"-I don't know. I'm hanging around with a jerk and a junkie with EMP arrows or something. What kind of a future is that?"

Jenny nods slowly, actually taking the time to consider her words before she speaks them. It pains her to ask this next question, but she does anyhow:

"Have you asked Clark about it?"

"No."

Quietly, "Maybe you should?"

Shrug.

Which means: maybe.

"I, um."

This sort of hurts to say. Stupid Clark Kent.

"I think I'd talk to him before worrying too much? I think... I think Clark's too dull to trust people like that."

"He's friends with me," Bart points out.

Helpful, isn't he.

She wrinkles her nose and finally stands from the bed. That makes it easier to cross her arms over her chest and give Bart the look he so very much deserves.

"What?"

"What?"

"Don't you ever say that again, Bart Allen!"

Those weren't tears stinging her eyes, were they? Why didn't he have any idea just how brilliant an individual he was?

"You're the best person I know."

"No," he says, carefully, "I'm not."

He has no illusions about that. Part-time hero work aside, he's still just a thief and something of a bastard and if it weren't for certain superpowers, he'd be your dime-a-dozen streetkid.

Edited 2008-10-28 07:47 pm (UTC)

Her head tilts a little and her hands move to her hips.

"Why not?"

Shrug.


It's a 'you haven't noticed?' sort of shrug.

She hasn't.

So Jenny shakes her head in a very doubtful sort of way.

"Do you want to know why I think you're the best person I know?"

Doubtful look.

But okay, he'll hear her out.

"You don't care what other people think of you," Jenny begins, walking over and taking his hand in hers. "You don't judge other people. I think you really do care about others even when you have a hard time trusting them otherwise you wouldn't have come with me to New Thal. Because I saw you there and that wasn't just about making me feel better."

She pause for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. "You're a hero. And a survivor. And you believe in second chances or I don't think we'd be talking right now."

"Ye-ah."

Running a little low on belief, here. ._.

"I'm not a hero."

"You're not?"

You could've fooled her.

"No."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Why not?"

Shrug. "I'm just... I'm not, okay?"

"Why?"

Helpful shrug.




Still trying. It's not easy, though!

"Bart," she says softly and gently. "Please give me a reason?"

"I'm just not, okay? The criminal thing kind of gets in the way."


And obvsly, he never does anything heroic.