#protected warren

[xnarlie-starlightx]

Maxine: Hey

Jefferson, Nathan, Warren, Victoria, Kate and Chloe: Yeah?

Maxine: …my obsession.

Jefferson: smirks right in front of her after has been called out, escort himself out along with Maxine after wrapped his arm around her Let’s continue our session, Maxine. I can teach you so much.

Nathan, Warren, Victoria, Chloe and Kate: …

Victoria and Nathan: glares at Jefferson after what just happen This nonsense’s nothing but horseshit still!

Kate: Language!

Chloe: Oh, for fuck sakes! Do you have to be fucking sensitive with profanity, Kate?! Goddamn it!

Kate: …don’t ..you dare… curse upon God’s name again.

Warren: Chloe, leave Kate alone! And that goes towards both of you as well, stop making things worst for Kate.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

graph

bonus:

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The CFPB is genuinely making America better, and they're going HARD

On June 20, I'm keynoting the LOCUS AWARDS in OAKLAND.

Let's take a sec here and notice something genuinely great happening in the US government: the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau's stunning, unbroken streak of major, muscular victories over the forces of corporate corruption, with the backing of the Supreme Court (yes, that Supreme Court), and which is only speeding up!

A little background. The CFPB was created in 2010. It was Elizabeth Warren's brainchild, an institution that was supposed to regulate finance from the perspective of the American public, not the American finance sector. Rather than fighting to "stabilize" the financial sector (the mission that led to Obama taking his advisor Timothy Geithner's advice to permit the foreclosure crisis to continue in order to "foam the runways" for the banks), the Bureau would fight to defend us from bankers.

The CFPB got off to a rocky start, with challenges to the unique system of long-term leadership appointments meant to depoliticize the office, as well as the sudden resignation of its inaugural boss, who broke his promise to see his term through in order to launch an unsuccessful bid for political office.

But after the 2020 election, the Bureau came into its own, when Biden poached Rohit Chopra from the FTC and put him in charge. Chopra went on a tear, taking on landlords who violated the covid eviction moratorium:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/04/20/euthanize-rentier-enablers/#cfpb

Then banning payday lenders' scummiest tactics:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/01/29/planned-obsolescence/#academic-fraud

Then striking at one of fintech's most predatory grifts, the "earned wage access" hustle:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/01/usury/#tech-exceptionalism

Then closing the loophole that let credit reporting bureaus (like Equifax, who doxed every single American in a spectacular 2019 breach) avoid regulation by creating data brokerage divisions and claiming they weren't part of the regulated activity of credit reporting:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/16/the-second-best-time-is-now/#the-point-of-a-system-is-what-it-does

Chopra went on to promise to ban data-brokers altogether:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/13/goulash/#material-misstatement

Then he banned comparison shopping sites where you go to find the best bank accounts and credit cards from accepting bribes and putting more expensive options at the top of the list. Instead, he's requiring banks to send the CFPB regular, accurate lists of all their charges, and standing up a federal operated comparison shopping site that gives only accurate and honest rankings. Finally, he's made an interoperability rule requiring banks to let you transfer to another institution with one click, just like you change phone carriers. That means you can search an honest site to find the best deal on your banking, and then, with a single click, transfer your accounts, your account history, your payees, and all your other banking data to that new bank:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/21/let-my-dollars-go/#personal-financial-data-rights

Somewhere in there, big business got scared. They cooked up a legal theory declaring the CFPB's funding mechanism to be unconstitutional and got the case fast-tracked to the Supreme Court, in a bid to put Chopra and the CFPB permanently out of business. Instead, the Supremes – these Supremes! – upheld the CFPB's funding mechanism in a 7-2 ruling:

https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/05/supreme-court-lets-cfpb-funding-stand/

That ruling was a starter pistol for Chopra and the Bureau. Maybe it seemed like they were taking big swings before, but it turns out all that was just a warmup. Last week on The American Prospect, Robert Kuttner rounded up all the stuff the Bureau is kicking off:

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2024-06-07-window-on-corporate-deceptions/

