In the last year, John Douglas Gallagher could safely say that his life felt anything but normal. From his abduction and resulting discovery of his superhuman heritage, to the revelation of his accelerated healing and development of his superhuman strength.
The events that had followed… of course his life had felt like it was in disarray.
Joining a superhuman militia hadn't been on the top of his priority list at the time… but then again, neither was the existence of actual superhumans, let alone his own status as one.
That had lead to complications in his relationship with his two best friends, Madison Thompson and Levi Graham. He'd nearly lost that friendship. And following that encounter, had his first (and so far, only) brush with death.
Not that he hadn't thought that during his abduction, but that was a story for another time.
He'd tried to act like his life was as normal as it could be, that nothing was wrong.
But the man known as Jason Meadows had unleashed a darkness within John that even the teen himself didn't know he had.
Due to his time in the militia and that day the Ironton Power Plant, John was all to familiar with his callous, almost cruel disregard for the lives of his enemies.
He remembered very distinctly, what it felt like to wrap his hand around Jason's spine in Ironton. He remembered the sick satisfaction he'd felt when he'd crushed that spine like a toothpick.
Two comrades… two very good friends had been there with him during that fight. It was only because of them that John hadn't crossed a line.
John wouldn't try to play anyone as a fool. He had blood on his hands, a lot of it… and even he found it somewhat concerning that he lost absolutely no sleep over it.
But no matter how he wished it at times… John's one single rule was to never kill in cold blood. Not when someone was already beaten. Not when the opponent had surrendered.
And even then, he found himself questioning if he really followed that rule. It was very easy to write off one of his victims as the heat of battle, but even then, there were times where his foe's fate had been decided earlier.
No matter what people told him, what they thought of him… John had himself convinced that he was a monster. A monster with a heart, but a monster nonetheless.
He was no saint, but what could person had such disregard for anyone's life?
After the incident with Jason, missions with the militia became a normal part of his life. Almost always he was sent on missions with Peter Wyling and Rachel Lauren, the two people who'd stopped him from killing Jason. It provided a sense of normalcy and a decent distraction from the PTSD that had haunted him since his abduction and subsequent torture.
Trauma that he tried to hide away. Trauma that he acted as if it didn't exist.
His relationship with Maddie and Levi had returned to what it once was, and John had found a sense of normalcy once more.
Even better, Papaw had ended up getting custody of his little siblings, James and Shiela Guthrie, thanks to some strings pulled by the militia's leader. CIA Agent Alex MacGrath. One of the most powerful superhumans on the planet.
Quite possibly the most powerful superhuman on the planet.
John felt like his life couldn't get any better. Despite the ups and prominent downs of life with the militia outside of school and home, the sixteen-year-old boy was genuinely happy with his life.
Of course, that was when things had to take a massive nosedive.
Mamaw and Papaw hadn't been able to pay the property tax. They'd lost the place that John had known for his entire life as home.
It sucked. It felt like everything had frozen around him. But he'd thought they'd have been able to find somewhere else. And they did.
But… he was thinking somewhere closer. At least in the vicinity of Portsmouth. Within distance to his best friends.
Instead, Papaw had told them that no matter where they looked, they couldn't find anywhere within their price range or anyone willing to sell their property.
Credit where it's due, because Alex had once again stepped in. If it weren't for the man, John and his siblings may as well be in foster care while his grandparents were homeless. Alex kept that from happening.
It didn't change the fact that Los Angeles was a very big change. One he was nowhere near ready for, and was admittedly struggling to accept.
It was made a little easier, knowing that he could easily visit Maddie and Levi with a ride from Peter. That his life within the militia wasn't going to change.
It still didn't change the fact that John was well over two thousand miles from his home in California, with new faces, a new school, and what he was supposed to accept as his new home.
It still hadn't quite sunken in, and it had been a month.
It didn't help that the new location meant that John was far more reserved with his abilities. Unlike in Portsmouth, where his entire school knew about his identity as the Juggernaut due to the battle that had occurred on school grounds, John felt no need to hide his strength or his status as a superhuman.
But here… everyone was a stranger, and he wasn't comfortable trusting anyone with that knowledge.
On the bright side, Papaw had gotten an actual farm, meaning John could finally see his wish of actually trying the farm life. He wanted to use his powers for more, in his eyes at least, than a weapon. He wanted to help without being sent to capture or kill.
