Written because it was like, half a paragraph in this OTHER Rictor story I'm working on, and had to be cut. But I thought it was hilarious. It turned into a snippet of its own. :)
Note that I don't really have a clue about anything New Mutants. If Scott being there at all is wrong, I apologize. ;)
Growing Up A Superhero
Rictor hesitated in the doorway of the den. The new student, Shatterstar, was sitting on the couch watching television like it was uncovering the secrets to the universe. Julio glanced at the TV, just in case it was uncovering the secrets to the universe. Reruns of "90210." He shrugged and stepped into the room.
Shatterstar moved over on the couch. AFTER Rictor threatened him by reaching for the remote. Julio propped his feet up on the coffee table. The channel switched to "Bill Nye, the Science Guy." He stayed still and tried not to let it bother him. It switched to the Discovery Channel. The Nature Network. The Food Channel. "Sesame Street."
"Would you please stop doing that," Rictor ground out.
Shatterstar gave him a chilling look. "I might miss something."
Rictor slouched back, arms crossed over his chest. He was not going to let this bother him. Culture differences. That's all it was.
"Saved by the Bell." "M*A*S*H." "The A-Team." "Freakazoid."
"Shatterstar, stop! I like this one!" Rictor said, sitting up.
Shatterstar stopped.
Julio relaxed, linking his fingers together behind his head. "This guy's great. So my favorite cartoon." He glanced over. Shatterstar was watching him as though he held the secrets to the universe. He tried to ignore it. "What?" he snapped finally.
"I understood that cartoons, while some of them have a great deal of information and seem to make jokes that are meant for adults, are for children."
Rictor ran that sentence over in his mind again until it made sense. "Well. Yeah. But they're still fun," he said, uncomfortably.
"Ah." Shatterstar looked at the television.
He flipped it back to "90210."
"You are the only person who has come to watch television with me since the first day I began watching television," Shatterstar commented.
"Yeah, well, that's because no one can stand your channel flipping," Julio snorted.
Shatterstar actually stopped for a moment. He sat perfectly still. Normally he was pretty still, anyway. Now, however, he was completely still. Deer-caught-in-the-headlights still. I'm-a-petrified-rock still. I-just-saw-Dani-naked-and-I-don't-want-her-to-realize-it-so-don't-move-for-god's-sake still. "Oh."
He changed it to "Looney Tunes."
"Why did you think I was the only person who came in here?" Julio asked slowly.
"It is nothing."
Julio stopped watching television entirely and looked at Shatterstar. "No, really. Why?"
He actually quit flipping the channels to reply. "I thought we were friends."
Julio winced. "Oh. Um." He looked at the TV. "Friends" was playing. He winced again. "Well. We could be. But--why did you think that?"
"The friends on television all watch television together," Shatterstar said simply.
Sure enough, the whole cast of "Friends" was sitting in front of the TV. "Oh," Rictor said again. Shatterstar changed it to "Scooby-Doo." "Well, you're a nice guy," Rictor said finally, feeling bad. "We could be friends."
Shatterstar looked at him. Julio wondered if the guy ever blinked. "I would like that." He looked back at the TV.
Julio looked back, too. They sat. "Well," he said finally, "if we're going to be friends, you could call me Julio."
"Why would I do that?" Shatterstar asked.
Julio frowned. "Because it's my name."
"I thought Rictor was your name."
"My name's Julio Richter," he said, trying not to get exasperated. "And my codename's Rictor. But friends usually call each other by their first names."
"Oh." Shatterstar looked at him again. "Then you may call me Shatterstar, Julio."
Julio blinked. Shatterstar looked back at the television. Well, he was trying. Had to give the guy credit for something, Julio supposed. "How about," Julio said, "I just call you 'Star."
Shatterstar looked at him. "Because that is not my name. I thought friends called each other by their first--"
"It's a nickname," Julio sighed. "Sometimes when a friend has a really long name, you can shorten it."
Shatterstar seemed to think about it. At least, Julio assumed that's why the man kept staring at him. Without blinking.
