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Summary: Stopping a thief, Aaron ends up bringing home a stray.
Date: June 10, 2009
Stop Thief?
Rating: PG
A basic patrol day leads the Avenger helping officer to Brooklyn. He's just walking along with a smile on his face. It's actually a rather nice day for Aaron. He has no complaints, nor has any real issues. Sure, he'd like his powers back, but, he's ok with the ones he has.
One young man's normally out in Brooklyn these days. Tim Olsen, dressed in scavenged jeans and a t-shirt, is lurking in an alley tonight. Dripping a little green slime on the ground, he's unaware of the cop. This proves to be a bad thing as he makes his move a moment later. After a few seconds…"STOP! Thief!" comes from a store owner who's displays was just robbed of two armfulls of food. Tim, bright red hair a bit slicked back right now, is running for it!
Hearing the call, Aaron spins around quickly, feet icing beneath his body as he creates a lightly slick patch just above the common walking area. That way, nobody else accidentally slips on it. "Freeze!" He calls before catching himself and shaking his head. "God, that was cliche." He says, moving to follow after Tim. "Kid, you need to stop!"
Startled and almost stumbling, Tim glances over his shoulder. "Holy…" he yelps, accent still there even after all those years. Ice-cop is a new one to him. Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and shifting his backpack full of stolen food onto his back, Tim's shoes start to leak a blue slime. And suddenly, he's skating along on slick blue slime. "Sorry, officer but I just can't do that!" he calls.
The kid's a mutant. Or something. He's got powers either way. Continuing his chase, Aaron flings a ball of slush at the kid, trying that to get him to stop. "I said Stop! Don't make me call for backup. I don't want to hurt you." He sees what the kid has and knows there has to be something more to the story, but… what more can he do?
Tim lets out a yelp as he gets slushed in the back of the head. Falling, he ends up sliding down the sidewalk on his side for a decent distance thanks to his slimy coating. He ends up knocking a few people over and strangely enough, yells back apologies. "And I told ya I can't! Really not lookin' for a fight!" he calls back. "Sorry!" he adds, tossing a ball of green slime back at Aaron to try and distract him before skating off again. Even if he gets away, he seems to be forgetting he's leaving a trail to follow.
"And I can't stop until you're stopped." Aaron says as his form ices over. The slime hits, but he catches himself. OF course, the green slime probably won't last long in his cold state. This is New York, though. People are used to this sort of thing.
The slime may harden thanks to getting cold but it doesn't stick to ice all that well. As such, it's falling off and going SPLAT on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, Tim's busy scrambling into the window of an abandoned warehouse.
Looking around the warehouse the kid gets into, Aaron starts freezing over the entrances, exits, and windows, leaving only one open as he slides in it, himself. It takes time, so the kid might be able to get away, if he tries.
Tim isn't trying to get away so much as hide. Thankfully, the trail of slime dies off but the kid's a bit panicked. Risks are one thing but he's never had to try escaping from another guy with powers before. Hiding himself in the bathroom, he's hiding under the sink and watching the door carefully.
Walking around slowly, Aaron calls out, "Kid, come on. Lets just get the stuff you stole and take it back to the shopkeeper. I just want to talk to you. I promise. If you come out and talk to me, and we get things squared away, I won't turn you in. Ok?" He pitches his voice to carry. He sounds honest enough. Slowly, he moved towards the bathroom.
Tim keeps the backpack behind him, frowning slightly. He remains quiet, not wanting to give away where he is and not knowing Aaron's right out there. Since he's nervous, he's started dripping green slime again. "No, no, no…" he mutters, trying to figure out a way out of all this.
"Kid, I promise." Aaron says as he opens the bathroom door. "If you're in here and you come talk to me, we can figure this out and get things done right." He is just working his way in very slowly, making sure not to sneak up on anyone.
Not easy to sneak up when making noise stepping through a puddle os slime so it's all good. "No," Tim says, getting out from under the sink and stepping away from Aaron. "Can't give ya the food back…can't let ya bring me in…"
Hearing the voice, Aaron closes the door behind him and freezes it over. "I told you. I won't turn you in if you give up the stuff you stole and talk to me. What happened? Why are you stealing food?" He asks, kneeling down to see where the voice came from.
Tim is in the far corner of the bathroom, in the corner with his knees pulled to his chest. He jumps when he sees Aaron kneel down, raising his hands in front of himself. "Stealing food so I can eat it. Why else would I take it?" he asks.
"Where are your parents? Why aren't they providing for you?" Aaron asks, remaining where he is. "Kid, relax." He says, icing down, so that he appears to be less of a threat. "I won't hurt you. I'm just trying to figure out what makes a kid go out and steal like that. You obviously aren't enjoying it."
Tim looks away. "They're over at St. Ivory's," he murmurs, naming the cemetary. "And ofcourse I'm not enjoying having to steal from people but it's this or dumpster divin' and I'm dirty enough…just ruin it for the other divers…" he says.
"Oh, kid…" Aaron says, shaking his head, actual sympathy in there. He ponders for a moment. "Let me guess. No other family, so they put you with some shitty foster family that only wanted you for the money." He says with a nod. "How old are ya, kid? And how long until you turn 18?" He asks, moving in a little closer.
"Dunno what they wanted. Like to think they were good people but…tossed me out first sign of slime…" Tim trails off, shaking his head. Part of him's wondering how he went from running for his life to explaining the story of said life but he goes on. "Seventeen…and I dunno. How long till it's July?"
