Ficlet: Left Behind | DCU | Dinah Lance, Guy Gardner | R | 1/1
Title: Left behind
Fandom: DCU - current JLA
Characters/Pairing: Dinah Lance, Guy Gardner; mentions of Dinah/Ollie, Hal/Ollie, and Guy/Hal if you squint - yeah, you read all that right! O_O
Rating: R
Word Count: 561
Summary: Canary's having a bad week, and Guy is the *last* person she wants to run into right now.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own it all, I own nothing. Darnit.
Author's Notes: I wrote this back in February for a drabblethon meme over at tiptoe39's journal. Dunno why I never reposted here. Anyway, the impetus was this - I had to write a new fic using this line, from Cast-Off: "I heard through unofficial channels that the so-called 'perfect relationship' went up in a mushroom cloud, thanks to our mutual ass hole[...]" This is what I came up with, and let me tell you, it took some digging to fit this dialogue *anywhere* in the DCU. O_O First time writing Dinah's POV, first time writing Guy, first time writing 1st person. Please be gentle. ~O_O~
Left Behind
"So, what's a pretty bird like you doing in a joint like this?"
When I look up from my coffee at the overly confident greeting to find one very smug looking Guy Gardner leering at me, it takes every ounce of will power I have not to take him outside and flatten him. "Having breakfast," I grind out, managing to plaster a patented smile on, if only barely. Needless to say, it's been a bad week, and this is the last person I want to talk to.
"I can see that," he says as he slides into the booth across from me, waving down a waitress for coffee. Then he gives me his full attention, leer gone, and for a second I wonder who this man is and what he's done with Guy. He doesn't look like his normal, ego-inflated self at all. "I understand there may be an opening in the League," he finally nods. "Thought I'd start at the top."
Ah. So he wants something. Typical. But I can't help feeling off my game. Guy is usually an open book. All bravado and self-importance. First to run headlong into a fight. But then, I never really had the chance to work with him all that much beyond day to day League business all those years ago. Maybe that's it. Bruce would know if I'm missing something.
After eying him long enough for his coffee to arrive, I finally manage, "League membership isn't a matter of an interview with the boss, Guy. You know it takes a unanimous vote."
He gives me this odd smirk over the top of his coffee mug, and after a sip, he returns, "No harm gettin' my name in the hat, anyway."
"We're not looking for a new ring-slinger just yet. I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"You gotta be kiddin' me, Canary," he says, cocking his head to the side and narrowing his eyebrows. "I heard through unofficial channels that the so-called 'perfect relationship' went up in a mushroom cloud, thanks to our mutual ass hole, Hal fuckin' Jordan. You can't tell me you don't want him off your team."
Now he's just got my blood boiling. Of all the things to bring up today, he just had to mention the unceremonious end of my marriage to Ollie, and the man my now very ex-husband had left me for. Through gritted teeth, I seethe, "It doesn't matter what I want or don't want. League membership is for life. Get that through your buzz cut and thick skull."
His hands come up defensively. "Whoa! Okay, okay, I get it! Don't cut loose on me or anything. Sheesh!"
"I think you'd better leave now." And that's it. That's all I can say to him. To think, for a moment I was convinced he wasn't going to try and pull something on me.
I can't even bother to look at him as he eases himself out of the booth and stands, finishing off his coffee. "You ain't the only one Jordan's screwed over, pretty bird. That's all I'm sayin'. You wanna commiserate, you know where to find me."
And then he's gone, and all I can do is wonder how things got so bad that I'm taking comfort from Guy Gardner. Goddamn Ollie and Hal. I hope they both rot.
* * *
Gotta run, time to head out for my sonogram!
Fandom: DCU - current JLA
Characters/Pairing: Dinah Lance, Guy Gardner; mentions of Dinah/Ollie, Hal/Ollie, and Guy/Hal if you squint - yeah, you read all that right! O_O
Rating: R
Word Count: 561
Summary: Canary's having a bad week, and Guy is the *last* person she wants to run into right now.
Disclaimer: DC and WB own it all, I own nothing. Darnit.
Author's Notes: I wrote this back in February for a drabblethon meme over at tiptoe39's journal. Dunno why I never reposted here. Anyway, the impetus was this - I had to write a new fic using this line, from Cast-Off: "I heard through unofficial channels that the so-called 'perfect relationship' went up in a mushroom cloud, thanks to our mutual ass hole[...]" This is what I came up with, and let me tell you, it took some digging to fit this dialogue *anywhere* in the DCU. O_O First time writing Dinah's POV, first time writing Guy, first time writing 1st person. Please be gentle. ~O_O~
Left Behind
"So, what's a pretty bird like you doing in a joint like this?"
When I look up from my coffee at the overly confident greeting to find one very smug looking Guy Gardner leering at me, it takes every ounce of will power I have not to take him outside and flatten him. "Having breakfast," I grind out, managing to plaster a patented smile on, if only barely. Needless to say, it's been a bad week, and this is the last person I want to talk to.
"I can see that," he says as he slides into the booth across from me, waving down a waitress for coffee. Then he gives me his full attention, leer gone, and for a second I wonder who this man is and what he's done with Guy. He doesn't look like his normal, ego-inflated self at all. "I understand there may be an opening in the League," he finally nods. "Thought I'd start at the top."
Ah. So he wants something. Typical. But I can't help feeling off my game. Guy is usually an open book. All bravado and self-importance. First to run headlong into a fight. But then, I never really had the chance to work with him all that much beyond day to day League business all those years ago. Maybe that's it. Bruce would know if I'm missing something.
After eying him long enough for his coffee to arrive, I finally manage, "League membership isn't a matter of an interview with the boss, Guy. You know it takes a unanimous vote."
He gives me this odd smirk over the top of his coffee mug, and after a sip, he returns, "No harm gettin' my name in the hat, anyway."
"We're not looking for a new ring-slinger just yet. I wouldn't get your hopes up."
"You gotta be kiddin' me, Canary," he says, cocking his head to the side and narrowing his eyebrows. "I heard through unofficial channels that the so-called 'perfect relationship' went up in a mushroom cloud, thanks to our mutual ass hole, Hal fuckin' Jordan. You can't tell me you don't want him off your team."
Now he's just got my blood boiling. Of all the things to bring up today, he just had to mention the unceremonious end of my marriage to Ollie, and the man my now very ex-husband had left me for. Through gritted teeth, I seethe, "It doesn't matter what I want or don't want. League membership is for life. Get that through your buzz cut and thick skull."
His hands come up defensively. "Whoa! Okay, okay, I get it! Don't cut loose on me or anything. Sheesh!"
"I think you'd better leave now." And that's it. That's all I can say to him. To think, for a moment I was convinced he wasn't going to try and pull something on me.
I can't even bother to look at him as he eases himself out of the booth and stands, finishing off his coffee. "You ain't the only one Jordan's screwed over, pretty bird. That's all I'm sayin'. You wanna commiserate, you know where to find me."
And then he's gone, and all I can do is wonder how things got so bad that I'm taking comfort from Guy Gardner. Goddamn Ollie and Hal. I hope they both rot.
* * *
Gotta run, time to head out for my sonogram!