"All right," he said. And, predictably, looked back at the television. This time he actually left it on a channel for almost a full minute. Then he turned and looked at Julio. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"
Julio frowned. "Uh. No?"
"Oh." Shatterstar had that odd look on his face again, the look that came before the very still stillness.
"Why?"
"Well, I have noticed that on television--" Julio groaned internally "--friends tell each other many important things."
Julio sighed. "You know," he said, "television isn't always a very good mirror of reality." Shatterstar looked at him like he had just said mutants were related to frogs. Julio supposed the good side of that was that he'd just discovered the man really did have more than one facial expression. After all, he wasn't sure that the oddness before the stillness could be considered an expression, exactly. "It's true," he said now.
Shatterstar looked back at the television. "If you do not wish to tell me something, then that is all right."
Julio cringed. "You didn't tell me anything," he pointed out.
"True." Shatterstar was silent. Julio breathed a sigh of relief. That was it, then.
Shatterstar spoke. "I have too many blankets and my bed is uncomfortable. I am not used to laying down while I sleep."
Julio stared at him. He was still flipping channels and watching the TV. All Julio could think was, how had he been sleeping, then?
Shatterstar looked at him. "Is it your turn."
"Oh. Right. Uh." Julio scowled at his shoes. "I, uh, have holes in my socks." He didn't know what else to say. "And my toes keep poking through," he thought to add. "It's really annoying."
"Ah," Shatterstar said.
They sat.
"Well," Julio said after a minute, "I'm going to, uh, go see what, um, Rahne's doing. Later."
Shatterstar said nothing. Julio got out of the den and breathed a sigh of relief. That was one friend he really doubted he was going to hang out with ever again.
**
The next night…
"But it's for underage kids anyway!" Julio said, following Scott around. "I mean, you get these stupid wristbands at the door so they know not to give you alcohol or anything!"
"It's not the club, Rictor. I'm just not comfortable with you going out on your own," Scott said. "It's school policy."
"It's because I'm small, isn't it?" Julio muttered. "I promise I won't get into any trouble."
"No," Scott said. "It's not because you're small. It's because I'm uncomfortable with any of the students here wandering around in the city, after dark, alone. I understand you want to go clubbing, and I understand it's fun, and I'm not trying to be a complete spoilsport here, but if you want to go out, you need to find someone to go with you."
Rictor glared. That was it, then. He'd already asked people if they wanted to go, and no one had--
"I will go to this clubbing."
He stared at the door. Shatterstar stood there, looking big and intimidating, and holding his swords.
Scott stared, too. "Are you sure?" he asked after a minute.
"Yes. I am Julio's friend, and friends do things that other friends like. He watched television with me, so I will go to this clubbing with him."
Julio felt a smile spread slowly across his face. "Shatterstar's got to be safe enough," he said.
"You have to leave your weapons here, Shatterstar," Scott said warningly.
Shatterstar frowned. "Very well. If I have to fight, I will use my hands."
Scott looked like he might say something else, but he finally just shook his head. "Keep each other safe. And be back by midnight." He looked straight at Rictor. "No fighting."
"Sure, yeah! This is great," Julio said, pounding Shatterstar on the back as he raced down the hall. "Hurry up! We've gotta change!"
Shatterstar hadn't moved. Julio looked back. Shatterstar, his salvation at the moment, had that odd-before-the-stillness look on his face
"What's wrong?" Julio asked.
"I thought we were friends."
"We are," Julio said slowly.
"You called me 'Shatterstar.'"
Julio stared.
"A moment ago. You called me 'Shatterstar.' You were going to call me 'Star. Because friends call each other by their first names, or if that's too long, nicknames."
Julio blinked. "Right. You're right. Sorry. 'Star."
Shatterstar looked like he might smile. "It is all right."
"Now c'mon. We need to change into clubbing clothes." He stopped and eyed Shatterstar. "On second thought, just stay like that." He clapped the man on the shoulder once more, grinning.
For this, Julio was willing to hang out occasionally. It wasn't like they were going to be joined at the hip.
--End
The title is the theme song from "Friends." *grins*
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