capeandcowllogs | (no subject)

[ the gesture makes him stop. he isn't sure why his chest goes all tight suddenly, at that reassuring weight on his shoulder. he doesn't know why he simultaneously wants to jerk away while wishing the moment would last a bit longer. it feels dangerously close to things like support and encouragement and -- acceptance.

things he'd only ever felt around other fuck-ups like him. the kids with the messed up powers or messed up heads and messed up pasts. even abby, good-natured and sweet abby, who still had blood on her hands and trauma enough for lifetimes.

he hesitates, something boyishly awkward and almost vulnerable crossing his face before he's glancing away, brushing bradbury's hand from his shoulder briskly like he's annoyed by it. ]

It's fine. I'm not the one who's going to have to deal with Jenny. I don't need you to have my back.

Edited 2012-12-30 09:33 (UTC)

[ if bradbury knew what terry was thinking, he might have laughed. because he's fucked up, too. it's not as complicated as terry's situation is, and when you're talking about having a demon dad, having a complex about being left behind seems almost vanilla.

but even if bradbury's had a hell of a time trusting people ever since, he's never had a problem being there for anyone else.

the brush-off is something he expects, teenage pride and probably just terry's own personality making it unlikely he'd get a "please and thank you" in return. he didn't miss that brief flash of vulnerability, though, and he chuckles, shoving his hands into his pockets like he, too, is embarrassed by the gesture. ]

Yeah. [ he's never needed. ] It just makes me feel better to say it.

[ because even if terry plays it off, or doesn't get into it much, bradbury knows: there's a good chance shit will go down, and after that, they'll be left scrambling after the pieces. if there are even any left to pick up. ]

You ready to go see the boss?

How am I supposed to get ready to tell the mayor that my friend is probably committing acts of international terrorism?

[ it comes out harsher than he means for it too. he almost feels sorry, on the inside, and it almost shows. ]

Not that I have any freaking idea what he'll do about it. Probably send some stupid spandex-happy hero types in for the good PR. I don't even know what's worse -- thinking about what they'll do to her, or thinking about what she'll do to them.

Give him a little credit. [ he chides terry, but he's smiling wryly, a little knowingly. yeah, if it had a shot at giving the import community in general a better cred? he'd probably take it. but he's unwilling to believe mitch would see this as a chance to improve the import community's standing first.

he's not that far gone. he hopes. ]

As for getting ready, I'd normally suggest taking a shot.

Says the guy who wouldn't make me alcoholic eggnog. I'm starting to think you get a kick out of that.

[ it's grumbled, but he's a little grateful to be able to dodge the gravity of the situation even a bit. it'll give him a chance to decide what to say, or how much. not that he thinks there's any right way to do this -- probably only wrong ways. it's his inner pessimist.

he exhales. scrubs a hand over his face like he's hoping to look down, find himself in his underwear, and realize this was all just a shitty dream. ]

She's the youngest of the five of us. She's only fifteen. Or eight. Depending on who you ask.

Wouldn't wanna be a bad influence. [ he raises his brows. ] Besides, if you wanted to get drunk, you'd find a way to.

[ he did before, after all. he wonders how it can be that so much has changed between then and now; wonders if terry thinks the same thing. ]

Being young only means you've got more to prove, doesn't it?

[ he makes a face. he's probably thinking about that one time he woke up in julian keller's underwear. while quentin quire ran around naked. maybe alcohol isn't the solution to this problem, not that he's ever been big on booze as a recreational activity or a means of therapy anyway.

out loud, a bit dryly: ]

Do you even remember being young?

[ then, a pause, and maybe more seriously: ]

Maybe we could've stopped her somehow. Before this crap happened.

I know it's hard to imagine, but I was your size once. Maybe when I was, I dunno, twelve. [ he smiles, but just like terry, he's quick to sober up. ]

Does it matter? [ his voice is quiet. ] You can't change something that's already happened. Not unless turning back time is one of your superpowers, anyway.

