Stephanie and Jack - April 2
Apr. 2nd, 2018 04:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainSteph and Ben meet Jack, who turns out to be a fan of the little guy.
Having Ben at the school with her had gone better than Steph had imagined. Not that it was something she could do often or even most of the time - she wouldn't be able to watch him and get all her work done - but if she could have him visit every once in a while, maybe every couple of weekends, then it would make the wait until summer a lot easier.
For his part, Ben was enjoying himself. There were all kinds of people smiling at him, and engaging with him and some not only looked fantastic to his little eyes but could perform tricks that kept him laughing like a hyena. He hadn't had a bad moment yet.
Suddenly, a foam cube flew at Steph's face, interupting her thoughts. She batted it away. Ben was looking entirely too pleased with himself and grasping at another block. "You booger!" She snarled, making sure it didn't look toothreatening, and then launched a tickle attack on him.
Jack had poked his head in just in time to see the cube fly, and grinned a little at the scene as he walked in. "Do I need a hardhat in this area?" he asked, jokingly. He hadn't spent a lot of time around babies in his life, but he wasn't put off by them. This little guy, even from a distance, looked pretty cute.
Steph looked up from a squealing Ben and smiled. "Unless he start chucking around things heavier than foam blocks, I think you're safe." She poked Ben gently in the belly. "Even if you are a littler terror, dude."
He wandered in and took a seat, leaning toward where they were playing. "He's cute, isn't he?" Jack said, already fond of the little guy. It was hard to even so much as be unhappy around the kid; maybe that was a mutant power unto itself? Evolutionary advantage, more like. Whatever, the kid was cute.
"I'm Jack. I saw your introduction post on the boards, but I only check those about once a week and I tend to miss people coming in. Steph, right? Hard to miss, because of all the sparkling," he said.
"Yeah, that's me." Steph sighed and pretended to try and wave the thin shower of sparkles away. "I'm pretty easy to spot in a crowd."
"Nothing wrong with standing out," Jack said, easily, smiling at the little spray of sparkles. "Especially in that way," he added. "I know plenty of people who'd love to sparkle that much without having to get glitter involved."
Ben, without his tickles, rolled up onto his knees and climbed up into Steph's lap. She pulled him close and pulled her chunky necklace over her head and passed it to him. Te only reason she wore it was for baby distraction purposed anyway. "If I could switch it off, I'd be a little keener on it. Dad drove me halfway across the country because he was afraid of sending me here on a plane or bus, but then, he's a Dad." She smiled. "Maybe it was just an excuse to have a road trip together."
"I wouldn't know much about father-daughter activities," Jack admitted. "But if I were a father, I imagine I'd like to have a road trip before I sent her to a boarding school. If I'm ever lucky enough to have kids."
At that Steph smiled. "Well, he didn't exactly send me. I found out about this place and insisted on going."
"Well, y'know what I mean," Jack said, smiling. He was on the fence; Jack wanted to ask about how this little ball of joy came into the world, but a lot of times, that kind of topic was... sensitive, so he didn't want to put his foot into anything dangerous. That being said, she seemed to have nothing but smiles for the kid, which was, well, what any kid needed. He knew he didn't get enough smiles as a kid, himself. "You think he'll turn out to be a mutant himself?" he asked, in a sort of musing way, rather than being hopeful or foreboding about it.
Ben was stuffing the huge beads from the necklace into his mouth and giving them a judicious application of drool, but something about Jack's voice or face must have amused him because he let out a little giggle. Steph grinned and gave his belly a gentle poke, but when she turned back to Jack, that smile has faded a litle. "I don't know. I get worried about it sometimes because he's doesn't react to my powers that same way other people do. Nothing big, just that he's a normal baby with me - gets tired, cranky, falls asleep - when usually I'm making people feel like they'refull of energy. But maybe that's just because he was developing when my powers were developing."
"Or maybe it's something on your end," Jack suggested, quietly, shrugging. "Maybe you care for the little guy so much that you're worried inside you'll, y'know, overcharge his little systems," he said, grinning fondly at the giggling child. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," he added. "We have a guy here who can read DNA apparently, and he could tell you if the kid's at least got a latent X-gene. Maybe. Probably." Jack wasn't familiar with Simon's abilities, he was just aware of them. "Or if you're the kind who likes surprises, you could just wait until he's thirteen or so," he added, smiling.