First: regulating Buy Now, Pay Later companies (think: Klarna) as credit-card companies, with all the requirements for disclosure and interest rate caps dictated by the Truth In Lending Act:

https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/06/cfpb-applies-credit-card-rules

Next: creating a registry of habitual corporate criminals. This rogues gallery will make it harder for other agencies – like the DOJ – and state Attorneys General to offer bullshit "delayed prosecution agreements" to companies that compulsively rip us off:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-creates-registry-to-detect-corporate-repeat-offenders/

Then there's the rule against "fine print deception" – which is when the fine print in a contract lies to you about your rights, like when a mortgage lender forces you waive a right you can't actually waive, or car lenders that make you waive your bankruptcy rights, which, again, you can't waive:

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-warns-against-deception-in-contract-fine-print/

As Kuttner writes, the common thread running through all these orders is that they ban deceptive practices – they make it illegal for companies to steal from us by lying to us. Especially in these dying days of class action suits – rapidly becoming obsolete thanks to "mandatory arbitration waivers" that make you sign away your right to join a class action – agencies like the CFPB are our only hope of punishing companies that lie to us to steal from us.

There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world right now, and much of it – including an active genocide – is coming from the Biden White House.

But there are people in the Biden Administration who care about the American people and who are effective and committed fighters who have our back. What's more, they're winning. That doesn't make all the bad news go away, but sometimes it feels good to take a moment and take the W.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/06/10/getting-things-done/#deliverism

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Liz Dye at Public Notice:

The Trump administration has taken a sledgehammer to much of the federal government. But at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is tasked with shielding Americans from the depredations of the financial industry, a bloodless coup threatens to obliterate an entire federal agency without a trace. Within days of being confirmed, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ordered CFPB employees to suspend all enforcement actions, supervisory activity, and any rules not yet finalized, including one that would have capped credit card late fees at $8. Last week he handed the reins to Russ Vought, the newly confirmed head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought immediately put the entire staff on administrative leave, locked them out of the office, and informed Congress that he was zeroing out the agency’s budget. “CFPB RIP” tweeted Elon Musk, whose DOGE stooges had burrowed into the abandoned agency and were busily picking over its remains.

You can judge a man by the quality of his enemies

Conservatives have been gunning for CFPB since 2011 when Sen. Elizabeth Warren more or less willed it into existence. The agency was established as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, a landmark consumer protection bill passed in the aftermath of the Great Recession to ensure that unregulated financial behemoths would quit crashing the economy at regular intervals. Since then, it has recovered more than $20 billion for consumers and crafted federal rules to protect Americans from getting ripped off. The agency is despised by everyone from payday lenders, to credit card companies, to the goons at Project 2025. And Elon Musk, who would like to turn Ex-Twitter into a banking app which would be regulated by CFPB, is no fan either.

The Trump/Musk co-”Presidency” destroys a vital watchdog agency in the CFPB to spite Elizabeth Warren.

See Also:

Wonkette: Why Americans (But Not Banks) Love The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

[bluejaysandblackbats]

You're Just Like Quicksand

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Batman Beyond

Summary: Jason Todd is ready to go into semi-retirement after fifteen years working with troubled youth, but one case in particular forces him to confront the sins of his youth and painful memories from his past.

Chapters: 15/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Terry McGinnis, Warren McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Matt McGinnis, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)

Relationship(s): TBA

Additional Tags: Protective Jason Todd, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Retired Jason Todd, Multiple POV, Hurt/Comfort, Parent-Child Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, Angst, Mourning Jason Todd

Chapter Fifteen: Back of the Closet (Jason's POV)

Every day after I finished dropping Terry off, I spent a few minutes getting Avery-Marie cleaned up for dinner, and I checked on Andrew in his room. He’d taken up painting as a hobby, and he rarely came out of his room for anything. It was our normal. I knocked on the door frame, and Andrew looked up from his painting. “Whatcha working on, Drewby?” I asked. 

“Mom’s garden,” Andrew answered. I sat beside him, rustling a hand through his hair, and I kissed his temple. It’d been two years, and I still couldn’t get past the joy I felt looking at his face every day. “How was your day? Is your friend’s son okay?” 

