originalbeachboy | for brave_heart

You know, that's one of the nicest compliments I've ever been given. Thank you. Being friends with gods and people with incredible powers makes me feel really unimportant sometimes. It's nice to know not everyone sees it that way.

[She gives him a quick smile before going back to watching the sunset.] Do you come up here a lot?

First time.

[As much as he's confident in his ability to stay a step ahead of authorities (despite evidence to the contrary constantly piling up) he doesn't do much sight seeing. It just seemed a good place to trespass.]

...Might make a habit out of it.

I would. A great view, quiet, privacy... that's pretty much a recluse's dream come true. It's better with good company though.

[That's one of the dangers of living someplace too long: you stop seeing the wonders. It becomes traffic jams and construction detours instead of art and music and amazing views.]

Did you grow up here?

In Queens, yeah. Rough neighbourhood.

[He rarely tells his life story, or at least details of from before he became Sandman. Verity Willis, prepare to join an exclusive club alongside Benjamin J. Grimm and
Silver Sablinova. Because he wants to learn more about her, but he knows it's give and take.

Besides, he's sure she'll appreciate honesty which he has in spades.]

My lousy bum dad ran out on my ma and me when I was barely walkin', so by the time I was walkin' I was stealing too, 'cos how else could I take care of her? Lords know I didn't have the smarts to learn too much, so I learnt 'bout power. Learnt you whip the guys who made your life hell, suddenly you got a lot of it. Suddenly them guys that smashed anything you had just to see the look on your face is your best pals. Then later, learnt that if you knock someone down in the hallway you're a jerk but if you do it on the football field, yer a hero!

[He throws his hands up a bit at that, as if asking the universe at large why that is.]

I was amazin', world class even in high-school! My first good break in life... A scholarship, go to college, go pro. Finally be able to take care of my ma, have a proper life. But my life is a wheel! Faster up I go, harder I come down! Turns out pals you make 'cos you're strong are your pals 'cos you can carry 'em. Vic used to beat me black and blue when I was a kid, but by that time he was the closest thing I'd ever had to a friend. The moron was even dumber than me! Owing money to mob, on his knees begging... the big idiot convinced me to play for crap in a couple games, shave points. I figured, what's a couple of games compared to a guy's life?

Except it cost me my life, when coach found out. 'n I got angrier than I'd ever been, hurt him real bad. If I weren't going to get expelled for rigging games, I was after that. So there was me, out in the cold. Ain't nobody hirin' a disgraced kid with no high school diploma. So back to stealin', but bigger now. Big enough a slap on the wrist weren't gonna cut it when I got caught and refused to roll over on my accomplice, Vic again! So Vic got off scot-free and I get tossed in the slammer hard.

First time in prison, you know what he said to me? [Apparently irritated badly enough his story has fractured a little, the image in his head of his father so complete to him it feels like everyone should know exactly who he means.]

[Verity's a good listener. When there's no point in talking, you get good at listening. The fact she actually likes Flint, and that she knows the pain of a father leaving, makes her particularly attentive.

And no, she doesn't know who he means, but now's not the time to ask.] What did he say?

He looks me dead in the eye and he says 'If my nothing kid had a fraction of yer guts, I'd probably never have left home.'

[His head hangs when he says it. That moment floats into his head every now and then. There hasn't been a single time since it hasn't made him wants to puke.]

I couldn't bear to tell him I was his nothing kid.

[Treasure this moment, Flint, because you are about to experience something extremely rare: Verity's going to hug you now. You are now part of the exclusive circle of three whole people she's willing to touch.

Or, you know, do whatever. It's not like you can hear any of this. Either way, awkward hug.]

[He stiffens up for a second, before he shifts right through her arms. Not to escape, but to seamlessly change the pose. A large arm around her shoulder, still looking out over the city.]

C'mon kid. That ain't even the sad bit.

[Rather weak levity.]

[There's a moment of confusion when he shifts away, but she relaxes again when she realizes what's going on. Okay, so, he doesn't like hugs. She'll remember that.]

You'd better be careful, in that case, I might feel compelled to hug you again.

[She's teasing. Her eyebrows are doing that thing again, that's how you can tell.]

[Not quite- he just didn't want it to be a one sided thing and a one armed, side by side was better for him, so he could keep looking out.]

Scary. Knew there was a reason I didn't talk like this often.

[They'll figure it out. This is pretty cozy, so she's not complaining.]

I know right? I shall make a great effort to restrain myself if you want.

Nah, keep being you.

[A simple sentence, but one that means more than it sounds.

That's enough stalling. He started his tale, so might as well keep going.]

Anyway... I got out, Vic and my girl Marcy were waiting for me. I ruled New York then, even as a regular guy. No crime too big, I weren't afraid of nothing! Even the big crime families never tried to pin me down, 'cos they knew I'd be too much trouble. The cash rolled in, I gave my ma the high life. Every now and then things would go wrong and I'd be locked up again- but I didn't mind so much, 'cos outside I had Vic and Marcy, but inside I got to spend time with my dad. Whatever spell that old man had over me stuck, 'cos it got to the point where when I was tossed in there and he'd been tossed out... I couldn't take it. I busted out, which meant Vic and Marcy weren't expecting me when I came home... so I walk right in on 'em, together. Leechin' off me, the whole time. He weren't so pretty by the time I was done with him, but what did it was looking in her eyes when I was finished, seeing that kind of fear, disgust at the sort of guy I was.

