Closed RP I Think You’re Being Robbed

[Fang]

”Look,”



It was too much, and though the situational irony was so entertaining to Nat there was an overbearing, almost rehearsed way in which the elder man repeated his worries that had finally become too suspicious to ignore. Nat turned, the ghost of a grin on his lips as he returned to the counter. It had only been a whisper of wrongness in the beginning, an almost subconscious note in the back of Nat’s mind. Mr. Kosuke was an adult, after all, and had lived long enough to hold a few surprises.



”I get your concern. I’m just a kid, right?”



Nat gently set the tip of a finger against the knife that the robber had left buried in the counter. The whisper had been a bit louder once the cowed shop owner tossed the water at the would be attacker. People were apt to do odd things when they were scared, but generally speaking they did those things on impulse.



”You see, that’s only half true, Mr Kosuke.”



The steel blade rippled, and beneath the gentle pressure of Nat’s index finger appeared to slowly melt into a thin puddle where it met the wood. There were a great many ways he could have shown the musician his power, though he had his trepidations about doing so at all. It would take a revelation, though; to address the real issue.



”Normal people don’t say they can handle guns and crowds, Kosuke.” The steel that had entered Nat’s voice and his gaze was far sharper than the expanding puddle of knife beneath his finger. ”If you’re just a shop owner and singer your concern should be with yourself, especially concerning those two things.”



Nat tensed against a possible negative reaction, readying himself for the worst. It was a gamble to call a meta out, even if you reveal yourself to be one as well. Perhaps more so, given Nat had already given at least an idea of what he could do while he was still in the dark about the man he questioned. Hell, he could be wrong, though his gut told him that his suspicion was correct.

 

[Reyn]

There it was. The admission.

Kosuke looked shocked when the metal collapsed to the floor, flinching away from the scene. This... this wasn't normal. Unless he had a blade made of gallium, or something, then it really shouldn't melt like that. It really, really shouldn't. Nat was a metahuman. Metal shaping, of some sort; it couldn't be heat-based, since heat like that would be felt from where he stood. A power like that, with a fighting stance like his- god, the kid must be formidable. No wonder he was able to dispatch of that robber so quickly.

"I- Jesus, Nat, what the-"

He leaned against the broom to compose himself.

"Fuck, I- I didn't know you were a meta--human." He said, "That's, like- fuck, man- sorry, I really don't- like, there's nothing wrong with it, I just- it came as a surprise. I had no idea."

The line of questioning directed at him didn't have as clear a reaction. Kosuke simply shook his head.

"Look, there's CCTV here. If I can't handle him, I can alert someone who can- there's really no need to worry about me."

He frowned. His voice dropped a little quieter.

"I can't melt metal, or anything like that. Can't set myself on fire. Can't run a hundred times as fast as the average human. But, still, I'm a grown adult- I'd rather put my life at risk than yours, alright? Please, don't fight me on that."

 

[Fang]

So far Nat had only ever shown his ability to those who had abilities themselves, and by that metric it was difficult for him to tell how genuine Kosuke’s reaction had been. Though he seemed shocked at the display, and balanced himself against the broom as though he were witnessing something mind blowing, there was an inkling of doubt in Nat’s eyes as he watched the reaction.



”I understand wanting to protect a child. I don’t fault you for that.” The melting blade sucked back into its original shape, though Nat lifted the handle slightly so that it wouldn’t be buried into the counter once it reformed. It was a rapid return, the soft sound of sliding metal ringing through the empty store for a mere second.



”That being said, I am quite a bit tougher than some random teenager. You’re right, you can call someone when you get into a dangerous situation.” The blade flipped around Nat’s hand, slapping cleanly back into his palm as he tipped the point towards himself. ”You can call me!” Nat’s free hand raised from where he had slipped it into his pocket, a metal card wedged between two fingers. On one side the image of his mask stood in relief, while embossed on the other was the number he had been using most recently.



”You can’t set yourself on fire or run a hundred times faster than a normal human.” Nat spoke as though it was an afterthought, the grin that had accompanied his declaration slipping slightly in his thoughtfulness. ”But you can do something, can’t you?” It was still nagging, the way that Kosuke spoke. The way his words rang of half-truth. Nat couldn’t say why he suspected Kosuke was a metahuman himself; there was no evidence beyond that gut intuition that reminded him of his own half-truths told to cover his less-than-legal pastime.

 

[Reyn]

"I told you not to fight me on this, Nat."

There was a tone of warning in his voice. Something stern; not quite anger, but getting there, getting close. Kosuke wasn't fun when he was angry, as anyone in VULTURE could attest. Even without his voice, he wasn't fun, wasn't normal. There was something implicitly frightening about him that he could turn on and off like a lightbulb- and, at the moment, his finger was hovering near the switch.

"You could have the power to level skyscrapers with a blink and that wouldn't change my mind, because physical power isn't why people are so..."-a pause as he tried to find the word-"...fixed on protecting kids."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, dissipating at least some of the tension that was building up around him.

"Look- you've got your whole life ahead of you. I mean, you haven't even made it out of high school- and you told me yourself, that ain't a great place to be. You haven't graduated, haven't found yourself, haven't experienced the freedom that adult life brings- why the fuck would anyone risk denying you those opportunities?"

He shook his head.

