[Closed] Dividing my head and my heart

[levelshift]

Who: Jason reneger and Accelerator levelshift
What: Just some totally normal, well-balanced people having a totally normal meeting in a totally normal back alley.
When: Mid-July.
Where: The back alleys of Central City.
Content Warnings: Mild physical torture, discussion of a minor acquiring and using weapons (knives, guns). These two talking about almost dying and really dying.


[It's late at night in Central, and Accelerator has found himself down a back alley in one of the sketchier neighbourhoods of the city. It's a place he's pretty familiar with by now, so he isn't giving off any signs of discomfort. Also, he isn't alone.]

Come on, this isn't fucking hard.

[There's a guy with a bloody nose, probably in his mid-to-late twenties, slumped against the wall of a building on the ground, groaning. He's clutching his arm, which is twisted in a few different places. Accelerator is standing in front of him with an exasperated expression. It's kind of a funny scene, this big guy being loomed over by a skinny, albino-looking kid with a crutch in one hand, his other one casually shoved in the pocked of his jeans. The light on his choker is glowing red.

Stalking people isn't something Accelerator can say he specializes in, but he knows enough to have picked up on this loser being a part of some shitty Central gang. Hardly an upstanding member of society, though more of the two-bit criminal variety than some evil mastermind. Which is fine, he has to start somewhere and someone on the low rungs of a gang makes the most sense.

He sighs, raises a foot, and plants it on the goon's chest. Technically there's a couple of centimetres between the sole of his shoe and the guy's chest, as that's where his ability kicks in, but that's a minor detail. All Accelerator has to do is gently press his foot downwards and do a few quick calculations, amplifying the vectors behind the motion to increase the pressure. His automatic reflection prevents the guy's body from closing that tiny distance. It's simple, but effective.

The guy starts flailing a little, and then there's the crunch as a rib cracks. He yelps loudly, looking like he's on the verge of passing out. Accelerator, still looking thoroughly annoyed, rolls his eyes at getting reaction instead of anything useful. He doesn't press down any further, but he also doesn't move his foot, maintaining that pressure on the cracked rib.]

Goddamnit, the last guy was less of a wuss. You people are a pain in the ass, you know that?

[The first one had actually passed out from the pain, and the second one hadn't known anything. Apparently 'third time's the charm' is just wishful thinking.]

Comments

[levelshift]

[Accelerator is silent in the face of that answer, not wheedling for more information or complaining that all he's getting is two words. Given he swings wildly between too verbose and irritatingly curt, he isn't one to talk. It's an answer, anyways, something he can mull over further later when he has nothing better to do. Namely, when he's off being depressed and getting caught up in overthinking everything.

(It does sound like it might not be all that far off from almost dying, though.)

Anyways, he's figuring that since all of this has been shared with him, he should at least try and reciprocate. A little. He can do that, he's started to do this with Leo and Donnie and the world didn't end.

Accelerator sighs and responds in a very matter-of-fact tone.]

I was shot point-blank in the head. That's where the brain injury comes from. I should've died, the only reason I didn't was because of luck and a really fucking good doctor.

[He had no right surviving that night.]

[reneger]

( he's a kid.

accelerator isn't the only kid he's known who's been through some shit. hell, jason's known many. grew up surrounded by them, knows several kids who lived in crime alley who didn't make it. people don't give a shit, back home. street kids are disposable; several had been picked up and used by some of gotham's worst, only to be thrown out the moment their usefulness was over. jason didn't have it easy, he just got lucky and got an out, even if that out got him killed. jason knows he would have turned out worse, had bruce not picked him up.

but jason hates it anyway. winces, even, because it sucks.

takes a breath in after. )

Some asshole took a crowbar and beat me with it 'til I was so fucked up no one would've recognized me. Left me in a warehouse, an' when I finally pulled myself together enough to try and get out, the bomb he'd planted earlier went off.

[levelshift]

[Accelerator sees the wince. His first reaction is that an absolute piece of garbage like himself doesn't deserve it, but then - it's not as if he's brought up the Sisters. It's not as if he's going to bring them up either, so he has to let that go.

He brushes it off, like he brushes off his memories of being shot and everything that came with it (staring down the barrel of the gun, ignoring his instincts telling him to let go of Last Order and put his reflection back up, his legs not working right, all of the blood) and listens to... oh, wow.

Accelerator stares, stunned. He remembers during his first fight with Kihara, getting beaten with a metal pipe. He remembers a grenade going off during the second one. An entire beatdown consisting of ten times that brutality? No wonder he didn't make it.]

