1613/Quiet After-party

Quiet After-party
Date of Scene:	11 May 2020
Location:	Roof - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Terry and Gar meet up on the tower for a little wind-down after the events of the day.
Cast of Characters:	Gar Logan, Terry O'Neil

---

Gar Logan has posed:
A few hours after everything has happened, and while there are still pockets of activity here and there, the worst of the trouble is over. Some in Titans Tower are dealing with the aftermath in different ways, but there is one who has taken up a spot atop the roof, hands against a railing that overlooks the city.

Beast Boy has yet to change out of his costume, but he is studying the skyline in quiet contemplation.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry's arrival is announced by the quiet hiss of the elevator door opening. It isn't the Cheshire cat with the bloodied arm (although it was cleaned and bandaged once he got to the tower) but the red-headed human who, amazingly, had no such injury on his arm. What he does have, however, is a bottle of something in his right hand.

"I thought I'd find you here." He steps off the elevator with a soft smile, the night breeze sweeping his unruly hair. He walks over next to Gar and leans against the railing. "Hey..."

Gar Logan has posed:
Starting to peek over a shoulder, Beast Boy turns away from the view to look at Terry with a wide grin. There have been moments where the two have made each other laugh, leaving themselves feeling pretty good about things, but there's something a little extra to the smile right now that barely even falters at the sight of the bandage.

"Hey! How's your arm?" he asks first, resting a hip against the side of the railing afterward. He just comes off as..bouncy.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Oh, I don't know. It's in Vorpal's arm, not mine. I just have this thing to remind me to change into him at night so it has time to heal... I've discovered that if I don't spend time in one body, time doesn't seem to pass for it. So... I'll probably switch over before I go to bed, so I do the whole overnight healing thing."

He reaches over and touches Gar's chin with his hand, smiling, "How are you? Look at you. Not a scratch on, and you're looking particularly handsome tonight."

He brings up the bottle, which has a rather faded label on it. "I thought the occasion called for a little celebration... what do /you/ think of what happened today?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Okay, I really don't understand how that works, but if that's what it takes, sure," Gar answers, adding, "That sounds like a good reason to be both as much as you can."

The label of the bottle is given a closer look, even while his chin is being touched, and he says, "Oh, I got bit a few times, but I gave it back a lot better. I said I was gonna keep them off of you for all that at the end, didn't I?" He even puffs out his chest just enough to give the idea of a human peacock.

"Dude, it was amazing. At first I didn't know if we were gonna be able to do anything, but you saw him. /Superman/ is back! He's back and when all of that stuff started happening, I knew everything would be fine. It's like we all got a second chance!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry smiles, "Yes, you sure did keep them off me. And you /hugged/ Superman, dude. I stumbled over my words like a total idiot, it was embarrassing!" he chuckles and shakes his head. He looks at the bottle and tilts it a little. "It's Dom Perignon. Thirty years. It's from mom's special cabinet, she only sips from this when she solves a really big case. I figured we could have a sip each, you know... to celebrate that you guys are officially back. I've got the flutes in my satchel."
%

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy spreads his arms wide. "What else was I supposed to do?" Yes, it was impulsive to hug the Man of Steel in front of everyone, but it undoubtedly sent a couple different, if similar, messages to everyone gathered there. "We all thought he was dead and then he suddenly came back in the middle of all this and helped save the day! That's what he does!"

A pause, and he wets his lips briefly. "And this time we all succeeded." That, more than anything else, seems to be the source of his mood being what it is. However, he gives the bottle of champagne a speculative look. "That's, like, almost as old as both of us put together. Are you sure?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry smirks, "I didn't say it was a bad thing. I thought you were adorable. I made an ass of myself." The redhead chuckles and reaches into his satchel after setting the bottle dow.

"Yeah, I am sure. Dude, this is something you've worked so hard to get. The Titans are all around you. And you get the bonus that Superman is back." He pours a modest amount into each flute, and then steps close to Gar, extending one of the containers to him. "Name one good reason why you shouldn't celebrate?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy gives Terry a small shove in the shoulder, opposite the side with the bandage. "You should be used to that by now," he says with a short laugh, rocking back and forth on the balls of his costume sneakers.

"You know how people say when someone's about to die, their whole life flashes in front of their eyes? When I saw Superman flying in and coming down, it was kind of like that but in a better way. I know it's not gonna bring back everyone, but..a lot of people need to know that Superman is alive, and I just had to do that when he was right there."

