Madin & Mel | Lunch
Aug. 8th, 2024 01:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_aero posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsBackdated to August 8th. Content warning for hate speech. Madin and Mel’s lunch out gets interrupted.
They’d finally gotten around to that lunch.
It had only taken two months, another kidnapping, and her little sister joining a cult for Mel to get her shit together. July had kicked her ass, and August wasn’t going much better. She felt like shit. Looked like it too. It was fine though. She was fine.
The restaurant was cute at least, tucked away in a corner of the DX, and her salad was decent. Mel sat across from Madin at a table near the front window. It was nice spending time with the other mutant, to feel something other than guilt and self loathing.
Initial small talk faded, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and asked, “How’ve you been doin’? Sorry I ain’t been around…. Stuff was happenin’ back home.”
Madin shrugged. "You know. Not bad." Lots of fights with Sharon. "Um. I mostly just been keeping to myself and finishing my GED."
Anything Mel knew about the omission wasn’t let on. “Yeah.. if you ever need to talk about anythin’, you know I’m here, right?” In a moment of boldness to accompany the question, she reached across the table and squeezed Madin’s free hand briefly, then smiled a small smile. “We should do this again, it’s nice.”
Oh no. Was she? Was this a date? Was Madin supposed to do something now? Fuck, fuck. "Yeah, we should." Had Mel been hitting on them for a while? Had Madin just not noticed? What if Mel was just being friendly? This could just be friends. What if Madin misinterpreted it and only thought Mel was hitting on them but actually she wasn't? What then? "How's your sister doing? You said things got real messed up." But what if she was hitting on Madin? That would be good but you couldn't just go around assuming these things because what if you were wrong?
Oblivious to Madin’s internal turmoil, Mel left her hand on the table some distance away. An invitation but not a pressure. She sighed at the thought of Joelle. “Better, I think. I wish I coulda stayed back… but I reckon Elle needs the space, what with all she’s been through.”
In a smaller voice she added, “I can’t help but blame myself fer it all in a way, I was the last to leave home.. I oughta been around to keep her safe.” Her smile turned sad, mournful.
Madin reached out and took her hand. "No. You can't... you can't live your whole life not doing things because you need to look after her. Like, you've always said there weren't any jobs or anything back home?"
“There ain’t, ‘specially not fer me. It’s jus’…” Mel shook her head. “Yer right, s’just easier said than felt. But I’ll try.” It was a road she’d been down before, the spiral of grief and guilt, but she didn’t want to do that again. Not anymore.
She carefully laced her fingers with Madin’s. “It weren’t all bad though. One of my other sisters, Lizzie, is off to college soon. I got t’help her pack some. I’m real proud of her.” A flicker of her usual sunny grin returned.
This, however, was interrupted.
It turns out that even a poorly aimed shoulder knock is enough to disentangle the most meaningful minutes.
"Muties, here?" It was a line delivered by one half of the duo that strolled past, just loud enough to sting. The two white boys turned around to smirk at the pair. They wore their smugness like a crown. Or a, well, a trucker hat.
"They said we were taking back this trash part of town. Said it safe now. Shaking my head."
A laugh, and a clutched shoulder. "I'll have to wash this shirt. Might have rubbed off."
Madin turned to face the men, pushing their chair back just a little to make it easier to stand. "What the fuck do you cunts want?"
Mel, for her part, sat up in her chair all the straighter, something shifting in her demeanor. Gone was the sunny smile, and in its place a sickly sweet expression of concern. “Can we help y’all? Seems like yer a-mite lost.” Her foot nudged Madin’s. Please let me handle this.
"Girl," one of them said, "this is our city. No place for fuckin' muties or rednecks."
"Hell, he ain't even American. A pretty girl like you should know better," the other one added.
The first turned to his friend. "Gross. She's mid at best."
Madin ignored Mel's hint. "What part offends you more, Sunshine?" They smiled, and "is it the purple, the part where we're queer or you having a fucking crisis because you're getting hard thinking about my purple arse?"
The two looked at eachother. "See? Foreign mutants are overrunning our city and you can't even understand them." The primary agitant looked Madin dead in the eyes, and continued. Unphased. "You think after the flood, that riot, and that show of community back in January you lot would get the message. We don't want you here."
This was becoming a scene. At least one person that Mel could see had their phone out recording.
Before Madin could react, she got out of her seat and in the boys’ faces. “I reckon there’s space enough in a big city like this fer everyone. Y’all’re only here lookin’ fer trouble, and I recommend you leave ‘fore you find it.” She was pissed off now. Mel didn’t realize it, but she was flickering, dimly enough where only the two idiots could see, but flickering all the same.
Hands were raised, and the boys made a good show of backing up and looking affronted – if only their faces weren't so smug and naturally punchable. Their smirks didn't help.