"I think waiting is okay for now." She said it a little too quickly, but her life had enough lately that adding one more thing to worry about, especially when there was nothing she could do to change it, wasn't at all appealing. "I'll enjoy him as-is for the time being."
"Probably for the best," Jack said, smiling and saying it easily. He probably shouldn't have suggested it, but it was important she was aware of her options here. "Planning on having the little guy over a lot?" Jack asked, just a little hopeful himself. "I imagine he'll be something of a celebrity around here."
Steph nodded. "As often as I can. The Professor said I just needed to make sure my roommate's okay with it, when I get one, and I'm careful around exams and such. I honestly thought I wouldn't see Ben again until summer, so I'm really grateful to him for that."
"Xavier can be a really swell guy," Jack said, agreeably. "And most everyone here's pretty chill, so, I don't imagine you'll get a roommate who will have a lot of beef with this little guy coming around."
"Ha! He doesn't know you very well, does he?" Steph grinned at Ben, who smiled in return and reached up a chubby hand. She leaned over to kiss his fingers. "It'll take a special roommate. He doesn't sleep through the night yet."
"Ah," Jack replied, chuckling just a little. "I'll be honest; I'm an only child, so I have zero experience with little kids."
"I was the youngest, so I get that. I didn't even want to hold one until this little crash course came along."
"I bet," Jack said, sympathetically. "Sounds like you got yourself a great support network, though," Jack guessed. She was obviously keeping the kid with her folks, or else she was loaded and could just afford like, a full-time caregiver or something.
"I do." Steph said. "Mom and Dad have been pretty great about the whole thing. They're going to be helping with Ben until I get through school, although," She held up a hand and watched the glitter that floated around it. "I don't know what I can do after. I'll have to find some sort of profession that's mutant friendly I guess."
"I'm sure there'll be steps taken by the time we graduate," Jack said, confidently. "It'll just take a bit of action on our parts, while we're young."
Steph let out a long sigh as she pulled Ben close. "Maybe on your part. I'm not sure what kind of action you mean, but for now I've got school to pass and a son to look after. Not much time for other things."
"Well, there's plenty of us working enough for all of us," Jack replied, casually. "Nobody's gonna expect you to chip in any more than you're willing or able," he assured her.
"Good. It's been a littl bit of a whirlwind for the last year and a half or so. I'm sort of looking forward to something approaching normal." She laughed when she realized what she'd said. "Normal, in a school full of mutants. Oh my god, my idea of normal has sure shifted."
"You get used to it," Jack said, smiling. "Once you get settled in, it'll be like any other highschool, just, y'know, more colorful."
"Hopefully." Ben was throughly engaged with the necklace now, turning it over in his hands while babbling softly to it. He was winding down a little which was good considering it would be naptiime soon. Not quite yet though. "Now, you've got my story. What brought you to this schol?"
"Dove off a roof to save a lady who'd had been drinking a bit much at a party," Jack said, casually, easing back into his chair. "This place was just kind of a place where I could get shoved aside and not interfere with my dad's popularity. He's... in some high circles in the city, but not high enough for his liking. He had to call in some favors so that the media didn't eat it up, and they kept me more or less under wraps." He shrugged. "So I'm kinda outta sight, outta mind."
Steph wrinkled her nose. She couldn't help it - Jack's dad sounded awful. Of course she was only getting Jack's side of this. Surely is dad couldn't be that bad? "Maybe he was worried about your safety?"
"Maybe. We don't talk much. I get the impression he either doesn't want, or doesn't know how, to be a father," Jack opined. "I don't hate the guy," he clarified. "It's just there's... a distance between us
That hurt a little to hear, certainly more than it would have six short months ago before she'd had her own son to care for. "You don't deserve that you know. I think that once you have a kid, you've got a duty. There shouldn't be a distance that you're not ready to cross." She gave Ben a sqeeze.
"I totally agree," Jack said, easily. "Anyway, more pleasant topics. How old's this little guy, anyway?" he asked. "I missed if you mentioned it on the post, I just remember you saying that there was a baby around."
"Six months. Old enough to get into lots of trouble."
"So we've got time to plan his first birthday bash," Jack joked.
Steph laughed. "Lots of time, although I can't imagine a birthday party for a one year old would be anyone's idea of fun here."
"You might be surprised. I imagine this little guy's gonna have his own fan club here before long," he said, smiling. "Seriously. The people here are great; anyone who gives you grief about this little guy is gonna catch some serious grief from a lot of other people." Himself included, if Jack was being honest. Steph seemed like the kind of girl to win almost anyone over, and the little guy doubly so.
