Chapter Text
Captain Valentine looked at his mirror from the top of the menu, watching Captain Quadratic talk to the waiter. He had been talking for about ten minutes now to his unfortunate captive audience about the foundation of the diner had been formed out of, and where the concrete had been brought in from, the style of building. It wasn’t bad, but the conversation was far from graceful. There were only two other parties in the diner, meaning without their or the chefs intervention this awkward teen had no escape from Quadratic running his mouth-
No. He wasn’t supposed to talk about Quadratic that way. That’s what he had been told, and that he’d been trying to keep to heart. It was a reflection of the way he treated himself and both of them deserved better than that-
Did he HAVE to wear the Helmet? Did he have to turn this into an ordeal where people turned and whispered and he saw eyes peeking at them from the other seats in the diner? When he had specifically wanted this to not concern the Kerfuffle, to not be about work or the things their entire lives surrounded. Val loved the Kerfuffle, don’t get him wrong, but he had wanted to talk to Quadratic, man to man. Clone to Person who had their Genetic Makeup copied. Brother/Dad to a someone who is practically them but not. But whenever he was alone with Quadratic, he felt something burning in his chest, looking at him. Something in him wanted to yell in frustration when Quad did the slightest thing that set him off. But he didn’t even know what those could be sometimes! He got angry at Quad for having the same coffee tastes he did for gods sake. Sighing, Val put down his menu.
“Quad, did you pick what you want to get? I’m ready to order some food if you are.”
Catching Quad off guard, he finally looked away from the waiter to scan through the menu almost mechanically. They wiped their brow quickly in relief, turning to Val while Quad looked through the menu. “Uh, what did you want sir?”
“I’ll get a salad please, and a coffee-” Val paused. “No, uh. Just water. Just water for me.” The waiter nodded, writing it down before looking to Quad more hesitantly, afraid of being kept at the table longer. “I will also get a salad! And also, I will get a burger and fries and a coffee and a water thank you very much!” Quad said, handing his menu back to the waiter with a huge grateful smile on his face. “And lots of extra ketchup please.”
“Got it, I’ll be back soon with your orders sirs.” he said quickly before running off to the kitchen as fast as he could before he was trapped at the table again. It left the two of them there, in the booth staring at one another. Valentine looked at the table, flicking away a stray crumb missed in cleaning. Quadratic tapped his fingers together, smile unflinching.
“So, Quad. Are you still rooming with Blora? Last I heard you were on an air mattress in a spare room of his.”
“Yes! He has been gracious and cool and ‘bro-like’ enough to continue to house me while I search for a “Job” outside of the Kerfuffle!” Quad had moved onto taking a napkin out and beginning to fold it increasingly smaller for something for his hands to do. “There have been several out reaches to me since I am so great at math and figuring things out on the fly, but I have not liked any of them yet!”
“Yeah? Why’s that?” Val looked at the napkin in his hands, squinting as it was turned into more complex shapes. “I have decided. I kind of hate science a little bit! At least for now I do, and so even if I would be good at it, I don’t want to do it. Chili's has told me there is an opening at her place, and Big Yopper says he could use a hand for the local farmers market. So I have leads! Multiple! " Quad looked genuinely happy talking about the bright future ahead of him. After the scuffles at the whole tournament with the whole Cobalt situation, Val had worried about Quad a bit. It was really brave of him, and brought Val some hope that Quad was recovering well. Hope that if they had a chance to hang together like this, he wouldn't have the same hang ups he had before
The napkin has been expertly folded into a sunflower. Valentine doesn't know origami.
"And you?" Valentine looks up, slightly startled. "Huh?" he asks back, hands twitching. "You are... Well? Good? At least adequate? Therapuppy told me that you and I should try and talk more, and that she has been wondering how you are doing!"
Oh, her. "I mean, I'm going to be in the next Kerfuffle after a big pause from it- That's exciting, you know? I'm ready to get back in the ring after all this time." Val shudders at the thought of fighting Dani again. All the same, what a rush. "Though, announcing and fighting will be strange. Odd to give an introduction to myself, yeah?" he chuckles, as the waiter runs by to drop off their drinks.
"And, as for Therapuppy. Listen, I appreciate her checking up on people, I’d even call us friends, but I prefer my therapist to be someone... A little more disconnected with my job. A little less likely to be someone I randomly see in the ring or the sidelines, you know?"
