[The kitten kneads at his shirt with its little kitten paws and little kitten claws, and it kind of stings because those things are like needles. Tim doesn't mind, though.]
[These are the happiest tears, Angel.]
Noodle.
[He already knows, because he's a dork. Don't question his naming choices, okay.]
I'm going to call him Noodle. Aren't you cute? You're the cutest, yes you are, Noodle.
[Tim is briefly distracted because of the number of kisses that he's giving this kitten-- this will be the most loved cat, Angel, you can be sure of that. Tim loves him because he loves all cats. Cats are a good.]
[He laughs a little and shifts the kitten into one hand so that he can wipe at his stupid eyes with the other.]
Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. God, thank you, Angel.
[ Really? Angel is really taken aback by that sentiment. She's so used to bringing destruction and pain to people, bringing someone happiness, "the best thing" is truly foreign to her. She doesn't have words for how glad she is right now. ]
Because...for the six months that I've been here I have been so alone...I haven't been able to truly tell anyone who I am, and even if I did I don't know if they would have understood my position.
[ She takes a deep breath, being this forward is hard after ten plus years of piling on secrets and lies, but she doesn't want to live that way anymore where she can help it. ]
I have not had the option of being honest about myself in years...You are the first an only person I have been able to talk to candidly like this. For the first time since Jack-- since Jack put me away I do not feel completely alone.
[Tim stands, and he wishes that there was more that he could do for Angel. She's sweet and kind-- more than he'd ever expect from someone raised by Jack-- and she didn't deserve a fraction of the terrible things that happened to her. He wants to do more than just be the friend she can complain to about her awful dad.]
I know it's not a lot, but... I'm glad that you talk to me about this stuff. And about whatever you want, not just... you know. We're stuck in this whole thing together and I want to help you.
[ It takes a moment for Angel to really register Tim's request, and even when she does a part of her remains disengaged. It's such an unfamiliar request. Regardless she still stands to meet him, nodding an okay. ]
[He shifts the kitten in his grip so that he won't smoosh the poor thing when he goes in to hug her. Only after Angel stands and nods in acquiescence does he move in, wrapping one arm gently around her back for a hug.]
[She seems small, compared to him. Jack's not exactly the biggest guy around-- and therefore neither is Tim-- but his daughter is slim and maybe a little fragile? In more ways than just physical build, probably.]
[Tim doesn't want to hurt her. There are so many ways that he could, without even meaning to.]
Though Angel had agreed to the hug in theory, a near abstract concept at this point in her life, she hadn't realized how much she had needed it. Something so thoroughly missed that she had forgotten how to miss it at all. She can't recall the last time someone held her, let alone a time when it was welcome, where the gesture symbolized safety and warmth and not possession.
When she blinks she's surprised to feel something warm and wet rolling down her cheek, as she carefully raises her arms to return the hug. ]
[Tim is a little worried at first, because it takes a little while for Angel to actually reciprocate the hug. Maybe this is a little forward of him? She did agree, but he doesn't want to force her into doing something that she's not comfortable with, just because she doesn't want to upset him. Especially... because of the face he has.]
[He gives her a gentle little squeeze. He likes hugs, he really does, and hopefully this one isn't going on for, you know, longer than the Standard Friend Hug Timeframe? They're probably getting close. Just a little bit more? Right. Okay. Let go before it gets weird, Tim, remember what happened in middle school.]
[Plus, Noodle is starting to get wiggly.]
I do mean it, Angel. [He lets go.] I would be really lonely without you.
[ If only Tim knew. The face is always present, a looming factor in their friendship, but Angel has begun to draw a distinct line in the sand. It helps that him and Jack are so different in almost every other way.
When he lets go she quickly swipes at her eyes, does her best to feign it as her being tired rather than unexpected tears though her voice coming out a little choked up may betray her. ]
[He suspects that there were tears when Angel pulls away, but she had gotten kind of mad when he'd brought it up in the library, so Tim is totally fine with just letting it go. Nothing to see here, no tears, everyone is completely emotionally fine right now. This Is Fine.]
[Tim smiles at her; beams, really, because it's been such a long time since he's had a real friend.]
I am, too. I'm glad that I met you.
[Since he never got the chance to, back home.]
And, uh... [The smile fades into something more sheepish.] Sorry for the things I said when I met you? I don't think I said sorry for that. It was probably really... weird. For you.
[ Well, if there was anything Tim could have said to instantly sober the mood and shift it out of "awkward, but touching" to "awkward, and really awkward" it...would be that... ]
Oh, um...thank you? It's- you had no reason to think I was related to Jack. It is not as though I was public knowledge.
[Look, he feels like he should apologize for asking if she was having sex with her dad. Like, that's a thing you should probably apologize for. He'd just intended to be kind of rude when he'd asked, not brain-destroyingly horrifying.]
Great, then I'd like to propose that we never speak of it again. Ever.
