Work Text:
“I should warn you… Noah’s in a bit of a mood,” Olivia said, pulling on her jacket as she checked her phone again.
"Is he gonna give me a hard time?” Jet asked
Olivia shook her head, sighing softly. “No. He’s just… quiet. A little withdrawn today. Nothing major. He’ll be okay. I just… wanted you to be prepared.”
“Got it. Quiet, withdrawn, sad, whatever. I can handle it.” Jet said
Olivia grabbed her keys, stopping for a brief moment to study look at jet “Thanks for this, Jet. I really owe you one.”
Jet waved her off with a casual shrug. “Please. Noah’s a great kid. We’ll be fine. You go do your thing, handle the bad guys and make the city a slightly safer place.”
Olivia gave her a grateful. “I’ll be back around 10:30. And if he gives you trouble—”
“I’ll hack his phone,” Jet said with a smirk
Olivia looked at her with a smile and left soon after
As the door clicked shut behind Olivia, Jet turned toward the living room. Noah was curled up on the couch, hood up, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on his phone
“Hey,” he muttered, barely looking up.
“Hey yourself,” Jet said, "So… I have a theory. Your mom has a secret junk-food stash. We could raid it. Throw on a terrible horror movie. One with practical effects, bad acting, And call it quality bonding time.”
Noah shook his head without looking up. “I’m good. I’ve got homework.”
“Offer stands,” Jet said lightly. “I’ll be right here if you feel like procrastinating like a normal teenager.”
He gave a brief nod, disappeared down the hall, and closed his bedroom door quietly.
Jet sighed and sank into the couch, kicking off her boots. She flipped through the channels until she landed on an old, grainy ‘80s slasher, the kind with fake blood and terrible acting She grabbed a bowl of chips from the kitchen
About an hour later, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Noah eased back into the living room, moving quietly, He sat beside her on the couch and grabbed a handful of chips.
A few minutes passed in silence.
"I know My mom told you I’ve been in a mood,” Noah finally said, his voice quiet, hesitant
Jet muted the TV and turned toward him, giving him her full attention. “She said you’ve been quiet. Want to tell me why?”
Noah stared at the TV screen, still avoiding her gaze. “There’s this guy at school. Ryan.”
“Is he giving you trouble? Bullying you?”Jet asked with concern in her voice
“No,” Noah said quickly. “He’s… actually too nice.”
Jet tilted her head. “Too nice?”
He swallowed hard, exhaling slowly. “I kinda… sort of have a crush on him.”
Jet nodded once, calm and matter-of-fact. “Okay. And I’m guessing he doesn’t feel the same way?”
Noah’s shoulders slumped. “He’s dating this girl, Ainsley. She’s really nice. Like, really nice. They’re great together, which somehow makes it worse.”
Jet’s voice softened. “I hear you. That’s rough"
“I can’t even be mad,” Noah said, running a hand through his hair. “They’re not doing anything wrong. She’s smart, funny… like I totally understand why he likes her, I just feel… small, I guess. Invisible.”
Jet put the chip bowl aside, turning to face him fully. “Noah, feelings don’t take direction. You like who you like. And it’s okay for it to hurt sometimes. It doesn’t make you any less smart, any less kind, or any less important. It just… hurts because your heart is big. And that’s a good thing. A really good thing.”
He leaned back, arms crossed, exhaling slowly. “I just… wish I could turn it off. Like flip a switch.”
Jet smiled softly. “If only it worked like that. But, hey… you’re resilient. And you’re allowed to feel everything. That’s what makes you… you.”
Noah gave her a small, tentative smile. “Thanks, Jet.”
“Anytime,” she said, unmuting the TV. “Now come on, let’s watch ridiculously attractive people make terrible choices.”
Noah smirked and settled back into the cushions. They watched the movie until the credits rolled
Noah stretched, yawning. “I think I should start getting ready for bed.”
“Sounds good,” Jet said, checking her watch.
Noah hesitated, looking down at his hands. “Hey… thanks for tonight. This is the first time in a while I haven’t been thinking about… you know who.”
“I’m glad,” Jet said gently.
"Can you not tell my mom what I told you?” Noah asked
Jet blinked. “I thought she knew you liked boys.”
“She knows I’m bi,” Noah said with a shrug. “But she doesn’t need to know about this crush. Not right now.”
Jet nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
He gave her a small, grateful smile before heading to his room.
About half an hour later, Olivia came home. Jet looked up. “Hey, Cap. How was it?”
“We arrested the guy without incident,” Olivia replied, tired but relieved.
“Good.” Jet said
Olivia glanced toward the hallway. “How was Noah? Did he behave?”
Jet smiled softly. “Of course. You raised a great kid.”
Olivia Relaxed. “Thanks. And thank you for being here for him tonight.”
“He was in a mood at first, but we talked. He’s fine now,” Jet said.
Olivia exhaled slowly. “Did he… tell you why he was upset?”
Jet shook her head gently. “I promised him I wouldn’t say. But it’s nothing bad, I swear.”
Olivia gave her a small nod, trusting her completely. They said goodbye, and Jet left
Olivia walked down the hall to Noah’s room. The door was ajar, She knocked softly. “Hey, sweetheart. Can I come in?”
Noah looked up from his phone. “Yeah, Mom.”
She stepped inside and sat at the foot of his bed. “Jet told me you were in a bit of a mood tonight,” she said carefully.
Noah groaned. “I knew she’d say something.”
Olivia smiled gently. “She didn’t tell me why. She respected your confidence.”
Noah relaxed a little
Olivia leaned forward. “But I can tell something’s weighing on you. And if you want to talk… I’m here. No judgment, no rushing you.”
Noah stared down at his hands. He wasn’t ready to tell her about Ryan, not tonight, but he knew he could be honest about feeling down.
“I just had a rough day,” he admitted quietly. “But Jet… she helped. A lot.”
Olivia reached out and touched his shoulder. “I’m glad. You deserve that. And I’m proud of you for being brave enough to open up to someone.”
“You know you can talk to me about anything,” Olivia continued. “Really. Anything. Even the stuff that’s confusing or scary or makes your stomach hurt. You’re not alone, Noah. Not ever.”
Noah looked at Olivia. “I know, Mom, and i'll probably tell you about it one day, just not tonight "
"Alright, that's fine" Olivia said as she kissed Noah's Forehead "Now get some sleep, you have school tomorrow"
"Okay Mom" Noah said as he turned his phone off "Night mom"
"Goodnight Noah" Olivia said as she closed the door behind her.