“Uh-huh… I’m worried Powers is after him because of something his father found out… I’m gonna have someone look into it,” I answered. Andrew looked at me. 

“Are you gonna put the helmet back on?” Andrew questioned. I shook my head. 

“I don’t want to. I wanna see if the authorities can suss this out without help… Did you go to therapy today?” I questioned. Andrew nodded. I never pushed him to talk about it, but he’d tell me sometimes if he was in the mood to talk. Andrew continued to work on his painting. 

“I talked about you today… And Mom… Why weren’t you and Mom getting along?” What happened?” Andrew asked. It was a long time coming, but I was surprised he finally asked me about it. 

“It was my fault… I didn’t pay enough attention to her, and I never listened to her pleas about making nice with your grandfather. She just wanted me to work through my trauma. And I wanted to close it off and pretend it didn’t matter,” I answered, “Your mother was the sweetest woman I ever met. She was a good wife and an amazing mother. We weren’t gonna divorce… I would’ve stayed with her forever if I could’ve.”

Andrew smiled. I’d been seeing a lot more of that recently. Avery-Marie finished taking her bath, and she knocked on the door. “Uncle Andy,” Avery-Marie whispered as she knocked on the door. “Uncle Andy, can I show you something?” 

Andrew stopped painting, handed me his brush, and he let Avery-Marie in. He never turned her away. Even on his bad days, he gave her his full attention, showering her with love and affection like he used to do with Maggie. He picked her up and kissed her cheek. “What is it, Sugar Plum?” Andrew asked. 

“I made you something,” Avery-Marie whispered. She always whispered to him. He set her down, and she ran to grab her backpack before returning with a handmade suncatcher. “Grandpa put his present in the car.” 

Andrew opened his window and taped it there. “Wow. Thank you so much, Avie. Every time it’s sunny, I’ll be able to open my curtains and see the rainbow. This is so nice,” Andrew grinned. 

“I’m gonna start dinner,” I whispered to excuse myself. Andrew would help Avery-Marie with her homework while I cooked. It always calmed my nerves. I liked dinnertime. It was the only time I had to clear my head and focus on a single task. I didn’t have to think about Abigail surrendering custody of Avery-Marie to me. I didn’t have to think about Michael being tangled up in the magic scene in Louisiana. I didn’t have to think about Andrew’s agoraphobia. When I cooked, it was just me and the stove. Today, I made burgers and french fries. It was Avery-Marie’s favorite. I brought our meal to Andrew’s bedroom, and we ate at the little table by his closet. Avery-Marie sat on my knee while we ate. Andrew took his pills with dinner. After dinner, I put a movie on for Avery-Marie, and Andrew took a nap beside her. 

**

When nighttime came, Andrew listened to the police scanner before bed. “That’s a code I haven’t heard in a while,” Andrew whispered. 

“What’s that, Drew?” I questioned. 

“The code for masked vigilantes. At Wayne Powers on the roof. Do you think it’s Grandpa?” Andrew asked. I shook my head. “Dad?”

“It’s Terry,” I answered. There was no doubt or hesitation in me when I said it. It had to be Terry, and I felt my blood run cold. Andrew frowned and nodded at me. 

I shook my head, feeling torn between my duty to Warren and his family, and my duty to my family. It felt like the same thing. Warren, Mary, Terry, and Matt felt like family… But Andrew grabbed my hand. “You stepped away because you didn’t want to hurt kids… Now you have the chance to save one. Go ahead, Dad,” Andrew reassured me, “Don’t be gone too long, or I’ll call Uncle Dick.”

“Uncle Dick is in California,” I whispered before kissing his forehead, “Comms are in my bedroom.” 

I left the room and got dressed in the last model of my costume. I hadn’t worn it since the kids were babies. They knew about it. That wasn’t a secret to them. 

I took my motorcycle through the old passageways to get there faster, and I could tell from the sound of the security guards that Terry was there already. I turned comms on, calling straight to the cave like old times, hoping someone was on the other line. “Anyone on the line?” I questioned. 

“Hood?” Bruce’s voice half-exclaimed on the other line. 