[ Har har. Though remembering Tim's...unfortunate presumptions has her remembering some things she needs to apologize for herself. Idly she reaches out to give Noodle a pat on the head, kitty purrs really do calm nerves. ]
And...I'm sorry too. For lying to you about who I was, but more so for referring to you as one point oh. You are...you are your own person, Timothy. You always were.
[Okay, so that was dealt with. What she says afterwards, though, makes him go still. He considers it, probably more than most people have to.]
I guess so. For what good it does me.
[Jack told him that the surgeries were permanent, and Tim believes him. He doesn't doubt that Jack would tell the truth so long as it hurts. Tim will never be rid of Jack, because he'll see him every day in the mirror.]
Too many to count...I remember more the times I was asked to seek and organize new recruits then I was cataloging casualties. Their deaths were not given much fanfare.
[ Jack treated them as expendable and so did she, in the end. When faces with Timothy now, that fact is a lot harder to stomach. ]
You were the only one to defect and, as far as I am aware, survive.
[There's no shortage of desperate people in the galaxy, so he's not... surprised, exactly. Saddened, yes, by the suffering of people that he'll never meet, but not surprised. Jack used these people and then discarded them like broken toys, and he would've done the same with Tim. He doesn't think that there would have been any sentimentality reserved for him just because he was the first.]
As far as you know. [Tim laughs, rueful and dry.] I'm probably not gonna have a really great life expectancy on Pandora with this face.
[If Jack's half the monster everyone says he is, there won't be a single person on Pandora that doesn't want him to eat a few bullets. Tim'll have a target on his back from the second he makes landfall.]
I can't say for certain, but does it really matter? Pandora and our galaxy are gone in every aspect. You may wear his face, but here you don't share his history.
...Even among those here from our world, with time they'll be able to make the distinction.
I don't know. Maybe it does? It's just... weird to think that there's an alternate universe me or whatever that's...
[Dead, probably, as far as he can tell. He's gotten pretty good at the whole vault hunting and surviving thing, but he's just one man and there's a lot of things on Pandora that would want to kill him.]
[He looks down at Noodle and rubs under his little kitty chin. It makes him feel a little better.]
I hope you're right. [About people not just thinking of him as an extension of Jack.] It'd be kind of nice to not have to keep looking over my shoulder.
At least you don't have the mask, that alone makes it easy to tell who is who, it is just a matter of the others getting used to it.
[ Which is way easier said than done, especially coming from her. But she wants to give Tim some optimism here. After all, he's the one who inspired her to begin to let her past go, if only a little. The least she can do is encourage the same in him. ]
If the Vault Hunters can forgive me, they should have little reason to hold things against you.
I'd be surprised if they ever held anything against you, Angel.
[Especially with how Krieg reacted when Tim told him that he wouldn't let any of them hurt Angel. He had kind of thought that the psycho was going to make good on his previous promises to peel off his face.]
I don't know if they'll ever get over the face thing, and it's probably not fair for me to ask them to. I'd take them not wanting to kill me on sight, though.
What Jack had me do...few people would let something of that nature slide, regardless of my circumstance or my attempts to make amends. Lots of innocent people died because of me, Tim.
[ And from that she attempts to shift the subject, jarring as it is, with a bad joke. ]
Have you considered a mask of your own? We could make a paper bag look pretty fashionable, I bet.
[Tim laughs, because the sudden switch from Jack ruining people's lives yet again to Tim walking around with a goddamn paper bag over his head is both jarring and kind of hilarious. God, he'd almost consider it if he wasn't so terribly self-conscious.]
Only if you put a kitty face on it. Then Noodle and I can match.
[ Hey it's no less weird then putting your face over your face. ]
Of course, how else would you see others reactions to your artistic work?
[ She leans down then, collecting the basket she brought Noddle in and tucking in the blanket, clear that she's getting ready to go. She needs to stash it away before checking in on Jack. ]
Then she thinks better of it and holds it out to Tim instead.
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[These are the happiest tears, Angel.]
Noodle.
[He already knows, because he's a dork. Don't question his naming choices, okay.]
I'm going to call him Noodle. Aren't you cute? You're the cutest, yes you are, Noodle.
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I remembered from your profile that you were a cat person so...
[ She presses her palms together and looks away for the next part, he voice quieting a little. ]
Thank you, Tim.
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[He laughs a little and shifts the kitten into one hand so that he can wipe at his stupid eyes with the other.]
Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. God, thank you, Angel.
[He smiles at her, a big, genuine one.]
This is the best thing anybody's ever given me.
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[ Really? Angel is really taken aback by that sentiment. She's so used to bringing destruction and pain to people, bringing someone happiness, "the best thing" is truly foreign to her. She doesn't have words for how glad she is right now. ]
Because...for the six months that I've been here I have been so alone...I haven't been able to truly tell anyone who I am, and even if I did I don't know if they would have understood my position.
[ She takes a deep breath, being this forward is hard after ten plus years of piling on secrets and lies, but she doesn't want to live that way anymore where she can help it. ]
I have not had the option of being honest about myself in years...You are the first an only person I have been able to talk to candidly like this. For the first time since Jack-- since Jack put me away I do not feel completely alone.
