Fanfic: Understanding (G) (C: Jim and Toro)
Title Understanding
Author Ani_bester
Rating G
Characters Jim Hammond and Toro Raymond
Word Count 1,008
Summery Just a quick slice of life story about Jim being a patient father figure for Toro.
Warnings Panic attacks and triggers (as in triggers are talked about in this fic, not as in I think anything in this fic is likely to be a trigger- at least not a common one)
Understanding
The last rays of sun filtered through Jim’s dirty window and came to rest beside Toro on the small cot Jim had bought for him. Toro sat with his knees drawn together as he nibbled on some crackers, his fourth snack that evening. Jim sat at the table still, watching Toro fidget next to the wool blanket. A book on New York laws open in front of Jim, but he had stopped reading it about a minute ago.
When Toro sighed loud enough to fill the room, and looked at Jim like he might be about to confess a crime, Jim abandoned his pretense of reading, and shifted his chair to face Toro.
“Is something the matter, lad?”
Spluttering over the cracker he had half eaten, Toro, looked away. Reddening cheeks confirmed Jim’s suspicions, but he waited in silence. Betty had advised him to wait for Toro to speak and he found her suggestion often produced better results than his inclination to bombarded Toro with questions.
Jim waited as Toro broke his snack into crumbs, and then watched Toro shuffle to the trash and discard his uneaten crackers. As Toro walked with slumped shoulder to the sink, Jim bit back a reprimand about wasted food and continued to wait.
“Something happened at school today,” Toro muttered over the sound of the water. He scrubbed the plate with more vigor than needed to remove the few crumbs. “I got upset, really upset, and I couldn’t even explain why and the teacher got mad and I- I just lost control, pappy; I didn’t mean to, and I got the flames back quick like you showed me and no one got hurt, but I’m expelled.”
His last words hung in the air like the last note of a song and then Jim shook his head.
“I guessed something had gone wrong when I saw you standing outside the school barefoot in your shorts.”
Toro nodded like a man hearing a life sentence. Seeing his shame filled face, Jim felt something tighten in his chest that made no biological sense but hurt none the less. Standing, he walked over to Toro and pulled Toro’s hand from the sink. He bent over so they were eye level, and then gave Toro a quick peck on the forehead as he had observed Miss Haverty doing with her own sons.
Toro blinked and for a moment Jim though he’d done something wrong. Perhaps only mother’s kissed like that, but then Toro managed a half grin.
“You ain’t sore I guess.”
“Honestly,” Jim said, shifting so he could lean against the counter. “I am relieved. If you flamed on out of panic and the worst that happened is you are expelled, I count ourselves lucky.”
“It was so stupid though.” Toro sighed. “I don’t even know why I got upset. Just there was a train whistle and I just-“ Toro grimaced and crossed his arms. “I was dumb.”
“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Jim went over to their ice box and produced a soda he’d meant to give to Toro after the weekend’s lessons, but it seemed like something that might help more now. He poured the treat into two glasses and carried them over, handing one to Toro.
“Why perhaps not?” Toro asked after drinking almost his whole cup in one gulp.
Jim sipped his own drink for a moment, then set it on the counter. “I have a similar response to being in small places. I find it is harder to control my flames because I am strongly reminded of being sealed away. No matter how much I remind myself no one is waiting to bury me in concrete, I still feel the same discomfort and fight more to keep from flaming on.”
Toro moved a little closer to Jim. “You never said you were upset in there.”
“I don’t like to speak of it because I hated it so much.”
“Oh.”
Jim took advantage of Toro’s rare stillness to ruffle Toro’s hair. it was a gesture he’d mimicked from a father and son he’d seen on the street months ago, but it was one he decided he liked very much, even if it often earned him a brief scowl from Toro.
“So,” Jim continued. “If unrelated small spaces bring out panic in me because of what I went through, perhaps reminders of trains do the same for you; in fact, not so much perhaps given the stories I was told about trying to get you onto the circus train.”
Toro leaned back at covered his eyes. “Criminey, they told you about that!” he explained with all the theatrics of a vaudeville act. “Throw one tantrum and no one ever let’s a fella live it down.”
Jim chuckled. “I think it was more the drunken antics and the passing out part that everyone liked to relate to me.”
“They gave it to me,” Toro huffed. “Told me it would help me relax; I didn’t know!”
Jim’s chuckle became a full on laugh. Toro tried to scowl but couldn’t manage to look cross.
“But what are we going to do now. We had a hard enough time getting me into a school as it was.”
Jim sobered and thought a moment then shrugged. “For tomorrow, before I leave we’ll find books in the library and you’ll study while I am on patrol. For now though, would you like another flying lesson?”
Toro’s eyes lit up and Jim saw flame’s lick along the tips of his fingers. “Boy would I,” he whooped. Jim had to use his own abilities to keep Toro’s fires at bay.
“Then put the dishes away, and I will call the Chief and let him know we will train tonight so his men won’t worry if they see us in the sky.”
Jim made it to the phone but hadn’t even complete his dial before Toro was at his side, bouncing up and down on his toes as he waited on Jim to clear everything with the cops.