Don't spend so much time looking back that you miss what's right in front of you.

[ it's hypocritical advice: he spends plenty of time on old regrets. but terry, hopefully, is smarter than he ever was. ]

[ terry rolls his eyes at the comment -- he's hoping for a few more inches, okay, dude -- but it's more for show than out of actual annoyance. the vaguely antagonistic banter helps make the subject of their conversation more comfortable, makes the tone of everything more familiar.

he doesn't answer right away, finally settling for a touch of sarcasm -- because he just doesn't do the touchyfeely thing well: ]

Gee, thanks for the fortune cookie advice, Mr. B. Got anything in there for dealing with demonic fathers or teenage tyrants?

Hey, you get as much Chinese takeout as I have and you pick a few things up.

[ lazily, with no real strength to it, bradbury cuffs terry around the back of the head. ]

Only if you've got advice for dealing with mind reading little shits who keep getting your name wrong on purpose.

[ there's no love lost on quentin there, clearly. ]

[ terry makes a face at that, not because it hurts especially -- appearances aside, he did survive superhuman boot camp -- but because being annoyed is a better, more comfortable reaction than feeling familiar. friendly. ]

What, Q? I bet he's out of control without Jenny around to kick him in the balls every once in a while.

[ he huffs out a breath. ]

We're probably lucky they never started dating, or you might be dealing with two overpowered teenage tyrants.

Great. Now you just made me think of how much worse this could be if Jenny Quantum got teen pregnant.

[ yes, terry, enjoy that mental image; he worked hard on it for you.

despite the casual shit he's throwing out, though, he's keeping an eye on terry's reaction -- not the words, but his body language. any sign that the tension thy was running through him when he stepped in has eased, just a bit. ]

God, can we not?

[ terry's nose wrinkles and he waves his hand in the air, as if trying to erase the mental image. he doesn't want to imagine a little baby with a pink mohawk and enough superpowers to rip the universe apart.

it's a distraction though, from the present situation. he can almost pretend he isn't about to approach the mayor with accusations of international terrorism against jenny. a little of the tension has left his shoulders, but not much. ]

Besides, I'm pretty sure Midnighter would literally kill everyone. The only people more awful than Jenny Quantum are her dads.

So she's got daddy issues? Figures. That'd explain why she doesn't seem to like me. [ it comes out before he can think better of it -- it could have been phrased better -- but he doesn't miss a beat. and if he thinks it's weird that jenny quantum has two dads, it doesn't show.

after a beat: ]

If one of her dads is around here... [ Why isn't Terry going to him? he almost asks, before he remembers. If there's anything a teenager is less likely listen to than a public authority figure, it's probably her own father. One of them, anyway.. ]

You obviously haven't met Midnighter.

[ he says that dryly. it sounds like there's probably a slew of things he could actually say about midnighter that would make babies cry, but the man's not actually the worst father -- though jenny might beg to differ out loud, he's seen them, he knows she's midnighter's little girl and always will be. but jenny's stuck on something from their past. and besides that, the man's superpower is basically winning. quentin might find it funny to cross midnighter, but terry's pretty sure if anybody could figure out a way to actually kill him, it'd be that man. ]

He's like Batman. But more psychotic and murderous. Jenny told me she's seen him rip a guy's skull out. With the spine still attached. So.

Well, that beats any bedtime story. [ and not in a good way, either, his tone implies. obligingly, as any normal human would, he makes a face at the description terry gives, because seriously? gross. and it probably explains half of jenny's issues if she got raised by a dad like that. ]

Do I wanna know what her other dad is like?

Apollo? He was here once, I guess. I never met him. But Jenny always said Midnighter was the nice dad, so. There you go.

