Chapter Text
USA – Columbus
2017
This old district was a dark, discarded place where rats were the rulers and no one was in sight at this time of the night. Almost no one. Only a woman, standing in a gloomy alleyway close to the large river, entirely still as the water, reflecting the moonlight in an array of of shiny highlights at the surface. It was a perfect place for Nora Darhk to be scheming, her long dark hair resting on her shoulder while she was waiting for another disciple of Mallus to appear, which was done in no more than a few seconds a flow of water rose up from a manhole nearby, taking the form of Kuasa in front of the witch.
“Kuasa. Mallus has a mission for you.”, spoke the Darhk’s daughter, with a firm tone of voice that wasn’t meant to be discussed.
“He spoke to you.”. This wasn’t a question. Nora didn’t answer. Kuasa then looked at the woman expectantly, waiting for her order.
“There is someone that Mallus needs to be taken care of. A...Potential threat.”, Nora paused for a second there, realizing the implication of the possibility of a seemingly random person being a threat to her master. She, however, didn’t lose her composure while instructing Kuasa of her order. “Your mission is to eliminate this individual.”
“What is their name?”, asked Kuasa, taking a straighter posture as soon as the witch made clear that this was a serious matter.
“Jared Halley”.
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Waverider
Time Zone
The Waverider, a true wonder of technology and usually full of life, home to the Legends of Tomorrow, was eerily quiet in the middle of the day. And for a simple reason: the recent death of a member of their team, of their family, the late Professor Martin Stein. The morale of the team took a striking blow from the events of Earth-X, and the effects were still seen even several days later.
Most of the Legends were isolated in a room of the ship, protected in their own bubble of grief and coping mechanism to help with the sharp and lasting pain of loss. Leo Snart, doppelganger of the deceased Leonard Snart from Earth-X was the only one who didn’t knew the Professor before he died, and he was now surveying the ship in order to see how everyone was doing with his own eyes, observing.
Ray Palmer was close to the professor, as almost everyone was on the Waverider, and he occupied his mind in his favorite place, where he could let go of the crippling feeling and focus entirely on his racing thoughts and inventions, the lab.
Nate and Amaya had the same idea, busying themselves with work to avoid dealing with the aching numbness of grief. On their part, the two ex-lovers were in the library, Nate’s safe space, doing research on the totems, especially on the water totem, being the one Kuasa, Amaya’s granddaughter, was currently wielding against them and on the Darhks’ side.
The other Legends were more of the “busy your mind with games and drinks” side of things. Namely, Zari and Jax were seemingly enthralled by their video game, but really, none of them were really paying attention, Jax especially. The young man was the closest member to the late Pr. Stein by far, having had a literal mental connection to him for several years. Now, the voice congratulating him when he did something useful, the crave for grapefruit in the morning, the urge to use the bathroom at any random time of the day...All of this was gone, and with that his spirits were lower than ever.
And finally, Sara and Mick. Both of them had the same coping mechanism, charmingly named “good ol’ alcohol”. Two OG member of the team, and they had let Martin die. In her mind, of course Sara took some form of responsibility for the event. She was the captain of the Legends after all. Even Mick, though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone, was feeling just as low all the all the others after the death of the Professor. It really was a devastating blow for the team’s moral.
Leo arrived in the hall to the both of them nursing a glass of whiskey and a beer respectively, at the same time as the alert started to ring into the corridors of the ship, breaking the ominous silence so uncomfortably installed since their return in the Time Zone.
As the team gathered around the large dashboard, their captain could see the weight of grief on each and every one of their faces. Some were trying to hide it, more effectively than others at least, but she wasn’t fooled. Whatever the cause of the alert was, some of them weren’t ready to go out to fix it yet.
“Alright Gideon, what have you got for us?” asked Sara, trying to sound as enthusiastic and business-y as possible, hoping the mission would at least be intriguing enough to occupy some of them for a time.
“I am detecting an anachronism in the timeline. A man named “Jared Halley” was assassinated in the city of Columbus Ohio in 2017.” Gideon answered, going straight to the facts as usual.
