Who: Shock and Robin What: Storms and Chatting Where: Robin's room When: Evening before checks Rating: PG-13 for language
Shock was bored. That alone had many in terror in his home town, but here it was like she’d been dewclawed and was now walking around restless. There was a storm brewing, but so far nothing had really accumulated. She wasn’t one for storms, they freaked her out really, but she had a thing about natural disasters that freaked her out too. Slowly walking around the halls till she was made to go back to her room for the night she was in her pajamas plus sneakers. A black tank top with a pull over hoodie and black pajama pants with little skeleton bats on them were what she usually wore to bed, this time was no different. Finding a random room she decided to pop in on the occupant. Walking into the room where the door was wide open she looked around with a blank bored face and found the occupant and quirked an eyebrow. “Small world,” she said.
Robin's roommate was gone, as usual; the fucking weirdo was always off having parties with his friends or whatever, licking wallpaper, doing what the crazies did. Robin was sitting on his bed reading a newspaper, his legs folded, long hair down. He looked up with interest when he saw the silhouette in the door, brows furrowing when he recognized her. "Hey, Shock," he said, careful not to call her 'kid'.
“Hey,” she said raising a hand in a sort of wave. Ever since she’d been grounded and threatened with the quiet room she’d been on her semi best behavior. Sure she still got into some trouble, but it wasn’t the migraine causing kind that Jack just hated. “Got bored and started to wander a bit,” she explained. “Didn’t know you were on this floor.” Stepping in more even without invitation she looked around the room, hearing the thunder rolling in, close but not too close yet.
"Yeah," he said with a little shrug, closing his newspaper politely and setting it on the nightstand. "Glad to see your face again, I heard you were in lockdown. That's unfortunate. Are the walls really padded?"
“I wasn’t in lockdown I was grounded,” the girl grumbled walking over to the other bed and looked at it for a moment before sitting on it. It looked clean enough and was kind of made. “Some underwear model guy ratted me out to Skeletor for some pranks and I got sent to my room for two weeks. Nearly sent me insane,” she sighed idly looking around a bit. “What about you? Still looney or working on an escape tunnel?”
"Grounded? Oh, kid, that's a much less interesting story... at least make up something terrific if you get in trouble and go missing for awhile," Robin advised, smiling slightly in sympathy for her. "I'm still looney if you ask a doctor. I'm not working on a tunnel, though. I don't like to get my hands dirty."
“Aw, poor baby,” Shock said making little fake tears. “If you don’t get your hands dirty where’s the fun in that? I mean you just sit around and do nothing all day? Sounds kind of boring really. I think me walking around produced more than just sitting.”
"I'm reading," he said pointedly, nodding toward the newspaper. "Trying to keep a handle on what's happening in the outside world so that when I leave, I'm not so disconnected that I can't plug right back in." Outside the window there was a loud snarl of thunder.
Shock was a person who was really hard to shake, but that recent clap of thunder made her jump and shake with wide eyes. She hated storms. Every time there’d been one back home she always got a bad beating because she was forced to stay home with her drunk mom while her dad went and worked at night. It was almost retarded that that kind of fear had been instilled in her, but it was still there none the less.
Robin saw her jerk, narrowed his dark eyes. "You want to come sit over here?" he asked, nodding toward the foot of the bed. He himself was curled up by the headboard, ankles crossed casually.
“Sure,” Shock said getting up and scurrying over to Robin’s bed. Sitting at the foot of his bed, she pulled her legs up on the bed for a moment, then straightened them to kick off her shoes before pulling them back up and wrapping her arms around them. Her face was void of make up and she looked almost like a regular teen. “Storms kind of freak me out,” she said in a short explanation.
"They can be really beautiful, or really scary," he agreed quietly, his voice neutral. "Which part don't you like? The thunder or the lightning?"
“Both,” Shock said looking out the window. “I don’t like the thunder because it’s loud and I don’t like the lightening because it messes with your head. Once minute you see something far the next it’s smashing right into your face.”
"Things don't usually smash into your face," he said thoughtlessly, then realized maybe what she meant. "Oh," he muttered, wincing a little. Ohhh.
