Cal and Jack, the day after the cast party
May. 4th, 2014 12:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainThe day after the cast party, Cal and Jack meet over hangover brunch. Power mimicry, teasing about Steve, and uncovering some uncomfortable truths all come up - as well as basketball recruitment, of course.
Ugh, hangovers. Cal fucking hated them. He woke up to find that his roommate was nowhere to be seen, which, obviously. It wouldn't have been a proper hangover if he could have mimicked it away, courtesy of Paul's healing factor. Fine. A long shower served to make him feel slightly more human, human enough to get dressed in the first clean clothes he found, and head over to the kitchen. It was the early afternoon, the perfect time for brunch, right?
At least it wasn't his first hangover, and the scientist in him had looked up what was best for a speedy recovery. Other than the obvious 'water' option, and the drugs one, because he wasn't taking medicine every time he drank too much. When he got to the kitchen, he grabbed an energy drink out of the fridge, the sort he wouldn't ever drink before a game of ball or any other kind of workout. But it would do just fine for a hangover intervention.
Next, he set a pan to heat up, got the eggs out of the fridge for when it had, and started slicing tomatoes.
Jack swung into the kitchen, not sure what he was hungry for exactly but hoping he'd figure it out. There was already someone cooking (regrettably not Steve, who would've cooked for him in return for Jack getting the dishes), and Jack offered a smile as he came in. He recognized Cal because he was close with Steve, but they hadn't talked. Might be one of those situations where Cal didn't like his history and didn't want anything to do with him (and the guy looked a little strung out at the moment), so Jack didn't push his luck.
"Oh, hey," Cal greeted the guy, with less enthusiasm (and, given the circumstances, playfulness) than he would have put into it if it weren't for the headache tightening around his brain, the faint nausea in his stomach, and the general feeling of sluggishness. Steve's Jack, and he would muster the energy to address the subject really soon, promise, he just wanted to feel a little better first. "You want some eggs while I'm at it?" Something was nagging at the back of his mind about Jack, something other than the buzz of his mutation just there to be picked up... wait, no, that was exactly it, and he frowned over at him. "What did you say your mutation was?" Say, type, same difference.
"Pass on the eggs," Jack replied easily enough, eyes scanning Cal more carefully this time. Then he grinned - looked like a Grade A hangover. "And my mutation is healing. Y'know, in case you need it."
Cal made a very, very relieved kind of groan at the news, and immediately mimicked Jack's mutation. And waited. And waited. And frowned. "I'm - not feeling any better." But even as he thought about it, he realized why, and didn't hesitate in pricking one of his fingers with the knife he'd been using on the tomatoes. The healing kicked in, and he visibly relaxed.
Jack was looking in the fridge now, assuming from Cal's response that he didn't need a touch to pick up the mutation. "Yeah," he called over the door, "you may have to..." As he shut the door again, he saw Cal prick his finger. Huh, quick study. "Yeah, that."
A glance over at the counter and Jack realized he wanted toast. And maybe some eggs after all, to go on top. "Can I change my mind on the eggs? I've mastered Claudia's toaster," he said, sliding easily around Cal to work on his portion of brunch. "What kind of bread and how well done?"
"Oh, my god," Cal said, relief heavy in his voice, head bent back as he took a second to just appreciate the sudden clarity of body and mind. "Give me a second, I'm having a moment with your mutation." Seriously. He had never experienced such a sudden disappearance of a hangover, and he now felt totally awesome. He sighed out with definite gratitude as he decided that the moment had dragged on long enough, and looked over at Jack with a quick smile. "Wholewheat, lightly toasted. I was gonna go for scrambled, if that works for you?" Pan was probably hot enough by now, actually.
Jack just smirked at Cal's moment and set to work on the toast. "You're lucky it was just a hangover, little things like that feel good. More major things can be..." Maybe he should really be talking about this, now that he thought about it, but he'd never shared a mutation before. "Unpleasant."
"Ugh, yeah, I can imagine," Cal agreed, as he did in fact imagine such a thing as a bone resetting itself. Or worse. "Then again, I'd still rather take a shot of your mutation than whatever medicine would offer." Since the guy hadn't protested against the scrambled option, he grabbed the eggs to get going on just that. He'd get back to the tomatoes in a moment.
"True," Jack agreed, fiddling with the toaster settings. "Who has time for healing at normal speeds these days?" Of course, since Josh had taken off, that's what most people were faced with. Strange, to end up in a place where not getting healed instantly seemed surreal. Toaster set, Jack leaned back against the counter to watch Cal cook. "So clearly the mimic thing is working out for you."
"It has its advantages," Cal agreed, cracking eggs into the pan. "And a lot of them are really fun," he went on with a small smirk, which he then directed at Jack. "The healing thing working out for you?"