“...Do you have any specific details about the murder?” Sara continued, trying not to be worn down by the awkward and silent disappointment of the team after the announcement of the anachronism of the day. If Gideon was considering it en anachronism, then it had to be important to some extent.
“According to witnesses, Captain Lance, Mr. Halley was found in a dressing room in “The Summit Music Hall” after a performance, along with I quote “a black woman who disappeared in a puddle of water””.
“Kuasa.” intervened Amaya, getting with good reason more interested in this mission. To be honest, even if the totem bearer was the person that would be interested in the whereabouts of her granddaughter, the whole team was now a little more attentive to this development.
“Why would she assassinate a random guy in Ohio though? Doesn’t seem like it’s gonna have as much as an effect on the timeline as a telepathic gorilla or Helen of Troy...”, interjected Zari, perplex about the situation. Maybe she was missing something, but that guy wasn’t really famous in the future, and she would know.
“Gideon, what do we know about this “Jared Halley”? Anything that we should expect?” asked Sara, seeming cautious and suspicious of something. If this man was assassinated by Kuasa, and if his death didn’t have a huge impact on the timeline in itself, then it might be personal, or something more important than they realize.
“Jared Halley was born October 14th 1991 in the city of Columbus in Ohio. His mother, Mary Halley, died giving birth so Jared grew up with his uncle Lewis Halley and his wife Genevieve Halley. A notable information is that he spent 3 years in the Indian River Juvenile Correctional Facility from 15 to 18 years old for manslaughter. Mr. Halley now lives alone in his city of birth, and works as an independent musician and producer, as well as a singer in public places occasionally. He also has a YouTube channel since 2013.” explained Gideon, as the captain ordered the significant information about the victim of the attack.
That was quite a lot of information, and of course one particular information resonated in the minds of all the Legends: a conviction for manslaughter at 15 years old. As Gideon was talking, a photo of a man appeared on the screen, showing what this Jared Halley looked like.
Nate was focused on the image, trying to associate the face with the facts…It just didn’t match in his head. In one word: Nate thought he was cute. On the photo was a young white man with thick, chestnut hair shaped in a perfectly styled quiff on his head, large and smooth face, a little on the chubby side. He just looked…Normal. Not what he imagined when Gideon mentioned manslaughter. And he had a YouTube channel? He had to check that out.
“A YouTube channel? Now that is something cool! What does he do?” asked Ray, always in sync with Nate’s thoughts for everything they found cool. As an eternal optimist, the inventor always tried to focus on the bright side of things, and in this case, he preferred to concentrate on the music part instead of the manslaughter and juvenile prison part. However, his smile didn’t really reach his eyes, which had happened more and more lately. Just like every Legend, Ray’s moral was low, and he was also sleeping poorly and overworking in the lab to busy himself constantly. He was tired.
“The “Jared Halley” YouTube channel is used to post music videos, usually covers of popular songs entirely done A cappella by Mr. Halley himself.” Gideon answered, strangely using the same enthusiastic and cheerful tone of Dr. Palmer. Was she a fan?
The feeling of confusion and seemingly genuine interest about this whole case was pretty much general within the Legends after getting the details, but Sara was clearly seeing who was more interested by this mission, and especially who needed more time and rest before going back on the field.
“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. Nate, Amaya, Leo, we’re going to check what this is all about and save this Jared Halley. Everyone else stays here and rest, but be ready, just in case another anachronism pops up or we need some backup. For those going with me, pick a comfortable outfit. We’re going for a night out in Columbus.” instructed Sara, actually pretty eager to see why this man seemed so special to the Darhks or to Kuasa. And a mission to busy herself was definitely something she needed right now.
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USA – Columbus
2017
The small group composed of Sara, Nate, Amaya and Leo arrived in the Summit Music Hall, the scene of the crime, approximately an hour before it happened. The April night was rather chilly, but the facade of the establishment was very welcoming, with its bright red neon lights exposing its name proudly in the middle of the capital of Ohio. The Summit had for itself a beautiful interior too, divided in two areas: one for a long bar where all the colorful and diverse drinks were served, and the other occupied by a few tables and a lot of chairs for people to sit and enjoy the shows. Everything was pretty crowded, it was a Friday night after all, except for an empty line in the middle of the large room, making a way to the stage that was for the moment occupied by a performer.