“What’s his location and why would you let him wear the—?” I heard a gunshot and a hissing noise before looking up to see Terry in the Batman suit tailing a plane. “He can’t do this on his own—.” 

“The kid is in the suit against my wishes… But he’s got it under control. He’s got a natural talent for this… Go home, Hood. Stepping in now would only jeopardize his safety. Unless you’d like to talk about—.” 

“Listen here, you sick old man. I’m only coming there, so I can chew you out for allowing this curse to take another kid,” I whispered. The drive to the cave felt like it took an eternity, but it was only a few minutes. Bruce sat in his chair, looking more alive than I’d seen him in years. He had a distinct twinkle in his eye. I hadn’t seen that in him since I was a little boy. 

“He said he’s heading straight home… I didn’t know he was one of your kids. If I did, I wouldn’t have hit him so hard when I caught him down here. What’s your opinion on his mental state?” Bruce asked. 

I couldn’t lie to him. “Terry craves adrenaline, and he’s smart… Intuitive and compassionate. He has a record and a past, but that’s not reflective of how strong his conscience is. Terry feels guilty for things that he’s done, and he has a strong desire to set things right even if they seem completely out of his control. He’s deeply empathetic… More than anyone I’ve ever seen, and I originally planned on partnering him up with a defense attorney before I took a step back from work two years ago… I’m not gonna be able to talk him out of this, am I? And I can’t tell his mother. That’d kill her,” I answered. 

“He reminds me of you… He’s got a smart mouth, but I think that comes with being a teenager,” Bruce replied. 

“You like him… You lonely old—. You want him back here, don’t you?” I questioned. 

“This city’s falling apart. I think he’s fresh, and I appreciate his raw talent. If you say no, I’ll respect that—.” 

“But he won’t. I know how this works,” I interrupted. I wanted to blame Bruce this time, but I knew it was as much his curse as mine.

[trevination]

For the wip thing, “screamed” (or a variation of that)

tee hee

A snicker stabbed at his ear from behind and he winced, then Brill's laugh echoed— screamed— from next to his other ear and it took everything in Charlie's fearing, tensed-up body not to curl in on himself right then and there.

[sofiasfanartcollection]

Day 27 of TMayNT: favorite mutant villain

I made one last entry to TMayNT :]

I don’t think anyone who’s been around my blog for long will be surprised when I say that Hypno-potamus (from rottmnt) is my favorite <3

the TMayNT challenge was hosted by @mikasleaf see more at @tmaynt

Also, here’s a bonus sketch of him with his beloved roomie/magical assistant/best friend/partner, Warren <3<3<3

[everrgrreeen]

This song is so Layla x Warren coded that it wouldn't leave me alone til I made an edit with it.

Even after almost 20 years since this movie came out (and I saw it in the theater), there's not a single person who can convince me that he didn't end up falling in love with her.

[onlytiktoks]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/11/elon-musk-doge-cfpb-regulations/

[murmurmurl]

I actually find gender swapping characters really interesting (what part of their expression is dictated by gender norms vs certain events in their life vs their personal preferences that wouldn't change either way, etc.) so now I wanna draw what that would look like in my ocs except I am in pain rn so I'm forced to just lie there and be plagued by visions

[a-narcissists-warren]

we are the anons, we can do whatever we want whenever we want, aslong as we state it correctly and the higher up moderators accept our magic spells

we are powerful and we are the second highest being here other than the moderators

with that being said, mods put a seal plushie on this guys head

what the FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

[m!a 5/15]

[jeromepowell]

Support the CFPB!

Full article under the cut.

CFPB shutdown creates consumer oversight gaps

Kyle Campbell

1140 words

11 February 2025

American Banker Online

With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sidelined, there is no federal regulator examining large banks for consumer compliance, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers on Tuesday, and banking agencies can only do so much to pick up the slack.

Powell said the Fed can still enforce antidiscrimination and consumer protection laws against all the entities it supervises — banking holding companies and state-chartered banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System — but it only has examination teams for banks with less than $10 billion of assets.

Banks above that limit are, at the federal level, the sole responsibility of the CFPB, he said. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which created the agency, and gave the bureau consolidated oversight authority over large banks as well as non-bank financial institutions.