"Woah, woah, honey," one of them said. "No need to get triggered."
"Don't escalate this."
"Gene freaks need to know . . . they, they ain't wanted," and the hesitancy now strongly hinted that they had seen Mel's luminance. "They're dangerous."
Something shark-like replaced that sweet southern smile, eerily reminiscent of her mentor. “Oh, are they now?” She took a pointed step forward. Then another. “Well, causin’ a ruckus in a restaurant full of ‘em probably wasn’t the smartest move on y’all’s part, now was it?”
Madin nodded, on their feet right behind Mel. "What do you say we take it outside and I can kick the fuck out of you dickheads?"
One of their eyes flashed with an idea, and then what could have been either surprise that it had occurred or how easy it seemed. He turned to the crowd.
"We're," and he was pitching his voice louder, "just speaking our truth. No need for violence. Everything they say about you must be true."
Nobody in the restaurant seemed particularly impressed with their antics, but it didn’t stop Mel from wanting to give Madin a good kick to the shins. She could see the hostess looking like she was debating intervening, and one of the chefs poking their head out of the kitchen.
“If you come into a place lookin’ t’harass people, don’t get offended when yer challenged on that. You boys really oughta leave. You can go an’ speak yer truth somewhere else.” Twitter, probably. Mel had no doubt at least one of them ran a right-wing troll account of sorts.
The thought of giving in to some fucking flatscan - what would the Brotherhood have said? What would the people in detention have thought? Everything Madin had been since they were 14 said that if they didn't fight these pricks, they were nothing - everything they'd learned with the Brotherhood, about how letting humans believe they could get away with this shit - said that they should go to fuckinig town on them but -- Mel was trying to calm shit down. Sort of. And there were cameras.
Madin sighed. "Let's just go, okay?" they muttered to Mel. "Before it gets worse." They should be fighting. They should be doing something about these guys that wasn't just giving in.
The two boys continued to preach at the restaurant, but Mel wasn’t paying much attention anymore. She turned to Madin and whispered “Jus’ give me a sec.”
She marched up to the pair, and with startling coordination delivered a swift kick to the balls for one and a sock across the jaw for the other. Before they could so much as clutch their pearls, she was making her way back past Madin to their table, grabbing her purse, and slamming a stack of cash down.
“Okay, now we can go.” Mel grabbed Madin’s hand and pulled them towards the door, leaving the squawking guys behind. She didn’t reckon they were liable to follow, but if they did….. well she had a lot of pent up anger these days, and that had felt good.
Madin grabbed her hand. "Run." They set off across the road, skidding through traffic, towing Mel behind them, clearing one, two interactions and cutting down an alley before slowing to a walk, eyes peeled for a tail.
Finally Madin said, "I thought you were trying to calm them down?"
Out of breath, Mel replied, “I know I know I know, his face was jus’ so punchable though! I weren’t gonna let them have the last word like that.” She started to laugh, high on adrenaline. “I think the one nearly wet himself, Christ they were pathetic.”
What did you say to that? We shouldn't have let them get off so easy? You shouldn't have been the one doing the punching?
Madin nodded. "Yeah, they really fucking were. Arseholes, just doing it for the views. "
“Wouldn’t be surprised if we end up Twitter famous.” Mel sighed, and leaned up against the wall of the alley. “M’sorry about that. It was real nice to be out with you though, before they showed up anyways.” And even then it had been slightly exhilarating.
Okay, so maybe before it hadn't just been two gals and non binary fellas being pals. Madin smiled back, reaching out to bump their hand against Mel's (because what if it had just been them being pals?) "Yeah, it was." They sighed. "I"m really sorry about all that. It's a hazard of being so visible, you know?"
Mel linked her pinkie in theirs, and grinned cause it felt sappy, before sobering up a little. “No, don’t apologize. It ain’t yer fault that people suck.” She turned to look at them properly. “I wouldn’t’a asked you t’lunch if I didn’t know that. I jus’ woulda hoped this part of town would be less hateful ‘bout that sorta thing. We’ll hafta find a better spot fer next time.”
Next time? "It's not your fault. They just. They. It happens. I'll think of somewhere else in DX for next time. Um."
“Okay, that’d be nice.” She glanced down at her watch and whatever little bubble they’d formed in that alley started to pop. “I really oughta get t’work, but I’ll see you later, yeah?”
"Yeah. I'll catch you later!" Madin gave her a little wave before heading away, torn between grinning - Mel wasn't just being friendly! - and internal conflict because they shouldn't have run from that fight. They should have made sure those flat scans never fucking walked again.
“Hey, wait a second.” Mel stopped them where the sidewalk met the cutaway, and leaned over to press a quick kiss to their cheek. “Okay, yeah, bye!” Before she could overthink that she walked away towards the subway, giddy.
