[audio]

[the_prodigal_son]

One of the security guards is a dickhead and I hate him.

[And that... seems to be all he has to say on the matter. Though this will be the first time anyone has heard such earnest hostility from the local oversized puppy.]

Comments

[tofudog]

Jack! Jack?

[ :( ]

C'mon, buddy, snap out of it! It's okay! Dude, you're freaking me out!

[He's panicking a little, and his mouth is spitting out whatever comes to mind. As far as he knows he's making things worse, but Beast Boy isn't giving up until he undoes some of the damage! He approaches Jack cautiously, and reaches out to touch his arm.]

You're okay, right...?

[the_prodigal_son]

[He tenses up when touched, but at least he doesn't lash out. He can't speak anymore, though, so he just curls up tighter and continues to sob.

But then, a minute later, he starts calming down. He doesn't look at Beast Boy, but.. he owes him an explanation. That Accu-Vox has got to be in here somewhere... Jack suddenly shifts off of the bed and searches through his dresser until he pulls out what looks like an old-timey tape recorder. He fishes a tape out of his sweater and puts it in before handing it to Beast Boy, still not making eye contact. The tape is labeled "Mind Control Test".]

Don't listen to it near me. I think the words still work on me. But... uh... [He sniffs.] I- I hate dogs. [More like they make him miserable. There's no heat in the statement, and he barely speaks above a whisper.]

[tofudog]

[Well, Jack didn't break his arm clean off. He takes that as a good sign. Beast Boy accepts the tape recorder curiously. He guesses he better listen to it, since that's what his friend wants. He's not sure leaving Jack alone is a great idea, though.]

I'll be right back, okay? Don't like, go anywhere. Or do anything. Um. Okay.

[Beast Boy slips out the door and, since Kanji's in their shared room, transforms into a spider monkey and climbs to the roof for privacy before playing the tape. It takes him a minute to figure out which button to press, but when he does he goes from concern to shock to rage.

He's still breathing heavily when he reappears at Jack's door. He doesn't say anything, just puts down the tape recorder, walks across the room, and gives him a hug.

Is that shredded pieces of shingles clinging to his uniform? Jack missed a hell of a tantrum.]

[the_prodigal_son]

[Jack doesn't question the debris, he's too busy hugging Beast Boy right back and melting in the embrace. There it is, this is proof that Beast Boy can be trusted. No doubt anyone else would have gladly used the words against him if they knew them, but Beast Boy is a saint.

Of course, Jack likes dogs. He is a glorified puppy. So the fact that he'll no longer get to see BB turn into any is sad, but it's better than the abstract fear and misery that Suchong imprinted on the species for him.]

I don't like remembering Rapture. I hated it. I like it here. [He stares at the Accu-Vox as he speaks.] That asshole security guard reminds me of Rapture.

[tofudog]

[Jack's protests and the puppy's death are still echoing in his ears, making his eyes water and his nose run. When stuff gets personal like this, he's always been a secret rage-crier.]

I'm glad those guys are dead.

[Which is easy to say while he's still mad, but he'll feel bad about it later. That's not what the hero he's trying to be would think. Beast Boy wipes his nose on his own sleeve.]

[the_prodigal_son]

Me too. [He curls up around Beast Boy, laying his head on top of BB's and holding him like a teddy bear.

Jack has never had a problem wanting people dead. He's never known anything else. His parents used to tell him that killing was okay as long as it was in self-defense, and even though he knows they aren't real he doesn't know what real parents are like anyway. Tenenbaum is the closest he ever knew, all he learned from her is that hurting children is not acceptable.]