"We do have some residual enforcement authorities," Powell said, "But what we don't have is examination authority for the banks that the CFPB supervises."

The discussion came during Powell's testimony in front of the Senate Banking Committee [https://www.americanbanker.com/live-blog/powell-makes-first-visit-to-capital-hill-under-trump-2-0], the first of two appearances on Capitol Hill for the Fed chair this week, as part of his semi-annual report to Congress on monetary policy.

Throughout the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, Powell was asked various questions about consumer protection as well as its role in funding the CFPB, which was effectively shuttered [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/cfpb-workers-told-to-stand-down-stop-all-work] by newly-appointed Acting Director Russell Vought.

Within 24 hours of being placed at the helm last Friday, Vought directed all employees to stop work entirely [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/cfpbs-vought-stops-agency-work-vows-to-cut-all-funding]. He also requested that the agency's funding be slashed to zero and closed its headquarters in Washington. The moves were billed as a temporary shutdown to assess the CFPB’s policies and practices, but they have raised concerns

[https://www.americanbanker.com/news/cfpb-shutdown-raises-questions-for-consumer-oversight] about the administration's intentions for the agency.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., the committee's ranking member and a key architect of the Congress, said the shutdown amounted to telling police officers to stop enforcing laws.

"The CFPB is our law enforcement agency to make sure that the giant banks follow the rules on consumer protection," Warren said. "For me, right now, I'd be really worried about doing business with a giant bank when there's no cop on the beat."

Powell also responded to questions about the Fed's funding of the CFPB, a structure that was also established by Dodd-Frank. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., asked whether the Fed could legally bankroll the bureau when the central bank was, itself, running at a net operating loss.

The Fed, which funds itself through its open market operations associated with its balance sheet, has not been profitable since it began raising interest rates and shrinking its balance sheet in 2022.

"There are only two statutes that require the Fed to make Fed bank assessments and neither permit the transfers," Britt said. "So what authority, exactly, did the federal reserve have to assess the reserve banks in this manner over the last two years?"

Powell said the Fed has looked into this very question and confirmed that not only can it continue funding the CFPB but it must.

"We looked at that question very carefully, and it's very clear on the law and the legislative history that we're still required to make those payments," Powell said.

Stress testing

During the hearing, Powell outlined the changes the Fed intends to make to its stress testing [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/federal-reserve-releases-2025-stress-test-scenario] regime later this year.

The central bank announced in late December [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/fed-to-consider-changes-to-stress-testing] that it would adjust its methods to make the annual exams more transparent and less prone to dramatic year-to-year changes. On Tuesday, Powell previewed what those reforms might be.

"On transparency, we're going to release the models, clean them up and publish the models, put them out for comments," he said. "We're also going to release the stress test scenarios before we implement them."

To reduce volatility, the Fed will no longer base each examined bank's stress capital buffer on the results of a single year's projected losses. Instead, it will take the outcome of each exam and incorporate it into a multi-year average.

"The problem is the stress capital buffer will be moving up and down just because of volatility in the results," he said. "It seems like a good idea to smooth that out by averaging over a couple of years."

Powell noted that because the Fed will be conducting a notice-and-comment process on these changes, the exact policy reforms could be subject to change.

Capital reform

In the waning moments of the hearing, Powell shared how the Fed is thinking about the so-called Basel III endgame, the capital reform effort that elicited strong pushback from the banking industry and derailed the Biden-era bank regulatory agenda.

Powell said the Fed intends to finalize a capital rule that aligns the U.S. with other countries involved in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, but in a way that results in minimal capital increases for banks.

"My own view has been that our banks are well-capitalized," he said. "Basel III was not supposed to be an exercise in raising capital in U.S. banks. [Former European Central Bank President] Mario Draghi said that, [Former Fed Gov.] Dan Tarullo said that back in the day, I believe, so I think that's about right."

Powell said he was "eager" to work with new leadership [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/powell-regulators-will-move-as-a-group-on-basel-re-proposal] at the FDIC and OCC to finalize the Basel endgame reforms. He said work remains to be done on the issue, but he expects it to be completed "fairly quickly."

