“I don’t give a damn if they don’t like me. Better they find it out sooner than later.”
He lifted his glass, refilled, and gave it a gentle shake, just to get the ice tinkling again. He watched the hands through the amber of his drink for a time, adjusting hand and head to keep up with them as they moved around the bar top, and eventually sucked the shot down and clapped the glass back down on the counter.
“I’ve come too far, been through too much, and I’m not gonna let any shitty teenage feelings get in the way of what I got my eyes on. I’ll rely on them, because I need to, because maybe I want to a little bit, and I’ll be the most vicious, demonic son-of-a-bitch they’ve ever seen, because you don’t gotta like a monster to know you need it on your side.”
The smile that spread across his face was warm and, if you squinted hard enough, rueful.
“Hell, saving the world might even off-set some of the horrible shit I’ll be responsible for later.”