They’d finally gotten around to that lunch.
It had only taken two months, another kidnapping, and her little sister joining a cult for Mel to get her shit together. July had kicked her ass, and August wasn’t going much better. She felt like shit. Looked like it too. It was fine though. She was fine.
The restaurant was cute at least, tucked away in a corner of the DX, and her salad was decent. Mel sat across from Madin at a table near the front window. It was nice spending time with the other mutant, to feel something other than guilt and self loathing.
Initial small talk faded, she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and asked, “How’ve you been doin’? Sorry I ain’t been around…. Stuff was happenin’ back home.”
Madin shrugged. "You know. Not bad." Lots of fights with Sharon. "Um. I mostly just been keeping to myself and finishing my GED."
Anything Mel knew about the omission wasn’t let on. “Yeah.. if you ever need to talk about anythin’, you know I’m here, right?” In a moment of boldness to accompany the question, she reached across the table and squeezed Madin’s free hand briefly, then smiled a small smile. “We should do this again, it’s nice.”
Oh no. Was she? Was this a date? Was Madin supposed to do something now? Fuck, fuck. "Yeah, we should." Had Mel been hitting on them for a while? Had Madin just not noticed? What if Mel was just being friendly? This could just be friends. What if Madin misinterpreted it and only thought Mel was hitting on them but actually she wasn't? What then? "How's your sister doing? You said things got real messed up." But what if she was hitting on Madin? That would be good but you couldn't just go around assuming these things because what if you were wrong?
Oblivious to Madin’s internal turmoil, Mel left her hand on the table some distance away. An invitation but not a pressure. She sighed at the thought of Joelle. “Better, I think. I wish I coulda stayed back… but I reckon Elle needs the space, what with all she’s been through.”
In a smaller voice she added, “I can’t help but blame myself fer it all in a way, I was the last to leave home.. I oughta been around to keep her safe.” Her smile turned sad, mournful.
Madin reached out and took her hand. "No. You can't... you can't live your whole life not doing things because you need to look after her. Like, you've always said there weren't any jobs or anything back home?"
“There ain’t, ‘specially not fer me. It’s jus’…” Mel shook her head. “Yer right, s’just easier said than felt. But I’ll try.” It was a road she’d been down before, the spiral of grief and guilt, but she didn’t want to do that again. Not anymore.
She carefully laced her fingers with Madin’s. “It weren’t all bad though. One of my other sisters, Lizzie, is off to college soon. I got t’help her pack some. I’m real proud of her.” A flicker of her usual sunny grin returned.
This, however, was interrupted.
It turns out that even a poorly aimed shoulder knock is enough to disentangle the most meaningful minutes.
"Muties, here?" It was a line delivered by one half of the duo that strolled past, just loud enough to sting. The two white boys turned around to smirk at the pair. They wore their smugness like a crown. Or a, well, a trucker hat.
"They said we were taking back this trash part of town. Said it safe now. Shaking my head."
A laugh, and a clutched shoulder. "I'll have to wash this shirt. Might have rubbed off."
Madin turned to face the men, pushing their chair back just a little to make it easier to stand. "What the fuck do you cunts want?"
Mel, for her part, sat up in her chair all the straighter, something shifting in her demeanor. Gone was the sunny smile, and in its place a sickly sweet expression of concern. “Can we help y’all? Seems like yer a-mite lost.” Her foot nudged Madin’s. Please let me handle this.
"Girl," one of them said, "this is our city. No place for fuckin' muties or rednecks."
"Hell, he ain't even American. A pretty girl like you should know better," the other one added.
The first turned to his friend. "Gross. She's mid at best."
Madin ignored Mel's hint. "What part offends you more, Sunshine?" They smiled, and "is it the purple, the part where we're queer or you having a fucking crisis because you're getting hard thinking about my purple arse?"
The two looked at eachother. "See? Foreign mutants are overrunning our city and you can't even understand them." The primary agitant looked Madin dead in the eyes, and continued. Unphased. "You think after the flood, that riot, and that show of community back in January you lot would get the message. We don't want you here."
This was becoming a scene. At least one person that Mel could see had their phone out recording.
Before Madin could react, she got out of her seat and in the boys’ faces. “I reckon there’s space enough in a big city like this fer everyone. Y’all’re only here lookin’ fer trouble, and I recommend you leave ‘fore you find it.” She was pissed off now. Mel didn’t realize it, but she was flickering, dimly enough where only the two idiots could see, but flickering all the same.
Hands were raised, and the boys made a good show of backing up and looking affronted – if only their faces weren't so smug and naturally punchable. Their smirks didn't help.
"Woah, woah, honey," one of them said. "No need to get triggered."
