I4
DOE Retold
By James
Episode 51 — Lothar's Homecoming
LJ dodged a swing from Jedda's bare foot, then ducked to his right as another one came. His defense was sloppy. His offense was slow. He wasn't posing much of a challenge today.
She straightened her gi, then held her arms at the ready, her belt the same color as her bundled-up hair. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked, clearly taking note of his sluggishness. She grabbed a sleeve of his own white gi, then clutched his arm and flipped him onto the mat.
He kicked Jedda's feet out from under her.
Jedda went down, then popped right up, using a thrust of her legs to rise, not even staying on the floor for a second.
"I didn't try to fight it," LJ mumbled, staring directly at the ceiling now.
"Didn't fight what?" she quietly said.
"Back in Jamaica..." LJ paused. "Me and my dad got into a fight. I tried to attack him. I tried to hurt him."
"You were entranced," Jedda affirmed. "You had no idea what you were doing back then."
"But that's the thing..." He sat himself up, feeling a shame like none other he'd known. "I actually did." He hesitated, then eyed her again.
Jedda watched him with a hardened confusion.
Across the room, Rick opened the door. "You guys won't believe what's finally fixed."
She lifted a hand without turning his way. "Rick, give us a minute, okay?"
"I'm serious, guys. I finally got—"
"Rick. A minute." She spun toward him.
Rick flinched a little, then left the room.
Jedda eased down by LJ's side.
He thought back to when he'd attacked his dad. "It was like my body acted on its own, but a little part of me was still conscious inside. I think I could have stopped, if I'd tried hard enough...but I didn't resist it. I let it happen."
She frowned a bit. "Why do you think you'd want to hurt your dad?"
He eyed the mat, pausing a while, searching for the strength to tell Jedda the truth. "A part of me has always resented him."
Jedda held quiet, letting him speak.
"I've spent my entire life in his shadow. People only see me as Lothar's son. They can't talk to me without bringing him up, without telling me I'll be just like him." He took a slow breath. "When you grow up with a dad like that, people expect you to take his path. They never stop to think—"
"You want to follow your own."
LJ faced Jedda in utter surprise.
"I know precisely what you've been through. I've gone through the exact same thing."
LJ chuckled. "Not entirely. You don't have to carry your father's name."
"Seriously? You think that's a big deal? I'm going to have to wear my father's garb. You think you've got an identity crisis? Come see me several years from now."
LJ conceded, holding quiet. They had more in common than he'd ever known, more than he'd taken the time to consider.
She touched his hand. "There came a point when you could've really hurt him — and you didn't. You stopped yourself then."
"But I should have stopped myself afterward too." He still felt ashamed. He loved his dad.
She shook her head. "You're not perfect. Neither am I." She grinned a tad. "I don't know why people think that I am, but I'm certainly not."
"People don't think you're perfect. They just think you're sweet." He turned to her. "You're a nice girl. You listen to people..." LJ stopped. He forced himself to. He recalled a conflict he'd felt in Jamaica, a struggle to resist an urge he'd buried. He felt another urge while talking to Jedda, one he'd suppressed for a very long time.
Jedda's lips parted. Her eyes brightened up. His words had affected her, it seemed. He saw a certain tension upon her face, one he'd detected on other occasions. It wasn't a negative tension at all.
There was a passion within her gaze.
She squeezed his hand, then pulled him forth, pressing her gentle lips on his.
LJ paused, then kissed her back.
Jedda pulled LJ's gi from his chest. LJ did the very same thing with hers. They removed their pants, and were totally nude.
They faced each other, catching their breaths. He stroked her shoulders, then eased her down. Jedda sprawled out with her back on the mat. Their lips met again as he covered her.
A few seconds later, he broke the kiss. "Wait," he muttered. "Jedda..."
She eyed him calmly, her breaths coming fast.
"Are we really ready for this? Are we ready to be together?"
Jedda kept gasping. Her gaze wandered off. She seemed to be considering what he'd asked.
"Because if we're not..."
She licked her lips. "This could make things awkward."
"Really awkward." It could drive them apart. It could distract them on missions. And if others caught on, it could make Rick jealous, or affect their dads. "Let's wait until we're truly ready," LJ whispered. "If that day comes, I think we'll know. And if it doesn't...that's okay too."
She eyed him tenderly. "All right," she murmured.
He rose with her, and they dressed together. They held hands again as they left the room.
Scene Commentary
"I've spent my entire life in his shadow. People only see me as Lothar's son. They can't talk to me without bringing him up, without telling me I'll be just like him." He took a slow breath. "When you grow up with a dad like that, people expect you to take his path. They never stop to think—"
"You want to follow your own."
LJ faced Jedda in utter surprise.
I remember an old blog post from Defenders fan Marzena, who mentioned that Jedda and LJ had some nice interactions on the show, but that their bond was barely explored. I wanted to examine it a bit more here, and I realized that they had something notable in common. I also wondered about their possible romantic feelings for each other, and how they might handle those.
----------
Chapters
Four of the Defenders are captured by Queen Hadea.
Flash and Lothar discuss Flash's new romantic interest.
Held prisoner on Mongo, Jedda makes a bargain with Zorelda, believing that they can change the world for the better.
LJ's discusses his relationship with his father.
Hadea intends to make radical changes with the Necklace of Oros.
Jedda reveals the details of a recent vision.
Castra frees her brother and encourages him to change his ways.
Comments
Post a Comment