Philip and Midnighter - backdated
Jun. 25th, 2014 02:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
om_midnighter posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
om_mainMidnighter decides to bring up his issues with Scott's team selection criteria with Philip. It goes a lot less badly than expected.
Midnighter had thought about what Talon had told him - speak to Philip - and he had to admit that it made sense. He felt much less kinship with the guy than with Shatterstar or Talon, but even without knowing everything about him, it was easy to see why he would be a good person to come to when it came to this stuff. Midnighter didn't know him enough to trust his tactical decisions, but he figured he was about to find out.
After their weekly spar, of course.
He gave Coulson a minute to catch his breath, monitoring his vitals until Midnighter felt confident that it wasn't too early to hold a conversation - even breathing, slower heartbeat, lower tension.
"You're involved with Summers' team," he stated evenly, watching the other kid.
"I am," Philip said simply as he worked through his post-routine. He had the luxury of time, so he stretched carefully, feeling out the muscles and joints to be sure nothing was a problem. While keeping half an eye on his partner, of course. He'd wondered if they were going to have this conversation...
"You agree with his selection criteria?" Midnighter asked simply. It was what it all boiled down to, now that he had had time to cool down.
And here we have this again, Philip thought sourly. "For the most part," he said evenly. "In the interest of full disclosure, I'm more doing this with Scott, not for him. We have different skill sets."
"The most part," Midnighter echoed, because that clearly meant not all of it. And yeah, he wanted more on that, especially if Coulson was working with Summers, like he said.
"I assume this is about the exceptions to the roster then," Philip continued. If he managed to get through this entire business without a migraine, it'd be a miracle.
"Fuck no, it's about that stupid fucking rule," Midnighter replied bluntly. Both Talon and Shatterstar had what it took to be on that kind of team, and then some. He had no issue with the exceptions, but with the need for exceptions. "You said for the most part," he repeated himself, although he hated having to do that. But yeah, he wanted to know which part of it Coulson had issues with.
"The eighteen and over rule?" Philip asked. "That's a legal, cover our ass thing. I'm well aware of the fact that physical age has very little to do with actual maturity but the law isn't rational. There's also a good chance that unless we're extremely careful, anything we do will count as vigilantism. Good Samaritan rules only do so much, the reason that group in Canada are able to be so open is that they're government sanctioned. I will not, technically, be doing any possible field work until after July myself."
Midnighter was of the firm belief that that was a load of bullshit no matter what, but he, perhaps surprisingly, was going to let that rest for now. Because it hadn't escaped his notice that Coulson still hadn't answered his question, so fine, he would spell it the fuck out. "What is it you don't agree with?"
"I'm somewhat on the fence about Benjamin," Philip replied. "Though I understand Scott's reasoning. Laura's inclusion was an entirely separate issue which I don't have a problem with." Philip paused then, looking decidedly sour. "And to be blunt, and no, not in reference to yourself, I'm tired of people treating the situation as though we were going out of our way to exclude."
Midnighter's ever-present frown deepened slightly when Coulson finally answered him, because he hadn't expected that. Shatterstar was a 'yes' and then some, as far as he was concerned. He'd trust the kid with his back, which was saying something. Then again, he would also trust Paul with it, but he wasn't sure he was ready for field action just yet. But Coulson wasn't done talking, and Midnighter listened, then let a beat go by.
"Well, that's a very mild kind of 'blunt'," he pointed out, because seriously. That kind of disclaimer, he'd expected something entirely different. "I have no clue how 'people' are treating the situation. I just think that rule's a fucking stupid rule, especially if you're making exceptions to it."
"So far the only two exceptions are Ben and Laura and I don't see that changing. Ben I covered, Laura..." How to explain this one. "Laura made herself the exception. She's been living and breathing protecting the school since she got here and nothing anyone will say is going to make her stop. I would rather factor that in and coordinate then have us running into each other at cross purposes.