"Don't escalate this."
"Gene freaks need to know . . . they, they ain't wanted," and the hesitancy now strongly hinted that they had seen Mel's luminance. "They're dangerous."
Something shark-like replaced that sweet southern smile, eerily reminiscent of her mentor. “Oh, are they now?” She took a pointed step forward. Then another. “Well, causin’ a ruckus in a restaurant full of ‘em probably wasn’t the smartest move on y’all’s part, now was it?”
Madin nodded, on their feet right behind Mel. "What do you say we take it outside and I can kick the fuck out of you dickheads?"
One of their eyes flashed with an idea, and then what could have been either surprise that it had occurred or how easy it seemed. He turned to the crowd.
"We're," and he was pitching his voice louder, "just speaking our truth. No need for violence. Everything they say about you must be true."
Nobody in the restaurant seemed particularly impressed with their antics, but it didn’t stop Mel from wanting to give Madin a good kick to the shins. She could see the hostess looking like she was debating intervening, and one of the chefs poking their head out of the kitchen.
“If you come into a place lookin’ t’harass people, don’t get offended when yer challenged on that. You boys really oughta leave. You can go an’ speak yer truth somewhere else.” Twitter, probably. Mel had no doubt at least one of them ran a right-wing troll account of sorts.
The thought of giving in to some fucking flatscan - what would the Brotherhood have said? What would the people in detention have thought? Everything Madin had been since they were 14 said that if they didn't fight these pricks, they were nothing - everything they'd learned with the Brotherhood, about how letting humans believe they could get away with this shit - said that they should go to fuckinig town on them but -- Mel was trying to calm shit down. Sort of. And there were cameras.
Madin sighed. "Let's just go, okay?" they muttered to Mel. "Before it gets worse." They should be fighting. They should be doing something about these guys that wasn't just giving in.
The two boys continued to preach at the restaurant, but Mel wasn’t paying much attention anymore. She turned to Madin and whispered “Jus’ give me a sec.”
She marched up to the pair, and with startling coordination delivered a swift kick to the balls for one and a sock across the jaw for the other. Before they could so much as clutch their pearls, she was making her way back past Madin to their table, grabbing her purse, and slamming a stack of cash down.
“Okay, now we can go.” Mel grabbed Madin’s hand and pulled them towards the door, leaving the squawking guys behind. She didn’t reckon they were liable to follow, but if they did….. well she had a lot of pent up anger these days, and that had felt good.
Madin grabbed her hand. "Run." They set off across the road, skidding through traffic, towing Mel behind them, clearing one, two interactions and cutting down an alley before slowing to a walk, eyes peeled for a tail.
Finally Madin said, "I thought you were trying to calm them down?"
Out of breath, Mel replied, “I know I know I know, his face was jus’ so punchable though! I weren’t gonna let them have the last word like that.” She started to laugh, high on adrenaline. “I think the one nearly wet himself, Christ they were pathetic.”
What did you say to that? We shouldn't have let them get off so easy? You shouldn't have been the one doing the punching?
Madin nodded. "Yeah, they really fucking were. Arseholes, just doing it for the views. "
“Wouldn’t be surprised if we end up Twitter famous.” Mel sighed, and leaned up against the wall of the alley. “M’sorry about that. It was real nice to be out with you though, before they showed up anyways.” And even then it had been slightly exhilarating.
Okay, so maybe before it hadn't just been two gals and non binary fellas being pals. Madin smiled back, reaching out to bump their hand against Mel's (because what if it had just been them being pals?) "Yeah, it was." They sighed. "I"m really sorry about all that. It's a hazard of being so visible, you know?"
Mel linked her pinkie in theirs, and grinned cause it felt sappy, before sobering up a little. “No, don’t apologize. It ain’t yer fault that people suck.” She turned to look at them properly. “I wouldn’t’a asked you t’lunch if I didn’t know that. I jus’ woulda hoped this part of town would be less hateful ‘bout that sorta thing. We’ll hafta find a better spot fer next time.”
Next time? "It's not your fault. They just. They. It happens. I'll think of somewhere else in DX for next time. Um."
“Okay, that’d be nice.” She glanced down at her watch and whatever little bubble they’d formed in that alley started to pop. “I really oughta get t’work, but I’ll see you later, yeah?”
"Yeah. I'll catch you later!" Madin gave her a little wave before heading away, torn between grinning - Mel wasn't just being friendly! - and internal conflict because they shouldn't have run from that fight. They should have made sure those flat scans never fucking walked again.
“Hey, wait a second.” Mel stopped them where the sidewalk met the cutaway, and leaned over to press a quick kiss to their cheek. “Okay, yeah, bye!” Before she could overthink that she walked away towards the subway, giddy.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-18 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-19 11:39 pm (UTC)