icebergloungers | won't you take me by the hand

"Of course it matters how smart we are, Jonny. If we weren't smart, we'd stand out a lot less. Not that I have ever found myself wishing for less than I have anyway. I can't help it. I think I make for a good genius." He flashed another smile, then shrugged. "Not that sports are an option. Unless I could just be paired with Oswald Cobblepot, then I might not be entirely outclassed, purely size-wise."

One day he'd have to grow, right? His father was quite tall. Surely genetics couldn't have screwed him entirely. "I think it's football. Harvey Dent is on that and they mention him a lot."

"Deny is the boy that all the girls fawn over, isn't he? I've hear people jabbering away about him. I don't know him well, seems like an idiot to me. All he does is sports. I think people who do sports like football can't be ambitious or want a long life, given the head trauma." It didn't seem worth it to him. Then again, he assumed most people didn't give that much of a shit over their heads. They didn't have anything to protect.

"Can't say I know him but I never pay attention to who is shoving me in lockers or beating me up. I just came to accept it happens."

"Dent doesn't do that. The bullying, I mean. I don't know him well either, but I guess he has other things to focus on." Sports or whatever. "He's not rich though, just handsome and sporty enough to be popular anyway." That was something, at least. Made him different from a lot of the popular kids. "I doubt it's worth it. I'd not want to bother tossing a ball around and getting tackled, just to have some idiotic girls tell me I'm attractive."

Not that it was an option. "I'd think there ought to be less painful ways to get girls. In theory."

"Hell if I know. My dad accidentally got my mom pregnant so that's how he landed her. Perhaps it's either football or accidental pregnancy that does it?" Jonathan wasn't being serious but he felt it was funny regardless. He really had no dating advise to offer, he just knew that girls were confusing and he really didn't get them.

"Maybe you should ask Dent some time." With a tease smirk, he playfully gave Edward a light shove. "You know so much about him, it's cute."

"I know more about you and I'm not picking out our matching homecoming dresses yet, so don't hold your breath." It wasn't as if he didn't also know a lot about, say, Oswald. Or Bruce Wayne. Any number of people at their school honestly. He noticed things, he liked to know things. Even if he doubted much of this would be overly relevant past high school. "Anyway, I assume to get someone pregnant, you'd have to do some kind of seduction first. Or just a lot of alcohol. I imagine that's how I happened."

"Same. I think getting a girl drunk has some very dubious qualities but if we all get drunk, I assume it's more acceptable. My assumption is, however, that girls want to date people who don't have sex with them when they are intoxicated." He shrugged his shoulders and walked outside, pulling up the hood on his coat as it was spitting with rain. Again. His coat wasn't water proof but it was another layer and allowed for some flimsy protect. That was something.

"Where are we getting good?"

"Well. I don't intend to have sex with any girl in any state of intoxication, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about there. I can't foresee myself having the urge." Certainly didn't seem overly appealing from where he was standing.

Ed glanced up at the sky, then just moved close to Jonathan and considered, going over the current sad state of his finances. "I can afford sandwiches from that one place. The one with the not mouldy bread."

So, there was that.

"I'm up for it. I would chip in but I don't get to go near any sort of money. My father isn't generous." And his mother had no access either. If he wanted stuff, he would have to ask and then it'd turn into a task or an experiment. He didn't like to ask for things. The last thing he asked for was a bike and he was still not over it. "Maybe we should start a homework service and charge those idiots to do their work for them. Statistically speaking, someone has to pay and not just beat us up."

Not that he was wholly confident of that theory but what else could they do. "I suppose we could deal drugs. I have access to quite the supply."

"I'm good at budgeting." And his father gave him money, given the aforementioned errand boy status. Not that he was thrilled with that role, but there was that bonus. And, yes, he also had some other things he liked to do to get some bonus cash, but that wasn't unusual for a kid who grew up in the Narrows. He supposed Jonathan wouldn't be as well versed in these matters.

"The problem with dealing drugs is that mobsters don't like when you do it outside the system." Safer not to bother, in his experience. He'd seen a lot of people vanish.

"The drugs here are all very hard drugs and stupidly expensive. You know how cheap weed is in Georgia? It's ridiculous in Gotham. Everything is overpriced." He blamed the gangsters for his sobriety, honestly. He hated when they did these kind of things and jacked up the price, it meant he had to find a new hobby. Lately he had taken with experiment with his father's stash.

"I don't like hard drugs, I trip bad." And yes, he had tried them. Some of them. Usually in trials. Not by his own choice but he had a good idea of how a lot of the hard drugs would effect him.

"Look at that. Jon-boy knows how to party." Edward made fun of him, mainly because he actually felt a little insecure over that. He didn't like the idea of being so much less experienced than anyone, especially not Jonathan. Jonathan was new to the city, but he supposed in Georgia people had nothing better to do than get stoned. "I'm saving my drugged up phase for my twenties, just for the hell of it."

