Players:
Summary: The morning after has… issues.
Date: May 18, 2009
Crushing Wake-up Call
Rating: PG
Morning comes early. And, unfortunately for some, they simply sleep through the majority of it. Alex got a little… a LOT drunk last night and is currently passed out in his bed in the Freedom Force Penthouse. IT's fairly easy to get to and there's not much security. Of course, the X-Mansion knows where it is. Alex wouldn't hide his location from the X-ers when he's doing good for the country. He doesn't remember much of last night. Not even the fact that there's someone else in his bed.
Another person that happened to sleep through most of the morning is in that bed as well. Considerably more sober as well, one Cole Aron is curled up against Alex. He doesn't know of an X-mansion and can't seem to remember much of last night either. He also doesn't seem to remember where he is or the fact that he's not in his bed.
There she stood at the door, staring at it for a long hard moment. One hand was slipped delicately into the pocket of her jeans, but the fingers were bunched together nervously inside it. Her other was a fist that hung to her side, clenched; hesitant. Lorna Dane bites at her lip as she takes a final, collective breath and raises a fist to the door. She wraps it once, softly at first, then catches herself and makes the last few taps more apparent. Then she goes statuesque and expectant, and waits with ears listening anxiously for movement inside.
The knock causes an immediate reaction from Alex. Raising up, he slams his hand onto the bed, and accidentally on Cole. "Huh? Who? What? Just a minute." He calls to the door as he blinks at the slap of flesh under his hand. Oh crap. Nonono. Nothing like that. Alex is SURE of it. He's dressed. Thank god. Well, he's in his shorts anyway. He scrambles up, moving to the door to peek out the edge of it. His hair is dishevelled… and it's obvious he's not all that awake yet.
Cole lets out a yelp as he's slapped, woken up faster than he'd liked to be. Bolting up and rubbing the hand-mark on his flash he looks around. "What was that fo-" he pauses, realizing where he is. "What?Why?How?Did?" he rambles, thankfully finding his shorts on as well. Looks like he's not all that awake yet either.
A green brow raises. Modestly painted lips form a harsh, serious line, but it quivers a little when the door opens and a familiar blue eye peeks through its crack. She keeps her fingers from fidgeting by stiffly looping a thumb through an empty belt loop. "Alex? Oh," Lorna murmurs, upon hearing a voice come from behind. She notes the hair and the sleepy eyes, and steals a glance past him. "… Did I come at a bad time?"
"Lorna!" Alex gasps, seeing who's out there. "No, nonono. I just… got a little drunk and passed out. I… had something happen yesterday." He shakes his head. Hey, he's not Scott. He'll admit when he messes up. Of course, he won't tell HOW he messed up. "What brings you here?" He says, reaching to his dresser and grabbing a pair of pants while turning around to Cole and motioning his eyes towards the bathroom or something. No need to make Lorna think something is there that isn't. Hopefully. Oh god, he's screwed.
Cole jumps as he overhears Alex, remembering that name at least if not what it connects to. He blinks a few times, looking around frantically. At the motioning of the eyes, Cole scrambles out of bed…and falls facefirst. THUD. Thanks to his shields he escapes injury though. Scrambling to the bathroom, he forgets his clothes…ones that are definitely too small for Alex…on the floor. Of course he realizes too late when he ends up in the bathroom in just his boxers and curses silently.
Lorna remains standing at the door for several moments before venturing a step in, giving Cole just enough time to complete his graceless rush to the bathroom. "Yeah? I'm sorry to hear that," she replies casually, without lending to real sympathy; it's more a tone of indifference. She doesn't seem surprised. She peeks around the room; the unkempt bed, the clothes on the… Yes, the smaller clothes. Her mouth keeps a steady line. "Oh, uh." Lorna doesn't seem prepared for the question. "Checking in," she answers lamely. "You know, just… But, I guess I got my answer as to how you are." Her eyes rove back over to him.
"It's… it's not like that. I saw someone that brought back memories yesterday. That's all. And I tried to help a teammate to their bed and it wasn't assembled, so I let them use mine. And… I kinda crashed. We were both a little too gone to notice." Alex admits, looking down with a sigh. "IF I'd known you were coming, I would have been awake earlier." He says, looking up at her again, with a bit of a downcast expression.
Cole listens at the door, wincing. When it seems that he's been found, Cole peeks his head out of the bathroom. He's blushing when he comes out, holding his hands over himself even if he's wearing boxers. "Umm…Hi."
The verdant haired woman stands stoic, the incredulousness in her silence palpable despite her lack of expression. However, Lorna seems to catch on to the harshness of her own posture, and she shifts a little of her weight, and looks away. "It's alright, Alex. You really don't need to feel like you should explain yourself, or anything. Don't worry about it." She tries to chuckle a little, but it comes out dry and awkward. When the bathroom door cracks, she looks surprised. "Oh. Uh, hello." She scratches nervously at the back of her head.