All members of the team were dressed rather nicely, but still keeping casual since they weren’t trying to stand out too much from the regulars of the bar. One thing that could be noted was the clear lack of colors in their outfits. Sara especially, who was rocking a total black look, blouse covered by a leather jacket, completed with classic trousers and sneakers. Amaya adopted a more laid-back look, wearing a crimson blouse herself with bared shoulders and dark grey jeans, without forgetting of course her totem. As for the men, both were in jeans too, Leo opting for a dark turtleneck to complete his outfit along with a coat hiding his freezing gun, while Nate was displaying his strong body with a tight black and grey button polo shirt. No one was really feeling like partying, but they didn’t have to, as long as they stopped Kuasa from killing someone tonight.
“Alright guys, Leo takes the bar, Nate you go sit at a table. Amaya and I will take one side of the stage each. Stay ready and careful, this Jared Halley is supposed to perform on stage any minute now so Kuasa might already be there.” instructed Sara, dispatching her team to cover as much of the club as possible.
As the Legends placed themselves where their captain had told them to, the current performance was coming to an end. On the brightly lit stage covered in shades of blue and purple, a man was performing the song “Shape of you” by Ed Sheeran while playing the guitar. Some people were listening attentively at the bar, others were dancing lasciviously to the beat in front of the stage, or deep in conversation sat at the tables but still enjoying the show. The singer, apparently named Max was pretty great, especially entertaining with the guitar, and his good looks were probably part of the enthusiasm of the crowd. At the end of the performance, the artist curtsied dramatically, holding his instrument up, while the crowd was cheering loudly and what the team supposed was the animator of the night spoke.
“Let’s all thank Max Harris for this amazing performance! And of course, thank you everyone for being here for the battles of tonight. Speaking of, as you all can imagine a battle doesn’t happen alone, so I will ask y’all to welcome our other contender, the newcomer Jareeeeeed Halley!”
All the lights of the stage switched off suddenly, while the crowd waited for the next performer to arrive.
As the host announced his arrival, Jared was feeling more and more nervous. “Come on, this isn’t the first time, won’t be the last hopefully….” he was telling himself, trying to calm down at least a little bit. It wasn’t the first time, yes, but the young man was way more comfortable in front of a camera than in front of a crowd staring at him, waiting for him to screw something up. Anyway, it’s not like he really had the choice, he had to perform live to live. It was a simple as that. Didn’t take away the strange feeling that he had since he left his apartment tonight though.
Nate was nursing a beer and waiting at a table, like anyone else, when he saw him. In complete silence, step by step, the object of their mission arrived in the center of the stage, dressed in a classic white shirt and dark trousers combination, brown boots and a definite sense of nervousness considering how he wasn’t moving at all for a few moments, looking over at the crowd with tensed shoulders. However, in a blink, every ounce of stress that he could feel coming from this man was washed away by a sweet wave of sound and light as he started singing.
“Was it a power?”, Nate wondered in his mind, completely mesmerized by the performance he was witnessing. Jared was interpreting the song “Lay me down” by Sam Smith with an a cappella arrangement playing in the background, a bold choice considering the upbeat rhythm of the previous song, but his voice was so…Soft. That was the word Nate was looking for. Like an unexpected but welcome blanket enveloping the entire room. The historian would be lying if he said he wasn’t melting on his chair under the warmth of him, flowing from his hears and into his whole body, right through his heart. The performance was simply beautiful.
Nate was so bewitched by the singer that he didn’t even register that the performance had come to an end, only brought back to reality by the loud cheering and clapping of the crowd, who was clearly as enchanted by this Jared Halley as he was.
“Okay everyone, Jared is going back to his lodge in the backstage. Let’s go and stop Kuasa.” Instructed Sara though the coms, as the animator had finished thanking Jared for his performance and was announcing the judgement of the jury, declaring him the winner of the song battle.
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When Sara and Amaya arrived in the backstage, Kuasa was already there, in front of a closed door which supposedly was that of Jared.
“Kuasa, stop!” shouted out Amaya at her granddaughter who was ready to open the door, arriving from her right while Sara was on her left.
