2968/Greenline Editing

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Greenline Editing
Date of Scene: 17 August 2020
Location: 2D - Terry's Apartment
Synopsis: Terry and Gar reach a very important decision. Hold the presses!
Cast of Characters: Terry O'Neil, Gar Logan




Terry O'Neil has posed:
This is it. The final person. Months of research, blood (literally) and tears have brought Terry O'Neil to the culmination of his first Big Piece- the saga of how the once-broken team of Titans came back to the tower to fight demons- their own, and the world's. Gar's role in being the impetus of getting the team back together featured prominently in the first part of the article, fanning out to the other Titans as they started coming back to the picture. But the part that concerned Terry was, of course, towards the end of the article where Terry discloses his relationship to Gar, for the sake of clarity.

The redhead had invited his boyfriend in and left him on the couch while he was in the kitchen preparing sandwiches.

It was a good piece. Lois thought so, at least, and she'd won a Pulitzer, right?

He knew Gar was very, very private about these things. It's the main reason he asked him over before he turned his article in. While there were disclosures, such as Donna's relationship to Diana of Themyscira, he had cleared it with each Titan involved and the piece did not divulge more than what they were comfortable with.

But Gar was the last one to see the article. Mostly because Clark and Lois' suggestion that he add the disclaimer about four days ago.

He looks towards the living room as he adds the last touches to the sandwiches. But he doesn't make much noise. He doesn't want to interrupt.

Almost jittery with anticipation, he walks into the living room, carrying a tray with sandwiches and soda.

Gar Logan has posed:
Sit still? Read? What was this, school?

Gar knew Terry had been working on this piece, already tried to get him to downplay whatever role Gar had in the reformation of the Titans, but the simple fact of the matter? He /did/ play a central part in it. Maybe it wouldn't have even happened if not for that.

Keeping his mouth shut while the sandwiches were prepared, he focused on the details of the story, some of the revelations, then he paused and looked back toward Terry upon getting to the disclaimer.

"Uhh..what's this, dude?" he asks, holding up the story and pointing to the part in question. He both looks and sounds..unsure of it?

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry sets the tray down on the coffee table by the couch and frowns, "Let's take a look at it." He takes the story back from Gar and reads the part he pointed out.

"... msnmsnsmnsss... personal relationship .... msnsmsns...." he nods. He remembers Lois' red pencil dancing around the spaces, suggesting the place. He looks up from the page.

"This is the part where I disclose that we're dating..." he says evenly, paying attention to Gar's reaction.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Oh. I..uh," Gar begins, and he suddenly clams up compared to the museum conversation in front of Colette. He was much more sure of what to say at that time. This? Not so much.

The food and drink becomes the focus of attention for a spell as he rubs at one of his ears. There's color in his cheeks. "Does that have to be in there? I mean, it doesn't have anything to do with the Titans or everyone getting back together, you know?" He sounds vulnerable!

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry blinks a couple of times, watching Garfield react. He stays silent for a few seconds, brainwheels spinning in many different directions at once. There's an emotional reaction brewing, a bit, and the only way he can prevent it from growing is to enter Interview Mode.

"Let's see... you would rather it not be there?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan shakes his head quickly, and there's a sense that he might be sticking his foot in his mouth very soon. "No! I mean, I'm not saying it shouldn't because, um, I get not wanting to sound like you're biased without saying why, but it's just.."

Here we have someone who's shown little fear in going up against bad guys or monsters, and he's stammering over a mention in an article about a personal relationship being disclosed.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry reads the body language and gets that Gar is starting to get anxious. There is a moment where he tries to think about how best to answer, and then there's a flicker of anger that sparks. He clenches his teeth hard for a second, to keep the retort from coming up. Because his emotions want to lash ot and say 'it's just that I'm a /guy/,' which would be... bad.

"It's just?" Terry's voice turns Gar's unfinished statement into a question, before trying to soften that initial reaction. He chews on his impulsive answer a little, biting off the edgy parts, and when he spits it out, it has changed into "... it's just that you don't know how people will react?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan latches on to that opening. "Y-yeah, pretty much," he says, and it leads to him avoiding Terry's gaze. Titans have seen the two being chummy and cute and whatever, but there's a wide gulf between that and the general public for someone who dearly wants to be liked by everybody, enough to act the fool just for a laugh, thinking it makes him a friend to all.

