Normal
Summary: All Gigi wanted was that normal life everyone talked about. But it’s hard to know what that’s like when your life is so unordinary.
Set in the Young Justice Universe
Notes: Was going to write the next chapter of Suprise but then got caught in a conversation with @speedypan and this happened... I put a little more information in here than I normally would because I’m still working on publishing these characters back stories so the time lines are a little out of whack. Sorry if things are confusing.
Faith (Guardian Angel) more stories here. Also side note, Jennifer is Faith’s older sister who is taking care of her after the death of their parents.
Gigi (Plastic-girl) only has one other story
Maia (Willow) is owned by @batlog more stuff with her here and here
Also a bit clunky in the middle.... it’s late and I kept adding stuff in.
Gigi studied the cracks on the ceiling for a moment, finding one that looked like a clown’s face complete with large nose “I… I just do things, stupid things and I think ‘no normal person would do that” She turned her head toward Jennifer “I even started watching Reality TV to see how they did it, but Guardian Angel told me that wasn’t really true reality.”
Jennifer tried to suppress a laugh, “Yeah, but what about the kids at your school?”
“They are pretty cool, I guess you could call them normal. I’m a cheerleader and I met this guy who’s really normal. It’s just when someone asks’ me how my day was I never seem to be able to just say ‘just normal’”
“What do you say?”
Gigi jumped up excited, “All the amazing things that happen! Like today this one guy who plays the tuba told this really funny joke…”
“Sorry,” Gigi said laying back on the couch folding her hands over her stomach.
“You know, you don’t have to lay like that,” Jennifer said
“Really? Isn’t this how it’s normally done?”
“You can do whatever you want here, be whoever you want.” Jennifer studied the red-haired girl, “Who do you want to be Gigi?”
Their conversation was cut off by Faith walked in throwing herself on the couch basically laying on top of her best friend, "hey sis, use your big brain to tell me my future." The red haired girl's eyes grew a little bigger than was normal for a regular human, it probably had something to do with her ability to stretch.
"You can do that?" She gasped
Jennifer just laughed throwing a pillow at Faith which the girl caught easily, "Get out of here you goofs."
After her session with her psychiatrist Gigi or, known by most of her friends at the Young Justice HQ, Plastic-girl headed over to the Young Justice HQ. Her mother had suggested she go to the psychiatrist after learning that Jennifer O’Neal had specialized in super powered kids. Gigi had been born with her powers and had grown up going from superpowered group to group being taught how to control them. In her mother’s words, her life had never been normal. So now that she was going to a “normal” high school and doing normal teen stuff. It was all she wanted to be.
Normal.
“We’re HERE!” Plastic-girl sang as she walked into the large headquarters. Guardian Angel or, as most just called her, Angel smiled waving as she bounced from foot to food. A small group of heroes stood in the briefing room. Impulse, Blue Beetle and Willow. Willow was a few years older than the other teens and had just returned from a 10-year mission. Where she had gone, no one knew, but Faith and Gigi would come up with their own theories. They ranged from saving Santa and -by default- Christmas (Gigi’s favorite) to fighting Ninjas in the center of the earth (Faith’s favorite).
Impulse ran up to meet them, a large smile on his face that matched Plastic-girl’s.
“Impulse! How are you? Did you have a good week? Tell me everything about your life!”
“Total crash! I spent it with Grandpa and learning all this stuff about this time! You guys are so retro!“
“Ohhh have you tried ice-cream yet my favorite is mocha chocolate chip with strawberry frosting and extra sprinkles!”
Willow watched as if unsure of the flavor choice, “I can’t decide if that sounds good or not” she finally admitted.
“It’s not great…” Angel said shaking her head still trying to get the taste from last week out of her mouth. Never again... never.
“What did you do this week Plastic-girl?” Impulse asked
“OMG So many amazing things! Totally normal stuff. Went to a pep rally and I was on the bottom because of my AMAZING strength! Everything went totally normal! No mistakes at all!”
“Why would you want normal? You’re a superhero?” Blue Beetle asked an eyebrow cocked.
“Because, normal is great, I like normal.”
They didn’t get to talk much after that because they called to the briefing room before.
It was just a recon mission. Stealth to just get a few items.
Plastic-girl was chatting with Angel about her totally amazingly normal weekend over the mic when Impulse's hand was over her mouth as he motioned for her to be quite. A few feet away two guards were walking by.
Ever alert, Plastic girl stretched her ear across the wall trying to catch what they were saying. However her hazel eyes couldn’t seem to take themselves off the boy in front of her, there it was, that look that bothered he so much.
Plastic-girl had only joined the Young Justice League a few months ago and while everyone was amazing the boy in front of her was someone who stood out to her. Something about the way he talked and moved. It was as if sometimes nothing seemed wrong than someone would happen and he would trip over his words or seem to back peddle.
Growing up in the superpowered world Plastic-girl was use to seeing many strange things and people. But with Impulse, it was different.
To her, he seemed like a song that was just slightly off key.
“We have a problem” Willow’s voice crackled over the mic, a few yells could be heard in the background.
“I’m close,” Angel’s voice said before there was some gunshots and screaming. Impulse dashed off leaving poor Plastic-girl to run - much slower- behind.
When she got there she found a pile of heavily armored guards laying around the floor. Willow and Impulse standing by while Angel stood holding an unloaded rifle across her shoulders.