The glass is accepted, and as he holds it in consideration he admits, "I can't think of one." After a quick clink, he downs the entire amount that was poured.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Clink!" Terry says and sips his own flute. He's had champagne before, of course, at weddings and whatnot. "... this is good. Wow." He grins. "I didn't steal it. Mom gave it to me when I told her I wanted to toast to the Titans. She knows I'm your 'journalist attache' and she's rather proud of that. Oh if she only knew..."

The redhead tilts his head and raises an eyebrow, "Oh, rest assured, everybody's going to know Superman is alive in an hour or so. Lois has the exclusive, of course... which had me asking her if we could run my article on the Titans coming back /next/ week, after everybody is over the shock. Because I'm not going to run my big story on the same week that Superman comes back from the dead."

He chuckles and leans into the handrail, looking out at the city. There's still some champagne in his glass, he holds it up so that the lights of the city are little pins of light in the golden liquid. "Was it really only a month ago that you were sleeping on my couch and eating me out of a roof?" he says with a soft smile.

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy makes something of a face after the taste of the drink has set in, eyeing the flute speculatively, if not a little suspiciously. "I haven't had enough to know if I really like it or not. it's definitely something, though!" he determines, but he offers it back after the one sampling.

He remains grinning, especially over talk of Superman and the Titans and everything, though he points out, "You realize we still don't even have a real team leader yet, and there was that stuff with the big X on the Tower. We're back together but I think we still have a ways to go. It's been good so far, though. Better than I think I could have hoped for when I was first getting back here."

Then, he considers the city ahead of them and takes on a more dreamy way about him. "It might have been a little longer than that, but look at all of this now. I'm finally feeling good about a lot of things again."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry gives Gar a full smile, "I liked that time. The apartment feels a lot lonelier since you left." He takes a slow, deliberate sip from his flute and twirls the glass in his fingers.

"At the same time, I realize I can be exhausting. I'm very glad that you are feeling good... really, it's all I ever wanted for you when I saw how hurt... well. It's in the past." He says, taking a sip of the last remaining drops of gold. Then, he toasts to the empty air, to the city and its lights, by raising the flute, and then looking at Gar, "In the past, to never retur."

Gar Logan has posed:
"Yeah, but compared to here, your place is /smol/ and there's limited food and workout areas and TV space..and April's clown friend could show up there at any time," Beast Boy explains, a gloved hand gesturing with the palm up. "And you think it's easy all the time, trying to be my friend? I've got more baggage than Metropolis International Airport, but you accept me for what I am instead of holding what I'm not against me, and that means a lot."

He clears his throat, rubbing behind one of his pointed ears. "Yeah. Let's not forget the past, but let's always move forward." In this case, moving forward comes with him doing so physically, to sneak a kiss to the lips.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The kiss COMPLETELY takes Terry by surprise. This is, really, the first time. It's surprising enough that he almost drops the champagne glass, which would have been unfortunate because it is his mother's. The redhead's breath stops and he leans into the kiss, and lingers there for as long as Gar is wont to stay.

Finally, when it is over he blinks slowly and then finds himself smiling, looking into Gar's eyes, staying only a few inches away from him.

"... I like your idea of moving forward," he says quietly, reaching out to touch a green cheek with his free hand.

Gar Logan has posed:
It's more of a chaste kiss than not, only lasting a few seconds, but yes indeed, it is the first real time Gar's initiated one with him. He pulls back so they can both look each other in the eyes, and he's got a little half-smile set in place. "I thought you would," he answers, giving an impulsive rub of the cheek to that hand.

"And I was just thinking that I wouldn't have been able to do that if we didn't make it through all of that today."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"But we did. I knew we would. I'm no longer helpless- I can watch your back, and you can watch mine." He chuckles, staying the same distance from him. "You know...before all of this happened, I'd think to myself that maybe if I weren't so ... ordinary, so normal, if I had powers... then maybe you'd take a chance with me."

He raises one eyebrow, "I know, I know. It sounds stupid. And I won't deny that the fantasy is a lot simpler than reality."

He leans in, seeing if Gar will let him rest his head on his shoulder. "It's a beautiful night..."

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy admits, "I still don't even understand what all of those things were." Maybe it doesn't matter now, or at this very moment.