"Mostly, I was trying to think of how to let people know, and if they find out because they read this, I dunno, it's sort of like a 'Oh, by the way, surprise!' kind of thing and I don't know what the right way is to deal with that and I don't want you to think I don't care how you feel and I can already tell you want to smack me or something and I probably deserve it."

The more he talks without taking a breath, the more obvious it is he's guessing at things.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"If you don't breathe, Gar, you're going to pass out," Terry says quietly, hand on his chin while he thinks.

His green eyes scan the green boy, and he tries to think clearly about the situation. Gar Logan, movie actor, superhero, trademark adorable. It just so served him well that he was genuinely adorable. But he also suppressed a lot about himself in order to fit his image of what he thought other people would like.

He could see it. The online haters who'd descend en masse with vitriol, discussing someone's sexuality as if it were any of their business. The defenders, who would get just as vitriolic. Suddenly, it would seem to Gar as if nobody actually /liked/ him so much as they liked fighting /over/ him. And Gar put so much on the opinions of others.

Terry puts the article down on the couch and exhales a little, looking at the problem from different angles.

"Well, Gar. Lois will not let me publish the article without a disclaimer, so I can either not publish the article at all and incur the wrath of the Planet, including potentially getting the boot since this is /the/ thing I've been working on for months..." he reaches over and sips his soda thoughtfully, "Or... I don't know. The only way in which I could print it without the disclaimer is if the disclaimer weren't necessary anymore."

That might come off as a threat, and he doesn't intend to. Realizing how it could be interpreted, he adds quietly, "And I'm not looking to make it unnecessary. I love you, but I'm kind of between a rock and a hard place."

Gar Logan has posed:
Whether it's meant to be a threat or not, it essentially is. Gar's self-conscious nature means things like this are difficult. His social media has countless examples of him being silly, goofy, dumb, light-hearted, all the things that generate laughs and likes and RTs and favs and shares and so on. He's normally avoided controversial things, at least on his own accounts, and he's particularly not touched on more personal stuff such as relationships. People just didn't need to know about that, did they?

This is also the first relationship that's been anything other than a brief fling.

"Man, you know I don't want you to lose your job or your career just as your first big story is coming out." Is it his first big story? Covering the return of the Titans is pretty major.

There's also the matter of Gar putting the thoughts and opinions of complete strangers over someone he knows, and now knows intimately. "I don't know what to do. I don't want to ruin your story, but I don't know how to do this. Like, it's gonna look weird for me to be saying something just before this hits, won't it?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Okay before I answer that..." Terry looks at Gar, a little lightbulb going off somewhere, "Does... you know, Dayton know? About us? Is that, by any chance, the reaction you fear the most?"

Because parental figures can be a source of anxiety. Especially for someone who has lost his parental figures once already. "Let's... let's play pretend for a second here. Close your eyes and tell me whose reaction you fear the most... anyone in particular?"

Gar Logan has posed:
There are a few seconds that leave Gar looking completely uncertain about the Dayton angle. "You know what..I don't know. He's my dad, but he's not my /dad/ if you know what I mean. We never talked about any of this stuff before. So are you asking if I'm worried he'd, uh, cut me off from everything? Maybe a little, but anyone who'd do that is pretty low anyway."

He murmurs, looking at his hands, which have found their way into his lap, "Maybe I worry too much about what others that aren't even part of my life think, and I should focus more on what people who /are/ part of my life think."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Gar..." Terry starts, and then he looks at how they are sitting- apart, looking at each other. For all intents and purposes, it looks like a lecture.

He slowly slides on the couch, until his legs are touching Gar's, and his arm wraps around him by necessity.

"I don't wanna sound like me being greedy and wanting to bend you to my will here. But I think you're onto something. Your friends love you and accept you, and you know I love you."

He pauses, and then seems to think of something.

