all_hart | IC Inbox

Oh. Shit. What happened? Should I come over? Anders can take the egg.

[Even if he has to force him.]

No. You can't come over, and I can't come over there.

[ Sigh. ]

It's...complicated. [ And he's a little pissed off about it. ] But I can't control my ki right now, so I would rather not have something catastrophic happen in a particularly awkward moment.

Ok, I'll stay away. That sounds dangerous.

I hate this.

I'm sure.

[He's aware that loss of control irks Freeza.]

Do you want to be distracted? I could tell you about my day.

Please.

Ok. Well, it started at ass o'clock when the egg woke me up. After I quieted it down, I got breakfast and... [He'll ramble on about what happened until either he runs out of information or Freeza interrupts him.]

[ The notion of these things making noise still throws him a bit, but he has gotten some hint of this at least once, even though he's largely allowed Bodhi to do the heavy lifting. ]

Is the gymnasium really a place for an egg? How are you carrying it around?

I've got one of the carriers Ben gave out. And I keep it out of the way of equipment. I'm not bringing it on the treadmills or anything.

You sound rather at ease with the whole thing.

[He shrugs.]

It's weird, sure, but it's not the weirdest thing that's happened. I can deal with an egg for a week or two, which is how long I assume it'll last.

[ Freeza closes his eyes and just focuses on his voice. The devices are good enough quality that it's almost like talking in the same room. ]

Is it because you had children before?

Maybe? I'm a little rusty, but I've dealt with crying babies before. And this one doesn't even need to be diapered regularly.

I don't think it's something I would want to fuss over, even if I were able.

[ He very rarely sounds uncertain without trying to disguise it as disinterest, and he's not doing a good job of it. ]

They do say your first is your hardest. Even if it is a weird egg.

I've never really given much thought to having children. Or eggs, I suppose. I suppose when my father was still around the subject might come up, but now? Especially when I go home? Where do you even make room for that?

...I also just. Don't know how you think about doing that knowing you're going to have to carry on worrying about someone else for so much of your life from then on.

It's a gamble, to say the least. But it's... usually it's worth it. To see your kids grow up. To watch them become people. All that shit.

You are a detective. Surely you make enemies back home. Aren't you just giving them another tender place to insert a bullet?

Yeah, dangerous criminals could hurt them. But Maggie could defend herself and the girls. And... some risks are worth taking.

[ A thoughtful sound. ]

I have no real context, outside of it just being something that's expected, eventually. How do you know when it's time?

[ How long did your parents pressure you to give them grandchildren before you capitulated, Marty. ]

Maggie and I had been married for a couple of years, our careers were steady. It felt right.

[Oh, all four grandparents had tried. But he and Maggie were too stubborn to just give in.]

[ A 'hm' but it's clear something just isn't connecting for him. ]

This flood is ridiculous, and I'm not even taking part in it.

[ He probably wouldn't normally be thinking this hard about it, but eggs are probably more adjacent to this topic for him than they are for humans.

He's been in the presence of the egg that Bodhi Rook is taking care of. Once. That was long enough for him to decide he would be camping out in his cabin even if he weren't sick. ]

Yeah, it is. It really is.

[He's got kind of joint custody, but it's still weird. It's an egg. It shouldn't be making noise.]

[ Yes also that. ]

I know this must be awkward to talk about, but half our conversations feel that way, so I'm honestly never completely certain.

This is far from the most awkward conversation we've had, it's fine.

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