"And I kinda didn't know what to do at first. I haven't had a lot of friends that were just normal, even if you weren't really normal even by the time we met. But now that we know what you are, it makes it easier. You can live here too, and be a part of everything here, and it'll be awesome."

Maybe sometimes the reality is worth working toward, compared to the fantasy.

"Yeah, it is," he adds, glancing down at the top of Terry's head there. "And..yeah, I won't lie. You're handsome and cool whether you're Terry or Vorpal, even if I guess I fell in love at first sight with that silly cat."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"And until then, I didn't know it was possible to be jealous of yourself," Terry smirks. "Speaking of that... if you ever do decide..." he says this, trying to sound casual and light, as if afraid that the slightest sign of seriousness might cause Gar to flee, "If you ever do decide that you love me and... you know. Want to date me. You'll have to choose between the cat and the reporter as to who you want to be seen in public with. Because of the secret identity nonsense."

He frowns suddenly, "... though if you decide the cat, I'm going to have to act broken up about it around Lois for a while, so she doesn't suspect."

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy laughs once. "Like how some of the girls would go crazy for me as a puppy, but hardly even look at me when I was my usual self?" It might not be exactly like that - he's still essentially himself - but it's not too far off in his mind.

The concern Terry raises, however, has him standing back enough that he can put both hands on Terry's shoulders. "Dude, you already tried to hide it from me. Don't you think she can handle knowing you're both you and a purple-pink-salmon cat Titan hero? You're both Terry and Vorpal to me. How am I supposed to choose just one for out there?" He gestures toward the city, as if including it and everyone within it in his question.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Gar, think about it for a second. I'm trying to have a secret identity... for now, at least. Don't you think people are going to put two and two together if they see you being lovey dovey with Vorpal /and/ Terry O'Neil?" He smirks. "I am not asking to choose between us for good, I'm just asking whom you'd rather be affectionate with in public. You know... who you'll take to the movies, dinner, walk in the park, that sort of thing. And yeah... Gar, my boss is /Lois Lane/. Revealing the secret to her is... kind of a big thing. I don't think even Superman has told her who he is, even though he clearly trusts her." He pauses, and huhs, "Then again, she wouldn't /tell/ me if she knew. Gah this is complicated... you really think I should tell her?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Beast Boy runs a hand through his hair, which does nothing to make it look any more under control.

"Boy..I'm gonna have to think about that. I'm not ready to make a decision on who I'm gonna be clinging to in public, or letting cling to me." He says this with a crooked grin and a rolling of his shoulders. "And I guess I don't know what you should tell Lois yet. Do you think she can keep a secret like that?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"She probably can. I guess... I'll have to think about it." Terry frowns, and reaches out to touch Gar's shoulder, "Well... It's not for me, really. I live here in this tower, and I'm safe one way or another because I've got you. But my mom isn't a super-powered person and she /already/ deals with criminal elements. I'm not worried about April 'cause she's got Harl to keep her safe... and yeah, both April and Harley know. But my mom doesn't know... and if my identity were to be made public..." he looks at the city. "Believe me, Gar, it's not something I want to force on you. Heck, if I could erase any obstacle that stands in the way of you choosing me, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But... it's my mom." He smiles a little, "I'm sorry, I always seem to be making things difficult for you."

Gar Logan has posed:
"Well, we don't have to worry about it right now, and you can be both when it's us around here since everybody knows. I totally get needing to keep things secret when it comes to identities," Beast Boy says. Of course, that's not something that works in his own life, but he's also chosen to be in the public eye. "I just hope you can be okay with that. But..why don't we get back inside for now? I'm starting to feel a little tired. I could use a nap."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Yeah, it's been a day." Terry grabs the bottle, reaches over and puts an arm around his waist, "C'mon, let's go back inside then. You can go have a lie-down on your bed while I work on some changes to my article... with Lois blasting SUPERMAN RETURNS or whatever it will be on the front page, nobody's going to read anything anyone else writes for at least a week... so the news of our glorious return will debut then. I'll have to use your laptop if you'll let me, the one from the Planet got crushed at the bridge." Yep, time to file another report... but at least this time he had a good reason.

He looks at Gar as they make the way to the elevator. "I ..." he begins to say, but then thinks better and simply leans over and places a kiss on Gar's cheek, just as the doors open.