milliways_bar | (no subject)

“That’s what they tell me. But I ain’t up in no lair trying to rule the world.”

"I guess that's better than being a cackling evil overlord type," Yamato says thoughtfully. "But most of the supervillains I've heard about are just bank robbers or arsonists who happen to have superpowers, so."

Finishing his beer, he sets the glass aside.

"Both sides are idiots. Some of us never asked to be one of them."

"Wouldn't 'becoming a criminal' count as asking to be one of them?" Yamato asks, arching an eyebrow. "I mean, you can't become a superhero without wanting to, but a supervillain is just a criminal with powers."

"No. This is my nature. I don't do it to be a criminal, I do it because I'm good at it."

The army made sure of that.

"Makes us a little boring, don't it?"

"Well, can't argue with that. Killing's about the only thing I'm really good at as well."

Although Yamato would argue he finds healthier outlets for that talent.

"I don't make the rules. It's kind of in the name, after all, it's just villainy plus super-ness."

"You don't take pride in it."

Shocking to him. If you're good at, be proud of it.

"I'm thinking there ain't no rules."

"Why would I be proud of it? It's a shitty skill to have," Yamato says, frowning.

"'Cause you're good at it. Not everyone has something they're good at."

Simple to him.

"It's the worst thing a person can be good at," Yamato says. "It doesn't add anything to the world, it doesn't make anyone's life better, it just hurts people. I don't enjoy being good at hurting people."

He rolls his eyes.

"Hell it don't make people's lives better."

"It doesn't. Sometimes it's the only way to protect other people, but even then, any good you're doing is counterbalanced by the harm you do. And I wouldn't want to ever get comfortable with killing people."

There's a shrug.

"Your loss."

"And everyone else's gain. Nobody needs me becoming a unfettered psychopath," Yamato says mildly, shrugging in return.

"You're either one or you're not. Nothing turns you into one."

It's like he speaks from experience!

"I know what I am. Ain't nothing gonna change that."

"I've met plenty of people who started off good and then went off the deep end," Yamato says. "And I don't want that to be me. If I'm proud of being good at killing, it's a pretty short step to wanting to do it more."

He rests his elbows on his knees, leaning in Yamato's direction.

"But don't it feel good when you do it? Be honest."

"No," Yamato says firmly. "Fighting feels good, going up against a worthy opponent and winning feels good. The part where they die at the end feels like shit."

"Right."

He doesn't quite believe that.

"You're a time bomb waiting to go off."

"Am I really," Yamato says, in a flat tone that's only slightly betrayed by the snarl creeping into his voice.

Maybe it does bother him somewhat. He's seen the kind of damage he can do when he goes off the rails for even just a few hours, after all.

"Not everyone's a supervillain waiting to happen."

"If it was really so bad, you wouldn't do it at all."

A slightly smug smile rests on his face.

"That you're in a job or whatever where you have to kill people don't make you any better than me."

"I'm not the one renting out my skills to whoever bids the highest," Yamato replies. "And all my enemies are able to fight back. Or surrender, if they prefer."

"Shame for you. Pays really well."

He stretches out his arms and sits back in his chair.

"My enemies can fight for themselves."

"I can make money in other ways, thanks."

He shakes his head, scraping a hand across the back of his neck.

"Except most of your targets don't have powers, right? Or training, or the will to fight, or anything like that. So they can't fight for themselves, they can just choose how they'd prefer to die."

"Targets ain't my enemies. They're just targets."

There's a large difference in his mind.

"Don't choose how they die, either. Buyer or I do."