4530/Finding What You Need

Finding What You Need
Date of Scene:	29 December 2020
Location:	Queensland Park
Synopsis:	Terry and Gar regroup after their telepathic therapy session, and decide on a course.
Cast of Characters:	Terry O'Neil, Gar Logan

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Terry O'Neil has posed:
After a decidedly eventful night, Terry thought it would be a good idea to get some fresh air - and breakfast - with Gar now that the air had cleared. It was certainly a lovely morning, as far as winter mornings in Metro can be, with patches of blue sky still visible through the gray.

Queensland Park was nothing if not incredibly diverse in their cuisine selection, and the general consensus had been that each would grab something to go from whatever place they preferred and have a nice, if somewhat windy and chilly, breakfast by the shore. The boardwalk provided the right ambiance, and Terry was in high, if albeit somewhat sleepy, spirits today. In his human form, the redhead needs a lot more clothing in winter than his feline counterpart, and he's attired in sweater and jeans with aviator boots to match. His choice of meal had been a greek-style breakfast box from a cozy little place called Nana's- bread, pastries, goat cheese, traditional yogurt, bottled milk, cold cuts and a side of tahini. The stone bench is cold, but comfortable, and Terry takes a swig from his coffee before leaning back a little and casting his eyes over the water.

"Last night... was very good." He says, speaking of the telepathic therapy session. "Very -very- good..." of course, he isn't quite aware of the fact that a vague statement like that could be misinterpreted by an innocent passerby. Fortunately, it was too cold for there to be many of those around.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan agreed to go, and he got something a little more traditionally American, with a hint of French: croissants filled with eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, and ham. And, not the cheap crap from a fast food place, no. These were large and in charge, and would take even him more than just a couple bites to devour. One was already gone by the time they sat down, and he had some orange juice with him as well.

After what Terry opens with saying now that they're more settled in - Gar dressed in a wintry coat and thicker sweats to go with a pair of trendy sneakers that have a customized paw-print pattern to the sole - he considers what was said, and how, and notes the relative lack of people around. Perhaps feeling mischievous, maybe just refreshed from the night before, he raises his voice. "Oh, yes. /Very/ good. In fact, that was some of the hottest sex I've /ever/ had. We were like rabbits going at it!"

The best part is nobody else knows if he's telling the truth or not. He probably just wants to make Terry blush as a little payback for the last few days. Whether he gets a scandalous reaction from the redhead or not, he lays an innocent look toward him. "What?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"/Garfield!/" Terry starts, after making sure to swallow the pastry he has been eating all the way, lest he choke. His cheeks were already ruddy from the cold, but now they are going full red after Gar's remark. "... I didn't mean /that/!" he glances around. An older woman had stopped for a second at Gar's remark, but moves on when she meets Terry's gaze. "God you are terrible!" he says, punching Gar's shoulder lightly, careful not to spill his juice.

And then there is a slight pause, followed by "Though I'm not going to deny it was..." he clears his throat, "You're just plain awful. No, I retract that- you're fancy awful. You're awful with a collector's box and DLC."

The redhead then smiles- Gar even joking about it in public was a decided change from a few months ago, when the mention of a possible relationship would cause him to be all thumbs and stutters. It would be remiss for him not to acknowledge what a good sign it was without him trying to return the favor and try to embarrass Gar. "To be frank, I didn't know people could /make/ noises that high without turning into a dog whistle. You've got talent!"

He winks at Gar through the blush, and then occupies himself with his coffee, giving the green titan a side-glance to see if the attemot at making him blush was successful.

Gar Logan has posed:
"Mmmmmyeeessss?" Gar asks, dragging it out for maximum 'evil genius' impact. Poor lady, caught in the blast zone of the teasing between the two. "I know, I know. I'm the best and worst thing that's ever happened to you, and you don't know whether you want to kiss me or punch me." This time, it's a punch. "And that's a Steelbook case with everything in the season pass, /plus/ the statue everyone puts up on eBay as soon as they get it."

Not everyone. He's got a few shelves in his bedroom filled with them.