He'd also found a saving grace in the Rose twins. The Rose family were the closest neighbors to what was now the Gallagher Farm, and they'd met when John had opted to go on a walk with James and Shiela for some air.
More for his own sake than theirs, if John was being entirely honest.
Mason and Mallory Rose were a pair of country kids. As John had heard people describe of himself before, Mason and Mallory fit the very definition of 'corn fed and country bred'.
They were wild and outgoing, but they were good people.
They were the ones who had extended an invite to John to a party in the Hollywood Hills. Some friend of theirs, Derek, was hosting a party with his parents' permission. Having heard that John was new to LA, the two had figured it'd be a good place to start, even get a little drunk.
Considering how his biology worked with his powers, John had expected that last part to be impossible.
But boy was he wrong.
All of that had led to one of the most pleasant surprises of all, and honestly? John was fine with it.
John had arrived earlier in the day with the Rose twins, and like them, had immediately started drinking. Unlike them, that's nowhere near all he had drank.
Turns out, if John basically flooded his body with nothing but alcohol, he could indeed achieve intoxication.
Nice to know.
And later into the night was when he'd noticed her.
She was a small girl, couldn't be any more than ninety pounds. Only came up to his chest. Bright red hair, full round face, in a green spaghetti strap with short-short jeans and a pair of rather shiny high-heels.
When he'd first seen her, he'd admired her of course, but other than that he'd kept to himself. She was cute, no arguments there, but John didn't know her and he had no intention of bugging her.
So he'd left her be, continued sipping down some lemonade/vodka mix that the appointed bartender made.
It was long after that when he'd seen her again.
And again.
And again.
John had eventually realized that she simply appeared to be wandering aimlessly. She'd not spoken to anyone that he'd seen, didn't even look at anybody. Just kept her head down and moved with no destination.
It was a half-hour in that John's curiosity had gotten the best of him. He'd intended on asking Mason, Mallory, or Derek if any of them knew who she was. The little redhead that for the life of him he couldn't help but to notice.
But fate had a funny way of working, didn't it?
No sooner than he was maybe five steps away from the bar did John find himself nearly bulldozing the poor girl into the ground.
He hadn't even had a chance to apologize before she'd gone too. And then started staring.
It was actually rather adorable, John could admit. She had this air of innocence around her, but also one of sadness.
John found himself offering a drink to the girl he came to know as Cat Valentine after a two minute conversation, promising that he wouldn't try to get her drunk as a skunk. Especially when he'd found out that it would be her first time trying alcohol.
Of course, that's when the half a day's worth of alcohol sitting in his system had decided to finally kick in and prove to him that he could indeed get intoxicated.
It was a beer and a half in when he realized Cat was slurring her words and was visibly flushed, and had mentally berated himself for his own drunken stupor as he kept his promise and cut her off from drinking anymore.
She was a lightweight, for sure.
During that conversation, he'd learned plenty about her. She wasn't attending a normal school, but a performance arts school known as Hollywood Arts. Cat was hoping to be an actress.
John had promised to be there on opening night for her first big movie.
He'd been told of how her friends seem to treat her as a child, and how though she appreciated they cared, it got on her nerves.
Which was understandable. John got that hint a little earlier when she'd remarked that her friends had instructed her to only drink Wahoo Punch. Which sounded like an off-brand Hawaiian Punch.
He'd learned about how she was a bit dense and oblivious, seeing it for himself plenty, but he took it in stride.
Until she'd referred to herself as 'so freaking stupid'.
If John hadn't been drunk, he probably wouldn't have been as aggressive as he had been. But no sooner than words left Cat's mouth did his glass get slammed on the counter top as he spun to face her to tell her in no uncertain terms that though she was certainly ditzy, she was not stupid. And she was aware of her own ditzy nature, a feat in and of itself.
He'd invited her so she had someone to talk to, socialize with. Besides, Mason and Mallory had invited him in order to get him away from home and let him make some friends, so he saw it as a win-win.
He'd learned enough about her to get an idea of who she is. A sweet, humble girl with big dreams. Who just so happened to be a bit of a ditz at times.
They had complimented each other and Cat had shown her gratitude for allowing her to vent to him.
What happened after that… had been completely unexpected.
