Players:
Summary: The first meeting to discuss potential… turns into a new potential altogether.
Date: February 1, 2010
Experimenting
Rating: PG-13
NYC - Fordham Apartments (Wyatt's Apartment)
The trip from Xavier's was fairly easy this time. For some reason demonic activity seems more random and chaotic than before but less concentrated. Some minor services have been restored and amongst them, rail and ferry trips to heavily defended locations. New York, not even literal hell on earth can keep it stopped for long. Dallas has arrived at Wyatt's apartment, following emailed instructions. He's dressed in newish jeans, a pair of boots (sneakers don't have the traction for demon fighting, if it happens) and a tight white t-shirt under a crisp oxford button down shirt that is a light tan color and currently unbuttoned because of the heat. All in all he looks like what he is, an upscale student. He pauses in front of the door, takes a deep breath and then knocks.
As the door knocks, Wyatt jumps from where he is. There's a loud ow that is actually loud enough to be heard outside. He comes scrambling to the door wearing a pair of slacks and a white shirt with a tie. He actually had to do some work today. He grins bashfully. "Sorry. Forgot for a moment. I was up under a table trying to find something." He makes a motion. "Come in, come in. Things aren't that amazing, but it's just all I've had time to look for." He coughs, blushing.
Dallas blinks and grins faintly at the sounds of klutzhood. Mad scientists should be slightly dorky, at least according to movies. He gives Wyatt a smile as the door opens and says, "Hey, Doc." He enters when bid and looks around, blinking slightly at the spartan nature of the apartment. His tone is slightly dry as he looks back to Wyatt. "Roomy."
Wyatt shrugs a bit. "I've only ever invited two people over here. You're the second. And you already know my fashion sense." He says, offering a seat on the couch. Or the chair. "And I've just… never really gotten anyone to help with interior design. It's Wyatt. I'm not much older than you are." He says poking Dallas in the arm.
Dallas grins and nods, laughing at the poke. "It's fun calling you Doc, though." He says, "Well, you've got more important stuff to worry about than decorating, I guess." He takes a seat on the couch, stretching out a little and crossing his feet at the ankle in front of him, the very picture of casual youth. "And only two people? Seriously? You should make more friends. It's more fun than being a loner."
"Dallas… where would I GET friends? How would I make them? I started school when I was four. I never had a summer vacation. I was in ninth grade and nine years old. I don't know how to deal with real people." Wyatt says with a shrug. "Rob was supposed to take me to do something, but… we've both been too busy."
Dallas ponders that one a moment and then nods. He seems almost like he's going to leave it at that for a long moment and then says, "Ah, I know I don't know you that well yet, but don't you think that's the kind of thing that you should /make/ time for? Hanging out, having fun, not going squirrelly because you forget what people sound like?" He shrugs, "At least have people over and watch a movie or something if you don't want to go out."
"I want to. I don't know anyone." Wyatt explains. "And I did invite one person I've met. And he's come to my home." He grins a little. "I don't know how to hang out or what to do, or how people 'have fun'. He bites his lip. "I… You're well adjusted, Dallas. If you'll help me with that, we'll consider my work for you taken care of." He says, looking up. "I mean, it's not like I don't have the money."
Dallas arches his eyebrows. "Do… Wyatt. You don't have to offer to /pay/ me to hang out with you. Dude, we've fought monsters together. A real, live team-up. And hey, I can use the time away from the school. Everybody trains and goes to school and lives together there /all the time/. There is no privacy and everybody is in everybody's hip pockets all the time. I can use a break from that and a chance to hang with somebody who is, you know, sane and stuff."
"Sane? Me?" Wyatt asks, unable to resist a bit of a chuckle. "I'll take that as complimentary. And you're welcome to come down anytime." He's obviously enjoying the talk. "So… just to find out… what are you WANTING me to try to be able to do?" He asks, tilting his head.
Dallas grins and says, "Cool. Going out is probably a bad idea until this whole demon thing is over but after that, there are lots of things to do. Football games, hockey games, basketball games…." He stops himself at the question and nods as Wyatt gets down to business. "I need to get stronger. Permanently. Enhance either my baseline strength hoping it enhances my mutation or pump up the mutation itself. I know you haven't worked out the 'permanent' thing yet, but hey, I'm a good test subject."
