open | These Days

[notasaviour]

who: Teddy Altman aka Hulkling aaka King Hulk
what: Open log, including timeline shenanigans
when: all of june, 17th-24th for AU plot
where: The walls, the streets, floor 2
warnings:



[The problem with a shared room is that as much as Teddy might like some time alone, it's a little hard to find sometimes. Which means it's easier to be out exploring, seeing what he can find out in the streets, occasionally venturing to the wall to look out over it. He's not quite sure he wants to go out there alone; as reckless as he can be, he'd rather have some back-up, and Billy is... busy. But he'd definitely like to go out there one day. Other than that, he can mostly be found burning through his funding in assorted cafes and restaurants, making themost of the opportunity to test some alien food out.

He goes to bed on the 16th a quiet, apparently human teenager, and wakes up on the 17th still quiet, but now green, middle-aged, 8ft tall and nearly as wide. The routine doesn't change much, though.]

[If you want something more specific, please come talk to me over PM or at lanatha

Comments

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco is every bit as enthusiastic to discuss the capabilities of various metahumans, and non-metahuman heroes like Oliver, and to enthusiastically speculate and elaborate on how powers work. That is his jam. ]

Sounds about right. Though I know that Flash had a hard time learning how to stop at first. I mean he'd run five blocks past a burning building or half a mile past a robbery and I'd have to be yelling at him over the comms that he had to take a u-turn now. He got the hang of it, though. Just took him a little bit.

[ Cisco scoffs a little at the names. He figures they must be aliases - someone naming himself after the ancient norse god of being a tricky motherfucker, and someone who clearly has a flair for melodrama. ]

Lots of stuff is supposed to be good.

[ Cisco's voice goes a little harder as he says that, but he relents after a pause, shrugging and saying: ]

I mean, depends on the bad guy. Depends what they've done. I just figure, vigilance and cautious optimism are a better game plan than just accepting everyone's word blindly and hoping for the best.

[ People like Farooq or Shawna Baez weren't really to blame; they got into bad situations and abused their powers, yeah, but they weren't evil. And there were people like Snart, who Cisco despises, but recognizes there's an outside chance that maybe, someday, he could become a neutral party rather than an enemy. And then there are the Eobards of the world, who don't deserve a millimeter of leeway or forgiveness, ever, under any circumstances. ]

Yeah, I was pretty amazed, not gonna lie. But like, in a good way.

[ Cisco doesn't miss the concern or fondness in Teddy's voice. Iiiiinteresting. He finishes measuring and gestures that Teddy can put his shirt on again. ]

You're allowed to worry about somebody, even if you know they can take care of themselves. Not like there's an off switch for being concerned about people's safety.

[notasaviour]

[He smiles, still a little restrained but enjoying getting to talk about things. He might never have heard of the Flash, but that doesn't change much about powers- at least, he doesn't think so.]

To be fair, I think pretty much everyone has trouble when they first start learning to use their powers, especially if you're moving at speed. Thinking fast enough is hard- although I guess speedsters must think faster, too, or they'd always be running past everything or crashing into things.

[He's never had much issue shifting, admittedly, but learning to fly wasn't easy. He'd crashed once or twice. And he's been there with Billy trying to learn his new powers. That's never gone all that simply.

He can't blame Cisco for not liking the idea of bad guys wandering around much, though. Vigilance and cautious optimism sound like the best plan to him, too.]

I don't think I know all of it or remember half the lists. I always liked reading up on the heroes more, honestly. But I know they've both done a lot of things, and neither of them ever really seemed to care if people got hurt.

[For Teddy, at least, he can't imagine either of them ever becoming good guys. There's too much history he can point to, too many recurrences, and not even anything like the Scarlet Witch losing control.

He'll try to keep in mind that they might not be so bad, but also- he's pretty sure they'll never be friends, either.

Billy is still the easier topic though... mostly.]

...I don't know if I should worry, though. He's two years older than I remember him, and- different. More confident, I think, which is good, right?