"Lorna, this is Cole. One of my teammates, here. Cole, this is Lorna. She's the one I told you about." Alex says, remembering clearly that he told Cole exactly why he was drinking last night. He saw the green haired person and thought it was Lorna. It was a cop. Not Lorna at all. He got depressed. "But I do. As much as you've meant to me in the past, Lorna, you deserve truth. So, that's what I was giving you."
Cole offers a sheepish smile and a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Lorna," he says, trying to be polite. His clothes suddenly get picked up in a shield and dragged over. "Sorry about …" he gestures to himself in general. Alex gets a concerned look from the shield maker but he says nothing on it.
Lorna gives Alex a long look without replying; the words jumble in her head, and she simply cannot snatch a sane sentence to say. Her silence might come off as indifferent or cold, but there is color coming to her face: a light flush of pink beneath the gentle application of concealer and powder. "I guess so," she finally responds. "Thanks," as she looks back at Cole. She manages a weak little smile, and her tone seems almost relieved. "Don't worry about it. Nice to meet you." And, attempting humor, "I mean, I guess I could apply for a trophy if I were ever insane or terrible enough to make Alex go gay. Even if there was alcohol involved." She cocks a quizzical brow back at Alex.
Alex blinks quickly before returning the quip. "Considering your past insanities, if I can live through those, I think I can live through anything. And still remain straight." He coughs, shaking his head as he finally steps into his jeans before grabbing a shirt and running fingers through his hair. "Bobby has more of a risk of switching teams. After all, didn't Jean-Paul have that crush on him a few months ago?" He asks, with a hint of a chuckle. A gentle jab at that one barrier. But who knows where things are now. As much as things change… "Welcome to Freedom Force Housing." He says with a wry grin.
Cole blushes furiously at the quip. "Regretably, nothing happened last night," he adds in, still blushing. "Bobby? Jean-Paul? Don't suppose I could get some numbers if ya know any good lookin' guys?" he tries to joke some more.
Lorna only shrugs, and doesn't seem to take offense. If it did jab her, she makes a good show of being alright with it. "True," she murmurs, a little quietly. At the comment on Bobby, she doesn't reply. Her brows straighten above her eyes, and instead she focuses on Cole's comment. "Oh, I could give you plenty of numbers," she says nonchalantly and with a smile. "You shoulda slipped him a roofie. Might have done him some good."
"Wait… hey!" Alex says, straightening up. "Lorna. Don't be mean. You know who I'm waiting on." Why point it out. That ever present unreturned feeling. Well, they've been there and done that, and there's no need for bringing it up again. "Forget that. So, how are things at Scotty's?" He asks, changing the subject.
Cole looks away, his clothing rolling over to him in the shield. "I'll umm…go get dressed," he murmurs, edging towards the bathroom.
Lorna hasn't moved very far past the door, and seems to be ready to remain standing there in awkward rigidness. She's uncertain of the appropriateness of this visit, both on herself and him as well. As usual, she's keeping whatever feelings she may or may not have pent up. She chuckles, this time more genuinely. "Alright," Lorna says. "A little rough still, but… Well, you can't ever expect a break around there. Not for long, anyway. How's all… this going for you?" She looks around the room a little more again, this time with more attention to detail. She notes the pictures of him and herself, and bites at her bottom lip.
"Not too bad. Not much to do, really. They haven't called on us for anything since the invasion a few months ago. It's been… peaceful. But, I don't mind relaxing and getting paid for being on duty." He says with a half grin. "It's given me some time to go back to work on my doctorate. I need to finish it." Geology. One of the things that brought them together. He bites his tongue. "The team is small. Just three members and myself."
Cole stays in the bathroom, probably taking his time to get changed and giving Alex and Lorna time without him being there all awkwardly.
"Peace, yeah. It never lasts. If it did, though, I suppose I'd get antsy. I guess that's why I always come back." Something about her wording on the subject makes Lorna pause with the last sentence. She looks at Alex for a long moment, as though wanting to say something or another, but the courage to approach whatever she might have come here to say in the first place fails her. "Three others? Anyone I know?"
Alex waits, hoping she'll say something else, other than small talk, but his hopes are denied. "Obsidian. Seraphim… he's an Xavier's graduate. Sandstone, and then Cole here." He lists on his fingers, glancing at the door way as he scratches the back of his head. It's a tense moment. Poor Lorna. She's probably just as uptight as Alex is.
Cole comes back out of the bathroom in just his pants, not wanting to put on an alcohol soaked shirt. "Ummm…Bossman? Alright if I can borrow your shower?" asks, not wanting to try going past Lorna. She sorta scares him a little for some reason.
Lorna nods as he goes over the names, neither confirming nor denying the familiarity of any of the names. Finally, as if she hadn't even heard any of his reply, she bursts out. "Look, Alex. I—" And then Cole comes out. She pauses, and breaks her gaze from Alex to stare at Cole for a long moment, then smiles faintly and looks away from them both.
