Jai West (dareyoutorun) wrote in dc_nextgen,
@ 2010-04-30 17:00:00

Entry tags:

Moms Just Don't Understand
"Jai, we need to talk...about you and Traya." Linda says, having cornered her son in the kitchen of all places, setting down her purse. She doesn't want to fight with him, but he's too much like her; stubborn as all get-out when he feels that he's right.

Jai rolls his eyes and sighs deeply, knowing what his mother will say next, or some variation of it.

"Mom, really, we kind of beat this horse to death yesterday." Jai says, trying not to let annoyance color his tone, but God he was sick of this conversation.

"Young man, don't take that tone with me. I'm concerned with the amount of time you're spending with Traya." Linda says.

"Mom, I see her, what...twice a week? Is that so bad?" he asks, quickly going from annoyed to angry.

"Jai, you could see her every night this week and I wouldn't know. Super-speed does wonders for sneaking around." she offers.

"And now I'm sneaking around. Great. Well, Mom, you're the one with the Pulitzer; what else have I done that the American people should know about?" Jay shoots back.

Linda rocks back as though she's been slapped. "Jai Allen West! What is with this mouth of yours? You've never talked to me like this before. I know you like Traya, but you're changing and it's not all good. You've lied to me twice in the last two weeks, and you get defensive every time I bring her up!" Linda says, her voice raising.

"You keep hounding me about our age difference and every time you talk about her, it's like you're trying to warn me away from her. She's great, Mom. You never had a problem with her when she was just Iris' friend! Now, it's like I'm five and I'm crushing on Power Girl or something!" he yells back. This is getting nowhere, as usual.

Unfortunately, Linda picks this moment to let her mind go into left field.

"Jai...are you and Traya having sex?" Linda asks, an undercurrent of fear and apprehension in her voice.

More unfortunately, Jai chooses this moment to lose his temper.

"I can't believe you just asked me that!" he sputters. "When are you going to get that you don't control my life anymore, Mom? I FIGHT PEOPLE WHO CAN KILL ME ON A REGULAR BASIS! Worrying about my sex life is a little moot at this point, Mom!" Jai roars.

"You didn't answer my question, Jai."

"And I'm not going to." he says. Before she can protest, he's down the stairs and out the door, headed off into the Keystone City night. Dad's going to kill him when he hears about it, but that's later. He's ten miles away before he has the presence of mind to realize he needs to talk to someone.

"Hey, you busy? I...I need to beat up a crook or ten...or just disappear for an hour or two. Can you get out of the house?" he texts.

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tiny_tornado
2010-04-30 11:03 pm UTC (link)

Curiously enough, Traya had also been getting the third degree from her mother. Seeing a lot of Jai, other fish in the sea, yes he's a nice guy but you've barely dated anyone and he was two years younger than her, did she really expect anything out of it...

Dad didn't get it, of course, but Daddy didn't get a lot of things sometimes.

She was super-grateful when Jai's text came in. Sure can. Where can u meet?

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	dareyoutorun 2010-04-30 11:10 pm UTC (link)
	I'll come to you. Pet store near theater. he replies. The further it was from Keystone right now, the better. He sends the text, and waits a full thirty seconds before dashing off toward the theater from their first date. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2010-04-30 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	Meet u there! Traya rushed out of the apartment, giving some quick excuse about a friend of hers needing help, and hoped that it would hold up well enough. Once she was out on the street, she looked around, then took off into the air to meet Jai. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2010-04-30 11:36 pm UTC (link)
	He's sitting on a bench near the shop holding two drinks from the Coffee Bean, one of which is his favorite: a frozen lemon smoothie. The other is Traya's favorite, and waits for her to arrive. When she does, he stands up, smiles and hugs her, then hands her drink to her. "How's your night going? It's got to be better than mine." he says. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2010-04-30 11:50 pm UTC (link)
	Traya gratefully accepted the chocolate-mocha latte with thanks and hugs. She made a face. "Mom's getting on my case a lot lately," she admitted. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2010-05-01 12:01 am UTC (link)

"I'm sorry, Traya. Looks like something we have in common, though. My mom's been on mine, too. In fact...I left the house because we got into it. I couldn't take it." he says quietly, taking a sip of his drink and taking her hand.