"As far as the others, most of the kids at this school are just that, kids. And they're sometimes kids with an over-inflated sense of their own experience and an under-appreciation of their own mortality. I suppose that's part and parcel of being a teenager, but I'm not letting them get themselves killed because I'm the big bad that kept them out of the cool kids club."
"And turning eighteen changes that?" Midnighter retorted. Serious-the-fuck-ly. Whatever. Anybody that viewed the team as the cool kids club shouldn't be on it, anyway, that much they agreed on. "I don't object to the exceptions. Both of them ought to be on that team, if they want to be. I'm saying the exceptions make the rule not just stupid, but kinda fucking pointless as well."
Philip sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Here was why he'd occasionally questioned how good an idea this was at all. "There has to be a dividing line on situations somewhere, in my opinion, beyond what I've already covered, age is a convenient one. Frankly, I have too many demands on my time as it is. If I can head off an incessant argument over a no with 'you're not old enough', so much the better. It's funny how telling someone they're disqualified due to immaturity tends to make them act even more immature."
There was a hint of a smile slightly lifting one corner of Midnighter's lips. Fucking finally, some actual truth. "Yeah. Now that I don't have to call bullshit." He thought it was a fucking cop-out, but at least Coulson was honest about it, although it had taken some insisting to get the truth out of him. There was never any risk of the guy actually being blunt, it seemed. "I'll be working with Surge's team. Hopefully it won't be about convenience half as much."
"Yes, because that's the thing to take away from this," Philip said tartly. There was a part of him that thought it was unfair, how god-damned old these conversations made him feel. "For whatever it's worth, I'm glad you're working with her group. Some of them have a lot of potential."
"Yeah," Midnighter confirmed, "I'm glad as well." It wasn't often he would use that kind of word in relation to himself, but there he went. And as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over, unless Coulson had more he wanted to say, or find out. "Same time next week?" Just because he disagreed with Coulson on, it turned out, some pretty fucking essential things, didn't mean he would put a stop to their sparring. It just meant he was not any more reassured about what might happen to Summers' team.
"Of course," Philip said with a nod. It wasn't a particularly good end to the conversation but at least there weren't slamming doors. He'd take it where he could find it, it seemed.
Midnighter had thought about what Talon had told him - speak to Philip - and he had to admit that it made sense. He felt much less kinship with the guy than with Shatterstar or Talon, but even without knowing everything about him, it was easy to see why he would be a good person to come to when it came to this stuff. Midnighter didn't know him enough to trust his tactical decisions, but he figured he was about to find out.
After their weekly spar, of course.
He gave Coulson a minute to catch his breath, monitoring his vitals until Midnighter felt confident that it wasn't too early to hold a conversation - even breathing, slower heartbeat, lower tension.
"You're involved with Summers' team," he stated evenly, watching the other kid.
"I am," Philip said simply as he worked through his post-routine. He had the luxury of time, so he stretched carefully, feeling out the muscles and joints to be sure nothing was a problem. While keeping half an eye on his partner, of course. He'd wondered if they were going to have this conversation...
"You agree with his selection criteria?" Midnighter asked simply. It was what it all boiled down to, now that he had had time to cool down.
And here we have this again, Philip thought sourly. "For the most part," he said evenly. "In the interest of full disclosure, I'm more doing this with Scott, not for him. We have different skill sets."
"The most part," Midnighter echoed, because that clearly meant not all of it. And yeah, he wanted more on that, especially if Coulson was working with Summers, like he said.
"I assume this is about the exceptions to the roster then," Philip continued. If he managed to get through this entire business without a migraine, it'd be a miracle.
"Fuck no, it's about that stupid fucking rule," Midnighter replied bluntly. Both Talon and Shatterstar had what it took to be on that kind of team, and then some. He had no issue with the exceptions, but with the need for exceptions. "You said for the most part," he repeated himself, although he hated having to do that. But yeah, he wanted to know which part of it Coulson had issues with.