"Can't complain," Jack replied readily. He liked that smirk on Cal. Actually, now that he'd perked up from the heal, Jack would probably like just about any expression on that face. Body. Etc. "Comes in handy."
"Seriously," Cal agreed, because, obviously. He figured Jack meant it for more than hangover reasons, since he'd mentioned the unpleasantness of major healing, but hell, Cal had broken a bone or two in his life. Shit happened.
Which made him frown as he thought of something, stirring the eggs in the pan. "Hey, does this mean I just mended all the older scars on me?"
"Nah, those are healed, so they don't register as damage." Boy did Jack know about that; it was how he'd lost his first ability to control his pheromones. Jack shot him a grin. "Don't worry, you can still show off your scars."
"Nothing much to show off, unless appendicitis scars and mended bones suddenly became sexy," Cal told him with a half smile, but he was glad for that. It might seem ridiculous, but every one of these things felt like part of him. He'd never thought about it until right then, when he thought they might be gone. He washed the knife of what little blood was on it and went back to slicing the tomatoes, alternating that and stirring the eggs. "So you seemed like you had a good night last night, huh?" Warm teasing and definite approval, there. He was happy for Steve.
Behind Jack, the toaster pinged, and he turned to retrieve the bread. "Definitely. The show went great, the karaoke was awesome..." He turned, headed for the table, and gave Cal a knowing grin. "Neither of which you were referring to, I suppose."
"Not at all," Cal confirmed with a shameless grin. "Although you did sound good on stage." Him, not so much, he was pretty sure. Hey, it had seemed like a good idea at the time, and it had been fun. Shaw was a fun guy.
Jack shrugged and chuckled. "Guess we're not as sneaky as we thought." Which could actually be bad, he reflected, heading back to the fridge for some butter. The point was to keep it quiet until he got the chance to talk to Curtis - having him see it or hear about it with no warning would be pretty bad.
Cal shrugged easily. "I don't know, I knew what to look for, if that helps? Or what I was hoping I'd find, anyway." Because, seriously, this could only be good for Steve. He needed something positive to focus on and help him get over the whole Claudia bullshit.
That pulled a little smile from Jack. "So that means Steve must've mentioned me." That's why Pietro had been smirking at him last night. Jack turned his own smirk back on Cal. "That, or you just really want Steve to get laid."
"Both," Cal answered with a frank laugh. "Definitely both. But you'll get what he said about you over my dead body, so don't even ask," he warned him playfully, pointing the spatula at him before he looked back to the eggs. "How d'you like your eggs?" They were at the runny stage, so just a little longer for Cal, but Jack might like them like this.
"However they come," Jack replied, not a very picky eater, especially when someone else was cooking. He was buttering the toast now. "And careful what you say - 'over your dead body' is entirely feasible right now." Not that Jack was going to pry, he'd already gotten the information he wanted. And Cal seemed cool with him, so Jack took that as a really good sign.
Cal had been about to answer with some more innocuous banter, but his brain had been working on two levels on this one. What he should answer for best banter, and what on earth Jack was saying. He temporarily forgot the eggs and turned around to give Jack a look. "Wait, you've died?"
Jack paused, knife halfway through scraping butter over bread. He hadn't expected Cal to put that together, just make an assumption about the mutation. Frowning, he looked back at the other boy. "Yeah."
So maybe Cal had jumped over a logical step or two, but really, it was the most direct way to figure that out about a healing mutation. Since he wouldn't have expected it to heal death, his mind went there straight away. And then Jack confirmed it. Shit. "Well, shit," he very eloquently stated. "I'd ask more but, you know, food." Not the best moment to talk about past deaths, right? Besides, he could certainly use a little while to wrap his mind around the concept.
Jack just nodded. He'd of course answer the questions that went with that. Had Steve not told Cal about his past? Though Steve probably didn't know that Jack had died, so maybe he had. Jack's look at Cal was heavier this time, wondering how much he'd have to explain, and whether it'd change the dynamics between them.
The look went completely unnoticed by Cal, who had focused back on the eggs. He was satisfied with their state quickly enough, and turned off the heat, then shoved them on two plates, shared the tomatoes equally, and added a little basil to the latter for flavor. "Hey, do you drink energy drinks?" he asked as he brought the two plates over to the table. "'Cause now that I'm hangover-free, I really don't feel like putting that in my body," he explained, and nodded towards the opened drink on the counter. Seriously, thanks but no thanks, healing factor or not.
"Sure, why not?" Again, Jack really wasn't picky. Accepting his plate from Cal, he quickly grabbed a piece of toast and piled it high with eggs and tomatoes, knowing it'd all be best while still hot. The first bite confirmed it - delicious. Jack let out a little happy sound. "So much better with real eggs than the powdered stuff."