"It's June now." Aaron says with a nod as he looks the kid over. "Shit. When are people going to realize that we're just as human as they are?" He asks, softly, shaking his head. "I'll make a deal with you. If you take the food back, I'll show you where I live, and you can come and eat there when you want. And clean up when you want. I even have a spare bedroom if you want to use it. Since there's only a month until you're legally an adult. I mean… I know it's… I shouldn't do it. But there's a right and a wrong. And I can't leave you out here like this."
"Not too long then I guess. I get older when the fireworks go off," Tim says, gesturing in the direction of the river. He looks up, surprised by the offer and then again by how close he let Aaron get. "What?" he asks, watching Aaron carefully and wondering if its a trick.
Aaron extends a hand. "My name is Officer Aaron Simmons. I'm a member of NYPD. I'm also helping the Avengers on some cases. If that doesn't vouch for my validity, I don't know what will." He says softly. "So your birthday is July 4th. Less than a month." He says with a nod. "Seriously. If you can NOT steal for a bit, I can give you a place to crash and food to eat. Then, when you're legally able, we can see about getting you a job so you can get on your own two feet. I don't mind helping with that, as long as you'll do things right."
Tim looks at the hand offered, then down at his own. Wiping the slime off on the wall, he reaches out for a quick handshake. He still manages to leave Aaron's hand slimy. "Sorry," he mumbles. "I'm…Timothy but call me Tim," he adds. "I…can stay at your place?" he asks. "And eat your food?" there's another pause. "Is there anything I can do to not have to give the food back? I'm hungry…"
"Kid. I'll take you to my home. I have lots of food there. I promise." Aaron looks down at the slime and shrugs, sniffing it lightly. "Though, I AM a vegetarian…" He says with a bit of a shrug. "And when I get my real powers back, I grow all the fresh produce I want." He says with a grin. "Please? Will you do that?"
The slime's got a vaguely mint scent but it'll taste bad, like toothpaste and orange juice, if tasted. "Real powers? What're ya talkin' about?" Tim asks, reaching up to brush some water from the slush off the back of his head. "And you're just gonna take me to where ya live? Not down to the jail?"
"Someone screwed up a whole bunch of people's powers. I'm a florakinetic. I grow and control plants." Aaron says with a grin. He reaches out a hand to attempt to brush it through Tim's hair if he's allowed to. "I swear on my badge that I won't take you down to the station if you do your best to live properly while you're with me. Ok? Is that good enough?" He really is a good cop. They're rare, but they do exist.
Tim tenses slightly but allows the hand through his hair…and slime. Bright red hair and green slime. He seems to be debating the decision but his risk taking nature wins out. "Alright."
"Good kid. We won't even take my car. I don't use it anyway. We'll take a special path that I can use that nobody else can, ok?" Aaron says with a grin. "Or are you afraid of heights?" He asks, standing up and extending his hand to the kid.
Tim stands slowly. "Well…I dunno. I've never been up too high before," he says. Hesitating, he takes the hand offered.
"Alright. First, we'll take the food back, and you'll apologize. Then, we'll go home. Ok? You can call me Aaron. Or, whatever you want." the cop says with a grin, rising and letting the ice suddenly melt away.
Tim makes a face at the news. "Apologize…again?" he mutters, not eager to face the shop keeper once more. He shakes off the slime, free of it for now and revealing he's a bit pale underneath. "Aaron…" he nods.
"Really. It's ok. They know me and know I'll do the right thing. They're actually fairly understanding." Aaron chuckles as he begins walking towards the exit, to lead him to the shop. Once the food is returned and apologies made, Aaron will begin an ice slide, while carrying Tim tightly against him to get him home.
Tim follows Aaron silently, not looking forward to the apology. He makes the apology, even adding in another for getting slime on their floor. Turning over the food with a little sigh, he turns back to Aaron. When the ice sliding happens, Tim's a bit surprised to be held so tightly against Aaron. He glances up at the man.
After the slide, he brings them down to a small house in Queens, letting Tim go when they touch ground. "Sorry. DIdn't want you to fall." He says with a grin, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. He opens it wide, and extends a hand. "After you." He says. There's a… lot of plants here. Fortunately, they're all normal if large. He points to the second bedroom in the corner and says, "That's the one you can use. That's mine. And there's the kitchen. Eat. Eat." He says, making shooing motions.
Tim shakes his head. "Its…okay…" he says, eyes lingering on Aaron a few moments. When gestured inside, Tim goes carefully. Looking around, his eyes go wide. "Woah…" he says, poking a leaf. "Haven' seen so many plants in a long time outside one of the parks," he mumbles. "What? Just…go and take whatever I want?" he asks, heading into the kitchen."
"Wait until you see the beds. The beds ARE trees, earth, and moss. Very comfortable, but a little in the… not as clean sideto some people. But thats what showers are for." Aaron laughs softly. "Yes, eat anything you like. I promise you, it's perfectly fine. You're welcome here as long as you obey the one rule, ok? Don't worry." Aaron says, closing the door behind them as he moves to sit on the couch, stripping out of his uniform shirt to reveal a white t underneath. "Welcome to a temporary home."
Tim leans back and gives Aaron a look when he says 'not as clean'. "Seriously?" he asks, gesturing to some of the slime left on Aaron's uniform. "One rule?" he asks, pausing at the doorway to watch Aaron's shirt come off.
"Be good. Don't steal. Don't hurt anyone. Just live and be a good person." Aaron says with a grin as he turns on the TV, leaning back against the couch. "That fine with you?"
Tim tilts his head. "That's four rules," he says, teasing a bit. Biting his lip, he turns back to walk towards the couch instead of into the kitchen.