"That's good to hear. My big worry is that he's getting in people's way, or kids resent having a baby around for whatever reason."
"Don't think you'll have to worry about that. And hey, if you need anything, I'll do what I can to help. I can drive you to town or to the city, so on and so forth. I know the place pretty well, so if you want a tour of the city, I'm probably one of the best candidates."
"I appreciate that. I'm really out of my element here so, yes, that would be great." And a huge relief. It was nice to know there'd be some life beyond the school.
"I'm happy to help," Jack said, easily. "I'm a sucker for a pretty face," he added, jokingly.
Okay, that was welcome. Not that Steph was going to accept it, but still... She tapped Ben's nose with her finger. "Yes, he is awfully cute, isnt' he?"
Message received on that part. He chuckled. "Yeah, he's gonna be a heartbreaker when he grows up," he said.
"He already is." She smiled down at Ben, but gave Jack a quick smile too. She was thankful he shifted gears so fast. Not that he wasnt' cute and very nice, but for the moment at least, flirting was way down on her list of priorities.
"Suppose so." The smile alone was worth it, even if she'd given him the brush off. Jack wasn't a flirt for other people, anyway, he was a flirt more for himself. He just enjoyed being affectionate. Wasn't for everyone, though, and he got that. "Anyway, he's lookin' about ready for a nap, and I'm certain there's a paper I should be writing on something," he said, grinning just a little. "I'm in 112 if you need anything," he reminded her, as he stood. "Door's always open. Metaphorically," he clarified, grinning just a little.
Ben was awfully sedate, leaning into her as he cooed to the beads, so it looked like Jack was right. That was a bit of a surprise because in Steph's experience, teen boys were not exactly the most sensitive creatures on earth, especially when it came to babies. Nice thing to know about Jack in any case. "I will definitely be knocking. And thanks. It was really nice of you to introduce yourself!"
"I'm a people person," Jack said, smiling at her. "And don't mention it. I'm a helper, I like to help. Welcome to the school, and, y'know, hope you settle in real well."
Steph nodded, and stood, hitching Ben up to her shoulder. "If everyone is as friendly as you, I shouldnt' have any problems."
Having Ben at the school with her had gone better than Steph had imagined. Not that it was something she could do often or even most of the time - she wouldn't be able to watch him and get all her work done - but if she could have him visit every once in a while, maybe every couple of weekends, then it would make the wait until summer a lot easier.
For his part, Ben was enjoying himself. There were all kinds of people smiling at him, and engaging with him and some not only looked fantastic to his little eyes but could perform tricks that kept him laughing like a hyena. He hadn't had a bad moment yet.
Suddenly, a foam cube flew at Steph's face, interupting her thoughts. She batted it away. Ben was looking entirely too pleased with himself and grasping at another block. "You booger!" She snarled, making sure it didn't look toothreatening, and then launched a tickle attack on him.
Jack had poked his head in just in time to see the cube fly, and grinned a little at the scene as he walked in. "Do I need a hardhat in this area?" he asked, jokingly. He hadn't spent a lot of time around babies in his life, but he wasn't put off by them. This little guy, even from a distance, looked pretty cute.
Steph looked up from a squealing Ben and smiled. "Unless he start chucking around things heavier than foam blocks, I think you're safe." She poked Ben gently in the belly. "Even if you are a littler terror, dude."
He wandered in and took a seat, leaning toward where they were playing. "He's cute, isn't he?" Jack said, already fond of the little guy. It was hard to even so much as be unhappy around the kid; maybe that was a mutant power unto itself? Evolutionary advantage, more like. Whatever, the kid was cute.
"I'm Jack. I saw your introduction post on the boards, but I only check those about once a week and I tend to miss people coming in. Steph, right? Hard to miss, because of all the sparkling," he said.
"Yeah, that's me." Steph sighed and pretended to try and wave the thin shower of sparkles away. "I'm pretty easy to spot in a crowd."
"Nothing wrong with standing out," Jack said, easily, smiling at the little spray of sparkles. "Especially in that way," he added. "I know plenty of people who'd love to sparkle that much without having to get glitter involved."
