finewithhalf | ic inbox ;;

Princess. Check outside your door.

[What's outside her door, in a paper bag, is this, a golden chain with a golden pendant in the shape of a snowflake on it, encrusted with diamonds. Obviously he couldn't buy or steal it, not at a place like this, but he put a lot of thought into the choice. The shape, the colour, the diamonds.

And the hope that it might be enough to just jolt her into talking to him again.]

[It's beautiful. It's the kind of thing she's always wanted and never deserved, something pretty and sparkly that means someone thought she mattered enough. It's everything, and her first instinct is to put it on and never take it off. Except at a time like this? There's something weird about it.]

If you're asking me out, that would be really weird right now. I don't do May/December.

[She's totally a fan of May/August, but December is a bit of a reach.]

Damn, princess, that would be January/December three decades apart, don't creep me out.

[Never has he ever be so relieved that even his younger, lost one self wasn't going to go there.]

Forget what this place makes us be sometimes. Just a gift from me to you. No weirdness.

[That's the biggest relief, but she's not quite buying it yet.]

People don't just give out diamonds for no reason. What's the angle?

Smart. Love the cynicism.

[That's not sarcasm, he really does.]

When I was twenty-something, I robbed a small antiquity store near where I lived. Not a big deal, actually a very small deal. I tend to go after bigger targets. But they had earrings there. Looked a little like what I just got you. Gold, snowflakes, the diamonds were fake, but you get the picture.

Used to walk by there when I took my sister to the park. She really liked them. Has a thing for gold, my sis. She was going through a rough time then. About your age and not a lot of reason to smile in my family.

You like the necklace?

[She knows that feeling. It's hard to walk past a store every day and see something that doesn't belong cooped up in a glass case. Things deserve to get out into the world and be loved.

Is that what he wants her to do with this?

It's complicated and difficult to think about.]

I don't hate it.

Then I want you to have it.

And you don't hate me, either?

that's a stupid question

why would I hate you?

Don't know. Why would you hate my gift to you?

Relax, princess. About the mess that happened too. Want to meet up? I got something cool to show you.

[She'll just ignore all that stuff that would ask her to talk about her feelings, thanks. She's not entirely sure she understands it well enough for herself, even.]

beats cleaning up rabbit poop, sure. where r u?

[That's just fine and dandy with him, honestly. So functional and well adjusted.]

Sparring area, if you'll meet me there.

[A pause, and then:]

so that's the name of that place where you run me through how to beat people up, right?

[...

Give him a minute.]

Tell you what, princess.

[And that's a knock on her door.]

[This works too. She'll let him in after a quick confirmation at the peephole, because there are some New Yorker habits that Wonderland will never be able to break.]

So what, now you think I need an escort or something?

Nah. This was just faster.

[He's also not typing out directions when he can just walk a bit instead. Old-fashioned.]

Besides, I can show you here.

[That said he puts his hand on the handle of his gun. Given that his gun is this it's not exactly easy to miss.]

[She gasps. She doesn't mean to gasp. It just kind of slips out as she eyes the huge weapon. It's so big. Like action movie-big.]

Can I touch it?

[Congrats, Maya, you befriended an action anti-villain.]

If you're careful.

[He draws the gun, facing it away from her and then lowering the barrel, just in case.]

Don't touch the core. It's not active right now, but it's still cold.

[She has no idea what the core is. It doesn't even matter that he said cold when aren't guns supposed to be hot? There's a part that looks like a handle and that's probably where a hand is supposed to go.

She might be caressing it a little. It even feels like something awesome.]

I know.

[Hey, he loves his gun. There's a reason he ~~kidnapped went to the same guy twice to get it just right.]~~

Want to see it in action?

Can I??

[Okay, that was a lot more enthusiasm than she meant to let squeak out. But it's awesome and heck yeah she wants to see what it does.

Does it make things explode?

Lenny totally sets off explosions and then doesn't look at them.]

M-hm. Stay behind me princess.

[That said he powers up the gun and pulls his glasses out of his pocket. He considers for a moment, then he hands the glasses to her, gesturing so she'll put them on.]

Without them, the glare would hurt your eyes.

[And, yes, he has set off explosions to walk away from without looking back before.

But now he just aims the cold gun at the opposite wall with one hand, turning his own head to the side to keep his vision safe as well. He fires the gun, absolute zero hitting the wall and the lamp hanging off it. He doesn't feel too bad, the mansion seems to have a habit of repairing itself.

Len lowers his gun and looks over his shoulder at Maya, smirking.]

Cool?

[at first, she raises an eyebrow at those glasses. Seriously, Lenny? But she'll set them on, mostly to humor him. It can't be any weirder than Science class, right?

And then it happens, and it's wonderful. Her eyes light up.]

You have to let me play with that.

No. That's a weapon, Maya. If you want a toy, how about you get an ice cream maker?

[He does put the gun down to an even lower setting, just in case he really can't talk her out of it.]

I like chocolate.

[She's just going to keep reaching for it, tone rushing with excitement.]

Of course I don't want an ice cream maker ice cream makers don't do that.

No, but ice cream is good.

[He holds the gun up and away from her with one hand.

It's not much of a challenge, he's tall and strong and she's fourteen. However...]

Once.

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