John had girls hit on him before. It only increased in frequency after he got his powers. He wasn't often interested, and the few that he was interested in weren't interested in him.
So when Cat had suddenly popped off with a flirtatious remark, calling him the hottest gorilla she'd ever seen, it had caught him off-guard.
It clearly had surprised her too, considering the look of shock that took over her expression the moment the words left her mouth.
But to John's own surprise, he found himself flirting back.
He hadn't had any intention, any interest in a hook-up or finding a girlfriend. Just making a friend, maybe two. Or three.
Instead, he'd replied with a remark that Cat was the 'hottest feline he'd ever seen'.
He still cringed when he remembered it.
It continued from there, and John had a vague recollection of their lips meeting before he'd quite literally picked her up from her seat and found a moment's privacy in a hallway that was surprisingly secluded.
After that… well, it took a while, but consent was very important to John, and he was honestly still a little unsure of if he should've indulged her. But he did.
Thanks to a… embarrassing incident on a mission that had lead to both John and Rachel being exposed to a woman that acted as a living aphrodisiac, John was not a virgin.
And though it may as well have been drug induced, Rachel made sure he was comfortable and promised to step away should he ask.
So with what experience he did have, he'd opted to give to Cat what Rachel had given him, and make sure it was as good as he could possibly make it for the redhead.
At that moment, John finally felt at peace with his life once more. Even if only for a single moment, the stress and weight fo the last year had disappeared.
He'd expected it to be left at that. A drunken one-night stand. However, he wasn't entirely surprised when Cat had given her his number the next morning.
No, what had surprised him was when she asked him for a date on Friday. And John couldn't think of any reason to say no.
Not mentioning what he'd already told Cat and her friends when Andre had asked him over the phone, John had finally found a girl he was interested in, who had returned that interest.
He'd be a complete idiot to have said no.
Granted, that night had taught him a couple of lessons (such as to use protection for christ sakes), but he didn't have any complaints.
Okay… maybe he had one complaint.
"Where the hell am I supposed to take her?" John couldn't help but to mutter to himself, rubbing his head in frustration as he sat hunched over his computer in his room, scrolling through different possible locations he could take her.
He figured Cat would be focusing on places to eat, so John was trying to focus on places they could actually have fun. Either before or after didn't matter to him. He'd thought about an amusement park, but they were either too much for a first date or completely unaffordable.
He'd switched to movies after that, but then he realized he had no clue what kind of movies Cat liked in the slightest.
In case a movie wouldn't pan out, he'd tried to find anything he could, from laser tag to arcades. Even just a place to hang out.
But considering his extremely limited knowledge of LA, and the fact that he'd once again forgotten to actually ask Cat what she liked, his search was certainly more difficult than he'd originally planned.
He'd come up with nothing.
And it irked him.
He didn't care if Cat had been the one to ask him out, he felt it was his responsibility to at least try and show her a good time. And he was honestly beginning to fear that his options were much more limited than he'd previously thought.
"John!" The sound of his grandfather's voice suddenly entered his ears, muffled by his bedroom's closed door, but more than audible. Not even a second later, the door opened up to reveal the man in all his glory.
Being a man in his late fifties, Bryan Douglas Gallagher was showing signs of his age. He was a man of average height, at 5'8, with the frame of someone who'd worked hard all his life. Large arms, smooth compared to John's own chiseled physique, were on wide display even with the t-shirt that was a size to large upon his torso. As always, his shirt had a breast pocket, with a pack of Marlboro Reds tucked nearly into the shirt along with his cigarette lighter. Dusty blue jeans much like John's own rested upon Bryan's legs, a pair of worn work boots adorned his feet.
This was the man John had looked up to all his life, saw as a father where others had often failed the role. Bryan Gallagher was the man John aspired to be, and he was the man John respected most in this world.
"Take a break from that computer for a second, I need your help on the truck."
John couldn't help the look of confusion that took over his face, even as he stood up to obey, closing his computer screen without a moment's hesitation.
"I thought you had jacks for it. What do you need me for?" John couldn't help but to ask as he followed his grandfather out of his room, staying right behind him as they made their way through their home.
"Damn thing's handle is too bent." Bryan replied with a frustrated tone as he threw open both the screen and actual door to the house. John followed him right out without a beat. "Not sure how it happened, but the handle can't slip into place, so I can't jack the damn truck up."