How was any of that fair? "They say these things stunt growth. Why are you so damn tall?"

"Genetics. I was tall before I started smoking pot so I guess I'll just be shorter than I could have been. Given how tall I'm shooting up, not a bad thing." Jonathan smiled playfully at Edward, amused by how annoyed Edward was by his height, it was always so cute. "All the things they say stunt your growth, I've done. Drugs, drinking, coffee. It doesn't really seem to do much to me. Though coffee keeps me awake on boring days, I can't deny it."

It just didn't make him any smaller. He assumed. And if so, good! He would have been a freak otherwise. "When you enter your drug phase, come to me. We'll have some fun."

"Who says that we won't be living together by then? You'll need a roommate or you'll just live inside a library and never come out." Edward felt he had a point there. He grinned at Jonathan from the side, then gave him a slight shove. "Shop's at the corner there. You know what you wanna order? Don't think they've got any weed on offer, but I like the ham sandwich."

"God, we're gonna live in a shit hole. I guess as long we save, it won't be so bad. Let's just make sure we don't end up above a meth lab." He had a feeling they'd never sleep otherwise. "I'll order the same as you, genius. Nice joke, real funny." Rolling his eyes, he pushed Edward inside the shop and huffed, watching as Edward ordered for them.

As the guy went off to make their stuff, Jonathan checked out the kitchen from the side and then leaned into Ed. "There's three generations of grime in there."

"You don't want to know when they've last cleaned. This is why I want gloves." Edward made a face as he looked around, but it wasn't as if he wasn't used to it. "What do you want to do after high school, Jonny?"

Edward actually wasn't sure whether he could predict that. "I'm sure you'll be a man of vision. My plan is to fit into my clothes." They were all too big.

"I want to go into psychology or chemistry. Both are fascinating but I haven't decided which. The trouble is, back in Georgia, the choice was easy. Here in Gotham? You gotta think more." Was a chemist just going to be making drugs, was a psychologist just going to hear crazies in Arkham rant. Neither seemed ideal. "If all else fails, I'll become a drunk. I think that's a fine Narrows profession, very respectable."

Given everything, it sure seemed like it. "What about you? Besides the clothes, obviously."

"I'll be rich. You've no idea. Computers have so much more potential than anyone in this godforsaken town realises. Honestly, I might go to another city for a while, get a decent position. Maybe with Luthor Corp." That seemed like the best ticket to what he wanted. Independence. The kind of wealth needed to tell everyone to go fuck themselves and get away with it.

"I don't know if I'll bother with more schooling. Not necessary for programming, you just need the skill. Maybe I'll develop games. Or be a hacker. Or write codes for big firms. there is nowhere genius relates as directly to power as in cyberspace."

He smiled, then caught himself, frowning and shrugging. "Or I dunno. We'll see."

"You've thought about this a lot, I see." Their sandwiches were put down in unappealing brown bags and Jon took his, pass Edward his own as they left the store. He started eating right away, walking beside Edward idly as he thought about his future and what he wanted. Mostly, he just wanted to get away from his family and be alone. "I want enough money to buy books."

That was something he definitely wanted to achieve. "And I want to... to conquer my fear." He bit his lower lip, not wanting to linger on it but it was something he wanted. "And I will."

Eddie was eating as well, not quite as ravenous as Jonathan - who was - but hungry enough. Besides, there was comfort in this. Enjoying food, walking with his friend. Not alone. He didn't always think about it, but he hadn't felt true loneliness in a while now, not since Jonathan had become his friend.

"That makes sense." And he didn't think too much of it. After all, conquering fear, wasn't that what he wanted to achieve too? "I want to be as cocky and full of myself as they accuse me of being. I'll show them."

His father, sure, but all of them. "I'll earn my arrogance. Then I don't have to bluff any more."

"Then you'll be even more of a delight to be around." Jonathan laughed before taking a bite of his sandwich, just glad that Edward could make him laugh - he was starting to worry that he was broken or something. "I think one day, Edward, you will make your arrogant know-it-all son of a bitch dreams come true. I promise."

At least, he wanted him to. He knew Edward was struggling to find himself, he just wanted to help pull him together and make him into himself. It would be fun to watch. "Fitting your clothes will definitely help with that arrogance."

"Yes, yes. I'll keep eating all my greens, surely that will help." Of course, appearances weren't everything. He was sure even staying a diminutive four-eyed nerd, he'd do just fine. He knew what he wanted out of life. People would know just what he could do. "All right, Jon, I gotta run. See you tomorrow? We can walk to school together."

"Yes. See you later, Ed. Stay home."

Jonathan waved and then took off, walking in the direction of home and finishing off his sandwich.

won't you take me by the hand

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject