Xavier had been kind enough to give him a chance to recover after all that happened, but this was a talk Julian knew wouldn't be put off forever. And it was a talk he almost didn't want to have
( Read more... )
Once again Victor rolled his eyes at Julian upon him taking the seat behind the Professor's desk. At the moment through he had nothing to say to Julian and started examining the Professor's book shelves.
He picked up a copy, of what looked like a first edition of "Origin of the Species" and sat down in one of those large overstuffed Leather chairs, that the professor had tucked away in a little nook in his office, At least he could get some interesting reading in while he was stuck here with the pompous ass.
Julian was tempted to look through the desk, especially through the locked drawers. Cause, really, a lock wasn't going to stop a telekinetic. But he refrained, cause Xavier was still listening.
Well, professor, listen to this...
"You, co-leader." He all but scoffed. "If you need someone higher than you to tell anyone of equal or lesser rank that they have to listen to you, you're not much of a leader."
"If one needs to lead through intimidation and bullying, it makes them a dictator. If one leads with an arrogance that they will always win and that people have to listen to them because they are better then the ones that they lead, because of some 'divine right to rule' then it makes them stupid, and the people will eventually rise up and overthrow them.." Victor said dryly without even looking up from his book.
"Yeah, you keep thinking that nonsense. I don't lead through intimidation and bullying. I don't need to. You honestly think Ashida would cow to me no matter how much I push her around anyway? It's not divine right either, that's Private America's stchick.
"It's hard work. It's confidence. No one follows me because I force them to, they follow me because I'm the most capable of leading, because they know I'm the best chance they've got for success, plain and simple.
"And then there's you. Ok, you're good at recon." Julian clapped his hands mockingly. "Yay for you. Now, what else can you do?"
"Noriko is the only one in your squad that I can't explain," Victor said coldly, his eyes raising from the book. "I think she follows you because she's bored, I don't think it would take much to get her to switch allegiances
( ... )
Julian stood up, indignant, his palms flat on the desk.
"Of course you had no right, you asshole! You know how much Cessily means to me, and when she got captured, you didn't even hesitate to throw that in my face.
"Hn, 'trustworthy'. Strong sense of right and wrong. Yeah, you really showed it then.
"'Hey, look, the great and mighty Julian finally screwed up. Quick, let me kick him while he's down before he recovers! I can finally bring him down a peg by being an even bigger ass than he could ever be!' Because, yeah, like that'll actually work.
"I had considered you to be something of a friend until you crossed that line, and some lame ass apology from you isn't going to fix that." Because as much as he hated to admit it, Vic's words had seriously burned him.
"And if you'd take your head out your ass for five whole seconds and stop trying so desperately to prove me wrong about everything, you'd realize I'm right about quite a few things."
"Don't you ever talk about my friends like that." That wasn't a threat, that was a command, one that clearly had dire consequences if disobeyed. You just don't talk shit about his people. Ever.
"And don't give me that morally self-righteous crap of yours either. I'm no saint, I'm a Hellion, and I make no apologies for who I am or how I act. But everything you've ever accused me of I can easily point out that you've done it too. Hell, you've done worse. So fuck you for thinking you can talk to me like you've got the moral high-ground here. You don't.
"Want a list? Let's see
"Rather than go to the X-Men, who could've helped, you went and stole a jet, and dragged along three others who should never have been in battle because... well, the hell if I know. You should have gone to the X-Men, something anyone with any kind of real proof would have done. But you didn't. Were you just that desperate to prove you're as good as me? 'Oh, I'll just take anyone I can find and do the job that Julian refused to do!'" He rolled his eyes
( ... )
"Look, I'll admit that the fight both the Young Avengers and my team were responsible for was a mistake. But you? You gave SHIELD an excuse to attack the school if they wanted to. Sure, they could make one up anytime they wanted, but you just handed them one a silver platter. Strategically, that was boneheaded, thoughtless, reckless, and you were lucky no one got hurt. That you can't even see that, and fall back on 'you were all in danger anyway, so it doesn't matter that I added to it' is... if you really think that's an ok excuse, you're not fit to be so much as co-leader.
"Do you ever stop to think? Do you even listen to yourself sometimes?
"I mean, what are you, five? There are very few 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in this world. Everyone else lies somewhere in between.
"I'd explain why I chose the name Hellion, but you're too stupid to understand, and you wouldn't listen anyway. You really want to know whose side I'm on so badly? Then, regardless of why I did it, take a good hard look at everything I've done, good and bad, and
( ... )
"Julian, what I expected to be a quick get in and get the Runaways out mission turned out to be a lot worse, the reason I brought Sofia and Laurie is because I didn't want to spend forever arguing with them that they had to get out, I was going to bring them back to the mansion after that and deal with the consequences then."
"However, by the time we got there SHIELD was already attacking the kids, SHIELD saw us show up, they saw the X-Jet, that ALONE would have directed them to the school. No matter where we sent the jet would have mattered, in fact by sending it to the school I gave them warning that something was up, and I saved the Jet from being dismantled by a Rogue organization of SHIELD."
"I thought my decision through, and I stick by what I decided. So yes Julian, I do stop to think, I think a lot of the god damn time. In fact, I thing you should practice what you preach
( ... )
"Cost you your best friend?" Victor asked sardonically, "Julian, Cessily is still alive. Don't talk about her like she's dead. Not when she, like many others of us who were in there probably wishes she was then have to relive what when on in there every time we go to sleep." His tone seethes with anger
( ... )
Julian paused for a moment, then sat back down behind Xavier's desk. He was reminded of a conversation he had with Xavier, and laughed. He totally had the advantage here.
"There is room on the team for selfish pricks, but there's no room on the team for cowards.
"I am the squad leader. That's not going to change. But if you're in, co-leader or not, you'll have to put your trust in me. And if you're too scared to do that, then there's the door."
He sat back, a smirk on his face. It was all entirely that simple.
He didn't say anything when they left.
Instead, he pulled up a chair, sat behind Xavier's desk, and took a moment to soak it all in.
One day this would all be his, and that day just got a hell of a lot closer.
Reply
He picked up a copy, of what looked like a first edition of "Origin of the Species" and sat down in one of those large overstuffed Leather chairs, that the professor had tucked away in a little nook in his office, At least he could get some interesting reading in while he was stuck here with the pompous ass.
Reply
Well, professor, listen to this...
"You, co-leader." He all but scoffed. "If you need someone higher than you to tell anyone of equal or lesser rank that they have to listen to you, you're not much of a leader."
Reply
Reply
"Yeah, you keep thinking that nonsense. I don't lead through intimidation and bullying. I don't need to. You honestly think Ashida would cow to me no matter how much I push her around anyway? It's not divine right either, that's Private America's stchick.
"It's hard work. It's confidence. No one follows me because I force them to, they follow me because I'm the most capable of leading, because they know I'm the best chance they've got for success, plain and simple.
"And then there's you. Ok, you're good at recon." Julian clapped his hands mockingly. "Yay for you. Now, what else can you do?"
Reply
Reply
"Of course you had no right, you asshole! You know how much Cessily means to me, and when she got captured, you didn't even hesitate to throw that in my face.
"Hn, 'trustworthy'. Strong sense of right and wrong. Yeah, you really showed it then.
"'Hey, look, the great and mighty Julian finally screwed up. Quick, let me kick him while he's down before he recovers! I can finally bring him down a peg by being an even bigger ass than he could ever be!' Because, yeah, like that'll actually work.
"I had considered you to be something of a friend until you crossed that line, and some lame ass apology from you isn't going to fix that." Because as much as he hated to admit it, Vic's words had seriously burned him.
"And if you'd take your head out your ass for five whole seconds and stop trying so desperately to prove me wrong about everything, you'd realize I'm right about quite a few things."
Reply
Reply
"And don't give me that morally self-righteous crap of yours either. I'm no saint, I'm a Hellion, and I make no apologies for who I am or how I act. But everything you've ever accused me of I can easily point out that you've done it too. Hell, you've done worse. So fuck you for thinking you can talk to me like you've got the moral high-ground here. You don't.
"Want a list? Let's see
"Rather than go to the X-Men, who could've helped, you went and stole a jet, and dragged along three others who should never have been in battle because... well, the hell if I know. You should have gone to the X-Men, something anyone with any kind of real proof would have done. But you didn't. Were you just that desperate to prove you're as good as me? 'Oh, I'll just take anyone I can find and do the job that Julian refused to do!'" He rolled his eyes ( ... )
Reply
Reply
"Do you ever stop to think? Do you even listen to yourself sometimes?
"I mean, what are you, five? There are very few 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in this world. Everyone else lies somewhere in between.
"I'd explain why I chose the name Hellion, but you're too stupid to understand, and you wouldn't listen anyway. You really want to know whose side I'm on so badly? Then, regardless of why I did it, take a good hard look at everything I've done, good and bad, and ( ... )
Reply
"However, by the time we got there SHIELD was already attacking the kids, SHIELD saw us show up, they saw the X-Jet, that ALONE would have directed them to the school. No matter where we sent the jet would have mattered, in fact by sending it to the school I gave them warning that something was up, and I saved the Jet from being dismantled by a Rogue organization of SHIELD."
"I thought my decision through, and I stick by what I decided. So yes Julian, I do stop to think, I think a lot of the god damn time. In fact, I thing you should practice what you preach ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
"There is room on the team for selfish pricks, but there's no room on the team for cowards.
"I am the squad leader. That's not going to change. But if you're in, co-leader or not, you'll have to put your trust in me. And if you're too scared to do that, then there's the door."
He sat back, a smirk on his face. It was all entirely that simple.
Reply
"And how dare you accuse me of that, you have no fucking clue what real fear is you pampered pretty boy."
Reply
Leave a comment