“Of course, you have to get in my way yet again. But unlike him, you’re no threat. Give it up.” spoke Kuasa lazily to Sara, not seeming a tiny bit worried or surprised about the arrival of the Legends.
“When did the Legends ever give up?” retorted Sara, as she was taking out a long pliable combat stick from her sleeve, taking a combat pose typical of the League of assassins. “Ready for a rematch?”
A few hits were exchanged between the three women, Sara and Amaya undeniably having the upper hand being in a two versus one. The captain of the Legends had learnt her lesson from the last time they fought, adapting to Kuasa’s flowing fighting style and putting her in much more difficulties than before. However, Amaya was still holding back, not using her totem for instance, not really wanting to hurt her granddaughter despite being well aware of the threat she represented right now. The servant of Mallus took a big staff blow to the back while she hit Amaya with a kick making her fall, and she decided that she had enough. Using the powers of her own totem, Kuasa produced a large quantity of water in the palm of her hands, using it to blow away Sara in a sparkling burst.
In his lodge, Jared was exhilarated by his performance of tonight and his victory. After all, he had just won 500 $ in just a few minutes, enough for him to pay his rent in time this month. A wave of sorrow hit him at the thought of the past years of struggle to be able to afford an apartment, but he rapidly put that aside. Small victories he told himself, while putting away the cash and preparing himself to leave. However, when he was about to open the door out of his lodge, the sound of fighting and a scream outside made him freeze in place, his hand on the handle. Opening the door slightly and as discretely as he could, the young man took a step back when he saw someone flying to the wall, closing back the door fast. What the hell was happening outside the dressing rooms?!
As Leo and Nate finally arrived in the backstage, Amaya had just joined their captain to the ground in another burst of water. Kuasa didn’t know who Leo was, however, she was smart enough to guess that a big gun pointing at her wasn’t a good thing. And she was right, as her reflexes made her crouch to the ground to avoid the freezing blast, simultaneously using her totem to make Citizen Cold come slip down with her in a flow of water. Nate immediately turned to steel and tried to knock her out with one punch, but it was no use, she had already splashed out into a puddle of water before he got to her. Thinking that she might have left, the historian tried to go and help Leo get up, but soon enough he was too on his knees in a flash, taking a big hit to the head with the staff Sara had brought, used by the enemy this time.
“You never give up, but you never learn either.” snarked Kuasa, putting her hand on top of Nate’s mouth. Rapidly, as he was still stunned from the hit, Nate felt water flowing through his lungs as Kuasa was holding him still, drowning him slowly.
Suddenly, a loud crack of wood was heard, as Jared smashed a guitar on the back of the water witch’s head, almost knocking her out on the spot. Nate and the rest of the group definitely weren’t expecting that, and neither was Jared himself, letting the demolished instrument fall to the ground, seeming to be absolutely freaking out about the situation.
“Oh my God, are you okay?!” spat out Jared, seeing the blood on the side of Nate’s head where he was hit. In an ironic turn of events, the original victim of the assault was actually the one helping the poor historian up while he was spitting out water, trying to catch his breath.
“Come on, let’s go!” ordered Sara, not taking the chance to chase Kuasa down as she disappeared by changing into water to flee the fight. She was badly hurt, but so was her Nate, and her team was the priority. So the Legends were now heading back to the ship, Jared Halley with them, unharmed.
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Back on the Waverider, a team meeting was immediately required by Sara, and all the Legends were standing up around the main dashboard. Everyone was there except for Nate, who had been taken to the infirmary for him to recover from his injury.
Of course, each member of the team had their pretty clear reaction after learning what had happened and Jared, who was standing with them now, was trying to discern their personalities and what they might be thinking about him. From what he had seen, there were 8 people on this ship... The people that got him here were named Sara, Amaya, Leo and Nate. He didn’t have much time to really make a thought about them while they were rushing to this ship, but now he had a clearer idea first impression. They all seemed really worried about the wellbeing of Nate, who had been hit hard on the head, and the woman called Amaya seemed to be pretty grateful for his intervention earlier. Leo appeared to be a calm and composed man, waiting patiently around the table with his arms crossed, throwing a tight smile his way when he saw the stress probably written on his forehead. As for the one they called Nate, well…He hadn’t really seen him yet.