[ jenny's family is an odd one, to phrase it gently. but even that -- talking about it -- terry feels a slight twinge of jealousy. he thinks something along the lines of "at least she has a real family, and parents that love her" chased quick by guilt. because she's an orphan being raised by two men who don't even remember their own real names, let alone what being her age was like, and that can't be easy either.

a look of discomfort crossing his face in the form of briefly pinched eyebrows and a downturn in his mouth that's just slightly more than the default. with sarcasm more biting than the situation calls for: ]

I'm pretty sure at least eighty percent of kids like us have stupid daddy issues anyway. I should be embarrassed that my issues are so mainstream.

[ he has to laugh at that, though it's a bit of a rueful sound, and he rolls his shoulders back. ]

Shit, only eighty percent? I can't think of anyone who doesn't have daddy issues. It's like a rule of the universe, or something.

[ there's half a beat's pause, like he's considering whether or not to elaborate. bradbury doesn't usually talk about growing up, and for good reason. he doesn't really get what terry's situation is with his father, but he has a pretty good idea that the whole demon thing's part of it. ]

At least her dads stuck around, right? [ it's about as close as he'll get to talking about his own history without terry actually prying into it. ]

I'm pretty sure there's a whole different level of daddy issues required for superheroes.

[ he holds his hand up as if indicating a height, but says out loud: ]

"You must be exactly this fucked up to ride."

[ he won't talk further about jenny's dads without being pressed though. because the whole sticking around thing -- well. let's just say that's only half true, if you can say it's true at all. ]

[ There's a flicker of a smile. ]

Superman doesn't seem too bad. [ not that he'd know, to be honest. He's not the fanboy, here, though he can claim to know the biggest superman fan in the city right now.

he doesn't seem to be interested in prying into any further details about jenny, maybe out of respect, or maybe because he doesn't want to push terry to share any more about a friend than he's comfortable doing on his own. instead, he clears his throat. ]

So. Feel up to seeing the boss?

[ right. that. it's still happening. this is not a bad dream. terry exhales. ]

I don't think I'm ever gonna feel up to it exactly. Might as well do it now, before I realize I could have just run off to Africa and had a promising career as Jenny's accomplice in terrorism.

[ he scrubs a hand over his face. the sarcastic jokes aren't really helping any, but it's easier than conveying his real feelings. as he starts heading off to mitch's office, he pauses just once, tension in his shoulders as he glances back at bradbury. ]

I'm doing the right thing. Right?

[ it's a fair question. ]

Honestly? I don't know. [ it's not a reassuring answer. he's not sure if terry even wants one. but it's not all there is to his answer, and he goes on, more certainty settling into his voice as he looks at terry, gaze unwavering. ]

Way I see it, there's no way to tell if you're doing the right thing or not. The best you can hope for is that you're doing it for the right reason. [ he pauses. ]

She's your friend. I figure that means you wanna protect her, even if that means protecting her from herself and all the crazy shit she decides to get into. [ he grimaces. ] Or, yeah, running off to Africa.

[ at least it isn't stupid coddling. adults always seem to think kids like him and jenny need either strict discipline or stupid coddling -- endless it'll-be-okays -- when really all they wanted from anybody was the truth. and maybe a little understanding. terry's a little surprised, inwardly, to find those things here.

he takes another deep breath. tries to reassure himself with some thought like in two or three centuries, he'll probably barely remember this incident and it probably won't even matter so much, a few hundred years from now. ]

Yeah, okay. Let's get this over with then.

[ pause, then reluctantly, half under his breath: ]

Thanks.

[ it's not that bradbury wouldn't coddle, given the option, but at terry's age? yeah, he'd been screwed over by the system already. he knows a little bit of what it's like, being on the receiving end of forced smiles and awkward reassurances, and he can't imagine they want to hear it any more than he did. he doesn't touch terry again, but he makes the distinct impression that he at least considered it. ]

Don't thank me yet. [ the contact he settles for is nudging terry in the shoulder, nodding at the door. ] I haven't actually done anything.