when it was just the two of them. They got back to the house, leftover pizza in a cardboard box. And there, sitting on the front steps of their old row house, was Nova City’s chief of police himself.
“Huh,” Dad said, glancing down at his watch. “He’s early.”
Nick was suddenly nervous. The last time Cap had been here had been right before the forced vacation, and though Nick had been upstairs, he’d kept his ear to the floor, hearing words like I don’t have a choice here, Aaron, and you were out of line and you punched a witness, for Christ’s sake and you’re lucky you’re not getting fired. It’s a demotion. Beat cop. I went to the mat for you, Aaron. I can’t keep you in Homicide. You’re a good cop. But you went too far here.You need to think of Nick. Take the offer. It’s better than having nothing at all. It’s either this or you look for a job in private security.
Yeah. So the last time Cap had been here hadn’t been the best.
Which was probably why Nick started breathing heavily, his forehead sweating.
“Nicky?” he heard his dad ask, concern in his voice.
Nick swallowed thickly, his fingers twitching at his side, always moving. “Is he—is he here to—”
To give bad news, he was trying to say, but couldn’t get the words out.
Dad was in front of him, balancing the pizza box in one hand, and his other on the back of Nick’s neck. “What are you—oh. Oh. No. No, Nick. He’s here to have a beer and watch the baseball game. I know your friends are coming over, or I would have invited you to watch with us.”
Nick nodded, trying to work his muscles loose. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Dad shook him gently. “Nah. That’s just it. You were thinking. And that’s okay. It’s my fault. Completely slipped my mind that he was coming. I should have told you. I’m the one who’s sorry.”
Nick winced. “You don’t need to apologize.”
Dad sighed. “Yeah. I think I do. I know you’re trying, kid. I see that, and I appreciate it. And I need you to know that I’m trying too, okay? My fault. Won’t happen again.”
Nick felt weird, off-kilter. “I’m not fragile.”
Dad rolled his eyes. “I know. I figured that out the first time I dropped you on your head and it made a little dent. You didn’t even cry.”
Nick glared up at him. “What do you mean, the first time? There was more than once?”
“Being a parent is hard. Kids are slippery.”
“Baseball is stupid.”
“You were adopted. Didn’t even cost anything. You were in a box filled with free kittens outside of a bodega. We almost went with the calico.”
“You’re not funny,” Nick mumbled, though that was probably a good idea for an origin story. He could be Calico Man … or something. “I don’t know why you insist on thinking you have a sense of humor. Oh, hey. Idea. I’ll watch the baseball game with you and Cap, and you won’t complain if I have a beer.”
“Sure.”
Nick’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“No.”
“But you—oh my god. Okay, what if I had just a sip?”
Dad sized him up. “You’d have to stay for all nine innings. Longer, if it goes into overtime.”
Nick threw his hands up. “Nothing’s worth that. I refuse. Baseball sucks.”
“You really don’t know how to negotiate, do you?”
“I haven’t had to learn, because you usually give me everything—I mean, no, Father, whatever are you talking about?”
“Uh-huh. I’m on to you, kid.”
“As you should be,” Cap said, groaning as he rose to his feet. “Keep an eye on this one. He’s either going to do great things or turn to a life of petty crime. Jury’s still out.”
“Most likely petty crime,” Nick told him. “Because then I’d get to see your pretty face every day.”
Cap reached out with a big hand and ruffled Nick’s hair. Nick scowled.
Cap grinned at him, his mustache looking as if his lips were spreading wings. Nick hoped one day he would be capable of epic facial hair. He’d tried to grow a beard over the summer, but he’d somehow only gotten one weird, gnarly hair coming out of his chin. He thought about keeping it but realized it probably wouldn’t do if he ever met Shadow Star.
Good thing, then, since the alley rescue happened. Shadow Star probably wouldn’t have posed for a picture if he’d had that chin hair.
Dad shook Cap’s hand. “Come on in. Sorry we made you wait.”
“No big deal,” Cap said,