"Oh." John nodded his head in understanding. That was all he needed to know.
As the two made their way towards the barn that acted as the makeshift garage, John found the familiar 2007 Chevy Silverado coming into view within, with plenty of tools sprawled around it's front end.
Leave it to his Papaw to organize his tools in a way that looked like a complete mess, but John was the same way.
His eyes drifted over, and he could see a familiar car jack sitting off to the sit of the truck, the handle sitting next to it.
John could now see exactly what Bryan had meant, as end of the handle which slipped into the jack itself was bent out of shape, as if something heavy had landed on it.
"Damn…" John couldn't help but to mutter under his breath.
"Yeah, damn." Clearly, Bryan was frustrated by his tool's state, and he was doing his best not to take it out on John. A habit that seemed to run through all members of the Gallagher family unfortunately. "Haul the damn thing up so I can switch the damn tires."
"No problem." John assured as he reached down to the front bumper.
"Carefully!" Bryan suddenly shouted, causing John to jump at the sudden shout.
Bryan tended to be more than reluctant to let John help or lift any of their vehicles. Which was understandable, considering the two dents in the bed of this same truck in the shape of John's feet.
"Got it." John muttered as he casually gripped the bumper, before lifting the front end of the truck up into the air until it was about level with his chest and holding it there.
"Thanks." Bryan thanked his grandson with a nod as he picked up a four-way tire iron and moved over to the tire, beginning to undo the bolts on the wheel in order to switch them out.
Though it took some adjusting, John's abilities had become a normal part of the Gallagher family's life. It was honestly a bit of a requirement, considering John's activities within the superhuman militia. So it certainly came in hand for many different tasks.
Though there were some, his grandfather personally felt, that were best left in the hands of regular old humans.
"So, any news on your new girlfriend?" Bryan suddenly piped up as he went to work on the tire, causing John to groan.
"Papaw…" The teen muttered as he looked at his grandfather, eliciting a chuckle from the older man. "She's not my girlfriend."
"Yet." Bryan commented with a grin on his face, already completely engrossed in the conversation despite casually removing the bolts of a tire.
John stared at his grandfather, before rolling his eyes and answering. "I can't find a single fucking place to take her." The teen admitted with a sigh, shaking his head as he turned to gaze out of the barn and at the orange sky above without nudging the truck in his grip in the slightest.
"You can't worry too much about that, John." Bryan replied without taking his eyes away as he removed the last bolt from the tire and sat it on the ground. "It's your first real date. Just have fun."
"But I want her to have fun too, Papaw." John said as he turned his gaze back to the older man, looking absolutely lost. "I know I don't know her that well… but is it bad that I do like her?"
Bryan let out a chuckle at that as he dropped the tire that John only now noticed was flat to the ground and moved to grab the spare tire he had leaned up against a pole barn. "Well, I don't have much right to judge on that." He admitted, shooting an amused grin at his grandson as he turned back around to face the truck. "I married your Mamaw three months after I met her."
"But you're still together." John commented with a sigh as he turned his gaze back to the sky. "I have no idea what I'm doing, and I feel like I'm gonna mess it up somehow. Besides, for all I know, I got her pregnant."
"And you'll be right there helping her raise that baby if that's the case." Bryan's voice changed to a stern tone, all amusement gone from his face for a moment as he made sure any complaints or objections were strictly unacceptable.
But he knew John better than that.
"But there ain't no point in fussing over that unless that is the case." Bryan said as he lifted the new tire in his hand up and slid it in place on the truck. "I get you like this girl, but you can't worry about making a first date perfect, or you're setting both yourselves up for disappointment."
John continued staring out into the sky for a moment, before letting out yet another sigh as his hand came up to rub his forehead once more. "Yeah, I guess so." If there was one thing John knew, it was that his grandfather knew what he was talking about. "You got any recommendations?"
"Dinner and a movie." John couldn't help the snicker, because that had to be the most cliche thing. It's not like he hadn't thought about that already. "If you like each other much, it won't matter what movie you watch. You'll both have fun. And you can get to know each other better at dinner." Bryan had a smile on his face as he offered his advice while bending down to pick up his tire-iron. He put one of the bolts in place and moved to screw it back in, before he paused and turned to John with a stern expression. "Get drunk again, though, and I'll kick your sorry ass all the way to the hospital, powers or not."
John couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at those words, which turned into stifled laughter in order to keep the truck steady when he saw the intentionally stupid grin his grandfather gave.
"Hey now, keep the truck steady!" Bryan said with a grin when the truck started to shake a little from John's stifled laughter.
"Sorry!" John immediately apologized with a grin as he managed to reign in his laughter, taking in a breath as he shook his head while he evened the truck out. "Sorry."
Bryan merely shook his head with a small smile as he went back to applying the bolts onto the wheel. "Look, the only advice I'll give you is don't spend too much, and don't go into it expecting it to be perfect. As long as you both have fun, it's fine."
John would admit that had settled his nerves a bit. Being his first date, he was immensely nervous and his first instinct was to make it the best date he possibly could for Cat, even though he'd only known her for a couple of days.
Now, he didn't feel as pressured or nervous about the upcoming plans on Friday.
"Where'd you say she went to school again, anyway?" Bryan asked as he finished putting the tire on and making sure it was secure. "Set it down."
"Hollywood Arts." John answered as he lowered the truck back down to the ground, pulling his hand away once both front ties were touching the ground. "Hey, no dent!" He joked, looking at Bryan with a grin.
"Congratulations." Bryan replied as he began gathering up his tools, before looking at John with a smile. "Now we just gotta keep you from breaking the axes." He said as he carried the tools back to his toolbox.
"That was one time and it was an accident!" John cried in indignation as he followed after his grandfather.
"Yeah, yeah." Bryan waved off the complaints as he placed his tools in or on his toolbox before turning around to face John once more. "Anyway, Hollywood Arts? What kind of school is it?"
"Performing Arts." John answered as he and Bryan began making their way back to the house, taking their time in order to talk. "Cat's taking acting classes up there, hoping to become an actress."
"Huh." Bryan said, nodding his head as reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his cigarettes, gesturing for John to take a cigarette.
Only to get a smile in response. "You'd kick my ass."
"Yep." Bryan nodded as he pulled the pack away from John and pulled out a cigarette for himself, sticking it in his mouth and lighting it before putting the pack and lighter back in his breast pocket. "Why don't you try that performing stuff?"
John looked at his grandfather with a raised eyebrow at the question. "I mean, ignoring the fact that it never interested me, I doubt you'd be willing to pay for me to go to the school."
Bryan merely shrugged his shoulders in response. "Just leave that to me. You didn't answer my question." He took a drag off his cigarette as he finished his sentence, blowing out a puff of smoke as he did so.
John simply shrugged in response. "Papaw, I don't exactly see myself as someone who's talented." He admitted with a small smile. "Besides, I think I'd rather just finish school. I made it this far."
"John, I want you to graduate so you have the opportunity I never did." Bryan admitted with a sigh, flicking his cigarette slightly to get rid of the burnt ash sticking to the end of it. "That don't mean you can't do whatever you want, so long as you graduate."
John couldn't help the small smile on his face at his grandfather's words. "I know, Papaw. Believe me, I know."
"And this militia stuff…" Bryan spoke up, pausing for a moment, before sighing. "I know you want to help John, and I ain't gonna try and stop you. But you know I don't like this."
"I know." John nodded his head, because he was well aware of his grandfather's reservations when it came to the militia. "But it gives me something to do. It's something to focus on."
"John, I…" Whatever Bryan was gonna say was left on the tip of his tongue, as he instead let out a sigh and shook his head. "Look, all I'm saying is there's other stuff you can do. Me and God have never seen eye to eye, but maybe there's a reason you met this girl."
John couldn't help the grin on his face as they made it to the porch, Bryan having finished his cigarette and tossing it into the grass. "I can see where this is going, so I'll think about it, Papaw."
Bryan smiled at those words. "That's all I can ask, John." He was content with that response, and gladly made his way into the house as John held the door for him.
John took one last glance back out towards the farm. It wasn't home, nowhere near…
… but with time, maybe he could change that.
A/N: Yeah, I know, short chapter, but I really just wanted to get John's perspective on the events in the last two chapters, and I didn't want to really add anything else that takes the focus away from that. Plus, anyone who hasn't read my other stories featuring him now have a little backstory for John.
Anyway, I promise the next chapter will be longer. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.