Shit.

[The worst part of all of that, though, is the very last part.]

You were conscious enough to realize how fucked you were? [He must've been terrified.]

[reneger]

Conscious until the bomb went off.

( that's not even getting into the--his birth mother that he didn't know he had a few days prior was the one who sold him out and also died in the warehouse with him, after watching him get the shit beaten out of him. how they were so close to getting out, only to finding out moments before the timer hit zero that the door was locked. how jason waited for bruce to show up and save him from the joker, how he tried to save his mother, how he--he expected bruce to get there on time, and then he was gone. how he was fifteen, smaller than accelerator is now, and full of hope he could do better. how one stupid, shit dream of finding his birth mother might change--something, anything, but all it did was remind him people are shit. )

Hand over the gun. ( hand out, palm up. )

[levelshift]

....

[Yep, that sucks. Being conscious up until the very last second sucks, he knows this for a fact.

He blinks at that, put will pick up the gun and hand it over. Right, this whole conversation was probably a giant mood killer? Though, if anything, it's making him feel more motivated to keep practicing.]

[reneger]

( jason picks it up, presses the magazine release to get it to fall out onto the palm of his other hand, and flips it over in hand. )

I'll get an extended mag release to make it easier to pop it out for you. Might extend out the barrel some for increased velocity, but I don't think you'll need it. But more power never hurt. I can get a mounting plate to install a reflex sight, if you think it'd be useful.

[levelshift]

I'll be okay without a sight. [More like, he wants to be able to rely on his own judgement when it comes to aiming.] The rest of that sounds fine, though.

[He stares down at the gun.]

I still want to pay you for the fucking thing. Or at least trade. Just because I'm fifteen doesn't mean I can't do something for you. Fair's fair.

[reneger]

We'll call it an IOU. If I need something done in Central an' I'm not around, I'll ring you in. Sounds fair?

( chances of that happening are--not as slim as the usual 'favors' jason would ask for as an iou. most his family is here, and jason isn't. intentionally, but if something happens in a rush and his favorite teleporter isn't available--accelerator could be useful. )

When you get back to your place later, text me your thigh and hip width. I'll get you a holster with room for an extra magazine, make it easier to pop the new one in if you run out in the first one. ( and-- ) I can make it stealthy. Look less like it's for a gun, more for you to keep your shit in. I'll even put a wallet pocket on it.

[levelshift]

Fine.

[It's probably the best he's going to get out of the guy, so he'll take it. God, being nice is so exhausting.

A holster isn't something he's thought about, and he shrugs like it's no big deal.]

Yeah, sure. Are we gonna do this again, then? I still need more practice.

[Also it's been kind of fun, but God forbid he say that out loud.]

[reneger]

Weekly until you've got it down well enough you can do it with your eyes closed.

( and jason's shoving everything aside from accelerator's shit back into the bag. )

And then I'll let you take it home. Given how quick you're getting it, I doubt it'll take you long. You're a smart kid.

[levelshift]

[He nods. Weekly is good - unlike a staff, he's fairly confident he can actually improve and get good at using a firearm. Honestly, he isn't even bothered that he doesn't get to take the gun home today.

Getting off of the table, he grabs his crutch.]

I've heard that before. [He sounds tired rather than cocky about that. Blah blah #1 Level 5 blah Academy City's top student blah blah.] See you next week, then.

[reneger]

I'll get the modifications and the holster done by next week. Don't have much else going on right now, I may as well burn time with your shit.

( because technically, he shouldn't be outside right now. but jason's fairly good at getting around without being spotted as long as he doesn't make any waves. handling a kid is fine. he swings the bag back over his shoulder, puts accelerator's shit in the front pocket for easy access.

turns eyes back to accelerator after, expression shifting from playful to a little more--serious. )

You'll get the gun, but I'm gonna give you warning now: you use it for anything other than self-defense, I'll find out, an' you won't like how that turns out.

[levelshift]

I guess if you're not busy.... [Can someone reasonably get all that done in a week without spending a lot of time on it? He's going to find out!

Yeesh, what a threat. Accelerator bites his tongue, refraining from cussing back because he isn't an idiot. He does click his tongue, though.]

I got it. Self-defense only. [He'll stick to using his ability for the 'anything else' part of that equation.]

[reneger]

Good. I don't want to hear about some kid running around causing problems with toys I built up for them. Yeah?

( jason's got a bad enough rep sheet as it is, he doesn't need it to get worse. )

I'll see you next time.