Jim couldn’t help but smile.
Author Ani_bester
Rating G
Characters Jim Hammond and Toro Raymond
Word Count 1,008
Summery Just a quick slice of life story about Jim being a patient father figure for Toro.
Warnings Panic attacks and triggers (as in triggers are talked about in this fic, not as in I think anything in this fic is likely to be a trigger- at least not a common one)
Understanding
The last rays of sun filtered through Jim’s dirty window and came to rest beside Toro on the small cot Jim had bought for him. Toro sat with his knees drawn together as he nibbled on some crackers, his fourth snack that evening. Jim sat at the table still, watching Toro fidget next to the wool blanket. A book on New York laws open in front of Jim, but he had stopped reading it about a minute ago.
When Toro sighed loud enough to fill the room, and looked at Jim like he might be about to confess a crime, Jim abandoned his pretense of reading, and shifted his chair to face Toro.
“Is something the matter, lad?”
Spluttering over the cracker he had half eaten, Toro, looked away. Reddening cheeks confirmed Jim’s suspicions, but he waited in silence. Betty had advised him to wait for Toro to speak and he found her suggestion often produced better results than his inclination to bombarded Toro with questions.
Jim waited as Toro broke his snack into crumbs, and then watched Toro shuffle to the trash and discard his uneaten crackers. As Toro walked with slumped shoulder to the sink, Jim bit back a reprimand about wasted food and continued to wait.
“Something happened at school today,” Toro muttered over the sound of the water. He scrubbed the plate with more vigor than needed to remove the few crumbs. “I got upset, really upset, and I couldn’t even explain why and the teacher got mad and I- I just lost control, pappy; I didn’t mean to, and I got the flames back quick like you showed me and no one got hurt, but I’m expelled.”
His last words hung in the air like the last note of a song and then Jim shook his head.
“I guessed something had gone wrong when I saw you standing outside the school barefoot in your shorts.”
Toro nodded like a man hearing a life sentence. Seeing his shame filled face, Jim felt something tighten in his chest that made no biological sense but hurt none the less. Standing, he walked over to Toro and pulled Toro’s hand from the sink. He bent over so they were eye level, and then gave Toro a quick peck on the forehead as he had observed Miss Haverty doing with her own sons.
Toro blinked and for a moment Jim though he’d done something wrong. Perhaps only mother’s kissed like that, but then Toro managed a half grin.
“You ain’t sore I guess.”
“Honestly,” Jim said, shifting so he could lean against the counter. “I am relieved. If you flamed on out of panic and the worst that happened is you are expelled, I count ourselves lucky.”
“It was so stupid though.” Toro sighed. “I don’t even know why I got upset. Just there was a train whistle and I just-“ Toro grimaced and crossed his arms. “I was dumb.”
“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Jim went over to their ice box and produced a soda he’d meant to give to Toro after the weekend’s lessons, but it seemed like something that might help more now. He poured the treat into two glasses and carried them over, handing one to Toro.
“Why perhaps not?” Toro asked after drinking almost his whole cup in one gulp.
Jim sipped his own drink for a moment, then set it on the counter. “I have a similar response to being in small places. I find it is harder to control my flames because I am strongly reminded of being sealed away. No matter how much I remind myself no one is waiting to bury me in concrete, I still feel the same discomfort and fight more to keep from flaming on.”
Toro moved a little closer to Jim. “You never said you were upset in there.”
“I don’t like to speak of it because I hated it so much.”
“Oh.”
Jim took advantage of Toro’s rare stillness to ruffle Toro’s hair. it was a gesture he’d mimicked from a father and son he’d seen on the street months ago, but it was one he decided he liked very much, even if it often earned him a brief scowl from Toro.
“So,” Jim continued. “If unrelated small spaces bring out panic in me because of what I went through, perhaps reminders of trains do the same for you; in fact, not so much perhaps given the stories I was told about trying to get you onto the circus train.”
Toro leaned back at covered his eyes. “Criminey, they told you about that!” he explained with all the theatrics of a vaudeville act. “Throw one tantrum and no one ever let’s a fella live it down.”
Jim chuckled. “I think it was more the drunken antics and the passing out part that everyone liked to relate to me.”
“They gave it to me,” Toro huffed. “Told me it would help me relax; I didn’t know!”
Jim’s chuckle became a full on laugh. Toro tried to scowl but couldn’t manage to look cross.
“But what are we going to do now. We had a hard enough time getting me into a school as it was.”
Jim sobered and thought a moment then shrugged. “For tomorrow, before I leave we’ll find books in the library and you’ll study while I am on patrol. For now though, would you like another flying lesson?”
Toro’s eyes lit up and Jim saw flame’s lick along the tips of his fingers. “Boy would I,” he whooped. Jim had to use his own abilities to keep Toro’s fires at bay.
“Then put the dishes away, and I will call the Chief and let him know we will train tonight so his men won’t worry if they see us in the sky.”
Jim made it to the phone but hadn’t even complete his dial before Toro was at his side, bouncing up and down on his toes as he waited on Jim to clear everything with the cops.
Jim couldn’t help but smile.