"That stuff is evil," Cal confirmed, bringing the drink over to Jack, then headed over to the fridge to grab himself some juice. OJ, even, now that he was hangover-free, and his stomach wasn't so sensitive anymore. He grabbed a glass and sat down at the table across from Jack. He'd already teased him about Steve, and they weren't talking about his mutation anymore over breakfast, or lunch, or brunch or whatever, so he fell back on the question he asked pretty much everyone he talked to. "So, Jack. You play ball?"
Around another large bite, Jack shot Cal a surprised look. Really? He just found out that Jack had died, and that's what he was curious about? Not that Jack was going to complain about it, and he grinned a little as he swallowed. "Now and then, just for fun. Played for a while when I was younger, and the only kid who'd had a growth spurt."
"Well, we're looking to set up a regular game kinda thing, if you're interested," Cal offered. It was well underway; in fact, they had enough people by now (and then some, given that, well, Jamie), but the more the merrier, as far as he was concerned.
"Not sure I'd be much of an asset, from what my crowd of a roommate says," Jack told him with a good-natured shrug. "But I might drop in now and again."
"Right, you're rooming with Jamie," Cal acknowledged after getting started on his eggs and tomatoes. "He's gonna be playing, too. Any time you wanna stop by, really. Can't get any better at it if you don't play it," he pointed out with a half smile aimed at Jack.
Honestly, whether or not he was good at basketball was just not something Jack cared about. Sports had been fun when he was younger, but after losing his family he didn't really see the appeal anymore. He'd gone the drama route instead, capitalizing on his natural presence and staying tuned in with his peers. All of it was just a way to pass the time really.
But all of that was way more than Cal wanted or needed to know. "I just meant my ability doesn't give me much of an edge against some of the other mutations."
"You think Steve's does?" Cal pointed out with a cheeky grin. Hell yeah, playing the Steve card to get Jack to join up. And not trying to hide it; that wouldn't have been his style.
Around another mouthful of toast and eggs, Jack raised a very amused eyebrow, making a show of reconsidering. "Please tell me this is a shirts-and-skins game."
Cal had to laugh. "I'm pretty sure that could be arranged." And hey, one more advantage for him. It wasn't as if he'd get distracted.
Well. Not unless Angie came and played with them.
"Mm, count me in then," Jack teased, giving Cal a flirtatious wink. It was pretty clear Jack's interest was elsewhere, but no harm in a flirt - he'd be totally okay with seeing Cal shirtless too.
"I'm pretty sure it's exactly what I'm doing," Cal replied in kind, with a half smile, but no wink. He wasn't so much flirting as playing, though, for obvious being-straight reasons.
Jack wasn't exactly sure what was drawing him in to Cal like this, but he just gave the other boy another overly seductive look (still in good fun) and polished off his toast. There was just something about this guy... something he felt like he should be able to put his finger on...
"So I'll write you down as a 'maybe, pending shirtless decision'," Cal concluded, raising inquiring eyebrows.
Nodding, Jack smirked and told him, "You have no idea how often I've heard that." What was it? Now he was actively trying to figure it out. He liked the guy, but it wasn't some kind of emotional connection; he was certainly attractive enough, but so were a lot of people around here; and it wasn't like Cal was encouraging him... He smelled nice, too, but it wasn't like--
The drink that Jack had halfway lifted to his mouth dropped to the table, splashing upwards before tipping onto its side. It was enough to jolt Jack back to reality, and he quickly contained the spill with a napkin, but he was looking at Cal in shock. "Are you copying my pheromones?"
"Your -" Cal frowned, or really, scowled. When you had a mutation like his, you relied on other people telling you the truth about theirs. He hadn't even noticed, because how was he supposed to? But now that he was thinking about it, it was very obvious that the answer was yes. And that, holy hell, sketchy mutation alert. He immediately dialed his pheromones back down to a normal level, and glared at Jack. "Seriously? Why didn't you tell me?"
Still stunned, Jack automatically glared back. "I didn't know," he responded, dismissing the idea that he'd been hiding it. "I can't use it anymore, it never occurred to me that you'd..." But obviously, it made perfect sense. The only reason Jack couldn't use the ability was the scarring in his body - the mutation itself was still there, just waiting for Cal to pick up.
...and Cal had just Harkness-ed him into joining the basketball game. Huh. So that's what that felt like. He couldn't help but smirk - he'd probably had that coming.
Right. Okay, this would explain that. Cal forced himself to relax, shove that anger back where he shoved everything else he didn't want to feel. "How come? You can't use it anymore."
"Scarring," Jack told him steadily, now ignoring what was left of the food in front of him in favor of watching the reaction on the other boy. His smirk was completely gone. "From experiments."
Well, never mind trying to keep his appetite. Cal's food went completely forgotten, fork abandoned on the side of his plate. That hit a little too close to home, too close to what his father had been attempted to do to him. His gaze had hardened as he asked, the one word, "Who?"
