Template:Featured Articles/36-2023

Moment of Awesome - Kyle Gibney/Wildchild: Following a blow-up on the journals and a Danger Room session with the safeties off, Kyle is finally in a frame of mind to talk things out with Garrison Kane. "You gotta work a lot harder to make me pissed at you, man." Kyle said. "I think Madin's a little jackass who doesn't know shit from shit, but I already know I'm an asshole who crossed a line." "Good. So you eat shit and tell Madin they're the specialist bunny in town and everyone rejoices." Kane said. "And then after that, we figured out how to make Italian Beef and thank the gods that a hot redhead loves you unconditionally." "Fuck that, I say I crossed a line. I'm not blowing happy thoughts up that kid's ass." Kyle grumbled. "Look, I can fuck up and say I fucked up, but they're not getting compliments from me. They're a naive little shit, me letting myself loose and saying dumb shit doesn't change that, and them being a little shit doesn't change that I was a dick." He turned and leaned against the cabinets, and rested his arms on his knees. "Olivier made me admit sometimes I like cutting loose. Sometimes it's easier to just be somebody's attack dog." "Sure. There's nothing to think about. Put your head down, follow orders and fuck up who you're told to fuck up. But that's not who we are, which is why it is important to make this right. Who do you want Madin taking notes from? You or Quire?" Kane said with a nod. "It's easy to be a self-entitled asshole, but the only thing you can do is make other self-entitled assholes." Kyle did not look up. "Kane, for like months at a time, more than once, that was me and I remember most of it. I'm so fucking just tired of, fuck, all the shit Quire and Madin preach, being our mutant selves? My mutant self doesn't get that because spoiled rich vegan kids freak out when you walk in holding half a skinned rabbit. Fuck up who'm told to fuck up, I mean shit, you know what Weapon X did to make me. I was designed to fuck up whoever someone told me to fuck up and the only reason I'm a functional person is because I spend a lot of time making sure everyone only sees dumbass himbo Kyle and not two inch finger claws can bite a guy's hand off Kyle." He shook his head, hair everywhere, still damp from a post Danger Room shower and sticking to his cheeks. "I know. Suck it up, don't scare the kids. I know, be a good example. It's just in my face right now and I slipped." "It's also allowed to be hard, Kyle. I spent months with the people they idolize and believe me, they'd lose their minds if they ever really encountered the real deal." Garrison shrugged. "I'm also a cop in a mansion where ACAB is a mantra and I can't even disagree with them half the time. You know, I could have walked away. With Adrienne, or being an-" He cut himself off. No one needed to know about the Avengers. "Something more open. And instead, here I am. Because I took an oath. Because I believe in something that is bigger and more important than I am, eh? It's not a lot of comfort, but... fuck, I don't know... it's important. It matters." Kyle snorted, and looked up. "I know man, I'm here because I'm real fucking tired of kids ending up in the same place I did. I'm just also just tired of being tired of it. I know I put my foot in it, I ran myself exhausted in the Danger Room so I could stop and think about how to unfuck the situation. Sometimes it's easier to actually think if I'm dead tired. I'm working on it. I just. I dunno, man, I gotta think more before I can apologize, because my head's not on right. I'm not walking away, I"m not quitting anything again. I just gotta figure shit out before I eat crow, because you know how this goes if I don't. I could be as fucking genuine as anything, they're gonna pick it to death, and we'll be right back in the middle of this and it won't have made it better for them."