I went kinda crazy, then. I went a crime spree that set the whole city spinning, so bitter and mad it was a rampage! I ended up top of the most wanted list, chased half way across the country. I hated everybody, every last stinking person on this whole damned planet, 'cos not nobody had my back for even a second! Carrying the whole world on my shoulders and nobody giving me a hand! So I just dropped the blasted thing and tried to grab what I could. It'd always been me against the world, but now it was gonna be a fight, a bare knuckle brawl to the finish.

That's when it happened. On the run, I hid out some place no sane person would look, because you'd have to be crazy to hide there- a beach cordoned off for nuclear tests. Agony! All I can remember is a blinding light and this suffering like nothing I ever felt before or since, screaming my lungs! It felt forever, face down in the sand. I was begging for it all to just end, just die and become dust, blow away. Get forgotten and make the world a better place. Maybe that's why I hid there in the first place.

[It's a lovely sentiment, the idea of being oneself. Once she figures out what that means for her, she'll be sure to live up to it. But right now, with so many things having changed in her life recently, she's really not sure what to do. A year ago, she wouldn't have given him the time of day, and now here she is caring about him.

So. It's not another hug (she did promise), but she'll lean into his side, a quiet and hopefully acceptable way of reminding him that he's not alone now.]

Does it still hurt?

Now!? Hah! Now nothing hurts! Maybe I got made into a freak, but I'm an indestructible one!

[Suddenly enthused, he gives an entirely unnecessary demonstration of powers she's already well acquainted with. Morphing his hand on the opposite side to her into a spiked mace, not dislodging the arm around her shoulder.

The mace goes through another transformation, into a hand- but each finger ends in a miniaturised image of his nemeses- Spider-Man on the thumb, the Fantastic Four the rest.]

I figured now I had the ammunition for the big gun I turned myself into! My first big break. No one could stop me now! I even let Spider-Man 'beat' me, that first time.

[He crunches his hand into a fist, grinding the heroes up.]

I let them put me back in the joint 'cos I heard my dad was back in there. So I went in, to take him out. Went smooth as you'd ever wish for. They didn't have decent super prisons back them- it was easy as breaking out of a shoe box! He was grateful, respected me, owed me. But after that, it all went the same way as usual. The wheel takes me up... The wheel takes me down. Spider-Man tracked me down two words before I could tell him why I'd gone through all that trouble for some guy I only knew from the big house... I went nuts, really lost it. Almost had him, I really did. One more second and I would have been made for life, no one could have stopped me.

I got struck by fucking lightning! [And that's the first real swear out of him, because really. Struck by lightning.] If that don't just sum the whole thing up, I don't know what does!

[The swearing gets quite a look from her. She had really started to believe he didn't know how. But when he takes a breath, she turns to him with a very stern look.]

You are not a freak. Don't you ever say that!

[Yes, she knows what could happen if she upsets him. But she cannot let a lie go unchallenged, and he's just wrong about this.]

[In response, his neck extends out several foot and coils back to look her in the face in an elongated U.

One has to admit, it's freaky looking if nothing else.]

Oh yeah? Says who?

Me.

[She folds her arms and gives him a glare.]

The chick who always knows when it's a lie, remember?

Yeah, well... it's just 'cos freak is a polite expression for what I really am, is all.

[He recollects himself into human shape and mirrors her stance- except for the extra foot and couple of extra hundred pounds.

All the same, he doesn't radiate the smallest hint of danger. As rough as his temper is sometimes, it'd take a lot more than disagreeing with his assessment that he's a freak to get him really mad.

The word he uses freak in lieu of is 'monster.']

One in a billion chance. A freak accident.

You. Are not. A freak. You're a person, just like everyone else.

[She is not backing down on this.]

You have an amazing power, and yeah it's really rare, but that doesn't make you less of a person.

Way you say it, you're making out like no one can be a freak.

[He seamlessly transforms into a very good imitation of the ever loving blue eyed idol of millions, the Thing. He can't do the voice, but the look is perfect. Aside from the fact the little blue pants are green.]

You can be both at once and I don't care what you say, that's the truth.

[She keeps staring at him for a moment before she takes a deep breath and forces herself to take a gentler tone.]

Does it hurt less when you call yourself that first? Because that never worked for me.

[He shifts back to normal and turns back to the city. Just in time to see about that time when the sun is low enough people start turning their lights on.]

I told yah. Now? Practically nothin' hurts.

[The practically probably pushes it out of the realm of a lie.]

[She's not stupid. It might not "ping", but she can see where he's wiggling around the spell.

Still, time to drop it. For now. Would he mind if she leaned up against him again?]

That must be nice.

[He doesn't object, at the least. He's a bit embarrassed more than anything else.]

Yes n' no. I got a bit numb, I guess. Stopped looking at the good too. Can't feel much of nothing when you're so damn mad all the time. That burned out some, so... that's where the practically comes in.

[See, he can't even do that half lie for long.]

[She'll stop if he wants. It wouldn't be hard to distract her, he could just ask for some of those promised snacks.]

The world becomes a horrible place and you don't want to deal with it anymore.

[Why hello there, voice of experience.]

for brave_heart_verity

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