the bittersweet between my teeth.

[glassbox]

WHO: diamond lil and hank mccoy.
WHERE: the institute.
WHEN: the day after lil's showdown with hooded justice.
WARNINGS: lil's a cranky canadian.
SUMMARY: these two people have somehow avoided meeting each other until now.
FORMAT: quick brown fox.

[ she doesn't know what she's doing there really, except that she has no where else to go. maybe she's looking for a fight. it's diamond lil -- she's probably looking for a fight. not that it doesn't seem like she'd already had more than her share of fights. she's sporting an impressive black eye, a split lip, and who knows what other bruises and bumps she's hiding under the unusually modest combination of leggings and a loose sweater. it's an unusual sight. lil can remember only one other time she's ever bled, and the memory makes her gut clench. being invulnerable makes her unaccustomed to pain and injury.

she isn't coping well.

she'd rather have the familiar bitter hurt of arguing with her husband. maybe that's why she's at the institute, lingering at the entrance to the basement. she's absently thumbing at the cut in her lip in an agitated way, trying to decide whether or not she has the self-control to just turn around and leave. ]

Comments

[professorlionface]

I didn't say it just to make you feel better, I said it because it's true.

[That isn't really true at all, so why even say it? To remove the messenger from the equation? If he makes it sound more objective, maybe she'll be more likely to believe it.]

You do deserve a to be around more people who care about you. You need a better support network, especially in a time like this.

[glassbox]

[ she wants to believe it, she does. but that doesn't make it much easier to. in fact, it makes her feel a little bit lonely. hank's words have calmed her enough to really think this situation through, and it's sad, really, that the only person she thinks she can turn to right now is the husband that's been avoiding her.

she exhales a depressed huff of a laugh, burying her face in her hands. muffled: ]

God, I need t'make more friends. I ain't got anybody.

[professorlionface]

It's not always easy, getting used to a new place like this, a new life. The first step is always the hardest.

[Tentatively, he rests a hand on her shoulder with a weak smile.] I'm willing to help, as I can.

[glassbox]

Y'don't gotta feel sorry for me, Hank.

[ she says that, but she doesn't brush his hand off. it's probably the most ordinary, comforting touch she's had from another person in a long, long time. ]

[professorlionface]

[His eyebrows raise and his shoulders lift in a slight shrug.]

I'd like to think there's more to compassion than mere pity. It's not what I've "got to" to, but I do think it would be the right thing.

But you don't have to accept, either.

[glassbox]

[ she pauses, turning her head towards him and considering him a long moment. they don't really know each other particularly well, but she seems pretty sure of this one thing when she finally speaks: ]

You're a good man, Hank.

[ another small beat ]

Look after my stupid husband for me, 'kay?

[professorlionface]

I can do the best I'm able to. [But how far that will go is something he's increasingly uncertain of. It's getting to the time where they'll have to have a talk about where things are, where they'll be going. He's not really looking forward to it.]