Ben, without his tickles, rolled up onto his knees and climbed up into Steph's lap. She pulled him close and pulled her chunky necklace over her head and passed it to him. Te only reason she wore it was for baby distraction purposed anyway. "If I could switch it off, I'd be a little keener on it. Dad drove me halfway across the country because he was afraid of sending me here on a plane or bus, but then, he's a Dad." She smiled. "Maybe it was just an excuse to have a road trip together."
"I wouldn't know much about father-daughter activities," Jack admitted. "But if I were a father, I imagine I'd like to have a road trip before I sent her to a boarding school. If I'm ever lucky enough to have kids."
At that Steph smiled. "Well, he didn't exactly send me. I found out about this place and insisted on going."
"Well, y'know what I mean," Jack said, smiling. He was on the fence; Jack wanted to ask about how this little ball of joy came into the world, but a lot of times, that kind of topic was... sensitive, so he didn't want to put his foot into anything dangerous. That being said, she seemed to have nothing but smiles for the kid, which was, well, what any kid needed. He knew he didn't get enough smiles as a kid, himself. "You think he'll turn out to be a mutant himself?" he asked, in a sort of musing way, rather than being hopeful or foreboding about it.
Ben was stuffing the huge beads from the necklace into his mouth and giving them a judicious application of drool, but something about Jack's voice or face must have amused him because he let out a little giggle. Steph grinned and gave his belly a gentle poke, but when she turned back to Jack, that smile has faded a litle. "I don't know. I get worried about it sometimes because he's doesn't react to my powers that same way other people do. Nothing big, just that he's a normal baby with me - gets tired, cranky, falls asleep - when usually I'm making people feel like they'refull of energy. But maybe that's just because he was developing when my powers were developing."
"Or maybe it's something on your end," Jack suggested, quietly, shrugging. "Maybe you care for the little guy so much that you're worried inside you'll, y'know, overcharge his little systems," he said, grinning fondly at the giggling child. "I wouldn't worry about it too much," he added. "We have a guy here who can read DNA apparently, and he could tell you if the kid's at least got a latent X-gene. Maybe. Probably." Jack wasn't familiar with Simon's abilities, he was just aware of them. "Or if you're the kind who likes surprises, you could just wait until he's thirteen or so," he added, smiling.
"I think waiting is okay for now." She said it a little too quickly, but her life had enough lately that adding one more thing to worry about, especially when there was nothing she could do to change it, wasn't at all appealing. "I'll enjoy him as-is for the time being."
"Probably for the best," Jack said, smiling and saying it easily. He probably shouldn't have suggested it, but it was important she was aware of her options here. "Planning on having the little guy over a lot?" Jack asked, just a little hopeful himself. "I imagine he'll be something of a celebrity around here."
Steph nodded. "As often as I can. The Professor said I just needed to make sure my roommate's okay with it, when I get one, and I'm careful around exams and such. I honestly thought I wouldn't see Ben again until summer, so I'm really grateful to him for that."
"Xavier can be a really swell guy," Jack said, agreeably. "And most everyone here's pretty chill, so, I don't imagine you'll get a roommate who will have a lot of beef with this little guy coming around."
"Ha! He doesn't know you very well, does he?" Steph grinned at Ben, who smiled in return and reached up a chubby hand. She leaned over to kiss his fingers. "It'll take a special roommate. He doesn't sleep through the night yet."
"Ah," Jack replied, chuckling just a little. "I'll be honest; I'm an only child, so I have zero experience with little kids."
"I was the youngest, so I get that. I didn't even want to hold one until this little crash course came along."
"I bet," Jack said, sympathetically. "Sounds like you got yourself a great support network, though," Jack guessed. She was obviously keeping the kid with her folks, or else she was loaded and could just afford like, a full-time caregiver or something.
"I do." Steph said. "Mom and Dad have been pretty great about the whole thing. They're going to be helping with Ben until I get through school, although," She held up a hand and watched the glitter that floated around it. "I don't know what I can do after. I'll have to find some sort of profession that's mutant friendly I guess."
"I'm sure there'll be steps taken by the time we graduate," Jack said, confidently. "It'll just take a bit of action on our parts, while we're young."
Steph let out a long sigh as she pulled Ben close. "Maybe on your part. I'm not sure what kind of action you mean, but for now I've got school to pass and a son to look after. Not much time for other things."
"Well, there's plenty of us working enough for all of us," Jack replied, casually. "Nobody's gonna expect you to chip in any more than you're willing or able," he assured her.