Not the normal response, and Jack was looking at Cal in a different light now - a sharp, focused light. "Facility," he answered. "You?"
Cal flinched when Jack asked that. Yeah, he was that fucking easy to read, wasn't he. Fuck that place where he shoved everything, if it got back to the surface that easily. "Private party." A side glance, as he decided to give Jack more than that. "Then they got interested, and I got away."
Jack just nodded, but didn't press for more details. He saw the shame in Cal's response, and knew he had to offer up his own details. Cal had a right to know. He gave Cal a wry smile, preparing himself for any response. "Better than my move. They got interested, I joined up. Can't say it went particularly well for me."
Cal frowned, assuming that 'joined up' meant 'willingly submitted himself to their experiments'. He couldn't exactly cast the first stone, what with how he'd done that with his father. He'd been lied to, same as - he assumed - Jack had been. "That when you died?" There was no holding back from asking that question now, and he held Jack's gaze, unwilling to look away.
"Escape attempt," Jack confirmed.
"Shit," Cal stated, with feeling. Definitely hitting close to home; it had been a close one for him, too. Hitting close to home, but he wasn't letting it show as much as it was. "I'm sorry, man." He meant it.
"Hey, I'm looking pretty good for a dead guy," Jack reminded him with a halfhearted laugh.
It wasn't often that Cal had issues taking the light-hearted approach to any conversation, and if it had only been the dying, he wouldn't have had any trouble. But with the Facility involved, and thoughts of his father, his smile lacked its usual drive. "Yeah, I'm ever dying before my time, I want you by my side," he confirmed, trying to be who he usually was.
In an oddly detached way, Jack was wondering if it would work even after Cal had died - if he showed up a few hours after death occurred, would the mutation still take? He tried to push away the morbid thoughts. "So, how much of that story does Steve know?"
"None of it," Cal replied, without an ounce of shame. Yeah, Steve was by far his best friend here, but Cal just didn't want to talk about this stuff with anyone, best friend or not. He'd only told Jack the bare bones of it because Jack had seen it in his expression - and because Jack had been through his own version of it.
Jack nodded. He'd have done the same, except unlike Cal, his choices had hurt other mutants, put them in danger. He had to be upfront about that. He just wanted to be sure he didn't mention something to Steve that Cal didn't want him to.
"So yeah, I'd appreciate it if it stayed between us, but..." Cal shrugged. He didn't have anything big riding on it. He just didn't want to have to talk about all this stuff. He pushed what remained of his eggs around in his plate, wondering if he would feel like eating them again or if he should just throw them away. No, that'd be a waste, and he forced himself to go for another forkful. Nothing to see here, right?
"Not a problem," Jack assured him. "Most people already know my story. Steve knows." Jack was guessing that might matter to Cal. "Except for the dying part. Didn't come up." Unless Harley had told him, and Steve just hadn't mentioned it, but Jack was fairly certain Steve would've asked about that.
"Well, you can bring it up whenever you like," Cal assured Jack. He wasn't one to go tell stories that weren't his.
"Looking forward to that," Jack said, taking a big gulp of the energy drink. Not an easy conversation to broach: By the way, I didn't just get experimented on, they shot me in the chest three times and I woke up in an incinerator. Just wait until we get to my family history!
Cal shrugged. "Up to you how personal you want to get." He paused. "This is probably when I should threaten bodily harm if you fuck him up, but I always thought that was awful for the person being 'protected'." Airquotes went with that word.
"Oh?" Jack gave him a curious look. He wasn't planning on hurting Steve... but then, he hadn't planned on hurting Curtis, either.
"Yeah, you know," Cal made a vague gesture with the hand holding his fork. "It's up to each person who they get involved with. Threatening bodily harm to who they're getting involved with is like saying I don't trust your judgment, or you're not responsible for your own choices?"
"I dunno," Jack mused. "Both parties have choices to make - threatening me says I better make good choices, since you trust that Steve will. Or maybe you don't care if Steve does or not, because you've got loyalty to him and not to me." Which was less off-the-cuff and more based-on-a-philosophy-class-question, but still. "Either way, it tells me that he's protected." Jack smiled again. "Which I'm glad to hear."
"Well, as long as you're happy," Cal smirked, not going to help himself, but finally able to finish his plate of eggs and tomatoes. He put his fork down and drank some of his juice.
Jack returned the smirk, scooping up his plate and reaching for Cal's too. Least he could do was handle dishes. "As long as I'm happy... and start playing basketball, right?"
"You read my mind, dude," Cal confirmed with a grin. "It's gonna be a blast, really."
"Then how can I possibly say no?" From the sink, Jack turned to give Cal a grin that had just a little extra to it. Considering all they'd covered, coming out smiling again was a pretty good turn around, and told Jack a lot about the other boy's character. And he'd only gotten vague, hypothetical threats about Steve, so that had to be a good sign too. "When do we play?"
