[closed] this christmas we don't need to get away

[controlledvariable]

Date & Time: December 2010
Location: Chicago
Characters: two losers
Summary: ew
Warnings: unhinged laughter
Notes: please blame heather for the cut text i am so sorry. also gif warning under the cut

Comments

→ arrival

[controlledvariable]

[She's glad she brought a couple of her heavier coats up with her to the moon, because it was the first thing she grabbed when planning this particular little trip. It means she doesn't shiver when they arrive in the Chicago winter air, though she does gasp a little at the sudden cold.

It's nice though, fresh air and a real climate, instead of the controlled atmosphere within the case. There's a light dusting of snow on the ground, and the air is clear for the moment. She takes another breath and looks around to get her bearings, giving herself a few seconds to make sure she knows what's going on around her before she turns her attention to Saul, grinning.]

So. Starbucks?

[She has her priorities in the right order.]

[5055034455]

[Saul's just glad he had a suitably heavy coat to bring with him.

And he's burrowing into it now, glancing around as his shoulders hunch against the cold. It might only take her a breath to get her bearings, but it takes him a little longer — it's been a while since he was here, and even though it's familiar, it's also not. What street is this? Which way is the Starbucks?

Is that a stupid question, because this is an American city and where isn't there a Starbucks?

He's squinting elsewhere even after she turns to face him.]

Starbucks...

[Like he's thinking. Which way is the Pier?]

Here.

[And, finally, he offers her his arm so that they can get moving. He'll need a few minutes to realize that this is actually happening, so just... allow him that time. He'll relax soon.]

[controlledvariable]

[She's happy to give him as much time as he needs to get his bearings; not everyone is a Bat, and she's sure it'd take her a little longer if she was dropped into some alternate Gotham.

Still, she takes his arm, tucking herself against his side and willing to let him lead the way, since he's the one who grew up here.]

I didn't realize how much I'd missed Christmas.

[Time travel is confusing; from her persepective, it's been about 16 months since her last Christmas, and it's nice to see a city kitted up for the holiday.]

[5055034455]

[Saul's not big on holidays, actually, but he's happy if she's happy.

And it's a nice change of pace, seeing all this color and all these cheery people and not having to wonder what fresh disaster is lurking around the corner. There's a little unease, of course, when he pauses to consider the fact that everyone else is up on the moon, but — it's fine. It'll be fine.

He takes a breath and exhales slowly, watching the steam leave his mouth before he starts walking and smiles over at her.]

Make a list for me, Steph. Whatever you wanna do, we'll do.

[controlledvariable]

[She wrinkles her nose at him, because that's too nice and stop it, Saul.

But that won't stop her from considering it.]

We need to go ice skating. And I'm hiring a motorbike at some point, and going train surfing and flying, but you don't have to tag along for that. [She pats his arm and smiles too sweetly, teasing him a little.]

And steak. I need steak.

[That's definitely something important on the list of things to do: real food.]

[5055034455]

[Ice skating he can do, the motorbike thing he can do, but —

He wrinkles his nose, too, unsure of whether to laugh or not. Is she kidding? HE HAS NO IDEA.]

I can do about 80% of that list. What else?

[controlledvariable]

I don't know!

[But she's laughing; there are a lot of options and it's a little hard to think of all of them.]

I want a bubble bath. Five minute showers that are cold more times than not just don't cut it.

[She knows he probably meant proper activities to do, but the mundane, little things are what she really misses.]

[5055034455]

[That bathtub better be huge.]

Pizza.

[And a hundred other food-related necessities. Saul's staring to wonder what they're going to accomplish this week in terms of actually getting stuff done. He guesses they can maybe take an hour out of every day to gather supplies...

Maybe...

The problem here is that he's also thinking of a million options. Places to take her, things to show her. And not just here, but Albuquerque, too. Everywhere he's ever been.]

I think we need an actual list. On paper.

[controlledvariable]

Oh my god, yes.

[As if they're suddenly talking about the Holy Grail or something, because that sounds like the best thing in the entire world right now. Weeks of barely even picking at food has suddenly caught up with her.]

I bought a pen. [good job, Steph.] We can start a list once we've got coffee. Or when we get to the hotel. [oh wait a thought, she looks up at him with a hopeful grin] Can we stay at a fancy hotel?

[Things she's never done before: that]

[5055034455]

[SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T EAT, STEPHANIE?

Saul nods. Coffee first; the list can wait. And then he's smirking, brows raised just slightly in surprise that she would even consider the possibility of not doing that.]

As if I'd settle for anything less.

[Never mind the times he's settled for roach motels filled with drug addicts and hookers.

That was for business.

w/e]

[controlledvariable]

Yeah, yeah, we're not all fancy lawyers.

