Dom frowns at the knock at the door. It isn't as if there's likely to be Jehovah's witnesses about, after all. Then again, people who wanted to kill you very rarely knocked politely first.
She hits a button on the remote and switches the TV over to the security feed long enough to see the familiar face on the front door camera. An instant later, she's pulling the door open.
"Come in before Nate's over-zealous home security system tries shooting you, 'Star."
She puts a hand on the back of Star's shoulder, light, guiding rather than restraining. She knows him well enough to know he'd only be here if something upset him. He's not the type to stop by just for a chat. "C'mon. TV's this way. Anything I can get for you?"
"'Kay." She leads him back to the living room, where the TV is still showing a shot of the now empty front stoop. She sits down on one end, leaving enough room for Star to sprawl out if he wants to. It's Nathan's couch, after all, and thus could easily sit a small army. She offers up the remote control without further comment. The satellite gets a couple thousand channels, enough to allow even the most intent Mojoworlder to happily channel surfing for quite some time.
It's a sign of just how much Star has changed since X-Force disbanded that he sprawls out on the couch, but with his head resting on Domino's thigh. He doesn't comment on his choice of seating arrangements, just takes the offered remote and starts happily channelling surfing.
It's also a sign that he changes the station every ten seconds, rather than every four.
She's a little surprised by the head resting on her leg, but doesn't comment on it. And she's used to the channel surfing by now. Actually, it's a relief he's not clicking at as furious a pace as she remembers... any faster and the rapid shifting of images would be making her queasy. She hasn't got a clue what's going on, but she's more than willing to just sit there and spend a little quality time until such time as Star decides to elaborate on his sudden appearance. And if he doesn't? Well, that's fine too. She's missed the hell out of her kids, and it's good enough knowing they'll still come to her when they're upset.
"So do I, Star. All the damned time, in fact." Things were so much simpler then. Not better, but generally less confusing. Sure people were always trying to kill them, but at least that made sense. Nothing seemed to make any sense anymore.
Star suspects he and Ric wouldn't be as damaged and out of control half the time if they still had the team. They were messed up, but they'd been messed up in company they trusted.
"Of course I did. I figured, either you'd feel the desire to talk to me eventually, or you didn't need to. It's damned annoying to have someone pestering you when you just want to be left alone." Not as if any of them were ever going to be well-adjusted, anyway. Why pretend they were?
"Of course not. Anyone who thinks that is deluding themselves. You're fine being who you are."
She settles a hand on his shoulder, though she'll move it if he doesn't want to be touched. "Yeah, yeah we are. It was way better being fucked up together. But things change. Wouldn't be the same now, even if we tried to get the band back together."
She relaxes a little into the couch, keeps the hand on his shoulder since he's nor protesting. "Damned right. The important people love you for who you are, not who they think you could be."
She hits a button on the remote and switches the TV over to the security feed long enough to see the familiar face on the front door camera. An instant later, she's pulling the door open.
"Come in before Nate's over-zealous home security system tries shooting you, 'Star."
Just like kids. Always dropping in unannounced.
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He's only a touch disappointed that he won't need to. He steps in, dropping the case to the side of the door as he does so.
He just looks at her. Because Dom has always made thigns better without him having to explain.
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He shakes his head, looking down briefly. He really doesn't feel like eating anything.
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It's also a sign that he changes the station every ten seconds, rather than every four.
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"Sometimes-"
He'd sooner be talking in Spanish, but Domino doesn't speak it.
"Sometimes I wish the team were still together."
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"No one made us talk. You let us just be."
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He shifts himself, flicking his plait out of the way. "We are all broken. Being broken together was not bad."
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She settles a hand on his shoulder, though she'll move it if he doesn't want to be touched. "Yeah, yeah we are. It was way better being fucked up together. But things change. Wouldn't be the same now, even if we tried to get the band back together."
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He doesn't object to the hand on him.
"Those who truly matter accept that there are things I am that will never change." He glances to her and back to the tv.
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She relaxes a little into the couch, keeps the hand on his shoulder since he's nor protesting. "Damned right. The important people love you for who you are, not who they think you could be."
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Okay, he's back to grunting as communicaton. So he's okay again.
"Right."
He closes his eyes. Because he knows if anything dares to make an attempt on this place, Domino will kill it dead before he can reach it.
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