The blonde woman in a leather jacket, Sara, had called out several names when they arrived in emergency here, so he knew a few, and he supposed that she was the captain of this bunch. A tall and handsome looking man had been called Ray when he was ordered to take Nate to the infirmary, and he was now looking extremely worried, even if he seemed to be the kind of man to always be optimistic at all times if his awkward smile was anything to go by. Mick, also taller than him but a little less than Ray, sounded unbothered by the situation when he grunted at his captain’s call, and he was now staring straight at him, showing kind of an uncomfortable interest while drinking a beer. The other two, he didn’t know their name, but one clear thing is that they seemed sad. Just...Sad. Especially the young black man that had barely looked at him since he got here, or at anyone. If he was honest, everyone on the ship seemed kind of morose…
…Oh dear, he was on a freaking spaceship… Just like Star Trek! Now that he was observing his environment a little more, the thought had also started to sink in. He had just been brought on a spaceship by people he didn’t know, and they were almost all looking at him like they expected him to explain a situation he had no clue about. Thankfully, Sara ended his suffering by taking the floor herself.
“Alright Jared, I think it’s time to formally introduce ourselves. My name is Sara Lance. I’m the captain of this time ship, the Waverider. This is Ray Palmer, Mick Rory, Jefferson Jackson, Zari Tomaz, Amaya Jiwe, Leo Snart, and the person in the med bay is Nathaniel Heywood. We are the Legends.”
Jared was absolutely gobsmacked by the explanation that followed this introduction.
“So, if I understand correctly…You guys are a group of superheroes and…Other things whose job is to protect time from bad guys that are trying to disrupt it aboard this incredible space/time ship with an awesome name powered by an AI called Gideon, but in order to save reality itself from an evil speedster and his sidekicks you literally broke time, whatever that means, bringing forth new bad guys to deal with? And those villains tried to kill me for some reason?”
“Well, Damien Darhk isn’t exactly new, but hum…Yeah, you got pretty much everything!”. Ray seemed pretty enthusiastic about the arrival of Jared on the ship, Sara noticed. At least he looked less tired, which was always good to see. If their Ray of sunshine wasn’t there to bring some optimism to the team, she didn’t know how they would cope with the late events…
“But…Why me? Why would they want anything to do with me? I’m just a random singer in the middle of Ohio, I don’t even know the woman who tried to kill me!”
Well, at least he wasn’t freaking out as much as she thought he would, hearing all of this…Sara was thankful to not have to deal with that right now. However, this man was bringing up a good question : Why him? From their research, he didn’t really have anything special, definitely not something that would be worth the interest of the Darhks. The team had to discuss it, but the captain decided to be honest with Jared for now. It was the least she could do after he saved their asses back in the bar.
“To be completely honest with you Jared, we don’t really know ourselves. But until we find out, I’m afraid you’re gonna have to stay here for a little while, just to be safe. Ray, could you take him visit the ship? Make yourself at home.”
“No problem. Come on Jared, I’ll show you around.” said Ray, leading the way towards the lab, trying to be as enthusiastic as ever about the new face on the ship.
“So…Any idea of why teddy bear here is the target of the Darhks?”. Zari was very good at figuring people out and apparently, she deemed Jared entirely harmless. While Sara’s group were out, she had spent some time checking information on him, especially on his YouTube channel. He seemed pretty dorky in a cute way. There was no way he was that much of a problem to them…Right?
“Kuasa called him a “threat”” interjected Amaya, having her reserves about this too. Well, he did smash a guitar on her head, injuring her badly, but it didn’t seem malicious or even planned. And Jared definitely didn’t seem like the type. However, she was having a weird feeling about him that she couldn’t quite figure out yet, which was making her cautious about the situation. Especially since it directly involved her granddaughter.
“Well, the last time she tried to attack someone like this, it was Zari. Do you think there might be a connection there?”. Everyone was looking at Zari as Sara suggested this, but she didn’t have any more clue than them. Suddenly, Jax spoke.