[And less happy- but that's not really an objective viewpoint, especially when he doesn't know why. Maybe it's just being here, or maybe it's Teddy being wrong, or maybe it's something else, he just doesn't know.]

[franciscoramon]

Fore sure. How long've you had your powers? If that's not super rude to ask.

[ Cisco might not have speed to contend with, but he's still very much in the early and troubled stages, when it comes to his own abilities. And he's a little curious, how Teddy came to be a shapeshifter, but unsure how much he can ask without making the kid uncomfortable. It's only because he likes Teddy and can tell he's nervous that he is not immediately nosy and asking a million questions as fast as he can get them out. ]

We should totally compare favorite heroes. Way more fun talking about them than the villains, anyway.

[ 'Reading up on the heroes' is an interesting way to put it - makes him think that Teddy might not really be out in the field yet, or that he's new at it. Sounds like maybe he's got a hint of the fanboy about him, and Cisco can definitely relate to that.

When Teddy mentions the gap in the timeline, it finally clicks. ]

Oh, shit, you know what? I think we might've talked before. You made a post on the network about how to deal with people who know more about your future, right?

[ It's kind of nice, realizing that this isn't entirely the first time he'd interacted with Teddy, and they just hadn't realized it yet. ]

More confident is definitely good. That's gotta be super weird, though. I mean, I don't know how I'd deal with that. I met a few people from my future, but none of them stuck around very long.

[notasaviour]

I think I was about eight the first time I used them?

[Which isn't the same thing, but he doesn't remember using them before that, at least. And mutants don't have powers from birth, so he must have developed them at some point.]

But there's always something new you can learn with shifting. I've only been flying for the last couple of months...

[And it's been a little more complicated than he thought. Adding up and down makes going in the right direction so much harder, so it's lucky he doesn't bruise much either. He smiles again, making a shrugging gesture.]

They are. Although I'm not sure I can really tell you a favourite, honestly. There's a lot of them to choose from. Cap- Captain America is pretty cool, though. So's the Human Torch. And then there's Captain Marvel. And I'm using the Hulk's name, so I should probably mention him, too.

[It's a good start, at least, even if he's missing people from the list. Those are probably going to be the easiest heroes to explain right now, though.

It's kind of embarrassing to be caught out by his post, though. He hadn't expected to meet anyone who'd replied, but- at least most people on there were pretty nice. He rubs the back of his neck again, an unconsciously embarrassed gesture.]

That was me, mostly talking about Billy. I don't know, he was just being really cagey about it, and Billy doesn't really do secretive all that well. He's promised to update me on some of it, though... and that we're still okay, in the future, which is what really concerned me. It really is weird having a boyfriend who's suddenly two years older than me.

[He manages another small smile, still shy about their relationship. It's only been three dates for him, but... well, apparently it's been two years for Billy, so maybe he should just get used to it.]

I'm sorry. Are there many people here from your world at all?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco really thinks about that; he wonders, in the same way he wondered back when he'd talked to Billy that first time, how much different his life would be if he'd gotten his powers while he was a kid. How different his relationship with them would be if they were a part of him, rather than something that had been done to him.

But what better way to banish that thought than the revelation that: ]

Wait, hold up, you can fly?!

[ Maybe it shouldn't surprise him - Teddy said he was a shapeshifter. No reason to think that is limited to just making himself green, tall, and built like a brick shithouse. If he can really change shape, why shouldn't he be able to change into something that could fly? And sure, Cisco's met people who can fly before, but it doesn't stop being cool. Not ever. ]

Captain America's the only one of those I've heard of. Lemme guess, Human Torch is somebody who can light themselves on fire?

[ The other two are a bit more ambiguous - Hulk sounds like maybe bigness is involved in some way, but Marvel could be just about anything.

When Teddy calls Billy his boyfriend, Cisco doesn't react too much; his eyebrows raise and his eyes go wide in a brief 'oh' sort of expression, but a moment later he is beaming. Sure, sounds like things are complicated between them, because of timelines and secrets, but what's new about that? It certainly contextualizes Teddy's worrying, and also his slight nervousness about Billy's confidence. ]

I'm sure it's just as weird for him as it is for you. But as long as you guys are honest with each other, and have a little patience, sounds like it's not too big a problem.