The attempt to get him to react in return goes nowhere. Remember, he is dealing with a fairly accomplished actor who was prepared for retaliation. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was so tired I went straight to bed. You must have been having a very active dream about me," he deadpans, then he takes a chomp out of his food and looks around, changing the subject.

He remarks, "So I'm going to try not to lose my shit over you hanging out with Harley, but just promise me you'll always be on the lookout for the unexpected because with her, that's normal. If you can help her on the right path, you're doing a good thing. I want to believe, because I guess we're all defective in a way, but it's hard to forget everything she did with the Joker. She hasn't gone back to him, at least. Not yet."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
This time, it's a kiss as well. Terry leans in to Gar when he least expects it and pecks him on the cheek, just like that. "Deal. And I am really sorry this was stressing you out so much. I'll make sure to triple check anytime we plan something just... you know. In case."

He munches on his cheese for a few seconds, "And you did say sometimes you might want to keep an eye on me. You know, there's ways you can do that, too. If Harl and I ever do anything dangerous that has to be done, you can come along. You could even sneak into one of my pockets as Secret Mouse and be our secret weapon."

Side glnce, "Active dreams about you? What, did you read my high-school diary or something while you were in my room? Did you find the secret hiding spot?" How many diaries does this guy keep? "I wrote quite a few in detail, actually. Maybe I should go back and read over a few of them for ideas."

He realizes he's barking up the wrong tree with Gar in his full Jon Lovitz Actor mode- nothing is going to faze him when he's decided to play the role of the unflappable, so he moves on. "So... I was thinking about something. Your bed is pretty comfy but it's kinda small for two people. All of the beds in the tower are."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan is hardly unflappable. It just takes knowing how to do it. The smooch to the cheek coaxes a little grin out of him and he rubs noses quickly, like an Inuit Kiss. It's not /that/ cold. It's just cute.

"We just went three months apart, and you felt how that left me for a while. I know you guys were busy trying to figure out all that stuff in the worlds you went to, and it's cool that you did and the Oracle thing was actually real. I just had this fear of losing you to something..mundane and it made me freak out a little. Just remember that Harley was a criminal who used to be cool with killing people the same as if you or I liked pizza or something." And Gar likes pizza a whole lot. "So if she's talking about getting some help from a few friends of hers, just be extra careful because they might have been in a gang with her, or in that asylum Batman always sends people to."

A swig of juice follows, and he squints across the bench at Terry. "I don't need to be a mouse to keep an eye on you without being spotted, but..maybe, yeah. Something like that. And I only saw the one diary, but I put it back right after I figured out what it was. It's not for me to go digging around in. I'd feel violated if I had one and someone else did that."

He does allow, "I don't think the beds were meant for more than one person, to be honest."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"You're right. And the way to help with that is to give Harl a lot more friends who /aren't/ ex criminals. I'm working on that." A sip of coffee for good measure, and then he latches onto a thread- "Arkham Asylum. Harley has told me a few things about what it's like in there... it's kind of crazy, really, that anyone allows that place to be run like it is. I'm not surprised it doesn't reform anyone if what she says is true..." he glances at Gar "and I know she's an unreliable narrator on that, so some could be true, none of it, or all. Someone ought to, you know... investigate and do an expose."

He takes a sip of his coffee. Somewhere, a little bell went *ding ding ding* in the back of his head. But it'll be a while before the message gets to the front desk.

"Well... it's a shame, really. Maybe we could... you knnow. Get a bigger bed?" he arches an eyebrow. Of course, the rooms aren't -that- big, to accomodate a much larger bed without restricting the space. Terry is being indirect, of course, but they spent so much time tiptoeing around each other that old habits die hard.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan reaches out to place a finger against Terry's lips, potentially impacting his ability to speak unimpeded. "If you're saying she needs good influences, what are you doing hanging out with her so much? I'd be a much better role model. I'm handsome, responsible, I have connections, I'm..green and I can..yeah, you two were made for each other if we're talking about weirdness following you both around."

So much for that angle.