“The totems. Zari has a totem.”. Silence fell down on the room while the idea sunk in everyone’s minds. Jax hadn’t spoken much since the death of Pr. Stein, but this suggestion was actually a rather good one, and the only one they’ve got for now.
“So, you think that Jared could be a totem bearer?”, asked Amaya, immediately more focused now. She was beginning to consider the idea that Jared’s implication in this story was much bigger than a simple link to her granddaughter.
“Well I don’t know, but it’s a possibility. They might be going after every totems or the people capable of using them for whatever reason.”
A new potential totem bearer. This was a theory to explore, and what better way for that than to have Jared on the ship? In any case, the man was safer with them than with the Darhks, and if he was their target, a “threat” to them, it meant that he was important. The Legends had to protect him.
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This time-ship was gigantic. Jared almost had to pinch himself several times to make himself believe that yes, all of this was real. Time travel was real. Alternate universes were real. He really was on a time ship with from the future, with actual superheroes and…Others, and they really had an interest in him if the enthusiasm that radiated from Ray was anything to go by. He was in a dream.
The inventor took him all around the ship, and it really seemed like they were all living there. There were rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a lab, a library…Ray took the occasion to explain a little of what each member of the team could do, and what were their role on the Waverider and in the Legends.
“So you’re an inventor and a scientist, Zari and Jax are mechanics, Nate is a historian, Sara’s the captain – I thought so, she’s pretty badass -, Mick steals stuff, Amaya is a superhero from the past and Leo is from another Earth? And you all have some kind of special skills and/or ability?”, summed up Jared,
“That’s right! Even though some might consider us like a bunch of misfits, everyone is essential on the team, and we’re a little bit like a family.” Answered Ray. He liked this Jared. He was showing an impressive sense of observation and comprehension during the visit, even though all of this must overwhelm him a little.
“Oh, you must be hungry with all of this! How about I show you the food fabricator?” said Ray, taking the young man by the arm and leading the way towards the kitchen of the ship.
“The “food fabricator””?
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A few minutes after Nate had woken up, someone entered the med bay. He was expecting to see Ray or Amaya first, but raising his head towards the door, it was the shy picture of Jared who was standing there, holding a plate, seemingly surprised that the door opened itself and hesitating to come in.
“Hey, come in. You’re Jared, right?” invited Nate, along with a movement of his hand and a small smile, trying to make the room as comfortable as possible.
“Hi, hum…Yeah, I’m Jared, Jared Halley. And your name is Nate from what I’ve heard?” answered Jared as he entered the med bay, posing the plate full of food on the nearest table, trying to put it as close as he could to the man, but not too close either. He didn’t know why he was so nervous about this…Maybe because Nate was the only one that he hadn’t formally met yet? Yeah, that was probably it.
“Well, enchanted to meet you Jared. What have you got there?” asked Nate, holding his hand out and staring at the very yummy looking plate of food. On it was a carefully arranged pile of fluffy Japanese pancakes covered with a sliver of honey and a plethora of freshly cut fruits on the side, along with two mugs of what seemed to be hot chocolate, filled with marshmallows and whipped cream. This looked absolutely delicious.
“Very nice to meet you too. Oh and yeah, hum…Well, this is to thank you, for being there to try and save me. I thought you’d be hungry after having recovered from the hit, hum... H-How’s your head by the way? You stayed quite a long time under…Hope it doesn’t hurt too much?” rambled Jared, trying to justify why he thought showing up with so many sweets in the middle of the night (for him) to bother a total stranger was a good idea. He couldn’t help himself smiling a little at the silliness though, for some reason.
Okay, scratch cute. This man was adorable. And damn, if he wasn’t blinded by that sunbeam smile that he thought only Ray could muster! To be honest, Nate hadn’t even registered that it probably was indeed the middle of the night, not hesitating one second to take a huge bite of one of the pancakes, along with some of the whipped cream taken from the top of the mug.
“Okay, you are a godsend, this is AMAZING! And don’t worry, Gideon patched me up really quickly, I’m just lazy. But I was starving, so thank you. Take a sit.”
