone bent over him. A mask covered their face.

“Nick!”

“Hey,” Nick whispered.

Seth breathed a sigh of relief. “Hey.” He reached down to help Nick up. Nick cried out as fingers closed over his injured arm. “Sorry. Nicky, I’m sorry. You’re hurt. It’s—”

“It’s fine,” Nick grunted. He used his good arm to push himself up into a sitting position.

A metallic creak came from behind them, and Nick turned his head in time to see Rebecca Firestone disappearing down the ladder. “You’re welcome!” Nick shouted after her. “Don’t worry about us. We’re totally fine!”

He turned back as Seth crouched in front of him, cape dragging along the platform. The light from the helicopter covered his face in shadows. Seth reached up and touched Nick’s cheek with a gloved hand. “God, Nick. I thought—I thought you fell.” He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Nick’s. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Nick didn’t know if what he was feeling right then was love, but he thought it was close. He loved Seth, yes; he had loved him almost from the moment he’d met him. But this was bigger, grander,and he needed Seth to understand. Nick (always and forever being Nick) blurted, “You make my heart so full, I think I’ll die.”

Seth jerked his head back, inhaling sharply. “What did you say?”

“I—”

Seth kissed him.

It was hotter than he expected. Literally. Seth’s lips were so warm, it felt like he was burning from the inside out. And it was also slightly awkward, Seth’s mask digging into Nick’s skin. But Nick couldn’t bring himself to care. He was too busy having his mind blown by the fact that he was being kissed by his best friend, and it felt like coming home.

It was probably the most ridiculous moment of his life. And, perhaps, the most wonderful.

Seth’s hand came up to cup his cheek as the kiss deepened. He felt the swipe of Seth’s tongue against his bottom lip before Seth broke the kiss, pressing his forehead against Nick’s again.

“Wow,” Nick breathed. “Even though my arm hurts like you wouldn’t believe,wow.”

And oh, how Seth smiled. “Yeah. Wow.”

“It’s about damn time. It only took me getting kidnapped by my villainous ex-boyfriend for you to—”

Seth groaned. “Moment ruined. Way to go, Nicky.”

“I’m justsaying—”