Ugh, hangovers. Cal fucking hated them. He woke up to find that his roommate was nowhere to be seen, which, obviously. It wouldn't have been a proper hangover if he could have mimicked it away, courtesy of Paul's healing factor. Fine. A long shower served to make him feel slightly more human, human enough to get dressed in the first clean clothes he found, and head over to the kitchen. It was the early afternoon, the perfect time for brunch, right?
At least it wasn't his first hangover, and the scientist in him had looked up what was best for a speedy recovery. Other than the obvious 'water' option, and the drugs one, because he wasn't taking medicine every time he drank too much. When he got to the kitchen, he grabbed an energy drink out of the fridge, the sort he wouldn't ever drink before a game of ball or any other kind of workout. But it would do just fine for a hangover intervention.
Next, he set a pan to heat up, got the eggs out of the fridge for when it had, and started slicing tomatoes.
Jack swung into the kitchen, not sure what he was hungry for exactly but hoping he'd figure it out. There was already someone cooking (regrettably not Steve, who would've cooked for him in return for Jack getting the dishes), and Jack offered a smile as he came in. He recognized Cal because he was close with Steve, but they hadn't talked. Might be one of those situations where Cal didn't like his history and didn't want anything to do with him (and the guy looked a little strung out at the moment), so Jack didn't push his luck.
"Oh, hey," Cal greeted the guy, with less enthusiasm (and, given the circumstances, playfulness) than he would have put into it if it weren't for the headache tightening around his brain, the faint nausea in his stomach, and the general feeling of sluggishness. Steve's Jack, and he would muster the energy to address the subject really soon, promise, he just wanted to feel a little better first. "You want some eggs while I'm at it?" Something was nagging at the back of his mind about Jack, something other than the buzz of his mutation just there to be picked up... wait, no, that was exactly it, and he frowned over at him. "What did you say your mutation was?" Say, type, same difference.
"Pass on the eggs," Jack replied easily enough, eyes scanning Cal more carefully this time. Then he grinned - looked like a Grade A hangover. "And my mutation is healing. Y'know, in case you need it."
Cal made a very, very relieved kind of groan at the news, and immediately mimicked Jack's mutation. And waited. And waited. And frowned. "I'm - not feeling any better." But even as he thought about it, he realized why, and didn't hesitate in pricking one of his fingers with the knife he'd been using on the tomatoes. The healing kicked in, and he visibly relaxed.
Jack was looking in the fridge now, assuming from Cal's response that he didn't need a touch to pick up the mutation. "Yeah," he called over the door, "you may have to..." As he shut the door again, he saw Cal prick his finger. Huh, quick study. "Yeah, that."
A glance over at the counter and Jack realized he wanted toast. And maybe some eggs after all, to go on top. "Can I change my mind on the eggs? I've mastered Claudia's toaster," he said, sliding easily around Cal to work on his portion of brunch. "What kind of bread and how well done?"
"Oh, my god," Cal said, relief heavy in his voice, head bent back as he took a second to just appreciate the sudden clarity of body and mind. "Give me a second, I'm having a moment with your mutation." Seriously. He had never experienced such a sudden disappearance of a hangover, and he now felt totally awesome. He sighed out with definite gratitude as he decided that the moment had dragged on long enough, and looked over at Jack with a quick smile. "Wholewheat, lightly toasted. I was gonna go for scrambled, if that works for you?" Pan was probably hot enough by now, actually.
Jack just smirked at Cal's moment and set to work on the toast. "You're lucky it was just a hangover, little things like that feel good. More major things can be..." Maybe he should really be talking about this, now that he thought about it, but he'd never shared a mutation before. "Unpleasant."
"Ugh, yeah, I can imagine," Cal agreed, as he did in fact imagine such a thing as a bone resetting itself. Or worse. "Then again, I'd still rather take a shot of your mutation than whatever medicine would offer." Since the guy hadn't protested against the scrambled option, he grabbed the eggs to get going on just that. He'd get back to the tomatoes in a moment.
"True," Jack agreed, fiddling with the toaster settings. "Who has time for healing at normal speeds these days?" Of course, since Josh had taken off, that's what most people were faced with. Strange, to end up in a place where not getting healed instantly seemed surreal. Toaster set, Jack leaned back against the counter to watch Cal cook. "So clearly the mimic thing is working out for you."
"It has its advantages," Cal agreed, cracking eggs into the pan. "And a lot of them are really fun," he went on with a small smirk, which he then directed at Jack. "The healing thing working out for you?"
"Can't complain," Jack replied readily. He liked that smirk on Cal. Actually, now that he'd perked up from the heal, Jack would probably like just about any expression on that face. Body. Etc. "Comes in handy."