“Mom use to get real nasty during storms because then I had to be home,” she said, jumping again as a crack of thunder rumbled and shook the building as a streak of lightening ran across the sky. Shock wasn’t shy about what her mother did to her, she wasn’t in denial about it or blamed herself, but it didn’t mean that it hurt less when she would get thrown around like a rag doll. Shaking even after the building stopped, the girl looked away embarrassed, showing her weakness to Robin of all people.
He was quiet at that. It never made sense to him why parents abused their kids; kids were some of the last true innocents, the sweet little beings that retained purity, naivete, true love without jadedness. He watched her for a moment, then exhaled. "Your mom sounds like a bitch."
“Yeah, she is,” Shock nodded wrapping her arms around her legs tightly to keep from shaking. “Guess it’s better that I’m here than back home right now though at least.” She wasn’t sure if that was true or if she’d even be at home right then or off somewhere hiding from the cops or someone else.
"True. At least nobody here can smack you," he said, then amended, "Hard." Because sometimes Shock probably warranted a smack or two. She had that ambiance about her.
“Yeah, guess so,” Shock said letting out a soft sigh, finally calming down a bit before crash of thunder right outside let them know they probably weren’t going to get much rest that night let alone be able to calm down as Shock bit back a whimper when the lightening made the lights flicker just a bit.
He heard the whimper and swallowed a sigh. He hadn't signed on to be a baysitter when the courts had decided he needed mental evaluation. But Robin found himself shifting--- what's the matter, graverobber? can't get it up if the girl's breathing?--- and looping an arm around her shoulders, not worrying about if she flinched back. If she smacked him he'd smack right back. "It's okay, Shock. S'just the cold air hitting the warm air."
Shock didn’t flinch or smack him, in fact she pressed up against his side happy to have some comfort. “Doesn’t make it any less freaky,” she said shaking still, but not as badly. It was really a sight to see those two. Almost looked like siblings with the black clothes and multicolored hair.
"Freaky can be good," he reminded her, turning his head to glance down at her. God, why did this happen to him? He was becoming the pied piper of misfit toys, the ones no one else would take care of. But he felt a kinship in Shock, despite her obviously acting out. "I mean, you and me are considered freaky by some, and we're totally awesome."
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Shock said nodding a bit. Another crack of thunder though and she attached to Robin, arms wrapped around his middle and face buried in his chest. So much for freaky being good.
"...this is awkward," Robin informed her, but he was laughing, his arm still around her comfortably, his chin almost resting on her head. "You're like a... koala bear or something. What if I have to piss? Do I carry you with me?"
“Maybe,” came Shock’s muffled reply. “I can hold on for long periods of time,” she said finally pulling her face away at least to look up at him. “It’s not that awkward, not like I’m trying to seduce you or anything. That’s just gross thinking about,” she said making a face, but didn’t move her arms at all.
"It's not gross, shut up," he scoffed, and if he could've, he might've headbutted her lightly just to punish her for implying that sex with him would be gross. Not that he was trying to seduce her either, for numerous reasons, but 'gross' was a harsh word. "It's okay, I'm strong anyway. If I have to carry you I guess I can."
“Getting googly eyed and shit is too gross,” Shock snorted. She was not one to be very affection in the romantic department let alone in any department. Robin was pretty much seeing the most affection she gave right there with her clinging to him like a baby monkey. “I wasn’t saying you’re gross, I was saying love in general is gross.”
"Love isn't gross... it's hard, though," he admitted. "Trust me, I've seen loads of people in love. Some of them are actually happy, even. Most of them hate their lives."
“Then why be in love if they hate their lives because they’re in love? That sounds kind of stupid and useless. Love sounds too complicated to even mess with,” Shock shook her head. Granted she was only 17 and still had yet to kiss someone let alone have a boyfriend, she just wasn’t interested. She’d seen ‘love’ with her parents, she didn’t want it so she avoided it.
"Someday you might change your mind," he murmured, thinking of Amber and her desperate need to be accepted and adored, of Carey and his fear of simple things like kissing. "Sometimes it just pops out of nowhere and you don't get a say in it."
“What? Oh I’ll have a say in it. I say I’ll kick it’s ass if it tries to make me,” Shock said with her usual confidence before a streak of lightening and a crack of thunder caused her to burrow once more into Robin’s side. “Oh God!” She cried nearly squeezing him too hard.