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I know it's not a lot, but... I'm glad that you talk to me about this stuff. And about whatever you want, not just... you know. We're stuck in this whole thing together and I want to help you.
[He takes a few steps over towards her.]
Can I... is it okay if I hug you now?
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[She seems small, compared to him. Jack's not exactly the biggest guy around-- and therefore neither is Tim-- but his daughter is slim and maybe a little fragile? In more ways than just physical build, probably.]
[Tim doesn't want to hurt her. There are so many ways that he could, without even meaning to.]
Thank you for being my friend, Angel.
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Though Angel had agreed to the hug in theory, a near abstract concept at this point in her life, she hadn't realized how much she had needed it. Something so thoroughly missed that she had forgotten how to miss it at all. She can't recall the last time someone held her, let alone a time when it was welcome, where the gesture symbolized safety and warmth and not possession.
When she blinks she's surprised to feel something warm and wet rolling down her cheek, as she carefully raises her arms to return the hug. ]
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[He gives her a gentle little squeeze. He likes hugs, he really does, and hopefully this one isn't going on for, you know, longer than the Standard Friend Hug Timeframe? They're probably getting close. Just a little bit more? Right. Okay. Let go before it gets weird, Tim, remember what happened in middle school.]
[Plus, Noodle is starting to get wiggly.]
I do mean it, Angel. [He lets go.] I would be really lonely without you.
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When he lets go she quickly swipes at her eyes, does her best to feign it as her being tired rather than unexpected tears though her voice coming out a little choked up may betray her. ]
Me too, Tim. I am so glad you woke up.
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[Tim smiles at her; beams, really, because it's been such a long time since he's had a real friend.]
I am, too. I'm glad that I met you.
[Since he never got the chance to, back home.]
And, uh... [The smile fades into something more sheepish.] Sorry for the things I said when I met you? I don't think I said sorry for that. It was probably really... weird. For you.
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Oh, um...thank you? It's- you had no reason to think I was related to Jack. It is not as though I was public knowledge.
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Great, then I'd like to propose that we never speak of it again. Ever.
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[ Har har. Though remembering Tim's...unfortunate presumptions has her remembering some things she needs to apologize for herself. Idly she reaches out to give Noodle a pat on the head, kitty purrs really do calm nerves. ]
And...I'm sorry too. For lying to you about who I was, but more so for referring to you as one point oh. You are...you are your own person, Timothy. You always were.
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[Okay, so that was dealt with. What she says afterwards, though, makes him go still. He considers it, probably more than most people have to.]
I guess so. For what good it does me.
[Jack told him that the surgeries were permanent, and Tim believes him. He doesn't doubt that Jack would tell the truth so long as it hurts. Tim will never be rid of Jack, because he'll see him every day in the mirror.]
How many does he end up making that are like me?
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[ Jack treated them as expendable and so did she, in the end. When faces with Timothy now, that fact is a lot harder to stomach. ]
You were the only one to defect and, as far as I am aware, survive.
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As far as you know. [Tim laughs, rueful and dry.] I'm probably not gonna have a really great life expectancy on Pandora with this face.
[If Jack's half the monster everyone says he is, there won't be a single person on Pandora that doesn't want him to eat a few bullets. Tim'll have a target on his back from the second he makes landfall.]
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...Even among those here from our world, with time they'll be able to make the distinction.
[ Hopefully. ]
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[Dead, probably, as far as he can tell. He's gotten pretty good at the whole vault hunting and surviving thing, but he's just one man and there's a lot of things on Pandora that would want to kill him.]
[He looks down at Noodle and rubs under his little kitty chin. It makes him feel a little better.]
I hope you're right. [About people not just thinking of him as an extension of Jack.] It'd be kind of nice to not have to keep looking over my shoulder.
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[ Which is way easier said than done, especially coming from her. But she wants to give Tim some optimism here. After all, he's the one who inspired her to begin to let her past go, if only a little. The least she can do is encourage the same in him. ]
If the Vault Hunters can forgive me, they should have little reason to hold things against you.
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[Especially with how Krieg reacted when Tim told him that he wouldn't let any of them hurt Angel. He had kind of thought that the psycho was going to make good on his previous promises to peel off his face.]
I don't know if they'll ever get over the face thing, and it's probably not fair for me to ask them to. I'd take them not wanting to kill me on sight, though.
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[ And from that she attempts to shift the subject, jarring as it is, with a bad joke. ]
Have you considered a mask of your own? We could make a paper bag look pretty fashionable, I bet.
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Only if you put a kitty face on it. Then Noodle and I can match.
And I get eye holes, right?
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Of course, how else would you see others reactions to your artistic work?
[ She leans down then, collecting the basket she brought Noddle in and tucking in the blanket, clear that she's getting ready to go. She needs to stash it away before checking in on Jack. ]
Then she thinks better of it and holds it out to Tim instead.
He'll need somewhere to rest, right?