The streets of Fandom [Saturday evening]

[weldedtomyspine]

Dinner had been nice. It occurred to Jaime as he and Momoko walked along the street that they didn't go out nearly often enough. It was just so much easier to stay in and watch DVDs and eat junk food. They'd sort of fallen into a routine. And... while that was fun, he didn't want to... just do that.

So they'd had a real date. And he'd even let himself get talked into taking Momoko shopping for a 'real' cowboy hat. And then boots. And a belt.

The kind that didn't make her look like a tourist.

"See?" he explained, arm linked through hers. "Much better than that tourist-y thing you got in El Paso."

Comments

[heromaniac]

"Reno. Arthur. Ino. Triela. Rikku, although not as much since we went to Spira, I don't think. Red Robin totally thought it at first. Roy lectured us once about it in Baltimore. And I totally know Ms Barbara and Ms Helena worry at least a little when I visit New Gotham."

Blossom pressed her face into his shoulder, not at all liking that she had a list so handy.

That was something else a team provided that she missed: moral support. "How can you do it alone?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"I did mention that I had a lot of power, right?"

Not enough to do everything alone, really. But... a lot.

[heromaniac]

He totally didn't get it, but probably because he'd never had anything else. "And a lot of worry and guilt," she sighed, lifting her head to kiss his cheek.

... Hopefully he could feel it; it totally felt weird to her, kissing the armor!

"Working with someone isn't about power. Asking for help doesn't make you responsible for them. For me."

[weldedtomyspine]

He blinked.

"Of course it does."

No it didn't, Jaime.

[heromaniac]

She blinked back. "Why? I'm a hero. It's my job." And her passion.

[weldedtomyspine]

"But if I call you in when I can take care of things myself..."

You know, for some very, very special definition of 'take care of things myself'.

[heromaniac]

"I get to watch my totally hot boyfriend kick evil butt?" she asked, tapping his cheek.

She shrugged, smiling. "Maybe there's a little kid watching and getting scared and I can sit there and hold her hand, or some food cart is overturned during the fight and I can help put it back up, or I can convince the police not to try to help, or there's a fire that's started... there's more to being a hero than just fighting."

[weldedtomyspine]

"Hey! You could get hurt putting out a fire."

Not the point, Jaime.

[heromaniac]

"I got hurt walking into the dorm, remember?"

[weldedtomyspine]

...

"Yeah, but I didn't call you that time."

So he didn't feel responsible. Though he did feel kind of bad for not being able to, you know, somehow save her from that.

[heromaniac]

That's because he was silly.

"You didn't stop me from going to Spira. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have been too tired to pay attention to where I was walking." She nodded. "Totally your fault."

[weldedtomyspine]

"No it's not," Jaime countered. He knew she was kidding, and it wasn't the same thing at all.

[heromaniac]

"Why not? If you'd asked me not to go, I wouldn't have."

[weldedtomyspine]

"But that wouldn't be fair to you," Jaime pointed out. Obviously.

[heromaniac]

"So denying me a chance to do something I want just because I might get hurt, isn't fair?" She gave him a look. "Like helping you?"

[weldedtomyspine]

"There's a difference between telling you what to you can and can't do and getting you intentionally involved in something dangerous." Which was also obvious.

[heromaniac]

She was getting frustrated. "No, there isn't. Either way I'm going to get hurt. Or, not. Just because you ask me to help... It's totally not going to change anything and it totally won't be your fault."

She was going to work on this with him, wasn't she?

[weldedtomyspine]

"It is different!" How could she not see that?

[heromaniac]

"No, it's not." She shook her head, standing her ground.

Figuratively, of course, since she was still hanging from him.

"We're partners now, sorry."

[weldedtomyspine]

"We are?"

[heromaniac]

"Yes." She'd decided, you see. And he needed one.

[weldedtomyspine]

"And what about the Scarab?" he asked. Was it just break mold or something?

[heromaniac]

She paused at that. "Hmmm. True. A team, then!" Which was totally better, anyway. "Only we need a team name, now. And nothing about bugs."

...

"Sorry, Scarab."

[weldedtomyspine]

"I don't know," Jaime said doubtfully.

[heromaniac]

She rolled her eyes and floated herself a little bit so that she could rest her elbow on his shoulder. "Fine. As long as it's not a disgusting bug word."