Terry looked at coffee table and tried not to let his mind slip back to what happened the day before. It wasn't working at all. For some odd reason, the ticking of a living room wall clock did nothing to ease his nerves. He took a deep breath and looked down at his brown boots. Max sat down in the chair across from where Terry was sitting. The young man went to her apartment earlier that day wanting to get his mind off of things, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy.
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"I haven't heard you say a sarcastic word all day. You're not getting all 'positive thoughts' on me, are you?" Max asked jokingly.
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Terry shot a glance her way and shook his head. Pushing his dark hair out of his eyes, he let out a sigh.
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"No, I-I'm just thinking ...about stuff."
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Max gave a grin and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table. "Well lighten up! We're teenagers, Terry. Enjoy the weekend! Seize the moment and all that philosophy crap! There's no school, Mr. Wayne hasn't been calling you up, and..."
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The words died on the young woman's full lips, along with the grin. "Is he ok? The old man and I have had our differences but, you could have told me something!"
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Terry shook his head and looked at her again. "Nah, he's fine. We had another fight yesterday. It's, uhm, complicated. Plus, I've been feeling pretty slagged all week."
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Max slid out of the chair, walked over to the couch and sat beside Terry. She knew something was happening with her friend and as usual, she was determined to squeeze all the information out of him.
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"So do you wanna talk about it? You usually have no problem telling me what's going on."
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Terry sat up straight and slightly turned around to face her. "If I tell you this, do you promise you won't freak out on me?" Max gave him an unsure look, but she finally spoke up. "I promise. Have I ever lied to you before?" Terry raised an eyebrow at her, and Max gave an almost sheepish smile. "Well, lately? Come on out with it."
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"Wayne... kissed me." Terry said. He felt as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders that was replaced by a heavier one.
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Total silence.
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Max's eyes and mouth widened, but he continued. "Yeah. I-I think that's why he called me over. When it was over, he said that it shouldn't have happened and he walked away. When I came back to the cave, I tried to talk about it, but then things got kinda ugly. "
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"He kissed you? Mr. Wayne? Bruce Wayne? Creepy Bruce *fucking* Wayne?! But he's.. he's.. oh wow."
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"Hey, you said that you wouldn't freak out and-" "I'm not! I-I was thinking that you quit! Hell, even that you were caught stealing creds again! But Mr. Wayne *kissed* you?" Terry gave a slow nod, and Max let out a whistle.
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She took a deep breath, then bit her lower lip in thought. Terry wasn't sure what she was thinking, and that made him even more nervous. Max tilted her head and looked at him.
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"Do you love him?"
"What?"
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"Do. you. love. him? This is a yes or no question. No multiple choice questions here, babe." Max said with a curious look in her dark eyes. Max then saw him give a dozen facial expressions. Terry opened his mouth during each one as if he was in an argument with himself
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. "Do I love him? Love? Well yeah, I *care* about him, but...I don't know. This is just too weird! Bruce probably invented the wheel and I'm getting all teen angst over here. None of this makes sense. He's tried several times to get me to leave. Maybe he's doing it again."
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"So why don't you?"
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"Max, I can't just leave him! He has no one else. He's on my ass most of the time, but I'm not leaving. I-I kinda owe him. I'd be back in juvie by now if it wasn't for him. There's no way in *hell* that I'm going back there."
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"Wow."
"Yeah."
"You are screwed, my pointy-eared friend."
"Tell me about it. This really sucks."
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Max put an arm around him and grinned. "If more things happen, let me in on the details."
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"So... you're ok with all of this?"
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"Well... I have to admit that it *is* pretty odd. It's like something out of " ", but you're my friend. It's strange and confusing, but it's pretty damn interesting. Your life is one big movie, Ter. Do you think that "
Terry gave a smirk and ruffled her pink hair. The young woman gave him a 'You are dead' look and hit him in the head with a throw pillow. "So what should I do? I haven't seen or talked to him since yesterday, and I just want to get back to being Batman again."
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Max gave him her trademark 'Yeah right' look.
"Believe it or not." Terry said.
"Uh huh. Well first off, what you *need* to do is grow a pair and talk to him, even if that means he won't talk with you. You've been through drama with Dana, and now this. Knowing Mr. Wayne, he's very stubborn. But then again, so are you."
"Yeah. I guess we'll just be two stubborn people, then."
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"Now you're talking."