"Are you afraid that something's going to happen and that I'll leave you, and that you went through all of this and ended up with nothing to show for it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan's hands are very interesting, aren't they? They're green, and...except for that, they're the same as anyone else's right now. He starts to make room for Terry before the arm is sort of claiming him enough to keep him in place, and a shoulder leans back into the contact after a few moments.

"I know, dude, but you know how I am. I worry I'm gonna lose a good thing because that's kinda how it's always been for me. I mean, I'm into girls too, but you're the first person I've ever been in a thing with that's lasted more than like a week. You started out as a cool friend, and then it just...you know?" He gestures with a hand, the palm turning up, one of those 'how do you explain the unexplainable?' kinds of things.

He explains, "Maybe there's just a part of me that's broken up here." The hand shifts, a finger tapping at a temple. "But I don't really want your story to be the first time others find out about you, about us."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You silly boy..." Terry says very quietly, leaning into Gar with a slight smile. "You have to stop telling yourself you're going to lose a good thing. Is it because you don't want to be tied down?" he asks, tacthing on the 'more than a week' thing, "Is it that whole notion some people have about if you decide to pursue a relationship with someone, you're missing out on... I dunno," air quotes, "other people? We'll get to the second part of what you said, but I just want to make sure I understand some things."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan shifts in place again, so he can throw up his hands without striking Terry accidentally. No collateral damage here. "I have no idea! I didn't feel anything special one way or another about anyone else before, so I just, you know, never really followed up on anything. People probably thought I was a flake, and it's not like they were wrong. I was afraid of going further and it ending up being a mistake."

So, he hamstrung himself, never gave himself a chance.

"Why?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry gives Gar a serious glance. "Because if you had a fear that being with me meant you'd be missing out on... other things, then we'd have a conversation about that. But it looks like the opposite- that you haven't really experienced attraction for someone until you had an emotional bond, might be true. Whichever case, Gar," He reaches out and grabs one of Gar's hands in both of his, "I want you to know that I'm not going away. So I am going to ask you... you said you didn't want people to find out about us from an article. That's fair."

He looks into Gar's eyes, "But the important question is... did you intend for people to find out at all?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan listens to the first part, his fears being laid out again, as they've come up in some way before. "Kiiinda, yeah. The thing with Colette, it didn't feel right to me that she wanted you to swipe whatever that object was, because that was putting you in a spot where you might have to compromise your morals and she wasn't even being totally honest with us. She was hiding something and I didn't feel that was right, or fair to you."

He's straying, but he brings it back around as eye contact is made, whether forced or not. The claiming of his hand helps draw his focus back up. Did he intend for people to find out? "Yyyyyeeeesssss..." He drags it out, if slowly.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The right corner of his mouth raises just a little. He knows that kind of voice, especially with Gar. He counts to five and takes aslow breath, in order to make his words sound gentle, and with a slight touch of humor.

"... before we retired and moved to Florida into an assisted living facility?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan clears his throat, composing himself if only marginally. "At some point before that, yeah. But now I'm thinking of you all old and grey-furred, trying to play shuffleboard in bermuda shorts, high socks, and sandals, with BluBlockers on."

Maybe not the best image to get him thinking about, diverting from the bigger matter at hand.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Gar. Focus," Terry says, raising an eyebrow. He will not be diverted.

"... I know this isn't the way you want the world to find out. I get it. But... I'm sort of on a deadline. Lois told me to take as much time as needed to make sure all the Titans signed off on what I'm writing. Realistically... I can't hold off for more than two weeks, because after that Lois is going to /really/ start wondering why I seem to hang out with you guys all the time and yet I can't get all of you to read an article by one week."

He reaches out to touch Gar's cheek with one hand. "How can I help you choose something you'll be comfortable with?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"I'm focusing!" Gar answers, holding up a hand as if to swear it. He was definitely drifting, whether intentionally or not.

"Two weeks? It's..ahh, well, see, I guess I have to ask you something too. You're you and Vorpal, and I know there's enough of both of you in there that you're not all that different. How are you doing that with people like Lois? You're not gonna be able to keep that separate for long, are you?"