"Yes, Lorna?" Alex asks, before they're both interrupted again. He sighs softly, rubbing a hand through his hair. "Yes, Cole. You can use my shower. Or you can use your own, right next door. In your room. Your bed may not be assembled, but your shower is fine." He rubs the bridge of his nose. "Did Scott ever have this kind of problem?" He teases Lorna.
Cole blinks a few times, peering at the wall as if trying to see through it. "Really? Huh…didn't know that," he says, blushing furiously. "I umm…excuse me, Ms. Lorna…just slipping by here umm…" he trails off, edging his way past her. He gives Alex a 'if you need hlp, yell!' look and slips out of the room.
"Difference is he's too stiff to care," Lorna replies with an airy laugh. She smiles apologetically at Cole as he slips past, and she herself takes a step sideways. Both thumbs twist anxiously into her belt loops as he exits. "Sorry," she says, but it isn't clear whether it's belated on Cole's part, or for Alex. A couple of silent seconds, then she continues, more subdued than prior to the interruption. "Yeah, anyway. I just wanted to come by, you know— clear the air, that sort of thing. I'm not really sure what page either of us are on right now, if it's not the same one. Whichever that is."
"What page ARE we on?" Alex asks softly, after a chuckle in response to her description of Scott. "Or rather, what page are you on? I know where I am, but I can accept whatever. I always have." He says simply. What else is there for him TO say? He's not going to try to force something he knows he can't.
"I don't know," Lorna says, a little weakly. "I'm trying to figure that out. I've been spending most of my time just trying to be alright with everything; to just, you know. Move on," she mumbles those two words, "Or something like that." She takes a step back, uncertainly. "I kinda thought I was on that road. Until, well…" She frowns a little, and looks at him almost accusingly. The look softens though, and she blows a hard sigh through her lips.
There's a moment of watchfulness from Alex as he ndos. "Until…?" He pauses for a second. "Lorna, you know where I stand. Is there anything I can do to help you? Whatever you may choose?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, As long as the government doesn't need me to go out of town, I'm nearly always available."
Lorna seems to collect herself with a blink, and her jaw sets firmly. "I couldn't stand here and lie and say there wasn't anything left. It's not something I can just snap and wish on and off, though sometimes I dearly wish it was that easy." She shakes her head, allowing a small smirk. "No, Alex. There isn't. Thank you, though. I just feel…" She falters a little, hesitating. "Think, that with everything that's happened, it's best we try and keep things just, you know. … 'Professional.'"
Crushing? No. Alex halfway expected it. "I understand, Lorna." He says with a nod. "I know. It's something I'll never be able to turn off, but I can deal with it. I'm strong enough." He says, doing his best to school his voice. "And, I have other things to focus on anyway." Though she can ask for that, but she can't make him take down his pictures. Neener neener neener.
Anything she might have wanted to add to that seemed stuck in her throat. Lorna was fighting the flush of emotion that threatened to redden her face and cause her hands to shake. As still as she was, she could have been posing as a statue. She forces her head to bend, to nod. The word 'never' makes her voice crack a little, but she trains it back. "As do I," she responds mechanically. "I hope your team continues to go well. You know that if you ever need any help or recommendations… Well, you've got my number."
"The same goes in reverse." Alex says with a firm nod. "And, you know where I live. Not that I'd ever hide it from you…" Scott yes. Lorna, no. "And we have our local number." Alex looks away, making sure certain things aren't seen. He coughs, to straighten his face. "I'll be here. This time, I'm not giving up."
The blankness of Lorna's face betrays the subtle twitches; the flare of her nostrils, the attempt to soften her breath. She fakes another smile. "Of course, and.. Yes," she stumbles. "I'm glad we talked. I better be getting back, got a training session scheduled. You know, summer kids and such. I'll see you around, Alex."
"I'll see you later, Lorna. Tell Scott I'll be visiting on Tuesday evening. I think that's when I will, anyway." He still needs to see his brother from time to time. And by giving that information, Alex can let Lorna know to make her own decision on whether to be there or not.
Lorna nods. "I'll let him know," she says; she'll decide whether to make herself scarce or not later. "Tell Cole it was nice meeting him again for me, won't you?" With that, she makes a stiff turn and is out the door.
As the door closes, Alex falls to the floor, landing on his knees. His hands fall beside them. There's no expression on his face right now. Just… blank.
After a few moments…once he's sure Lorna is gone, Cole knocks on Alex's door. After a moment, he opens it up and peeks inside. "Bossman? You okay?" he asks, worried abotu the guy.
His voice comes out, soft. "I'm fine, Cole. I just… need some time alone. Thank you for your concern." The words sound more like something coming from his brother than from him, but he'll get over it in time. It's just more than he expected. Some old flames never burn away…