A lighter touch

Another theme of the hearing was the closure of consumer accounts due to regulatory concerns, a concept known as "debanking."

Powell said on multiple occasions that he is concerned [https://www.americanbanker.com/news/powell-law-abiding-crypto-customers-shouldnt-lose-accounts] about the large volume of reported debanking incidents and that he is committed to taking a "fresh look" at the factors that might contribute to this trend.

"We hear a lot of people talk about it and it's time to take a fresh look, I think," he said. "We don't intentionally do these things, but sometimes regulation leads things to happen, and we need to be working on that."

This was not the only unintended consequence on the Fed chairman's mind on Tuesday. Powell also noted that it was important that regulation not incentivize consolidation in the banking sector.

"We've seen the number of community banks declining for 30 years. We don't want to be the cause of that," he said. "If it's happening by natural causes or evolving technology, that's one thing, but we don't want to be inadvertently causing that to happen."

[wherepond]

Trump unhinged solipsist

Trump just got rid of the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

If President Trump is serious about lowering costs and capping credit card interest rates, he needs a strong CFPB and a strong CFPB Director.

Psychopaths seek revenge

[deadgenres]

what's with grahamscott writers and max/female character writers portraying rachel and warren to be horrible people ?

[bluejaysandblackbats]

You're Just Like Quicksand

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Batman Beyond

Summary: Jason Todd is ready to go into semi-retirement after fifteen years working with troubled youth, but one case in particular forces him to confront the sins of his youth and painful memories from his past.

Chapters: 14/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Terry McGinnis, Warren McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Matt McGinnis, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)

Relationship(s): TBA

Additional Tags: Protective Jason Todd, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Retired Jason Todd, Multiple POV, Hurt/Comfort, Parent-Child Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, Angst, Mourning Jason Todd

Chapter Fourteen: Fathers and Sons (Terry McGinnis' POV)

I hadn’t heard from Jason in over two years, but he was at the funeral. I thought it was strange. I wondered who invited him. I wondered why he stood so far away. Mom couldn’t move. She couldn’t process any of it. So, we stood beside her as everyone paid their respects and went home. They could go home. I couldn’t. I could never go home again. I had to officially move in with Mom once they let me into the crime scene that was once my dad’s apartment. Everyone left, and I stayed behind. Mom took Matt home, and Jason finally approached. I couldn’t pretend. I resented him for letting me go without a reason. So, I let him have it. I couldn’t remember what I said, but I know it was harsh. He stood there, tall and strong with sadness in his eyes. Jason didn’t move. He didn’t flinch. I tore into him until I didn’t have any other words to describe how I felt. And without missing a beat, he said, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you… But I knew you were good. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t think you could handle it… But I missed it. Every moment.”

I swallowed hard. My stomach was in knots. It only took a few little sentences for me to forgive him. I knew he’d understand my grief. My anger. My emptiness. “What are you doing here?” I questioned, my voice breaking as I asked him. 

“I promised Mary that I’d look after you while you got your things. I also promised her that I’d try to get you to eat. We could get whatever you want,” Jason whispered, “We’ll go eat… And then we’ll get your stuff. I promise.” 

“Why? Why now?” I asked. 

“Because I lost my parents as a kid. And in retrospect, I think I needed someone who could show me how to process grief without being pacified with emotionally addictive coping mechanisms. Are you alright with me coming around for a little while?” Jason questioned. I wanted to say no. I wanted to pretend I didn’t need him, but I couldn’t lie. I nodded. 

** 

After Jason took me to eat, we went to the apartment. Jason came with me, and he stood by quietly while I packed everything that I could into a box. Everything I owned fit into one big box. It made me feel sick and empty in my chest. I looked up at Jason, almost pleading for him to feel it for me. Feel my pain.  

“One of the kids in my program took my family from me. He got too attached… And he—. He developed a jealous streak. He thought I passed his case on because of my children… And he took them from me. I was afraid that those feelings would keep me from helping you… And I didn’t want to make the same mistake of passing your case onto someone else, so I stepped away. Besides, you were so independent. You didn’t need me as much. You and Warren were doing alright. But, he—. He called me. He said something changed a few months ago. What was it?” Jason questioned. The confession seemed out of place. 