"Seriously," Cal agreed, because, obviously. He figured Jack meant it for more than hangover reasons, since he'd mentioned the unpleasantness of major healing, but hell, Cal had broken a bone or two in his life. Shit happened.
Which made him frown as he thought of something, stirring the eggs in the pan. "Hey, does this mean I just mended all the older scars on me?"
"Nah, those are healed, so they don't register as damage." Boy did Jack know about that; it was how he'd lost his first ability to control his pheromones. Jack shot him a grin. "Don't worry, you can still show off your scars."
"Nothing much to show off, unless appendicitis scars and mended bones suddenly became sexy," Cal told him with a half smile, but he was glad for that. It might seem ridiculous, but every one of these things felt like part of him. He'd never thought about it until right then, when he thought they might be gone. He washed the knife of what little blood was on it and went back to slicing the tomatoes, alternating that and stirring the eggs. "So you seemed like you had a good night last night, huh?" Warm teasing and definite approval, there. He was happy for Steve.
Behind Jack, the toaster pinged, and he turned to retrieve the bread. "Definitely. The show went great, the karaoke was awesome..." He turned, headed for the table, and gave Cal a knowing grin. "Neither of which you were referring to, I suppose."
"Not at all," Cal confirmed with a shameless grin. "Although you did sound good on stage." Him, not so much, he was pretty sure. Hey, it had seemed like a good idea at the time, and it had been fun. Shaw was a fun guy.
Jack shrugged and chuckled. "Guess we're not as sneaky as we thought." Which could actually be bad, he reflected, heading back to the fridge for some butter. The point was to keep it quiet until he got the chance to talk to Curtis - having him see it or hear about it with no warning would be pretty bad.
Cal shrugged easily. "I don't know, I knew what to look for, if that helps? Or what I was hoping I'd find, anyway." Because, seriously, this could only be good for Steve. He needed something positive to focus on and help him get over the whole Claudia bullshit.
That pulled a little smile from Jack. "So that means Steve must've mentioned me." That's why Pietro had been smirking at him last night. Jack turned his own smirk back on Cal. "That, or you just really want Steve to get laid."
"Both," Cal answered with a frank laugh. "Definitely both. But you'll get what he said about you over my dead body, so don't even ask," he warned him playfully, pointing the spatula at him before he looked back to the eggs. "How d'you like your eggs?" They were at the runny stage, so just a little longer for Cal, but Jack might like them like this.
"However they come," Jack replied, not a very picky eater, especially when someone else was cooking. He was buttering the toast now. "And careful what you say - 'over your dead body' is entirely feasible right now." Not that Jack was going to pry, he'd already gotten the information he wanted. And Cal seemed cool with him, so Jack took that as a really good sign.
Cal had been about to answer with some more innocuous banter, but his brain had been working on two levels on this one. What he should answer for best banter, and what on earth Jack was saying. He temporarily forgot the eggs and turned around to give Jack a look. "Wait, you've died?"
Jack paused, knife halfway through scraping butter over bread. He hadn't expected Cal to put that together, just make an assumption about the mutation. Frowning, he looked back at the other boy. "Yeah."
So maybe Cal had jumped over a logical step or two, but really, it was the most direct way to figure that out about a healing mutation. Since he wouldn't have expected it to heal death, his mind went there straight away. And then Jack confirmed it. Shit. "Well, shit," he very eloquently stated. "I'd ask more but, you know, food." Not the best moment to talk about past deaths, right? Besides, he could certainly use a little while to wrap his mind around the concept.
Jack just nodded. He'd of course answer the questions that went with that. Had Steve not told Cal about his past? Though Steve probably didn't know that Jack had died, so maybe he had. Jack's look at Cal was heavier this time, wondering how much he'd have to explain, and whether it'd change the dynamics between them.
The look went completely unnoticed by Cal, who had focused back on the eggs. He was satisfied with their state quickly enough, and turned off the heat, then shoved them on two plates, shared the tomatoes equally, and added a little basil to the latter for flavor. "Hey, do you drink energy drinks?" he asked as he brought the two plates over to the table. "'Cause now that I'm hangover-free, I really don't feel like putting that in my body," he explained, and nodded towards the opened drink on the counter. Seriously, thanks but no thanks, healing factor or not.
"Sure, why not?" Again, Jack really wasn't picky. Accepting his plate from Cal, he quickly grabbed a piece of toast and piled it high with eggs and tomatoes, knowing it'd all be best while still hot. The first bite confirmed it - delicious. Jack let out a little happy sound. "So much better with real eggs than the powdered stuff."