"But that's not my point. My point, Nat, is you're naive. You don't have the life experience not to get yourself in stupid situations, not to let yourself be taken advantage of by people who want to harm you- because physical power is one thing, but you need to understand there are other ways people can hurt you- ways you can't just punch your way through. If you catch the wrong guy's attention with this vigilante shit, he ain't gonna see you as a threat- he's gonna see you as a tool."

A frown fell across his face. His voice dropped again, quieter still.

"And that's why I keep my cards close to my chest, alright? Any abnormal trait, no matter how weak, can be lethal in the right hands."

 

[Fang]

Nat’s gaze fell back to the counter, the edge to Kosuke’s voice too sharp to bear without some reflection of it in his eyes. He let the lecture roll over him, almost paternal despite its teeter upon an angry ledge. Nat could see Kosuke’s argument was right, realistically cautious and faultlessly practical.



”I may not be as naive as you think.” The words were mumbled, half committed thoughts spilled over. When he looked back to Kosuke there was a fierceness to his gaze that matched the dangerous edge to Kosuke’s with the strength of steel.



”You’re right, but you’re also wrong.” Nat leaned his elbow on the counter, settling to explain himself. The ignored metal card was slid onto the counter as well.



”If I am naive then you’re a cynic, Kosuke. You can’t live your life constantly preparing for and expecting the worst out of everyone you meet. A life like that ends alone and unfulfilled. I understand that you want to protect me, and you are supposed to feel that way.”



”Just like I am supposed to want to protect you. There is nothing wrong with that, and there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do both.” Nat’s voice became almost sad in softness. ”I get that you are used to people with power using it for selfish reasons. I think if I had been raised differently I might have done the same thing. It doesn’t even take a meta to abuse what power you have over someone.”



”That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to commit that abuse.” Nat raised his free hand front of him and swiped at the air as if to clear the melancholy tone that had crept into his speech. Returned was the steel of his determination, red hot with his passionate belief.



”Any power is the equivalent of life and death, Kosuke. Metahuman or otherwise. Your music could kill, or it could inspire. The coffee you serve can make people more alert or more irritable. All of life is a double edged blade, but we don’t get to pick and choose when to use it. “ Nat knew that Kosuke wasn’t likely to accept what he believed from his words. He was only a high schooler, after all, and that was fine.



”Whatever power you hold is your choice, Kosuke. I am telling you here and now where I stand. I choose to protect you with all of my power. If you really want to protect me-“ Nat straightened with a warm, crooked smile. ”Then all you have to do is the same. If we are protecting each other then neither of us will get hurt.” The determined fist became an offered handshake and Nat chuckled lightly with a scratch to the back of his head.



”Think of it like this; it is a lot harder to break a cynic’s skepticism than it is to shatter naïveté. You have a much better chance of turning me to your point of view than I do you. If nothing else wouldn’t that count as your protection of a kid?” Nat couldn’t help but flavor the word with a touch of sarcasm. It really did annoy him when he was simply qualified by his age.

 

[Reyn]

Kosuke stood back and listened to Nat's rousing monologue, a faint smile spreading across his face. He leaned against the broom attentively- or, at least, more attentive than he had been before. No interruptions, no snide comments, nothing at all. It seemed that the cynic had been broken. It seemed that, like the metal before, his heart had been melted. It seemed that, all of a sudden, Kosuke was on board with what Nat was saying. He waited for him to finish before speaking- and, when he spoke, his voice sounded a lot softer.

"I've got to protect you, hm?" He smiled, shaking his head lightly, "That's what I've been trying to do this whole conversation, Nat, but you're not listening. Although, I suppose, I was going about it a little harshly..."

He snapped his fingers.

"Hey, how about- you let me know who you come across, yeah? I've been around this place long enough to know who to avoid- if anyone asks you to do anything, or-"--that expression Jordan used...?--"sketches you out in any way, you let me know. I may not be much of a fighter, but I can talk a guy out of his fucking mind, if I have to. I can deal with people."

He shrugged.

"Then, on the off-chance that there's someone I can't talk down, I'll call you in. I'll take the chats, you take the fights- the mouth and the muscle, yeah?"

The broom almost fell out from under him as he laughed, lighthearted as it was. Kosuke straightened himself up and walked back to the counter, sitting on one of the stools and sliding the business card into the pocket on his apron. Metal. Nice. He wondered if he got it professionally engraved, or if his metal-morphing was so fine-tuned that he could etch in the finer details of the lettering by himself. Was his handwriting that neat?

"Say, what's got you so set on protecting me, anyway?" He said, "I mean, that robber was a human- I could've handled him fairly easily, even if I was one myself."

A frown crossed his face. His voice became quiet- nervous, almost.

"Are you... are you worried about other meta--humans attacking me? Is that what this is about?"

 

[Fang]

”Are you serious?”



Nat’s expression was of disbelief, as if Kosuke had just told him that mushrooms were aliens. He stared at the man slack jawed for a moment, unable to form the words on the tip of his tongue, surprised that they even had to be spoken.



”It’s not that I’m worried that-“ Nat began, then stopped. ”It doesn’t matter if you-“ Another false start, and Nat took a deep breath to gather his words.



”I mean, I’m supposed to be a hero.” He sounded almost defeated as he finally finished a sentence. ”Even if I didn’t know you, even if we weren’t friends,” When Nat looked back up at Kosuke it was with intense sincerity. ”Whether someone is being threatened by a powerful meta, or an angry normal guy. I have a responsibility to protect everyone that I can.”



”Since I do know you and we are friends I am even more obligated to your safe keeping. That’s the purpose of power; to protect what needs protection.”