1/29 Instance: The Calm Before

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Slarti
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Title: Damn Not Given
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1/29 Instance: The Calm Before

Post by Slarti »

Timelined a few hours after Checkmate

<Shaw> This was perhaps the only place in the house where Sebastian could find peace right now, and he wasn't inclined to leave it. Unfinished projects mocked him, but he couldn't be bothered. Sipping his scotch, he tinkered with the home security system.

<Hope> Unable to sleep and guilt weighing heavily on her, Hope slid her robe on and wandered into the hallway. A light coming from above her caught her attention. Sebastian. She swallowed and gripped the rail on the stairs, slowly making her way up them.

<Shaw> He heard the footsteps, and since they were light there were only two possibilities. Tightly shielded at the moment, he wasn't searching to find out which lady of the house was approaching.

<Hope> She paused in the doorway to the workshop, lingering... debating. She rapped the frame a couple of times with her knuckles. "Hey..."

<Shaw> "Couldn't sleep, little Stark?" The leather of the chair creaked as he spun it around to survey her.

<Hope> "No..." she admitted, leaning her head against the frame of the door. "How mad are you?"

<Shaw> Sebastian leaned back in the seat and took a slow sip of scotch. "Why would you think I'm angry?"

<Hope> Hope gave him a look. "Can we not? Can you just answer?"

<Shaw> "I'm not angry." His tone was perfectly even and he rocked the chair slowly, watching her closely.

<Hope> "So extremely." She moved to the couch with a sigh.

<Shaw> His chuckle was low and he stood, taking his time to stretch.

<Hope> It was even worse than she'd thought. She folded her hands together, finding a place on the floor to focus on. "I'm sorry..."

<Shaw> "Do you at least understand my point?" He moved back over to the in-office mini bar and refilled his tumbler. After a beat, he twisted to look at her again. "Would you like a drink?"

<Hope> She paused her thinking, looking at the scotch. She licked her lips and nodded briefly. She might need it. "I do understand your point. I was waiting to see if the infatuation faded with time or if it was still there at an opportune moment in the future."

<Shaw> Sebastian poured her three fingers and restoppered the bottle, picking up both glasses with one hand to join her at the sofa.

<Hope> She looked up at him as he approached her, watching him. "He's come such a long way, despite everything."

<Shaw> "I gather your... feelings didn't fade." It wasn't a question, and he handed her drink over, opting to remain standing. "He has," he allowed.

<Hope> She took the drink with a nod of thanks. "They didn't. They got worse." She took a small sip. "And he may change his mind."

<Shaw> "Worse?" He chuckled and sipped his own drink. "That's terribly romantic of you."

<Hope> "I'm pretty sure I inherited the Stark sense of romance," she pointed out with a scoff.

<Shaw> "Very likely. So, you think he may change his mind?"

<Hope> She stared down into her drink before taking another sip.

<Shaw> "That's exactly what I'm trying to warn you to be cautious about, love." He sighed and looked around the room, searching for his next words.

<Hope> "Everyone does, Sebastian. Everyone does that. They've always done that." She spoke softly, looking over at him again. "That's the pattern I've had. That's what I've dealt with my entire life. And I know that Tony isn't going to send me back and you say you aren't either, but that doesn’t change what I went through."

<Shaw> He looked at her sharply, taking a moment to process what she was really saying. "Hope..."

<Hope> "You're every bit a dad to me as Tony is. And I can't stand that I just messed everything up, but I really care about him and I want something better for him." She took another drink, a longer one.

<Shaw> Sebastian sat down beside her carefully. "You're in no danger of being sent back, not by me, and no, not by Tony. But if you expect Shinobi to reject you why would you entangle yourself further?"

<Hope> "Because... it's..." she struggled with her words, jumping a bit as her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her robe pocket and stared at the message that she had a voice alert. "I thought I deleted my voice memo." She hit play out of curiosity. It was Shinobi's voice. "Ariel, this is Obi. I would never reject you."

<Hope> She breathed for a moment before turning to Sebastian, barely holding back her emotions. "That's why."

<Shaw> "That's... remarkably convenient." Sebastian pulled a moue and knocked back a generous swallow of scotch.

<Hope> "I'm saving that one..." She set it to repeat.

<Shaw> "Obi?" He slid back on the sofa to slouch, balancing his drink on his knee.

<Hope> "It's my nickname for him. You can't use it." She glanced at him, putting her phone away.

<Shaw> "Hope, love..." He was hesitant to speak, which was remarkable to him.