[One of the things she's liked about Exsilium is that it puts everyone on an equal playing field, money wise.

After spending the last few years surrounded by Bruce and Tim's money (and having to listen to Jack Drake complain about being middle class), it's nice to not have to worry about anyone looking down on her for how she grew up.]

[5055034455]

What a world it would be if we were.

[Literally the worst world.

He has to try to not laugh about the "fancy" part, though. Even though he knows she's joking.]

But — gosh, Steph, you really think I'm fancy? It's the pinky ring, isn't it?

[controlledvariable]

Oh, come on, like you're not rolling in it back home.

[There's no way he's as involved with Jesse and Walter as he seems to be and not have been making a significant profit from it.]

womp womp

[controlledvariable]

[Being out in the fresh air is amazing, enough that she's pretty sure she's been giddy with it, after feeling so trapped in the moon base. Or maybe that's just the Christmas spirit, but the point is that walking around is nice, but she needs that little bit more.

She needs to go flying.

It's why she's grabbing her bag from where it's stashed near the bed, dropping it onto the covers as she starts rifling through, looking for her grapple gun and lines. Considering it's just her and Saul, she doesn't really think about pulling out the bits and pieces of her Batgirl uniform and leaving them on the bed for a moment. It's been so long since she's worn her Batgirl suit that she's forgotten the dark, blank space on the chest, where the Bat symbol should be. It doesn't occur to her that she never told Saul about it; she just tosses the suit on the bed while she keeps digging for the grapple gun.]

[5055034455]

[Saul's surprised she didn't decide to do this sooner. He's been expecting it — anticipating it, really, with all the eagerness that comes whenever he sees her in her suit. It's been a while.

But not so long that the symbol has had time to fade.

He didn't think that was even possible.

He leans over from his position against the pillows, squinting at the uniform with an obviously confused expression.]

Is that a new suit?

[controlledvariable]

[And she freezes, wincing.

Shit.

She knows she doesn't have a great poker face when she's caught off guard, even less so when she's with people she tends to relax around, so she's sure Saul must see the guilt and panic cross her features, before she manages to school her expression into something more neutral.]

No, it's just-- [What? She doesn't look at him, just sighs with relief when she finally finds her grapple gun so she can pull it out of the bag and start shoving everything, including the suit, back in.] It's nothing.

[5055034455]

Steph.

[He sound skeptical, but gently so.

Which is one hell of a feat, considering the way his stomach's suddenly all knotted up. What is she not telling him?]

What happened?

[controlledvariable]

[She's not sure she's capable of lying to him and making him believe it, not about this. And... even if she could, she doesn't want to. Not mentioning it is one thing, lying to him is something else entirely.]

I kinda underestimated how sentient our weapons are.

[That doesn't really explain it, but it's all she can think to say.]

[5055034455]

[It doesn't. What it does do, though, is make him even more worried.

He squints.]

Are you gonna elaborate...?

[controlledvariable]

[Yes, she will, it's just... hard.

Once everything is shoved back in the bag, except for the grapple gun tucked in the back of her jeans, she shoves it under the bed so she doesn't have to look at it.]

After the rescue, the next time I put my suit on the symbol was all faded. And then it was just gone.

[Not mentioning the fight she had with Helena, because she's not even sure how to think about that.]

[5055034455]

[At first, he's not sure what that means.

But then he connects the dots.]

Oh.

[The look on his face shifts from confused to concerned, so much so that he almost looks hurt. He can't imagine how Steph must have felt when she realized.

Does this have anything to do with what he said to her...?]

[controlledvariable]

[It has a lot to do with what he said to her, but she doesn't want him to feel responsible, because despite all this, the rest of what he said was... what she needed.

She doesn't want him to look so sad, either, so she walks round to his side of the bed and leans down to press a kiss to his hair. When she pulls back, she's even managed a smile.]

It's okay, I'll figure it out.

[Somehow...]

[5055034455]

Is it something you can figure out, though?

[He says it without thinking, but when he pauses and considers his own words, it makes sense.]

I mean —

[Another pause. He studies her face for a moment, then reaches out to take her hand and kiss her knuckles.]

It just happened, right? So it probably goes the same for reversing it.

[controlledvariable]

[She isn't so sure it makes sense, because what she means is that she has to figure out a way to reconcile being a Bat with having to kill.

It's a work in progress.]

I don't know. [It's not dismissive, she just really isn't sure.] I've been trying not to think about it.

[Which isn't a good method of coping, but she was tired of being sad.]

[5055034455]

[He moves from her knuckles to the back of her hand, pressing a light kiss to the skin there.]

You're still Batgirl.

[Saul's not sure if that's helping or hurting, or if she's even worried about that at all, but he still feels like he has to say it.]