khajidont | MoM IC Contact

hey what exactly does awol mean?

[Such a reassuring text]

[Shit, Bart.]

Where are you.

[Oh no. The insta-call means Jaime's... probably mad.

Which may or may not be why Bart sounds a little sheepish when he answers]

Uh- Florida. Now. Somewhere. At least I think it's still Florida.

Okay, good, but where were you? And for how long?

Brazil. Two days. It was super crash I climbed the giant statue and everything!

Okay, two days. I think we can work with that.

[He sounds slightly frantic, but still pretty damn worried. He's been in jail for a couple weeks before, here, and he's pretty sure Bart would go completely apeshit in there.]

Bart, has anyone explained to you that we're not allowed of the States? AWOL means Absent Without Leave. They arrest people for that.

Nothin' to work with, her-man-o! Not like I came back sick or smuggling animals across the border totally can go through customs if you want me to, though. I mean- technically did but I can do it again at normal speed.

[Bart, in comparison, sounds like he couldn't be bothered less.]

Yeah I know got the message and the police started getting kinda mad and yelling DEPORTAR DEPORTAR! [Okay not even close but still, the point is made.] Just wondering what it means now that I'm back.

[Jaime just makes a mildly disgruntled sound into the phone. Bart probably knows Jaime well enough by now that he knows that this is the point at which he starts pinching at the bridge of his nose.]

I dunno. You're young, and it was only two days, so I don't think they're gonna do much. Worst thing they'll do is toss you into a holding cell for a while, though, but trust me: you won't like it. The jails here blow.

[Jaime, all jails blow.]

[And Jaime probably knows Bart well enough to know that he practically lives to create these nose bridge pinching moments.]

Dude, they'll have to catch me to throw me in jail it'll be crash totally cool I'll even blur my face any time I think I see a camera.

[Bart Allen that's not how following the law works]

Wha -- no! Look, if you just run away from them, they'll just slam you with evading arrest, and until they get you, they'll take away your job and your housing. Try to follow the law. If you end up in trouble for this, I think I know a guy who can help.

I'm not going to get in trouble because I wanted to see a rainforest, Blue. [And he doesn't mean that the government won't ding him because he's a minor. He means this is stupid any way you slice it and Bart has a problem with how they're tracked and housed (given beds instead of tents roommates instead of work groups pre-assigned jobs instead of forced labor) anyway.

He just. Has never told anyone that he does.]

'Sides, I think I have a job other than the one at the arcade, now. [Maybe. Possibly.]

Okay, well - that's good, in case you ever decide to unregister, but... there's a good possibility that you'll get into trouble for it. This government's messed up. I don't know what they'll do next.

I just mean I don't have to worry about money it's totally crash this job works with things I already know how to do.

[Like build inhibitor collars for StarkTech and introduce working power nullification devices to the imPort population of this world.

Oh yeah, it's gonna go great.]

I never wanted to be registered for long, anyway. I'm fine being AWOL for a while just wanted to know if they're gonna send people to my house to drag me in.

[There's a long pause on Jaime's end, which is a pretty good indication that Jaime's irritated - and, honestly, he is. It's so much easier to argue with someone who he's on the same page as at least half of the time.]

They might. And if they do, and find out you're hiding out, they're going to think you did something a lot worse than just see a few sights. Bart, I don't - why would you want to stay AWOL instead of just getting a slap on the wrist?

[In comparison, it's like there's no pause on Bart's end. It's almost unnatural, how quickly the response comes- but then again, that's just a speedster in full force for you.]

Because I can't go where I want to. Because they have tech in my skin I can't figure how to get out. Because they know where we are all the time and we do what they want or they hunt us down.

Lived like this before, Blue. Don't wanna follow along this time.

[He's glad, now, that Jaime only made this a voice call. Because he's sure his expression is none-too-happy right now. Just as he knows his hands are shaking, just slightly, in their grip on the communicator.]

[Sometimes, talking to Jaime can be a practice in patience for a speedster, something he's never considered. When it comes to this, he can be slow, deliberating, thinking before he speaks and pretending like hearing Bart talk about everything he's been through doesn't twist a knife in his gut, just a little bit.]

Bart, if they take this seriously, you're talking trying to evade them for months - and if they catch you, you'll be stuffed in a cell with power suppressors working their magic on you. If you decide going off the grid's what you're gonna do no matter what, you know you've got a place to stay, just like you know I'll be first in line to bail you out if they catch you, don't think I won't.

But I still don't think that's the way to go.

[What else can he say? Jaime has zero faith in his ability to convince Bart of anything - of anyone's ability to convince him of anything, really - so all he can do is say his piece, and offer him a soft place to fall. This sucks.]

[He considers reminding Jaime again that evading people is something he's used to doing. It's just- it's falling back on a way of living he's depressingly used to. But, well.

He's pretty sure him bringing it up at all is good enough.]

They might just do that anyway, I don't want to risk it.

But, I'll think about it. [He says, as slow and calm as he can manage. Just so Jaime knows he actually means it. Means it so much he takes his time with it.

He may be living up to the name of Impulse, but he knows how to be serious when its really, really needed.] Thanks, Jaime.

Sure. It's all I could ask for, anyway.

[He could ask for Bart not to do it. It wouldn't work.]

But... look, I don't know what life was like where you're from, or who you had with you, but I do know you've got a team backing you up here. If you decide you're going off the grid from the government, don't do the same with us - or else we're gonna be the ones looking for you.

[And while Jaime's not actually thinking about it, Bart probably knows full well that Jaime could track down any one of them anytime he wants to.]

Deal?

[It's not that he doesn't listen, it's not that what people tell him doesn't register. It's just- it frustrates him when it doesn't make sense. But that doesn't mean the words don't reach him.]

Deal. [And it's said solemnly, before the humor returns to his voice and he says, chipperly: ] Not getting rid of me that easily anyway. I'll still be over for movie nights. And chips.

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