"I can't promise how things will work each time until we perfect it either, so as long as you don't mind trial and error, I'll do everything I can to help you." Wyatt says with a firm nod and a grin. "I'll just have to do some physical tests. Blood work. Current statistics. Body measurements. Chemical Analyses. Things like that. Fortunately, I have most of the equipment for it in my lab here at home." Yep. He has a lab at home.
Dallas tries not to look amused and fails. "You have a home medical lab? Dude. Ok, yea. We're getting you a social life." He arches his eyebrows and says, "Ok, what do I need to do? We can get started, if you want. The longer I wait, the more chance there will be of something going bad because I'm not up to where I need to be."
"Well, I'll have to take measurements everywhere while you're giving me a pint of blood. I won't take more than a pint, but if you're up for it, we can do it regularly with normal intervals so that I can keep a supply to work on in case you CAN'T come around." Wyatt says with a nod as he gets up to open the door to the lab. It's a semi-sterile room with a basic set of equipment.
Dallas gets up and follows Wyatt. "Hey, you're the doctor. Whatever you need." And then, "Wow. That really is a home lab." He grins at Wyatt and says, "You're not cooking up monsters or something in your spare time, right?" The tone is a light to hide a bit of nervousness. This is new territory for him and something he wants to do but still a bit scary.
"Only my own batches of treatments and the thing I'm working on for someone's skin condition." Wyatt says with a shake of his head. "Well, first, we'll do the blood. Just have a seat and I'll set up the phlebotomy and then get you something to drink. So you don't get too light headed."
Dallas grins and says, "Goofier than I already am, you mean?" He shrugs out of his button down, knowing Wyatt is going to need access to his arms and looks around for a place to sit. "And what's a phlebotomy?"
Wyatt can't help but look. Yes, he has a decent body for a geek. A little muscle tone, but nothing like that. "I still don't know why you worry about it. Your body is extremely defined." He says, shaking his head. "But, I research because that's what you want. Not my business." He says with a nod, before getting the things he needs to draw blood. "Phlebotomy is taking blood. I had to be my own phlebotomist before, so I learned how."
Dallas blushes faintly at the 'extremely defined' bit and says, "Yea, but I don't need more definition. I need more /strength/. And hey, it is your business. I don't want you to do this thinking I'm just vain or something. It's just that I'm running into …challenges… that I can't handle as I am now. And when you suit up and decide to jump in, it's on you to be good enough. Or people get hurt." He shrugs. "And they have." He clears his throat and changes the subject, "Drawing your own blood? Ewww."
"Oh, I do that all the time. I meant when the MGH ring got me." Wyatt explains and nods. "I do understand some of that. I just… I have to watch my levels. If I take too much, I get amazing results, but very limited time period. Then I pass out like an OD." He nods, sliding a hand gently along the crook of Dallas's elbow to find the vein.
Dallas blinks at that gentle touch and his eyes focus on Wyatt again, rather than reliving a couple of failures. He fights back a bit of a shiver at the contact and a faint, ironic grin forms as he shakes his head at some thought or other. He watches the process with interest, trying to be still. "Well, ODing would be bad. And frankly, I worry about having to take the stuff when I need it. A change that lasts a long time is a better fit for what I do."
"Right, but mine don't take more than two seconds to activate." Wyatt says with a nod. "As long as I have everything I need." He grins, looking up. "What's with the grin?" He asks, chuckling as he starts the draw and steps back a little bit.
Dallas blushes faintly and says, "Ah. Um, ticklish?" Since confessing that he was chiding himself for enjoying Wyatt's touch and reminding himself that he's a lab rat and not much else would be wildly inappropriate. And hey, he /is/ a little ticklish. It comes from a long habit of not letting people touch him. He watches the blood flow out, finding it fascinating, if a bit gruesome. And that's enough looking at that. He looks back up, meeting Wyatt's eyes and grinning again. "Usually when I'm losing blood, it's a lot more …informal."
"Well, we could make it informal." Wyatt says, as he loosens his tie and slides it out from around his neck. "Ta-da. Less formal." He says with a bit of a grin. "I've lost plenty myself. In similar situations. You have a lot of… skill in the actual fighting. I'm just a bruiser. Unless I get something else out. It's just, I know the strength best."
Dallas laughs and says, "I hit stuff too. I just hit it for effect." It seems weird for him to feel relaxed while having blood siphoned out of him but he does. The performance with the tie seems to have put him more at ease. "I didn't know you supergenius types had a dress code. I figured you'd get away with wearing band t-shirts and board shorts to work or something."