“Well, I didn’t do much. Just cut up some fruits and pressed a few buttons. The food fabricator did most of the work.”. Nate was answering the smile and seemed pretty comfortable with his presence, which helped Jared relax greatly, to the point where he accepted the invitation and gladly tucked in himself. To be honest, Jared had never eaten pancakes like that, but seeing Nate enjoying his choice felt pretty great. And damn, if this wasn’t the greatest thing he’d eaten in a LONG time. It probably looked like it from the outside too, seeing as the taller man’s smile widened at the sight and even turned into a little chuckle.
“Yep, that’s Gideon for you. She’s an amazing cook. Have you visited the ship? Met the whole team yet?”
“Ha, hum…Yeah, Ray showed me around. Sara said that I should stay here for a while, so I wanted to meet everyone, even though I’m still trying to get my head around it all. You’re a historian, right? Must be pretty cool to be able to time travel then.”, asked Jared, actually pretty curious about the members of the team, and especially Nate. He had learned from Ray that he had superpowers, which was already very interesting, but being the historian of a time ship definitely didn’t seem easy. He must be extremely smart, he thought.
“I am, yeah. And of course, time travel is awesome!”, answered Nate, always excited to talk about his work on the team. Joining the Legends was without a doubt the best choice of his life, and he wasn’t regretting it one bit. “History is my passion, always was, but being able to actually see what happened outside of books and archives is one of the best things that happened to me.”
“I loved history as a kid. Still do, but I wasn’t really good in school huh…Probably needed a little more attention than most students.”
“I could teach you.” said Nate casually. Jared’s eyes widened at the idea, part of a pancake half-shoved into his mouth.
“R-Really? You’d do that?”
“Of course. I mean, if you’re gonna have to “stay here for a while”, we should probably have the time to get to know each other, and I could teach you some stuff if you’re interested, about history or other things. You saved my life after all, it’s the least I can do buddy. Thanks for that by the way, I probably wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”
Jared was in awe of the historian’s generosity. He didn’t even have to ask for anything, and he was casually proposing to give him hours of his time to teach him history and to get to know him. It probably shouldn’t seem crazy to him that a superhero would be kind and altruistic, but it still touched him greatly that Nate and the Legends were that welcoming of him on the ship. Well, some more than others, but still.
“Hum uh…Yeah, no problem. Anyone would have smashed a guitar on the head of a mean water lady to save a time-travelling superhero from drowning to death.” replied the shorter man, trying not to sound too freaked out about what how what he was saying made sense.
Nate really liked Jared already. He was a really sweet, shy guy with a sunny smile and a cute blush on his face most of the time he’d seen him. And he brought him food, which was always an amazing way to start with him.
“Oh, I almost forgot, congrats for your performance tonight, you have an unbelievable voice! I should really check out your YouTube channel.”
Nate was completely sincere in his compliment, and that made the young singer blush even more than before, if it was possible. It’s not like he wasn’t used to getting compliments for his voice, whether it be online in the comments or on stage on occasions, but hearing the heartfelt praise and seeing the twinkle of admiration in the historian’s eyes made his heart swell a little.
“Th-Thanks, that’s…That’s really nice of you. I saw you in the crowd, glad you enjoyed the show. Music is kind of my history…I probably wouldn’t be who I am without it. Hum…If you want, I could sing for you sometimes? Or even teach you? It wouldn’t feel right if you taught me history without getting anything in return.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t need anything, I’m glad that I can teach someone about my passion. But I will take you up on that offer. We’re friends now after all, aren’t we?”
Again, Jared froze briefly after hearing the word. Friends. Jared didn’t have any friends, not really. Most of the people he knew didn’t want anything to do with him after he got out of prison, and he struggled a long time to build a more or less stable life for himself in the aftermaths. But he supposed, rightfully so, that Nate knew about his time in prison, imagining that the Legends had have access to every single information about him before going to get him in 2017. And he still wanted to be his friend.
“R-Right, yeah…We’re friends.”
Nate couldn’t help but return the tight smile on Jared’s face with a wide one, enjoying the end of his hot chocolate with a small moan of delight at the comforting warmth. The historian then held out his hand to the musician again, inviting him to seal the deal, which Jared gladly did after swallowing the last of his third pancake.
“Welcome aboard Jared.”