"And I wouldn't waste my time on that place. That's like for the worst of the worst. If regular jails and prisons already doesn't really reform people that much, nobody's ever gonna come out of there any different." For someone who's normally on the side of helping whoever he can, Gar can have his blind spots sometimes when it comes to career criminals. As he's said before, leopards can't change their spots. That is mostly his experience with those on the other side of the law. Harley throws a wrench into that, or slams it with an oversized mallet, therefore he can't process it all the way. Not without some help.

"Dude, we're not exactly living in penthouse suites. I guess we could probably fit a bigger bed in, if we had to," he says, a look in his eyes that leads to him 'drawing' in the air with a hand, as if visualizing how much space that would take up.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
And the next quest marker appears in Terry's journal- but there will be time to talk about Arkham and its intended purpose versus its actual output some other time. It's too nice out, and he's determined to not delve into too many topics outside of his underhandedly indirect goal. "Yeah, well, I can't argue with you being a good influence. I still remember how you came in and rescued me at the Suicide Slums like a knight in shining armor." He smiles, "10/10, highly recommend, would totally get rescued by a dashing, handsome green man again."

"And yeah... space is at a premium there, kind of. A biigger bed would mean we'd be banging our shins in the dark and scooting around... it's very impractical." He swishes his coffee in the cup and sighs, "It's a pity I no longer have an apartment..." a quick side-glance to see if something lands.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan isn't making the connection with Arkham and all the rest. It's a non-starter for him. He does not bother with Gotham, and Gotham does not bother with him. It's a Batman thing, really. That's not a city that has a place for him. It's like when he threatened the hyena with turning into a lion the other day and Harley said Gotham's got much worse.

"I could make a good knight. The Green Knight. I've never worn a suit of armor before." But, yes. Suicide Slums will always be an important piece of their history. It's not a place they need to go back to, though.

A growing look of suspicion forms after he's finished off one of those croissant sandwiches. "And finally the truth comes out. You just wanted me for my money, so we could get a fancy place all to ourselves. Tsk, tsk, /tsk/ I say."

It's the last part that should be the giveaway.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry laughs and elbows Gar lightly, "You're such a dork, Logan!" he knows what game Gar is playing at, and he pushes his box of remaining food to one side to wrap both arms around Gar and lean in closer. "I may be after green, but it's not dollars I'm after, you know." He smirks, warming to the subject now that it's been breached- or rather after he pretty much cornered Gar into bringing it up. "I can pay my own half of the rent, you know. I have my paycheck /and/ I am sure that if I keep up my work, I might get hired for real at the Planet instead of being an intern. That might bump my pay up..." he pauses. "A little. Maybe. But what do you think? I mean..."

And he doesn't know why this tends to happen, but suddenly there's that edge of timidity there. Like someone dipping his toes into the water to see if it's cold, "I mean... the idea of- would you like to... you know. Move in together? I still have my christmas thousand to help with down payments..."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan eases around the elbow after it connects. "Guilty," he declares, before he's drawn into an embrace he doesn't try to squirm his way out of. He also returns the gesture. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm green then, isn't it?" Funny how that goes.

He can't say what Terry's future at the newspaper will be, but if he's good then why shouldn't he be able to move up? "Is that what you want to use it on? Did you get another car yet? And..where are you thinking of?" All important questions. His ability to cover half the rent wouldn't be an issue, but he's probably not looking for a top-of-the-line place.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry smiles sheepishly, "I... don't have a car yet, but let's be frank- right now I don't need one. I can travel anywhere I can pull up an image to for now, so... it's not a dire need to get one. So yeah, I wanna use my thou for that. Cars are expensive, and unlike Cassie I don't have a mentor who can buy me a fancy hot rod," he grins. "Though... I mean, I could ask Cass if I can buy her old clunker off of her now that she has the new one. When I've saved up enough."

He raises an eyebrow and scooots closer to Gar, finishing the last of his meal, "I'm thinking Metropolis, because it can be pricey but nowhere near as expensive as N'yawk. I mean, I could rent from April since she owns her whole building, but then we'd be within living distance of Harl, and as much as I like her that's still too close to crazy for both of our sanity's sake," he grins. "Aside from that, location isn't that big of a deal for me as long as it's somewhere where we're bound to not get murdered or broken into. My two prioritie is that it be big enough for both of us."