"The eighteen and over rule?" Philip asked. "That's a legal, cover our ass thing. I'm well aware of the fact that physical age has very little to do with actual maturity but the law isn't rational. There's also a good chance that unless we're extremely careful, anything we do will count as vigilantism. Good Samaritan rules only do so much, the reason that group in Canada are able to be so open is that they're government sanctioned. I will not, technically, be doing any possible field work until after July myself."
Midnighter was of the firm belief that that was a load of bullshit no matter what, but he, perhaps surprisingly, was going to let that rest for now. Because it hadn't escaped his notice that Coulson still hadn't answered his question, so fine, he would spell it the fuck out. "What is it you don't agree with?"
"I'm somewhat on the fence about Benjamin," Philip replied. "Though I understand Scott's reasoning. Laura's inclusion was an entirely separate issue which I don't have a problem with." Philip paused then, looking decidedly sour. "And to be blunt, and no, not in reference to yourself, I'm tired of people treating the situation as though we were going out of our way to exclude."
Midnighter's ever-present frown deepened slightly when Coulson finally answered him, because he hadn't expected that. Shatterstar was a 'yes' and then some, as far as he was concerned. He'd trust the kid with his back, which was saying something. Then again, he would also trust Paul with it, but he wasn't sure he was ready for field action just yet. But Coulson wasn't done talking, and Midnighter listened, then let a beat go by.
"Well, that's a very mild kind of 'blunt'," he pointed out, because seriously. That kind of disclaimer, he'd expected something entirely different. "I have no clue how 'people' are treating the situation. I just think that rule's a fucking stupid rule, especially if you're making exceptions to it."
"So far the only two exceptions are Ben and Laura and I don't see that changing. Ben I covered, Laura..." How to explain this one. "Laura made herself the exception. She's been living and breathing protecting the school since she got here and nothing anyone will say is going to make her stop. I would rather factor that in and coordinate then have us running into each other at cross purposes.
"As far as the others, most of the kids at this school are just that, kids. And they're sometimes kids with an over-inflated sense of their own experience and an under-appreciation of their own mortality. I suppose that's part and parcel of being a teenager, but I'm not letting them get themselves killed because I'm the big bad that kept them out of the cool kids club."
"And turning eighteen changes that?" Midnighter retorted. Serious-the-fuck-ly. Whatever. Anybody that viewed the team as the cool kids club shouldn't be on it, anyway, that much they agreed on. "I don't object to the exceptions. Both of them ought to be on that team, if they want to be. I'm saying the exceptions make the rule not just stupid, but kinda fucking pointless as well."
Philip sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Here was why he'd occasionally questioned how good an idea this was at all. "There has to be a dividing line on situations somewhere, in my opinion, beyond what I've already covered, age is a convenient one. Frankly, I have too many demands on my time as it is. If I can head off an incessant argument over a no with 'you're not old enough', so much the better. It's funny how telling someone they're disqualified due to immaturity tends to make them act even more immature."
There was a hint of a smile slightly lifting one corner of Midnighter's lips. Fucking finally, some actual truth. "Yeah. Now that I don't have to call bullshit." He thought it was a fucking cop-out, but at least Coulson was honest about it, although it had taken some insisting to get the truth out of him. There was never any risk of the guy actually being blunt, it seemed. "I'll be working with Surge's team. Hopefully it won't be about convenience half as much."
"Yes, because that's the thing to take away from this," Philip said tartly. There was a part of him that thought it was unfair, how god-damned old these conversations made him feel. "For whatever it's worth, I'm glad you're working with her group. Some of them have a lot of potential."
"Yeah," Midnighter confirmed, "I'm glad as well." It wasn't often he would use that kind of word in relation to himself, but there he went. And as far as he was concerned, the conversation was over, unless Coulson had more he wanted to say, or find out. "Same time next week?" Just because he disagreed with Coulson on, it turned out, some pretty fucking essential things, didn't mean he would put a stop to their sparring. It just meant he was not any more reassured about what might happen to Summers' team.
"Of course," Philip said with a nod. It wasn't a particularly good end to the conversation but at least there weren't slamming doors. He'd take it where he could find it, it seemed.