Quad looked like he wanted to say something, but was at a loss for words. The waiter dropped the food on the table, giving him a distraction. "Oh good! Sustenance!" Quad exclaimed before ravenously digging into his meal. Val couldn't help but watch as Quadratic ate, absently poking at his salad. "You uh, sure you got enough food there buddy?" before taking a bite. Ugh. Maybe he should've gotten a burger too. At least it would've tasted good and not just been for his diet.
"This? This is normal for me! In my accelerated growth process it requires me to take in twice the amount of calories required by typical cis adult men, and the nutrients I was usually given were also confiscated along with the lab after the whole. You know. The." He tapped his fingers anxiously, in a way Val recognized from when he was younger. "The time you and I did a big fight! And all that other stuff that also happened after that.”
“Quad, were you...” Realization creeps into Valentines face, draining away the pink of his cheeks. “Were you not eating what you needed until you were taken in by Blora?” And, how would he have anyways? Technically, Quadratic was a criminal in assisting that woman, but that didn’t mean anyone was able to persecute him for any perceived crimes thanks to the Kerfuffle. But the Kerfuffle didn’t mean squat if Quadratic had just been out there on his own, not taking in any winnings or having a job of his own. A small pit formed in his stomach thinking of Quad out on the streets before someone had given him a chance.
“It was fine!” Quadratic chirps without a second thought. “After all, I am here now, and much better. And having food with you instead of fighting you! I think that is a marked improvement than before.” Valentine frowned. “But have you talked to Therapuppy about it? I just...”
“Captain Valentine, are you worried for me?” As he says it, Quadratics face lights up like it’s Christmas morning.
“Yyyyyyes? Why wouldn’t I be?” Val asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Three things! Number One, Therapuppy and I have discussed many things, and I promise that I am not in any distress as of late regarding the very recent things that may have happened to me! Two, in the past, you and I have had a less than positive relationship, though I appreciate you saying you would host the Kerfuffle Blora and those others are setting up! Three, you have demonstrated behaviours that suggest that you are uncomfortable around me as your clone.”
Oh. So he said it out loud.
“And I believe that... is the truth.”
All of it out loud.
“But you wanted to eat food with me. You wanted to see me. It made me excited! That you were not avoiding me like some other clone and donor pairs.” Quad said, looking out the window. “That there is a chance for us to reconcile a little. I was looking forward to today.”
“I... I was looking forward to today too, Quadratic.” He shouldn’t be lying to him. It wasn’t as if he hated Quad. Really the opposite, he wanted to connect with Quads so badly. But he wanted to tell Quadratic outright how upsetting looking at him could be sometimes, but that he knew it wasn’t Quads fault. He just didn’t want to look in a mirror and dislike the reflection anymore. The withered salad left mostly untouched, he called the waiter over again. “Let me pay, and maybe we can move somewhere else. Somewhere where we won’t be bothered.”
“But no one has bothered us here?”
“Well. Okay, I just would rather be somewhere outside I guess, a little less. Ya know. People watching us.”
Quadratic looks surprised. “People are watching us?”
Valentine shrugs. “Well, yeah. We’re pretty much celebrities. Though, people don’t usually notice if I don’t have my helmet on.” he responded, tapping the side of his own head and looking expectantly at Quad. His clone doesn’t respond, eyes searching side to side for some sort of explanation. Val sighs, and leaves several wads on the table.
“Let’s just get going. We can talk at my shop.”
Quadratic stood up, enthusiastic. "Right, the flower shop! Your flower shop. I have always wanted to see it in person." He put down payment for his meal on the table and looked ready to run off with Val before this chance passed him by. Valentine chuckled, leaving his own payment next to it. "Hey, it's just a little place. I'll drive you over so you don't have to call Blora to pick you up."
The duo left, Captain Quadratic crawling into the shotgun of Valentine's convertible before it took off down the road. “I was given a crash course in your history, but most of it was focused on your battles and career announcing for the Kerfuffle. But on my own time, I have seen many pictures of the flower shop, but never the storefront itself. This is exciting!”
“I mean, it’s just a flower shop. Though I like to think it’s pretty darn nice.” Val had studied being a florist long before he ever chose to become a fighter. The Kerfuffle had given it a boom of sorts- though most of the time, people were more interested in seeing him than they were flowers, or getting a chance to buy an arrangement from him. Kerfuffle had given him so, so much. But maybe not enough.
Pulling into the parking lot, the two exited the car and headed inside. Val tutted at a display of Roses, wilting already. "That's what I get for forgetting to put these back in the fridge. You want to take any to Blora when you go?"