<Hope> Hope rested her head against Sebastian, sighing a bit. "Yeah, Dad?"

<Shaw> He drew in a surprised breath, looking over at her but unable to see anything but her wild red hair

<Hope> She glanced up at him when he didn't reply to her.

<Shaw> He shifted his drink to his other hand and slid his arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, little Stark... that's why I get angry sometimes, and frustrated..."

<Hope> Hope nestled into him, nodding a bit. "I love you too. I know you're just trying to be my dad. And I might get hurt. I roll that dice with anyone I'm with. Course, if he tried physically, you know I can take him right?" she asked, looking up with a smirk.

<Shaw> "I know," he said with a chuckle. "And I don't think he would, so long as he's stable. I wouldn't let him live here, with my wife and my daughters," Sebastian gave her a slight squeeze, "if I truly thought he were dangerous now."

<Hope> "He's not dangerous. And he's sweet. And thoughtful. Did you know he got me a fish?"

<Shaw> "Well, that does explain the charge on his card at the pet store. That mermaid joke certainly has legs," he added with a smirk.

<Hope> Hope shoved him a little, laughing. "You aren't funny. And creepy! Does Tony do that to me? Look at every charge?"

<Shaw> "Oh... perhaps he is a more trusting soul than I..." The very thought made him laugh.

<Hope> "So I should put Victoria's Secret on your card and not his," she stated, waiting to see his reaction.

<Shaw> "Or perhaps Shinobi's... although you'd best watch your unmentionables around him..." Tit for tat, so to speak.

<Hope> She laughed and nudged him again. "Actually... I took... that... off the table. For awhile."

<Shaw> "That?" Sebastian rolled the word around on his tongue, considering it.

<Hope> She gave him a meaningful look.

<Shaw> He returned it, eyebrow up and beyond amused. "You've cut the boy off before he's even begun. Well done, little Stark."

<Hope> "Well it wasn't a goal or anything... I'm taking my time. I'm going slow. Annnnd he accepted that boundary." She shook her head a bit. "He's a good guy now. Which I also told Tony when he flipped out on me for the pictures."

<Shaw> "I daresay Tony has flipped out for more than just those photos," he admitted, taking a sip of his scotch. "While I'm well aware Shinobi wasn't in his right mind at the time, he did attempt to kill him." Sebastian sighed and rested his head on the back of the sofa. "And he did kill Madelyne, which is something I've tried very hard to forgive."

<Hope> "He would have killed Tony if I hadn't been there," she pointed out softly. "But that's who he was. Not who he is anymore. He's not the man who shot me now." She rested her head against him again, sighing.

<Shaw> "I know. He's shown remarkable progress, and I'm glad I didn't write him off... although you primarily have Jessica to thank for that push." He spoke toward the ceiling, then concentrated for a moment to ensure Shinobi truly was asleep downstairs. "He's far more stable... but it's impossible to tell if that will last."

<Hope> "If Johnny could pull me back from War... I can pull Shinobi back if the need arose." She stared up at the ceiling too, thinking about her spot on the roof.

<Shaw> The comparison to her dead fiance made him bite back a sigh. "Little Stark, we can't keep the truth from him indefinitely."

<Hope> She nodded. "It is... very difficult to lie to him." Especially when he was in her head.

<Shaw> "It's difficult for me as well." He was quiet for a moment. "And when he learns... it's impossible to determine how he will react. Not truly. Jessica hopes for the best, that we are building a stable life for him before destroying his identity... but..."

<Hope> Hope sighed. "Yet another reason I 'might get hurt' there. He'll know I knew. I knew and I didn't tell him."

<Shaw> "Precisely," he agreed.

<Hope> "He might take it better from me. Anyone but you," she eyed him a bit. "Jess would even be a better option."

<Shaw> Sebastian laughed. "I feel it should be my responsibility, but you're likely right."

<Hope> "Likely?!" She elbowed him.

<Shaw> "Very likely." He smirked and looked over at her. "That's hardly a fair burden to place on you... and likely we'll need to tell him sooner rather than later. Within the next few months, I would say."

<Hope> "Maybe the whole family together? The people who actually care about him," she suggested.

<Shaw> "That's a good idea. I'm afraid we've stumped even his therapist, who is admittedly a tad out of his depth, since cloning isn't covered in medical school." He took another drink and decided to broach another subject. "And that's an additional complication, as clones aren't known for longevity..."