“You’re friend is kind…. Intense.” Willow whispered to Plastic-girl as one last guard charged at the small brunette. Angle whorled around swinging the gun’s butt across the guy's face with a sickening crack instantly knocking him out. His nose was broken for sure.
“What?” Angel asked turning to the team, “I’m short…” as if this was an explanation for her slightly dirty fighting technique. Shrugging Willow decided they had better hurry up and leave before more guards ended with broken body parts.
It only took a few moments for them to get back to their small ship and silently fly away. Willow going over the recon plans while the younger heroes talked among themselves.
The team was able to get the items they needed while also learning that the company, a medical research lab, had been testing chemicals to enhance humans. Using stolen blood and samples from kids like Plastic-girl who were born with their powers. They still weren’t sure where they had gotten the samples from but Kaldur said he hoped the information they had stolen would tell them.
“Ask her…” Plastic-girl’s voice took Willow out of her thoughts.
“If you want to know so bad you ask her,” Angel said tapping her foot as she glanced outside the ship. From her seat in front of them, Willow turned.
“Ask who what?”
“Plastic wants to know what Santa was like,” Angel said with the largest mischievous smile on her face.
“What?”
“Santa.” Plastic-girl said, her face completely seriously while Angel tried to fight back laughter, “When you saved him... “
“When…”
“On your mission” Angel added for context, “You saved Santa and Christmas, right? That’s where you were for 10 years”
Across from the Plastic-girl Impulse burst out laughing and Blue Beetle just sat there mouth hanging open. “Is she joking?” he asked looking at Angel who shook her head.
“I mean… Santa lives in an alternate universe so 10 years would feel like a week…” Plastic-girl said calmly explaining her theory, “how else does he give presents all over the world.”
“Wait… wouldn’t it be the other way around? Like 10 years there would be a week here?” Impulse asked now wrapped up in the theory. Blue Beetle sat there completely perplexed trying to keep up or just understand while Angel sat back watching totally enjoying the insanity unfolding while.
“I think time is just different there?” Angel offered.
“Yeah,” Willow said nodding, “Time was just different there.”
Plastic-girl turned to her, eyes wide with excitement, “so you….”
“Totally did.”
“HA! I told you!” Plastic-girl said pointing a very comically large finger at Angel. (After all, with the power to stretch your body to crazy sizes and shapes what other use is there than to gloat to your friend that you had been right all along?) The brunette just shrugged.
“I never really doubted you.”
After solving this amazing mystery both younger girls continued their many theories conversation as Willow went to give the information they got to Kaldur. Soon the conversation turned to Impulse. Gigi explaining her thoughts on Impulse and how there was something off about him Mine as well solve the other mystery in her life.
Why the youngest speedster seemed so… off beat.
“He’s not like you, you also seem too easy when you move while I feel like Impulse trips over himself or something… I don’t know… I can’t place it… ya know. It’s just not normal.”
“I mean he is from another time.” Faith said Gigi could tell she was mulling over her friend’s words. Thinking about all the times they had hung out and he had seemed off. “But if it’s bugging you why not ask him?” she added spinning around so she was facing Gigi while walking backward down the main hall.
Their conversations was cut short by the short brunette almost bumping into the boy in question. It would have been a total collision but at the last moment, she dogged him without even looking. Sometimes Gigi was convinced her friend had eyes in the back of her head.
“Oh look! There he is… k see ya Plastic!” She sang off key as she skipped off to meet up with Robin and Nightwing to go back to Gotham.
“Huh?” Impulse asked watching Guardian Angel wave before meeting up with her little bat-team. Turning back to Gigi the speedster smiled.
“Are you sad?” Gigi blurted out. After all, the blunt truth had worked before.
“What?” the boy asked totally taken aback.
“I mean… like you are always smiling and laughing and acting like you don’t know what’s going on. But you seem to stumble into good things… and not like Faith who seems to dodge everything… it looks like it’s an accident but it’s not? Also, your eyes don’t smile… Are you sad?” It all made sense to her but poor Bart had no idea what the red haired girl was talking about. All her words, pouring out and mixed togeather. Or maybe he did, maybe he knew what she was saying and didn’t want to admit it. After all, can’t crash the mode.
So just brushed her off he shrugged, “haha I don’t know what you are talking about. Hey, got to go meet up with Gramps but catch you on the next mission!” he dashed off only to come back for a moment, “also, great job today! I like working with you!” then he was gone.
Gigi sighed, better be off too. She was a little annoyed? No, something else, she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Sure she wasn’t like Angel and her soul readingness, but she knew it when someone was faking. Hiding something deep from the world around them. Acting like everything was peachy keen when it wasn’t
As Gigi passed the kitchen the news was on.
“And I can’t stress enough that she is NOT my prodigy,” Plastic-mam said on the screen, Gigi’s eyes flickered to the TV as her childhood idol spoke to the press, “whether or not these allegations about her being one of those that have been born with powers... mutants or whatever she may be. I don’t train kids and if she is a mutant, I urge those in charge of the teen heroes to take the proper precautions until we understand this gene better.” And with that, he turned his back on the reporters. Being swallowed up like by the crowd of inquisitors. She knew what it was like to act like everything was peachy keen, because even if her life wasn’t as bad as many of the other kids here, sometimes she felt like she could hide her feelings the best.