“It wasn’t like that. I get into with some guy at school sometimes, but it’s—. Dad was swamped at work. He didn’t have the time to talk about it anymore… So, I stopped explaining. I’m not messing around with gangs or stealing anymore. I swear,” I promised him. He nodded. “I would’ve understood if you told me what happened to your kids. I’m sorry, Jason.”

“It’s—. Thank you… I probably should’ve explained, but I—. It’s a lot to dredge up,” Jason replied, “Which is why I want you to talk about this on your own time. I’ll be available whenever you feel like talking about him. I spent a lot of time talking to Warren. We became friends. He was kind to me.”

“What did you have in common with my dad?” I questioned. 

Jason smiled as tears slid down his cheeks. “He had a normal life… Normal problems… But this—.”

“Feels wrong… I don’t think Dad would’ve opened the door for those twips,” I interrupted him.

Jason nodded as he looked around. He must’ve seen something because his jaw tightened. “Terry, after today… don’t come back here. Something’s not right. This isn’t—. If you see something weird, I want you to call me,” Jason whispered. He stepped into the doorway, and I could tell there was something wrong in his eyes. A switch flipped, and he scanned over everything. 

“What is it?” I questioned. Jason shook his head as he took me to his car. His face went dark, and he looked around. 

“I don’t know… I just feel strange about all of this, Terry. Get in the car, and I’ll take you to Mary’s. It’s getting dark,” Jason whispered. He shut the door and got in the driver’s seat. I looked at Jason. 

“Does this mean I’m back in the program?” I asked. I felt stupid as soon as I asked it. 

“Is that what you want?” Jason questioned. 

He wanted me to say it. Not for his ego. I don’t think he had one, but it was all for me. He wanted to know what I wanted. And he needed me to ask him. I started hyperventilating, and Jason tapped the dashboard between us until I calmed down. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do without my dad,” I mumbled.

“And I can’t fill that space, but I can create a space for you to cope if you’ll let me help you,” Jason answered. 

We didn’t say anything else for the whole ride home, and he walked me up to the door and said goodbye to my mom and Matt before leaving. And somewhere in between me entering my room and seeing Matt, I dropped my dad’s picture and found the disc. And that’s when I decided to get involved with Bruce Wayne. I didn’t know much about the old man, and I didn’t really care, but I needed his help. I knew I couldn’t go to Jason because he’d tell me not to get involved. He would’ve taken over, and I wanted my own answers… and it was Mr. Wayne’s company. 

**

Jason picked me up from school after Powers’ people accosted me. He pinched the bridge of his nose, before sighing. Avery-Marie sat in the back seat, kicking her feet. She had noise-canceling headphones on. “Are you okay?” Jason asked.

“I’m alright… Is that Avery-Marie? She’s so big now,” I whispered. 

“Yeah… She’s in kindergarten… Why is Powers’ muscle hassling you?” Jason questioned. 

I shook my head like I didn’t know, and he accepted it. He knew I was lying, but he didn’t push for an answer. “Powerphones off,” Jason commanded, and Avery-Marie looked up. 

“Grandpa, can I have a cookie in the car?” Avery-Marie asked. 

“Sure, Avie. Did you see Terry in the front seat?” Jason questioned.

“Hi, Terry! Do you want a cookie too?” Avery-Marie offered. Her blonde curls reached past her shoulders, and she wore glitter star stickers on her face. “Grandpa, is Terry coming over to play?” 

Jason tapped the steering wheel as he started driving. “Not today, Sweetpea… Terry’s busy.” Avery-Marie pouted as she handed me a cookie.

“Maybe some other time… ‘Kay, Avery-Marie?” I offered. 

Jason nodded. “If he’s free, maybe he can babysit sometimes,” Jason suggested. He wanted me at the office. I knew what that meant. He wasn’t ready to let the situation with Powers go. Not completely anyway.

[hollyoaksmusings]

unrelated but ste should’ve killed warren lol