<Hope> She shuddered a bit, dismissing that thought. Of course he'd die early. Why wouldn't he? She had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from laughing. "Hopefully there aren't enough of them to warrant a study."

<Shaw> "Hopefully not." He shifted to meet Hope's eyes after a moment's thought. "And yes, that's another reason I worry for you in this... relationship."

<Hope> She smiled weakly, shrugging. "Of course he'd die young."

<Shaw> "I've had his blood tested by seven different labs, and he seems fine, so it's not as dire as all that." Still, she had that sad, resigned expression that made him lean back in to hug her. "But once he knows, we can have additional... somewhat more invasive... tests run to determine if he has any... genetic instability."

<Hope> Hope hugged her dad, tightening her grip on him. "None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We'll just have to make the most of whatever time we do have."

<Shaw> "True enough." He sighed and held her, rubbing her arm soothingly. "I realize that I've likely just motivated you to become closer to him instead of keeping your distance."

<Hope> She laughed a little. "No impact on my decision. As I told him... it's up to us and not anyone else." She snuggled into Sebastian a bit, relaxing.

<Shaw> Sebastian gave up his point as lost, and made himself comfortable. "So, how often do you use my telepathy with him?"

<Hope> She wriggled uncomfortably. She wanted to deny, deny, deny. "Who says I do? You aren’t the only telepath in the world."

<Shaw> "No, but I'm the only one in this immediate vicinity, visits from Monet notwithstanding." Her discomfort just amused him.

<Hope> She sighed an exasperated sigh. "Fine. It was kind of by accident... and then just... it was nice. Not all the time... but sometimes."

<Shaw> "I formed the link with Jessica accidentally at first."

<Hope> "In a house with super hearing people everywhere? It's kind of the only way to have any privacy," she pointed out.

<Shaw> "Love, I meant the subconscious link. The one that tells me she's asleep right now, and dreaming..."

<Hope> Hope shook her head. "I haven't... done that."

<Shaw> "You may not realize it until it's done. And... my ability... perhaps it's the constant use, but it's gotten stronger in recent months." He looked at her again. "That's my fair warning."

<Hope> "I turn powers on and off like a switch. Not really worried about it, but thanks for the heads up. I'll be more aware of when we use it."

<Shaw> The silence stretched out comfortably, and then he recalled something. "I believe I may have enticed Shinobi to audit a course or two at MIT... get a feel for his interests..."

<Hope> She blinked at that, smiling. "Good! He needs to figure that out."

<Shaw> "He does, and I offered that suggestion, or Xavier's." His chuckle showed his feelings on that.

<Hope> Hope scoffed. "So he can get blown up? How about nooo. Though I still need to graduate. Holy shit... I'm going to graduate college." She gave Sebastian a terrified look.

<Shaw> "You are," he said, entertained by her expression. "And then you need to think of graduate school."

<Hope> "You're joking right?" Hope gave him a very skeptical look. "I only got into Xavier's because he takes in everyone with this particular genetic anomaly."

<Shaw> "Why would I be joking? That may be the case, for Xavier's, but you are a Stark now, love." He tsked and took a sip of his scotch. "Tony went to MIT, of course, but a few years before I did..."

<Hope> "So... because you aren't legally my dad... and don't have my last name... and you are my teacher... you could write me a letter of recommendation right?"

<Shaw> "You even feel you must ask?" He shook his head. "Of course, and I still retain connections amongst the faculty. How else do you think I'm getting an undocumented clone registered?"

<Hope> "Well it's polite to ask, isn't it? And not assume things?" She smiled and hugged him tightly again. "Thank you. I really would like to go where my dads went. It's a family thing, right?"

<Shaw> "It certainly is," he agreed, closing his eyes and returning the gesture. "Even more so if Shinobi carries on the tradition as well."

<Hope> "It's kind of nice to think that I'd have someone there with me, even if we can't be seen together. Maybe I can find a useful telepath on campus and shield my identity from onlookers."

<Shaw> "That's the spirit," he laughed. "Perhaps a handy illusionist. I've considered options for concealing his identity further as well, but frankly I don't believe it's necessary. He can simply hide in plain sight." For now.

<Hope> "Well. I'm not going to get any sleeping done. Got any projects I can't mess up too badly?"

<Shaw> He checked a clock on his work table. "Well, honestly, with that weather system moving in, we might be best served to see if we can speed up our separation from the power grid."

<Hope> "Sounds good. Get us come coffee and scotch and I'm good to go."
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