Screaming came from the Olfax household and Steven and Connie took off to hear someone yelling about water.

Jacob was in flames again against the glass door to their patio wailing for no one to come close. Jasmin was attempting to inch toward him enough to grab him and also on fire but he screamed every time a flame of his so much as licked her skin a little. He was completely out of his mind having a panic attack. Alex was frantically trying to fill a bucket of water as he cried, not noticing that he was also on fire over his left side where he must have had contact with Jacob.

It was total chaos, but in the bad way, not their normal way.

Steven assessed the situation and bubbled Jacob first. "Everyone calm down! Jasmin stop scaring him more! Alex, that won't work!"

Connie ran to talk Jasmin and Alex down to being calm with her own experience while Steven pressed his hands against the bubble. It was ridiculously hot. He frowned, usually his fire was totally harmless, the only things that occasionally suffered were the couch, sometimes the ceiling from the heat, and his clothes. And only when he was really angry, not scared like now. He wasn't sure how Jacob was surviving as the fire began to get so hot it could cook him. "Jacob, you're okay!"

"I don't wanna hurt anybody!" Jacob cried in agony. "I'm out of control and I don't wanna hurt anybody!"

Oh. Steven winced as he remembered his own moment like this. He'd possibly forgotten to tell Jacob that being afraid to hurt people sort of made it more likely powers-wise.

He watched him slide to sit in fetal position and dropped with him. "Hey, you are in control! Do you hear me Jacob? Only you can stop this, but you have to calm down first!" He was being harsh and possibly a little mean but it worked, Jacob lifted his head and shut his eyes hard. "Think about our kids! Do you remember our children?" He nodded and smiled to himself a little. "Remember how when Daisy was a baby she'd crawl after you everywhere? And she would always cry when you played with Lucky or Asher or Leo because she was stingy?" He heard a little laugh and the flames died down more as he scrambled for something that wouldn't make him sad, too. "Remember... remember us singing in that tree we could see the ocean from? Do you remember singing to the stars?"

Jacob opened his eyes to stare at Steven's pleading expression. He moved to press his hands where Steven's were and nodded for him to keep going.

"I never told you how proud I am of you," He told him passionately. "You're one of the most incredible humans I've ever met. I look up to you so much, you teach me new things all the time and you can always make me laugh when I'm sad. I... I love singing with you."

Jacob pressed his forehead against the bubble and Steven popped it to let him breathe, then so he could hug him despite the fire. "You're okay, Honey. You're okay."

Jacob was practically passed out in his arms from such a massive display but murmured, "S-Someone get my blanket."

Alex retrieved it and came to rub it against his cheek. "See? All better." His blue eyes were still teasing, but loving. "Can I get a smile?"

He snatched it and covered his face to hide his lips beginning to curve. "Hmph."

The next few days he was visibly jumpy when they tried to love on him. Hazel went to kiss his cheek and he jumped clear across the room to curl into himself and hyperventilate. "Don't touch me! I can't control myself yet!"

Hazel clenched his fists, grabbed a beer and stormed outside.

Some responded better to his jumpiness but others didn't. Jacob was so afraid of hurting someone it started to consume him whole. He'd nearly started a forest fire when he panicked and ran outside. Steven had to think fast and contain the flames again with a much bigger dome but it took so much out of him he collapsed on the spot the second it was over.

Hazel and Connie took over nursing Steven back to health, he was feverish from guilt taking out his powers and sore from over exertion in such a short amount of time.

But shortly they could tell Jacob was becoming triggered with every day that passed. He was touch averse because this new power was uncontrolled, but he was starting to get touch starved and that reminded him of the worst, darkest parts of his childhood.

He'd sit with them and chat, eat meals, even shower with people. If one didn't think too much or observe him too closely one might think he was fine but Adam was stubborn and possibly a little nosy.

He grabbed his hand when he found him outside and Jacob yanked away, showing a bit of explosive anger. "Stop it! I could hurt you!"

Adam scowled softly. "Who cares?"

"I care! Everyone cares!" He snapped viciously. "I'd never recover if I incinerated you!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Adam shot back, moving to get in his face. "Don't you start another stupid fucking argument." Jacob burst into flames again and Adam scoffed. "I'm not afraid of you of all people."

The fire grew. "Why not?"

"Because you're just a big three year old." Adam turned to see their audience and stared heartlessly. "You're in the bottom ten percent of things I'm afraid of, you might even be at the bottom. I mean you're powerful, but you're not like, unbeatable. Fire isn't even the element I'm actually scared of."

They could see Jacob was astonishingly hurt by that. "Fire beats ice."

"I'm not an ice elemental and your flames don't always have heat," Adam countered. "Watch this."

He stopped entirely and shut his eyes. He brought on his glow and seemed to struggle with something. After a moment of deep breathing, he steadied his shaking body and blew out a single breath.

The air around him was so cold they could see his breath fogging into the air, and then the grass turning white with frost. "Fire beats ice, but fire doesn't always beat cold."

Jacob stumbled back but Adam latched onto him and pressed his cheek right over his heart. A single second passed before Jacob started to shiver and cough. With every strained drag the fire diminished a little more and Adam glowed a little brighter paired with a heavy pant. "Don't fight it," Adam told him coolly.

Jacob's knees buckled, the fire went out, and Adam pulled away unharmed.

Steven decided to get involved and crouched over Jacob. "Was your temper tantrum worth it?" His lips were blue so Steven pressed a glowing hand to his cheek. It wasn't hot but just warm, it would be probably good not to shock the human bonfire.

Jacob growled under his breath but muttered, "No."

Jasmin pushed past Steven to kick Jacob in the balls but stopped a mere half inch before she did as he cowered in fear. "You fucking idiot, don't you ever shut me out like that ever again! I was literally on fire with you and it didn't hurt." She jerked her thumb back at Alex. "So was he. C'mere, dippy."

Jacob face planted in her breasts and sighed. "I thought we promised no more clown names."

"It's short for Dipshit."

"Oh, that's okay then."

Steven punched the bridge of his nose. "Un...believable." He scrubbed hands through his hair and sighed deeper than Jacob had. "That's a pretty big sign that maybe I need to start taking you guys more seriously."

Jacob sniffled and wiped at his face. "I'm still scared I'm going to hurt someone. Even a blister would break my heart."

Hazel tugged Steven aside and hugged him to whisper in his ear, "We gotta speak his language. We know how to get him to listen."

Steven nodded and pressed their hips together to kiss him. "I'm very stressed."

"I can help with that at the same time."