"Good. It's been a littl bit of a whirlwind for the last year and a half or so. I'm sort of looking forward to something approaching normal." She laughed when she realized what she'd said. "Normal, in a school full of mutants. Oh my god, my idea of normal has sure shifted."
"You get used to it," Jack said, smiling. "Once you get settled in, it'll be like any other highschool, just, y'know, more colorful."
"Hopefully." Ben was throughly engaged with the necklace now, turning it over in his hands while babbling softly to it. He was winding down a little which was good considering it would be naptiime soon. Not quite yet though. "Now, you've got my story. What brought you to this schol?"
"Dove off a roof to save a lady who'd had been drinking a bit much at a party," Jack said, casually, easing back into his chair. "This place was just kind of a place where I could get shoved aside and not interfere with my dad's popularity. He's... in some high circles in the city, but not high enough for his liking. He had to call in some favors so that the media didn't eat it up, and they kept me more or less under wraps." He shrugged. "So I'm kinda outta sight, outta mind."
Steph wrinkled her nose. She couldn't help it - Jack's dad sounded awful. Of course she was only getting Jack's side of this. Surely is dad couldn't be that bad? "Maybe he was worried about your safety?"
"Maybe. We don't talk much. I get the impression he either doesn't want, or doesn't know how, to be a father," Jack opined. "I don't hate the guy," he clarified. "It's just there's... a distance between us
That hurt a little to hear, certainly more than it would have six short months ago before she'd had her own son to care for. "You don't deserve that you know. I think that once you have a kid, you've got a duty. There shouldn't be a distance that you're not ready to cross." She gave Ben a sqeeze.
"I totally agree," Jack said, easily. "Anyway, more pleasant topics. How old's this little guy, anyway?" he asked. "I missed if you mentioned it on the post, I just remember you saying that there was a baby around."
"Six months. Old enough to get into lots of trouble."
"So we've got time to plan his first birthday bash," Jack joked.
Steph laughed. "Lots of time, although I can't imagine a birthday party for a one year old would be anyone's idea of fun here."
"You might be surprised. I imagine this little guy's gonna have his own fan club here before long," he said, smiling. "Seriously. The people here are great; anyone who gives you grief about this little guy is gonna catch some serious grief from a lot of other people." Himself included, if Jack was being honest. Steph seemed like the kind of girl to win almost anyone over, and the little guy doubly so.
"That's good to hear. My big worry is that he's getting in people's way, or kids resent having a baby around for whatever reason."
"Don't think you'll have to worry about that. And hey, if you need anything, I'll do what I can to help. I can drive you to town or to the city, so on and so forth. I know the place pretty well, so if you want a tour of the city, I'm probably one of the best candidates."
"I appreciate that. I'm really out of my element here so, yes, that would be great." And a huge relief. It was nice to know there'd be some life beyond the school.
"I'm happy to help," Jack said, easily. "I'm a sucker for a pretty face," he added, jokingly.
Okay, that was welcome. Not that Steph was going to accept it, but still... She tapped Ben's nose with her finger. "Yes, he is awfully cute, isnt' he?"
Message received on that part. He chuckled. "Yeah, he's gonna be a heartbreaker when he grows up," he said.
"He already is." She smiled down at Ben, but gave Jack a quick smile too. She was thankful he shifted gears so fast. Not that he wasnt' cute and very nice, but for the moment at least, flirting was way down on her list of priorities.
"Suppose so." The smile alone was worth it, even if she'd given him the brush off. Jack wasn't a flirt for other people, anyway, he was a flirt more for himself. He just enjoyed being affectionate. Wasn't for everyone, though, and he got that. "Anyway, he's lookin' about ready for a nap, and I'm certain there's a paper I should be writing on something," he said, grinning just a little. "I'm in 112 if you need anything," he reminded her, as he stood. "Door's always open. Metaphorically," he clarified, grinning just a little.
Ben was awfully sedate, leaning into her as he cooed to the beads, so it looked like Jack was right. That was a bit of a surprise because in Steph's experience, teen boys were not exactly the most sensitive creatures on earth, especially when it came to babies. Nice thing to know about Jack in any case. "I will definitely be knocking. And thanks. It was really nice of you to introduce yourself!"
"I'm a people person," Jack said, smiling at her. "And don't mention it. I'm a helper, I like to help. Welcome to the school, and, y'know, hope you settle in real well."
Steph nodded, and stood, hitching Ben up to her shoulder. "If everyone is as friendly as you, I shouldnt' have any problems."