He shook his head, smirking, and then tightened his arm around her shoulder. "Alright, you're okay," he told her, a bemused little sigh. This wasn't that bad, the storm outside brewing and pretty on the other side of his window pane.
“Like that makes it better,” Shock said, not pulling away this time. She’d never had this much comfort before from anyone. Leave it to the only guy she knew besides Jack with a pair to be able to do that for her. Maybe that was what helped comfort her as well, that he presented himself as a strong confident person and didn’t whither under her glares.
"It does, shut up and let me soothe you," he said dryly, the flat of his palm pressing into her forehead as he held her head firmly against his chest. "A storm is just electricity and air flow. It's beautiful if you let it be."
“Okay, I’ll let it be beautiful, outside,” Shock snorted, but left it alone after that. Hell he could just kick her out if he wanted to, but he let her stay cling to him like a baby monkey of sorts.
"Well yeah. That's why we're here, we're not out there," he said softly against her hair, and without knowing he was going to he brushed his lips across her streaked hair. "You know that shit in here doesn't have to be torture, right, Shocktart?" he asked in a murmur.
“I know,” she said softly. “I don’t know any other way though,” shock said actually feeling her heart rate start to simmer to a steady beat instead of the humming bird like rhythm. “I don’t know what else to do because that’s all I’ve ever done is whatever I want. No one’s stopped me or made me stop before now.”
"But this isn't like out there," he said gently, keeping his voice low. "In here, nobody thinks you're the weird little freak. In here, everybody's a fucking weirdo. You're just a little girl that better never put glitter in my shit."
A smirk crept across Shock’s face. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she snickered. “Besides I’m on probation and if I get in trouble again I get the quiet room.”
"Is that the padded one?" he asked with interest, widening his eyes and looking down at her. "Because seriously, there has to be a padded white room with a straitjacket in it... it can't be a myth."
“Yeah that’s the one,” Shock nodded. “Jack said if I don’t stop shitting around and pulling pranks he’ll put me in there for a few days.”
"...man, that's intense," he said with a shake of his head. "Don't do that. As cute as you'd be in a straitjacket, I don't think anything with the word 'quiet' in it would suit you."
“Yeah I figure I’ll just have to be more cunning if I do pull something,” Shock said thoughtfully. “That or try to hide in the vents when they figure out it was me.”
"The vents aren't that big... they'd find you. Smoke you out, probably," he said with another headshake, grinning. "C'mon. This isn't so bad, is it? You're not home."
“No, I guess I’ve got that going for me at least,” she nodded a bit. That of course lead to her thinking of their short session earlier and how it ended with her watching Jack leave and. . . Staring without blinking at his ass. . . Making a face and a disgusted noise she tried not to think about the doctor and his anatomy.
"You're a good kid, Shock. Somewhere in there," he added with a scoff, ruffling her hair hard with one large hand. "Trust me. I know bad seeds. You're not one. You're the same thing I said the first day I saw ya... a little shit."
“Ack! Stop pawing through my hair like a damn mama monkey picking ticks off the baby,” Shock said letting go of Robin to protect her hair. “Yeah I know I’m a little shit,” she snorted looking up at him with a small smirk. “What does that make you? A big shit?”
"I'm a shining example of what happens if you never grow out of it," he grinned mischievously. "I'm the best-case scenario, by the way."
“I’ll grow up to be an albino man? I think I’ll pass on that,” she grinned back as she settled down next to him, in a calm happy mood, one she hadn’t had for a while. “Why are you here? Just so I know what I might grow up to be.”
He was quiet for a moment, then reached over and touched her hair. Not the same as tousling; he was just smoothing it behind her ear. "I got stupid," he admitted softly. "I thought I didn't need anybody, that I could survive on my own. Somebody got killed."
“Kind of sounds like me right now,” Shock said giving him a sympathetic look. “It was an accident, wasn’t it? You didn’t mean for it to happen, but some how things got out of hand and. . . It just happened.”
"Yeah," he said. "It was an accident. I got careless," he said softly, looking away. "Don't grow up like this, Shock. Whatever happened with you... it's done with. If you fix yourself now, if you make things alright, then you can still save yourself. You're still a baby, even if it doesn't feel like it."
