Wiley leaped to his feet. “Oh, hell yeah!” But before he joined Baer, he walked over to Flo first. The old woman was still seated in the chair, looking very tired. Carefully, Wiley took her hand in both of his. “Is there anything I can get you? Would you like a cup of tea? Or maybe a sandwich?”
Flo chuckled and patted his hands with her free one. “Oh, you are such a sweet boy. I’m fine. Just need to sit here for a minute and catch my breath.”
“If you say so. We’ll leave the door open. If you need one of us, just give a shout.”
Flo smiled at him. An expression he hadn’t seen on her face too often. Of course, he knew on some level that she was a goddess and didn’t need him worrying over her. But he couldn’t help it. She also reminded him of his grandmother. She was a spry and active woman, but she could get tired just like everyone else.
“Go on now,” Flo directed with a wave of her hand. “Go make sure that boy doesn’t set all the trees on fire. Clay will kill him before he can do us any good.”
A swell of excitement rose through Wiley, and he hurried after the others out the door. He was going to see a new Weaver use his powers for the first time. He couldn’t wait!Baer stuck close to Wiley as they moved into the backyard. Grey was already coming around from the side of the house, hose in hand, while Dane entered the yard from the doors closest to the kitchen, a red fire extinguisher in his arms.
“Should I be worried that you’re taking this many precautions?” Lucien demanded.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Clay shot back.
Lucien glared at Clay for a moment before his face broke into a broad, cheeky grin. “No, I do not.”
“Dane has spent a lot of time pulling this house together. I don’t want to see it torn apart by fire,” Clay growled.
“Or us,” Baer added.
He couldn’t help himself. He placed a hand on Wiley’s shoulder and tried to put at least part of his body between the Fire Weaver and the young man. If something happened and Lucien lost control of his abilities…fuck, he couldn’t even finish that thought. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to Wiley.
Wiley chuckled and pinched Baer’s side. “You’re a better wall than a window,” he teased.
“And a wall has a better chance at stopping errant flames than a damn window.”
Wiley laughed again and surprised him by wrapping his arms around Baer’s waist before settling against him. “Don’t worry. I think he can handle this just fine.”
Baer frowned but kept his comments to himself. He clearly remembered how much difficulty Clay had controlling his powers at first. Baer had struggled as well, but it had been incredibly unlikely he’d hurt someone by accident with his powers.
But he didn’t mind having Wiley cuddled against him. His hand tightened on Wiley’s shoulder, and some of the tension eased from his own body. This was just about being able to protect Wiley more easily. That was all it was.
“Come on, Johnny Storm! Show us what you got!” Wiley called out.
“Who?” Grey asked.
“Fantastic Four. Johnny’s the Human Torch.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” Grey murmured.
“Why don’t you move closer to the pool?” Dane suggested. “Just in case.”
“Can everyone just shut up unless you’re gonna tell me how to do this!” Lucien snapped.
There were a few chuckles around the open yard, but it was Clay’s calm, deep voice that rose above them all. “Take a deep breath, and then slowly release it. Feel for the new ball of energy in your chest. Imagine yourself releasing it until it fills your body.”
Silence fell over those gathered in the yard so that there was only the chirp of crickets and the croaks of frogs in the darkness. Lucien closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, he lifted his right hand, staring at it expectantly.
“Nothing’s happening,” he growled after a second.
“Snap your fingers,” Wiley offered. “Sort of like you’re flicking the flint on a lighter.”
Lucien snapped his fingers twice before a tiny teardrop flame appeared on the tip of his index finger. “Holy fuck!” Lucien breathed. The flame trembled a little with the shaking of his hand, but it stayed strong and steady. “It’s…wow…I did that.”
“That’s amazing,” Dane murmured.
“Does it feel hot to you?” Clay asked.
“No, not like you’d expect. I mean, I do feel heat, but it’s just sort of comfortably warm.”
“Can you make it bigger?” Wiley chimed in.
Baer wanted to place his hand over the man’s mouth. He didn’t want more flames while Wiley was standing there, vulnerable to possible accidents. At least the pool was between him and Lucien. Grey was also standing close by.