"That stuff is evil," Cal confirmed, bringing the drink over to Jack, then headed over to the fridge to grab himself some juice. OJ, even, now that he was hangover-free, and his stomach wasn't so sensitive anymore. He grabbed a glass and sat down at the table across from Jack. He'd already teased him about Steve, and they weren't talking about his mutation anymore over breakfast, or lunch, or brunch or whatever, so he fell back on the question he asked pretty much everyone he talked to. "So, Jack. You play ball?"
Around another large bite, Jack shot Cal a surprised look. Really? He just found out that Jack had died, and that's what he was curious about? Not that Jack was going to complain about it, and he grinned a little as he swallowed. "Now and then, just for fun. Played for a while when I was younger, and the only kid who'd had a growth spurt."
"Well, we're looking to set up a regular game kinda thing, if you're interested," Cal offered. It was well underway; in fact, they had enough people by now (and then some, given that, well, Jamie), but the more the merrier, as far as he was concerned.
"Not sure I'd be much of an asset, from what my crowd of a roommate says," Jack told him with a good-natured shrug. "But I might drop in now and again."
"Right, you're rooming with Jamie," Cal acknowledged after getting started on his eggs and tomatoes. "He's gonna be playing, too. Any time you wanna stop by, really. Can't get any better at it if you don't play it," he pointed out with a half smile aimed at Jack.
Honestly, whether or not he was good at basketball was just not something Jack cared about. Sports had been fun when he was younger, but after losing his family he didn't really see the appeal anymore. He'd gone the drama route instead, capitalizing on his natural presence and staying tuned in with his peers. All of it was just a way to pass the time really.
But all of that was way more than Cal wanted or needed to know. "I just meant my ability doesn't give me much of an edge against some of the other mutations."
"You think Steve's does?" Cal pointed out with a cheeky grin. Hell yeah, playing the Steve card to get Jack to join up. And not trying to hide it; that wouldn't have been his style.
Around another mouthful of toast and eggs, Jack raised a very amused eyebrow, making a show of reconsidering. "Please tell me this is a shirts-and-skins game."
Cal had to laugh. "I'm pretty sure that could be arranged." And hey, one more advantage for him. It wasn't as if he'd get distracted.
Well. Not unless Angie came and played with them.
"Mm, count me in then," Jack teased, giving Cal a flirtatious wink. It was pretty clear Jack's interest was elsewhere, but no harm in a flirt - he'd be totally okay with seeing Cal shirtless too.
"I'm pretty sure it's exactly what I'm doing," Cal replied in kind, with a half smile, but no wink. He wasn't so much flirting as playing, though, for obvious being-straight reasons.
Jack wasn't exactly sure what was drawing him in to Cal like this, but he just gave the other boy another overly seductive look (still in good fun) and polished off his toast. There was just something about this guy... something he felt like he should be able to put his finger on...
"So I'll write you down as a 'maybe, pending shirtless decision'," Cal concluded, raising inquiring eyebrows.
Nodding, Jack smirked and told him, "You have no idea how often I've heard that." What was it? Now he was actively trying to figure it out. He liked the guy, but it wasn't some kind of emotional connection; he was certainly attractive enough, but so were a lot of people around here; and it wasn't like Cal was encouraging him... He smelled nice, too, but it wasn't like--
The drink that Jack had halfway lifted to his mouth dropped to the table, splashing upwards before tipping onto its side. It was enough to jolt Jack back to reality, and he quickly contained the spill with a napkin, but he was looking at Cal in shock. "Are you copying my pheromones?"
"Your -" Cal frowned, or really, scowled. When you had a mutation like his, you relied on other people telling you the truth about theirs. He hadn't even noticed, because how was he supposed to? But now that he was thinking about it, it was very obvious that the answer was yes. And that, holy hell, sketchy mutation alert. He immediately dialed his pheromones back down to a normal level, and glared at Jack. "Seriously? Why didn't you tell me?"
Still stunned, Jack automatically glared back. "I didn't know," he responded, dismissing the idea that he'd been hiding it. "I can't use it anymore, it never occurred to me that you'd..." But obviously, it made perfect sense. The only reason Jack couldn't use the ability was the scarring in his body - the mutation itself was still there, just waiting for Cal to pick up.
...and Cal had just Harkness-ed him into joining the basketball game. Huh. So that's what that felt like. He couldn't help but smirk - he'd probably had that coming.
Right. Okay, this would explain that. Cal forced himself to relax, shove that anger back where he shoved everything else he didn't want to feel. "How come? You can't use it anymore."
"Scarring," Jack told him steadily, now ignoring what was left of the food in front of him in favor of watching the reaction on the other boy. His smirk was completely gone. "From experiments."
Well, never mind trying to keep his appetite. Cal's food went completely forgotten, fork abandoned on the side of his plate. That hit a little too close to home, too close to what his father had been attempted to do to him. His gaze had hardened as he asked, the one word, "Who?"
Not the normal response, and Jack was looking at Cal in a different light now - a sharp, focused light. "Facility," he answered. "You?"