“You can still fix yourself too,” Shock pointed out. “It’s not like you’re an old geezer or something and stuck in your old ways. I mean you’re what. . . Ok I’m not even going to touch that, but don’t be all sad and depressed on me because I’ll have to shove you off the bed then.”
"...I'm not that old," he said pointedly when she said she wasn't going to touch how old he was. "And I'm not sad. I just... I want something good to come out of this. I want to think that I made some kind of difference, I guess."
“You have a ninja,” Shock offered. “I mean, that’s gotta be some sort of difference, unless he’s just damn crazy thinking he’s a ninja or something.”
"Yeah... that's true, on the outside I didn't have a pet ninja," he agreed. "He's pretty cool. You'd probably like him if you said hi."
“He’s not going to seizure out on me is he?” She asked. He didn’t look that good last time. Carey did indeed look like he’d have some sort of reaction to cheese if he looked at it wrong. She didn’t envy him at all.
"Um... sort of, maybe. He has panic attacks. Try not to scare him. Just... go easy. He's been through a lot," Robin said, nudging her shoulder lightly.
“I’ll remember that,” Shock nodded. “Let me guess he’s got just about every fear in the book and is destined to be a hermit.”
"No," Robin said. "It's not really my place to tell ya why he's in here. But trust me. He's been through some shit. Rough shit."
Nodding, Shock decided she’d just have to find out on her own. Though from the way that Robin talked it was stuff that must have really been bad is he was here and in the shape he was, probably worse than her home life. “How old is he?” She asked curious about him now. Though on second thought she didn’t want to come off like she was interested in him like that. Not when she had to deal with Jack already, eck.
"Older'n you, younger than me," he said with a headshake. "And honestly?" He hesitated, unsure if he should say this next part. "If you're nicer to him, I'd consider it a personal favor, Shock. What happened to him was kind of a result of being picked on and teased all the time."
“Okay,” Shock said after a moment. Yeesh she was doing a lot of nice lately. Made her wish she could kind of run away a bit, but there wasn’t anywhere else really to go. She understood what it was like to be picked on a bit, though she picked right back. “God between you and Jack-a-Lantern I might actually be a decent person,” she said making a face.
"Someday," he said with a wry smile. "I'm holding out hope for you. Don't get too nice though. The sass is part of what makes you so damn cute."
“If that’s you hitting on me please stop, it’s creepy,” she said with a serious look on her face though she was about to bust a gut. “I know you’re not that old but you still ain’t my age and I don’t even like boys.”
"Oh yeah? Are you gay?" he asked, resting his hand on top of her head and making her nod 'yes'. "Well that's okay too, then."
“Hey!” She huffed swatting at his hand. “I’m not gay. I don’t like anyone like that. I told you before it’s gross,” Shock grumbled, trying to push the little voice in her head taunting her with a picture of Jack’s rump away.
"Sex isn't gross. But at your age, yeah, it totally is," he agreed. "Someday you'll get a crush, and it'll be so funny to watch..."
“Like I would tell you if I had a crush on someone,” she scoffed. Like hell she would tell Robin now about staring at Jack’s butt! That was just a bit balrg right then.
"You totally would. Because you know I keep secrets," he said lightly.
“Well how the hell would I know it was a crush anyways? I mean it’s not like I think about these things,” Shock said being a smart alec as usual.
"Because a crush is... well. At first you feel all... warm and fuzzy, and then, it shows you why they call it a crush," he laughed.
“Aw fuck me running,” Shock huffed, making a face. Nope! If she didn’t acknowledge it, then it wasn’t real! No way, no how!
"Why?" he asked slyly, a smile on those black lips. "You having some furry feelings already about somebody?" He blinked, then arched a brow. "Is it the scary Russian chick?"
“The scary Russian chick? Tank? Oh no! I like her as a friend and she’s kick ass, but I don’t like her like that,” Shock said giving Robin a dirty look. “Wait, even if you guess right why would I tell you? Oh shit,” she grumbled, giving it all away, well almost all.
"...can't be that many people, you've been in lockdown," he said with that smirk still in place, tapping his chin to think. "And it's not me because you wouldn't be telling me. Can't be the ninja... or is it? Since you did ask how old he was."
