Manhattan Portalocity Station and Beyond, Wednesday Afternoon

[suitably_heroic]

Coming here always made Jack restless - maybe because half the time, he was picking someone up from a different place and a different life, and as much as he was trying to do the healthy thing and not let the whole two-worlds-two-lives thing mess with his head, it still made him jittery.

Anyway.

It was just Cade. What was the worst that could happen?

(Probably a lot.)

He waited outside the station, wearing a jacket and hoodie and jeans and, probably, looking more genuinely relaxed than Cade had ever seen him. Even with the jitters. Even with the way his foot kept jumping.

Space. This was probably a bad idea...

[[ for that guy ]]

Comments

[shutupandkillsomething]

"No, we prefer to bow and stare at each other until it gets strange," Cade said.

[suitably_heroic]

"I feel like that's way more civilized passive-aggression than playing the 'who has the better handshake' game," Dane mused, and sat down in his chair. "Just-- really making it eerie and uneasy."

Atton rolled his eyes. "I ordered you some Al pastor," he said.

"Thanks."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Who's Al Pastor?" Cade asked.

In his defense, that was a pretty galaxy far, far away name.

[suitably_heroic]

"Pork marinated in chilies and pineapple," Dane said, grinning. "You can grab one of mine when they get here." He eyed Atton. "You didn't get him any?"

Atton shrugged. "He talks a big game about being a big space kid more important than this little mudball," he said. "If he doesn't know how to order the good tacos..."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"He's punishing me," Cade said, nodding. "It's why I never visit."

[suitably_heroic]

"Jack," Dane said, raising his eyebrows.

Atton leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "What? I'm an asshole," he said. "And so is he!"

"He seems nice," Dane pointed out.

"You think everyone seems nice. Except for me!"

"Because you're an asshole," Dane said. Agreeably.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"He really is," Cade agreed, so, so, helpfully.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton rolled his eyes at both of them. "I don't have any friends," he complained. "Not a single one."

Dante patted him lightly on the shoulder. "You'll be okay," he said, grinning. Sort of. It was closer to an actual smile.

He looked at Cade. "You used to go to school on this mudball, right?" he said. "You ever miss it?"

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Going to school, being a teenager, or seeing this asshole more often?" Cade asked. "Because the answers are all different."

[suitably_heroic]

Dane checked his phone. "I have twenty minutes?" he said. "So all of the above."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I go back to the school yearly because I have family there, but their story would take much longer than twenty minutes," Cade said as the food arrived. "I'd rather fall in lava than be a teenager again, and I only sort of miss seeing that asshole's face."

That last one was clearly teasing.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton gave him the finger. Lazily. "Wow, I got an actual 'sort of'," he said. "That's practically a declaration of love from this guy."

"I hope not," Dane said, as he grabbed the plate with the al pastor tacos and oriented it so it was between him and Cade. "I don't have the weird superpowers you guys do."

"Less superpowers, more 'interconnectedness with the universe', blah blah," Atton said.

"He wrote a song about it," Dane confided. "It's a lot more flowery than that."

Atton threw a tiny piece of quesadilla at him.

[shutupandkillsomething]

Cade snickered. "You wrote a song about the Force?"

[suitably_heroic]

"Shut up," Atton told him, which was a yes.

[shutupandkillsomething]

Cade laughed harder. "I've never been that high."

Thank you, Cade.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton would've grumbled and made a joke, too, but he caught the look on Dane's face. Right. Less old Atton defensiveness, more-- anything else.

He sighed.

"I write about what I care about," he said. "And Force meditation's done a lot for me over the years. If that's not your hyperspace lane, whatever."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"It's definitely not," Cade said, smirking as he reached for his drink again.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton shrugged. "Smirk all you want," he said. "Snark is always easier than sincerity. You don't have to put anything on the line."

Dane took a contemplative bite of his taco, clearly wondering if he should move the conversation somewhere less argument-y.

But well, taco. He was going to have to swallow that bite first.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I have no need to scream my feelings at complete strangers, you're right," Cade said.

[suitably_heroic]

"Making my case for me," Atton said, and before Dane could say anything, he added, "Did I ever tell you this guy saved my life? Straight-up yanked me from the brink of death."

Dane blinked, glancing from Atton to Cade and back. "Huh. Well. That sounds hardcore."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I am, indeed, hardcore," Cade agreed around a bite of taco.

[suitably_heroic]

"And because of the way that stupid Force power works, I still have his voice knocking around my head sometimes," Atton said brightly.

He swallowed.

[shutupandkillsomething]

Cade blinked. He didn't remember that his voice would still be in Atton's head. "I'm the voice of reason," he finally declared.

[suitably_heroic]

"This is also how I know that one day you're going to crack and I really hope you're going to do it screaming into a microphone and not exploding at a bunch of strangers," Atton said, and picked up his soda for a sip as he sat back.

Dane, with the look of a man who had been here before (if 'here' was 'wedged between Atton and someone he wanted to make a point to'), said, "He's been telling me your job is getting shot at. What's that like?"

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Very good for cardio," Cade said dryly. "Getting shot at is the unwelcome side-effect of my job."