"Do you know why your Mom is on you so much?" he asks. He doesn't want to assume that he has anything to do with it; it could be something else entirely.

Either way, wants to be there for her.

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	tiny_tornado 2010-05-01 12:36 am UTC (link)
	Traya gave his hand a squeeze. "Dating, mostly," she told him, opting for honestly. "I never really did all that much before and all, and I don't think she knows how to handle it. Especially with the difference in our ages." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2010-05-01 12:42 am UTC (link)

Jai nods his head in sad agreement. "Yeah, same with my mom. She's been going on about how you're going to college next year, and I'm still in high school. Then she started in on the twenty questions, and she's a reporter. I'm starting to get why people don't like to talking to the media." he says ruefully.

"She also practically accused me of lying to her about where I'd be. Which I didn't. I went to a friend's house to do homework, and we did that. I just left a little early and came to see you. But she called him, and he didn't think of a cover fast enough. So I got the third degree." he says.

He's silent for a long moment, before he decides to venture forth with his next question.

"Does my age bother you, Traya?"

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	tiny_tornado 2010-05-01 12:55 am UTC (link)
	She shook her head. "No way," she said. "I like you, Jai. A lot. Two years isn't that much." She sighed. "Parents are... frustrating, sometimes. But yeah. She's worried about 'tying myself down' right before I go off to college and all too." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dareyoutorun
2010-05-01 01:02 am UTC (link)

"I like you, too, Traya. A lot. My mom will just have to get over the whole age difference thing and live with it." he says firmly.

"Parents are crazy, but that's why it's up to us to be the sane ones." he smiles.

"I walked into this knowing you're going to college, and that you've got a lot going on, Traya. But instead of thinking about college and the fall...why don't we agree to have a fun Spring and Summer? We'll both be out of school soon, and then we can, I don't know, go camping or hiking or something? Or maybe have Chinese food in Beijing? Whatever you're up for. Oh, and we beat up bad guys, too.

We can enjoy ourselves until the end of Summer and then decide where we go from there. How does that sound?" he asks.

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	tiny_tornado 2010-05-01 01:32 am UTC (link)
	Traya smiled and her dark eyes twinkled with delight. "I like the sound of that," she said. "I like it a lot." Besides, between the two of them, it wasn't like any kind of distance really mattered (especially with access to JLA teleporter tubes on top of that). "Come what may," she went on, "I'm happy just to enjoy today." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2010-05-01 01:35 am UTC (link)
	"Okay, since I don't want to go home for a bit...what do you want to do? The Losers just came out today. Or we could race." he grins. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2010-05-01 02:00 am UTC (link)
	Traya giggled. "Let's race," she said with a grin. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	dareyoutorun 2010-05-01 02:08 am UTC (link)
	"All right. From here to Toronto. You want to start here or at the City Limits?" he asks. "Oh...and before we start..." Jai leans in and kisses her deeply. "For luck." He looks left, then right, then dashes off. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	tiny_tornado 2010-05-01 02:42 am UTC (link)
	The kiss, though a surprise, is not at all unwelcome and just as deeply returned. It only takes her a moment to gather the winds around her, flying after Jai like a bolt of straw launched from a tornado. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

dc_misc
2010-05-01 02:54 am UTC (link)

Unbeknownst to Jai and Traya, there is has been an observer to their movements here this evening. She does not know who these young people are, or why their important, but she's been given a task to wait for a so-called "speedster" to appear.

She is one of many agents posted in the Midwest, hoping to catch a glimpse of one who moves almost faster than the eye can see. The woman gets on her cell phone, dials a number and speaks the moment someone picks up on the other end.

"Tell the Master that I've found what he seeks." the woman says.

There is a long moment of silence, and then a voice speaks on the other end.

"The Master commands you to study the source and track it. You will receive orders if it the one he seeks." the voice speaks.

"Acknowledged." the woman says. She hangs up the phone and walks off into the night, a picture of the young man and woman saved in her phone.

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