[ Maybe an overly optimistic take on the situation, but at his core, Cisco's a romantic. ]

Just one that I know of. Eddie Thawne? [ There's always a chance Teddy will know him, and Eddie and Cisco aren't keeping it a secret that they're from the same world. ] And back home he's dead, so it's not really likely that he's gonna be leaving soon.

[notasaviour]

I have to shift wings to do it, it isn't an extra power or anything. And I still need practice at it, if I want to make sure I don't fly into things...

[But other than that, it's still one of the coolest things he's ever done with his shifting. He's almost embarrassed he didn't think of it on his own time, instead of having it suggested to him, but then he'd never really thought about shifting extra limbs before. He grins, expression genuinely open for a moment.]

But it's a lot of fun. You could probably come up with me some time, if you think you'd be okay.

[It's just like giving a piggy-back, really. And it's never a bad idea to get some practice in, in case he ever needs to carry people out of an emergency that way...]

...As far as anyone can tell, Torch turns himself into plasma. But pretty close, yep. Plus he's pretty famous, and he's always seemed really comfortable with everything in interviews. And as far as the rumours say, he's generally pretty nice to fans, too.

[He's just not going to mention he had to research that to pretend to be the Torch, or anything. He can't do other people's powers, though, so at least Greg had never tried to make him pretend that far- but he's been Johnny Storm, once or twice.]

I think it's weirder for him, honestly.

[He's still getting to know Billy, either way. Whether he's getting to know the Billy of his time, or the one of two years later, it isn't like he's got to constantly compare the two of them. Billy seems to be constantly having to check himself, work out what from his memories and experiences applies to Teddy now, although it's hard to tell when he can't exactly talk to Teddy about it.

Then again, he probably isn't talking to anyone else about it, either.]

I... don't think we've met. But that can't be easy for him. Does he know, or...?

[franciscoramon]

[ When Teddy says Cisco could maybe come up with him sometime when he flies, Cisco claps his hands over his mouth, too delighted to even answer, at first. The sparkling glee in his eyes is surely enough of an answer. After he's taken a moment to compose himself he says: ]

Hard yes. Like, the absolute hardest of yeses. We're talking diamond-grade.

[ Even if Teddy still needs practice. Even if it might be a little dangerous of a little awkward. Flying!!! ]

Oh, man. See, that right there? That's a big difference. In my world, superheroes don't do interviews. Or public appearances, or anything like that. Well, there was one time the city had a 'Flash Day' after he saved everybody from getting sucked into a black hole, but it was about three seconds between him showing up and a villain attacking, so, I feel like that chances of a repeat are pretty slim.

[ Probably a good thing, honestly. Barry would be a disaster at interviews. ]

Makes sense. You'll have to be just that little bit more patient with him, while he figures it all out.

[ The question about Eddie makes Cisco laugh, just a tiny one, and there's not a whole lot of real humor in it. Not easy would be putting it mildly. ]

Yeah, he knows. He came here right after it happened, and the doctors managed to revive him and patch him up with their crazy-advanced alien tech or whatever. But he remembers doing it.

[ Cisco seems to realize that that might sound a little different than he'd intended, so he explains, with a little shrug that doesn't quite manage to convey authentic nonchalance. ]

He sacrificed himself to stop a supervillain from going on a rampage and killing a ton of people. Including me. So I'm really glad he's getting a second chance.

[notasaviour]

[It's easy to get carried away with that kind of enthusiasm, and Teddy laughs. It's not very long, or very loud, and he doesn't mean it harshly, it's just he's happy. When he speaks, the good humour is still there as an undertone, making a very slightly self-deprecating joke.]

Luckily I already have most of it down. I land on my feet most of the time and I very rarely hit wall any more.

[He's safer than that, honestly, or he'd never risk passengers, but... it wasn't that long ago he was crashing occasionally.]