The smile that comes from the touch to his cheek comes and goes. "What I'm saying is if I go and say we're boyfriends and all that, am I Terry's boyfriend? Am I Vorpal's? What happens when others see you one way or the other and we're doing stuff?" The questions are important ones.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Yeah. I know. I had a therapy session with Harley over the weekend..." Terry says, a little subdued. He knows what Gar's opinion on Harley is. "And she pointed out that me keeping a secret identity isn't really protecting anyone, because I may already be a target solely because I'm hanging out with you guys all the time. Which means mom and April are already potential targets." He sighs. "Which means... I mean, Harley is right. And very logical about it." He glances at Gar, because he knows the eyeroll is coming.

"The only worry I have right now is that I may lose my job at the planet. So... I'm going to do it, Gar." He stands up, looking at Gar on the couch.

"If you are going to take the next step... and take that risk, then it's only fair I take mine as well. I'll go to Lois and I'll show her who I really am... and if she tells me I can't work there anymore because conflict of interest... well..." he spreads his hands.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Then you can do PR or something for us, and you can be paid something for it," Gar suggests. "But I don't think you're gonna get fired for that. That doesn't sound like something she'd do."

Harley..does generate a wary expression out of him. As much as the clown princess seems to have turned over a new leaf, he knows how unpredictable she is, how the potential is there for her to go back into doing prison-worthy things. Keeping a safe distance seems prudent, but...he just shrugs. "You trust Harley, and April does too, so I guess I gotta accept that sooner or later. But she's not wrong that you guys could be a target. We all have people who are targets because of what we do. That doesn't mean we stop doing it. We just try to make sure they have some extra protection."

Clearing his throat, he rubs the side of his face and scratches at an ear for a couple seconds. "Are you gonna do this before the story runs, or what? Maybe we can figure something out to do together."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Well, let's put it this way - if anyone comes after April or Mom and I'm not there, they'll probably have to deal with Harley. So..." the rehead shrugs, and then pauses when Gar asks his question.

"Well... we could do a thing together. But I'd like to break it to Lois first, 'cause I owe it to her. And mom. Who will be pissed I told April but not her." He chuckles. "And... once I know how things will go with the Planet, we can plan our thing. I suspect that if Lois is okay with me staying at the Planet, I will have to rewrite my article slightly as a... personal journey, I imagine. Which might give us a little more time to plan the thing while I'm rewriting it. Of course, she could also cite conflicts of interest and can my article, in which case... we can go at your pace." He smiles.

"I want you to know that I know how you feel. It's scary. But... It also feels right?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan snrfls, a mix between a snort and a chuckle. "Messing with Harley would be a good deterrent, that's for sure," he notes, then he leans back in the couch to stare up at the ceiling. "I'm not going anywhere either, and you could just open up a hole into my room anyway so I guess we're stuck with each other. Yeah, I'm a little afraid about what's gonna come next, because I can't really do anything about it like I can when we're fighting a bad guy. I just hope people will understand and accept it. I guess if they don't, I don't really want them to be part of my life anyway."

They appear to be developing a plan of action, and he laces his fingers together across his stomach. "So..how about you do what you have to do with Lois, and I'll be thinking about my side, and we'll figure it out from there, okay?"

At that point, his stomach growls.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I think it sounds like a plan, My Lord Greensleeves," Terry smiles and plops himself down on the couch next to Gar, leaning in for a quick iss before he reaches over and pats his stomach. "First things first. Let's get you properly fed and then we can spend some time playing games, cuddling, and stuff. I'll grab Lois tomorrow and see if I can get her to come to the rooftop for the chat. You know, no witnesses and all..."

He reaches over and grabs the tray, placing it on Gar's lap so they can share the sandwiches.

"Bon appetit, right?"

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan arches a brow at the 'Greensleeves' bit. Terry has no shortage of nicknames for him, does he? "Yeah, whatever you say, Catra," he retorts into the kiss, adding, "One way or the other, we're gonna have to keep you employed just to handle food and keeping this place."

He's going to leave the Lois thing to Terry, barring any requests for his own presence, but until then food takes precedence. The sandwiches won't last very long at all.