Cal flinched when Jack asked that. Yeah, he was that fucking easy to read, wasn't he. Fuck that place where he shoved everything, if it got back to the surface that easily. "Private party." A side glance, as he decided to give Jack more than that. "Then they got interested, and I got away."
Jack just nodded, but didn't press for more details. He saw the shame in Cal's response, and knew he had to offer up his own details. Cal had a right to know. He gave Cal a wry smile, preparing himself for any response. "Better than my move. They got interested, I joined up. Can't say it went particularly well for me."
Cal frowned, assuming that 'joined up' meant 'willingly submitted himself to their experiments'. He couldn't exactly cast the first stone, what with how he'd done that with his father. He'd been lied to, same as - he assumed - Jack had been. "That when you died?" There was no holding back from asking that question now, and he held Jack's gaze, unwilling to look away.
"Escape attempt," Jack confirmed.
"Shit," Cal stated, with feeling. Definitely hitting close to home; it had been a close one for him, too. Hitting close to home, but he wasn't letting it show as much as it was. "I'm sorry, man." He meant it.
"Hey, I'm looking pretty good for a dead guy," Jack reminded him with a halfhearted laugh.
It wasn't often that Cal had issues taking the light-hearted approach to any conversation, and if it had only been the dying, he wouldn't have had any trouble. But with the Facility involved, and thoughts of his father, his smile lacked its usual drive. "Yeah, I'm ever dying before my time, I want you by my side," he confirmed, trying to be who he usually was.
In an oddly detached way, Jack was wondering if it would work even after Cal had died - if he showed up a few hours after death occurred, would the mutation still take? He tried to push away the morbid thoughts. "So, how much of that story does Steve know?"
"None of it," Cal replied, without an ounce of shame. Yeah, Steve was by far his best friend here, but Cal just didn't want to talk about this stuff with anyone, best friend or not. He'd only told Jack the bare bones of it because Jack had seen it in his expression - and because Jack had been through his own version of it.
Jack nodded. He'd have done the same, except unlike Cal, his choices had hurt other mutants, put them in danger. He had to be upfront about that. He just wanted to be sure he didn't mention something to Steve that Cal didn't want him to.
"So yeah, I'd appreciate it if it stayed between us, but..." Cal shrugged. He didn't have anything big riding on it. He just didn't want to have to talk about all this stuff. He pushed what remained of his eggs around in his plate, wondering if he would feel like eating them again or if he should just throw them away. No, that'd be a waste, and he forced himself to go for another forkful. Nothing to see here, right?
"Not a problem," Jack assured him. "Most people already know my story. Steve knows." Jack was guessing that might matter to Cal. "Except for the dying part. Didn't come up." Unless Harley had told him, and Steve just hadn't mentioned it, but Jack was fairly certain Steve would've asked about that.
"Well, you can bring it up whenever you like," Cal assured Jack. He wasn't one to go tell stories that weren't his.
"Looking forward to that," Jack said, taking a big gulp of the energy drink. Not an easy conversation to broach: By the way, I didn't just get experimented on, they shot me in the chest three times and I woke up in an incinerator. Just wait until we get to my family history!
Cal shrugged. "Up to you how personal you want to get." He paused. "This is probably when I should threaten bodily harm if you fuck him up, but I always thought that was awful for the person being 'protected'." Airquotes went with that word.
"Oh?" Jack gave him a curious look. He wasn't planning on hurting Steve... but then, he hadn't planned on hurting Curtis, either.
"Yeah, you know," Cal made a vague gesture with the hand holding his fork. "It's up to each person who they get involved with. Threatening bodily harm to who they're getting involved with is like saying I don't trust your judgment, or you're not responsible for your own choices?"
"I dunno," Jack mused. "Both parties have choices to make - threatening me says I better make good choices, since you trust that Steve will. Or maybe you don't care if Steve does or not, because you've got loyalty to him and not to me." Which was less off-the-cuff and more based-on-a-philosophy-class-question, but still. "Either way, it tells me that he's protected." Jack smiled again. "Which I'm glad to hear."
"Well, as long as you're happy," Cal smirked, not going to help himself, but finally able to finish his plate of eggs and tomatoes. He put his fork down and drank some of his juice.
Jack returned the smirk, scooping up his plate and reaching for Cal's too. Least he could do was handle dishes. "As long as I'm happy... and start playing basketball, right?"
"You read my mind, dude," Cal confirmed with a grin. "It's gonna be a blast, really."
"Then how can I possibly say no?" From the sink, Jack turned to give Cal a grin that had just a little extra to it. Considering all they'd covered, coming out smiling again was a pretty good turn around, and told Jack a lot about the other boy's character. And he'd only gotten vague, hypothetical threats about Steve, so that had to be a good sign too. "When do we play?"