Gar Logan has posed:
"That's kind of why I don't have one either. When I can just fly anywhere I want to go..." Gar trails off. Rabbit holes make cars kind of pointless, don't they? "And if you already don't really need one, you might as well not bother with another piece of junk like the last one." Oh, he went there. Doesn't matter how many hours Terry spent in the old one. Gar just dissed it completely.

He adds, "I'm kinda used to Metropolis, and it's close enough to the Tower that it wouldn't be a big deal to get back there if something was going on, rabbit holes or not. And, see? Even you know it's not a good idea to be /too/ close to Harley! I knew it!" Score one for Gar's slow-to-trust-a-criminal position. "But if you want to start looking around at some places and get my opinion, I say go for it."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Hey, that old car had memories, man. I carted your injured ass in that thing, and I took you out to eat on many occasions in that old chariot," Terry grins, "A little respect, that car was an institution." He reaches into the box to grab a napkin and carefully wipes his lips, "Hey, I believe in Harley, but she's chaos incarnate and so am I. Us living too close to each other would just make you /and/ April have to check into Arkham, and /nobody/ wants either of you to be the next Supervillains," he teases, "Unlike what tawdry romance novels tell you, guys like me don't go head-over-heel for bad boys." He rests his head on Gar's shoulder, looking out at the water for a few seconds.

And then, with a quieter voice, he says "... we're really doing this." He sounds thrilled, and a little nervous. And, perhaps, still a little incredulous that Gar is sticking with him.

Gar Logan has posed:
"As someone who had to drive that thing a couple times, I'm glad I can say 'never again.' You notice most of the time I hid out of sight in it?" Gar quips, and although that isn't the truth, it creates an amusing mental image and that's what he's going for.

On the topic of Harley and Arkham and supervillains, he clucks his tongue and says more under his breath than not, "Just be glad I'm driven to be good, because I know what I can do and I remember others trying to push me to not be good." It's a potentially chilling moment on an already chilly day, but it's there and gone as if wiped away in a single sweep of the hand.

"Yeah, I guess we are, aren't we? So make good choices, because it's where we're gonna be for a while," he finishes, flicking at one of Terry's ears with a finger.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The moment isn't lost on Terry, although he doesn't say anything, but he nuzzles Gar's neck gently. He remembers that trek through Gar's memories... Galtry, and the crooks, and all the shadows. Never judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes, the saying went, and Terry had walked a lifetime in Gar's shoes last night... albeit, in an edited, condensed way. He now knows how much darkness has tugged at Gar's heart, both despair and other instincts, and he's managed to stay away from falling too far. It now dawns on Terry that Gar's hyper vigilance, his sometimes intransigent approach to good and evil isn't necessarily what someone might assume prima facie, the signs of close-mindedness.

Gar was constantly looking at himself over his own shoulder. His greatest fear may be that of being abandoned, but the fear of becoming something terrible was right up there with it. There are things he knows now.

He squeezes Gar's arm with two of his, and says "I have a good feeling about it. I've already made good choices," he says, looking pointedly at Gar, and bringing his nose over to touch his. "... I love you."

Gar Logan has posed:
In many ways, the measure of a person lies in how they respond to outside factors, how they deal with catalysts that could lead them down one path or another. For some, it's being the only one clean in a family of drug users. For others, it's knowing what you're capable of, knowing how easy it would be to abuse those capabilities, and choosing to follow the right path.

"Everybody needs somebody," Gar says, his hands in his lap before noses are rubbed again. "And I guess we needed each other. And I love you too. So next time you think I'm /leaving/ instead of just leaving, just ask what I meant instead of being a doofus. Okay?"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Promised." Terry says quietly.

And they stay there for a little while in each other's company, close and silent wihle the gray sunlight brings up silver ripples from the water.

"... I'm never going to live Whitney Houston down... am I?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Nope. Now let's get going before we freeze our asses to this bench," Gar finishes, pushing back to his feet. The morning is still early, the clouds are beginning to part to allow more sunlight through. They have the whole day ahead of them to make it into whatever they want, and after that, their whole lives.