“No I don’t like ninja,” Shock rolled her eyes. “I was curious because I was wondering if he’d even graduated the fourth grade or not, jeez.”
"You're one to talk about that, shorty. C'mon, you have to tell me. I won't tell anyone," he promised, laughing.
Grumbling a name, Shock didn’t bother to really try to correct herself as she knew Robin was loving every minute of this.
His eyes widened and he leaned in. "You. Are kidding me."
“Don’t look at me like that you’re freaking me out,” Shock said leaning away giving Robin a dirty look. “I’m not saying it again and you can’t make me.”
"You don't have to say it again, I heard you," he said with his eyes wide, staring at her unblinkingly. "I'm just sort of in shock. No pun intended."
“I hate it,” she grunted hunching over. “I mean we just had a session, not even fifteen minutes and he gets up to leave all of a sudden I’m watching him leave and I was all just staring at his butt! It was like What the hell!?”
"...yeah that's messed up," he said honestly, smirking. "Don't tell him. Ever."
“Yeah because I planned on it,” Shock said looking at Robin like he was an idiot. “You’re taking this to the grave with you Gravy,” she said poking him in the chest like she was a real threat to him.
"He's cute, hey, I'm on your side here," he said defensively, holding up his hands. "I can see where you'd check out his ass. It's a pretty good one. I've noticed."
“Nooo, we are not talking about this,” Shock whined covering her ears. “I’m trying to get rid of the image, not have it burned into my brain. I don’t like boys or girls! I’m not suppose to like anyone!”
"Says who?" he laughed. "Did you take a vow? Girls your age are supposed to be like, passing notes to guys, not swearing off them."
“I don’t pass notes to guys,” Shock said making an even worse face. “I. . . I just don’t. It’s gross dude,” she shook her head. Maybe if she kept saying it enough she’d lose the crush or the real reason why she wasn’t suppose to like anyone would go away.
"I see," he said dryly, shaking his head. "Well, good luck with that. Being a frigid ice queen only lasts for so long, then somebody sends you flowers and it's all downhill."
“I don’t want flowers. I don’t want that shit,” Shock said making a face. “Love makes people miserable. I prefer to keep my misery to a minimum.”
"Why do you think love makes people miserable?" he asked curiously. Not that he was arguing, just questioning her logic a little.
“Have you ever met a person that was in love that wasn’t?” Shock pointed out. “You just settle for someone that you can remotely stand, call it love and slap a marriage license on it and boom you’ve got kids screaming, the wife yelling at ya, and the husband goes psycho and kills everyone then himself. That my friend is some fucked up love.”
"That isn't always true," he said. "You're really young to be that cynical. Sometimes people are happy. And love isn't always marriage, kid. They're definitely not always in sync with each other."
“Well I have yet to see one happy couple that isn’t completely miserable and is just trying to hide it by pretending to have a story book romance,” Shock shrugged. She didn’t exactly have the best role models either with her parents.
"They're out there. They're so busy being happy they don't have to rub everyone else's noses in it."
“Aren’t they just sweet,” Shock said shaking her head. Glancing at the clock outside the door, she sighed. They’d start checks soon and if she wasn’t in her room they’d get pissed. “I better go before they start checks. Last thing I need is to be seen in a room alone with an older albino,” she snorted grabbing her sneakers and pulling them on, just noticing the storm was over.
"I'm not a damn albino," he scoffed. "It's goth, you bitch. Get it right." He watched her pull on her shoes, a wave of affection washing over him. Damn this place, it was turning him into either a softy or a babysitter. He wasn't sure which.
“I know,” Shock smirked at him. “Doesn’t mean it’s not fun to call you an albino just to piss you off.”
"Doesn't piss me off," he smirked. "Just strengthens my resolve to duct-tape you to a dartboard some day."
“You’ll have to be able to catch me first,” she snorted, standing up she looked back down at him and decided on just a wave. It didn’t matter that she’d just spent the last twenty minutes clinging to him like she was drowning. Shock just wasn’t affectionate like that with just anyone. The way things were going though, Robin might get to see that side. “Alright I’m out of here to avoid the quiet room. I’ll see you around then.”