I guess heroes have just been around for so long they're kind of like celebrities, although there's still a lot of people keeping their real-life identities secret. It's not always good, though. Mutants get a lot of bad press. And Spider-Man has an entire newspaper devoted to making him look bad, whatever he does. If he saved a bus full of kids, the Bugle would probably claim he made it crash in the first place.

[Which is one of the reasons he's glad that so far, the Young Avengers have mostly avoided being public. Admittedly that's mostly because they also haven't done much, yet, but he's probably going to stick to privacy, as much as possible. If he can learn to avoid spilling his secret all the time, anyway...

Still, listening to Cisco talk about his friend, he can spare a lot of empathy for both of them, actually. Cisco sounds like he took the death a little harder than he's saying, and heroic sacrifices probably are a lot less messy when you're not around to deal with the aftermath. He's never even met his dad, but growing up, he'd been angry at him for getting killed; it's got to be much worse for someone Cisco did know well.]

He sounds like a real hero, but... it also sounds like a hard time for both of you. You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to, but I'd like to hear about him, if you do.

[franciscoramon]

[ Billy had mentioned that, briefly - that people don't think very highly of mutants, that there are all kinds of bias and discrimination and bullshit. Cisco is grateful things aren't that way with metas, but he's also acutely aware that metas have not been around as long as mutants had in Billy's world. There was still time for things to get to that place. Which is not a great thought. ]

I'm sorry, did you say Spider-Man?! [ Cisco gives a dramatic shudder, eyes wide, staring at Teddy for any sign that he was joking, maybe trolling Cisco by just making up superhero names. But Teddy doesn't say "just kidding", and after what Teddy said about the press campaign against him, Cisco feels a little bad for reacting with just visceral disgust. ]

I mean... if he's saving people, he doesn't deserve to have the media go after him like that. But... can he really, like, control spiders? Does he sic giant spiders on the bad guys, because that sounds super effective to me. I mean if I were a criminal and some dude hurled a handful of tarantulas at me I'd definitely re-evaluate my life choices.

[ Cisco glances up in surprise when Teddy says it sounds like Eddie dying was hard for Cisco, too. He's a sharp one, this kid. Cisco's going to have to remember that. But he's happy to talk about Eddie, if Teddy is curious. ]

Sure. What do you want to know? I mean, I can introduce you to him, if you'd like. He's working as a detective, here, and he's a super friendly dude.

[notasaviour]

[He has to laugh at that reaction, because he'd never thought Spider-Man was a particularly unintuitive name. Maybe it is, though, and he's just too used to things like that. Either way, Spider-Man is supposed to be a pretty cool person and he's definitely always been a street-level hero, the kind Teddy is trying to be back home, and it seems worth trying to defend him a little.]

I did, but his powers aren't like that. He just has spider-like powers, mostly. He can climb any surface, he's proportionally as strong as one, and he's supposed to have these web-shooters he made so he can swing around on the webbing and stick the bad guys in webs.

[It's no worse than a bunch of other hero names and powers, really. Probably better, in some cases...

He isn't trying to be sharp, mostly because he usually isn't. If he was sharp, he'd be better at making friends, and much better at recognising people who aren't friends. It's just how he genuinely thinks he'd feel, in the same situation.]

I'd like to meet him eventually, but don't feel like you have to introduce us any time soon. He sounds like he'd be pretty busy, anyway. Is he part of... do they have police here?

[franciscoramon]

Oooohhhh, got it. Yeah, okay, that's like, a thousand times less creepy than what I was imagining. Guy with spider-like powers? Totally dope. Guy whose power is controlling spiders? Fucking nightmare fuel.

[ Sure, Cisco has dealt with scary metahumans and black holes and time travel and all sorts of catastrophes, but... spiders! They're awful!

Since there's no particular reason for Teddy to assume that Eddie has a really full schedule, he assumes that there's a certain degree of wariness or shyness involved, which makes sense. Cisco just smiles softly and says: ]

Yeah, they have police here. The department's not huge, and from what I can tell there's not a whole lot of crime, but they're around.