"Band T-shirts?" Wyatt asks, tilting his head. "Oh, is that what I see people wondering. I always wondered if it was that or some kind of gang or game. I mean, what else would an Insane Clown Posse be?" He asks, genuinely starting to understand that. Which is probably going to make Dallas laugh at him, but… he's used to it.
Dallas tries not to laugh but he does snort. "Dude. Just … dude. Yea. Out. You. Us. Going." He shakes his head and says, "Man, now I know how Robyn feels about me half the time."
"Robyn?" Wyatt asks as he watches the bag get nearly full. He'll stop it soon. He grins a little. "I'm glad my lack of social skills and popular culture amuse you, Dallas."
Dallas explains, "A friend of mine. Really artsy and into horror stuff and gothy crap. Not my thing, but it makes him happy." He blinks at that second statement and adds, "And I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because I empathize with you. Believe me, I get the whole fish out of water thing. Or at least I've learned it in the last couple of months." He shrugs. "My new school is /nothing/ like my last one. In almost any way."
"Robyn.. " Wyatt says, tilting his head to the side as he moves over to pull the needle out. He keeps his eyes up at Dallas's to help with the removal. That way, he won't expect the little pinch as it comes out. "Mental based abilities, Not true telepathy, but other things that are strictly from the mind?"
Dallas blinks in surprise and not a little alarm. He's not supposed to tell people about Xavier's. He doesn't notice the needle being removed until it's out and then he grimaces slightly. "Ah, yea. You, um, know Robyn?" His tone is pretty cautious at that. There are some secrets that aren't his to give out.
"Please tell me… did his hair grow back? I've wondered about that ever since that day." Wyatt says with a firm nod, sighing softly. He takes a non-branded adhesive strip with absorbing pad out of a box and places it where the drain was from. "Yes. I know him."
Dallas gets a 'what?' expression. "Ah, he has hair now. And cool. What were you two doing that would have caused him to lose it?" He watches that operation with the band-aid (well, that's what it looks like to him) and can't help but quirk a smile as he asks, "And do I get a sucker now for sitting still and not crying?"
"Remember I told you about the MGH ring kidnapping people? He was one of the kidnappees. I gave him a version of my durability serum. Made him tough as I could, so he could be the tank in front and keep the others safe." Yeah, different from normal Robyn.
Dallas blinks at that mental image and then laughs. "Wyatt, if you can do that with /Robyn/, I can't wait to see what you can do to me!" And then a second later what he just said clicks in his mind and he blushes faintly again, clarifying, "With. With me." Not that it is much better. But still.
Wyatt tilts his head before he also gets what was said. He nods softly. "You're already designed for strength. If I can make my strength serum work for you, it would probably be a lot more than what I get." He says, coughing softly as he looks away. "Uhm… are you comfortable with stripping down, so that I can get non-clothed measurements of your body. Exacts so I can compare start to natural between times to chemical enhanced?"
Dallas nods and says, "Not a problem. You're a doctor." He grins a nervous grin at that and then stands, stripping off his t-shirt, kicking off his shoes and undoing his belt, before sliding off his jeans. He's fit, if lanky in a way that suggests he's either always going to be slender or hasn't completely filled out yet. As is his habit when possibly getting into a fight, he's wearing a jockstrap rather than looser or less supporting underwear and he stops at those, after bending over to fold his jeans and shirt and put them on a handy counter? He clears his throat and asks, "Ah, all the way down?"
"Only if you're comfortable with that." Wyatt says as he reaches out to hold Dallas's arm out, fully to drag the measuring tape across it from shoulder to fingertip. "Measurements are necessary to make sure no bad effects take palce" He says with a cough, amazed that he's able to hold a perfectly valid conversation right now. He actually has a blush in his cheeks. He leans in close, right next to the shoulder to see the actual measurement before sliding the tape along the other teenager's neck. He is trying to ignore just how close he is to the other person, but sometimes, things touch. It's not intentional. Though, keeping his face that close, could be. Maybe not. "just a few more measurements up here." He whispers softly.
Dallas fights to keep still as Wyatt takes his measurements and the feel of their bodies occasionally touching each other in ways that are entirely new to him causes him to have to grit his teeth a time or two to stay focused. At that closeness and whisper, he gives Wyatt a thoughtful look and then says, "Oh, screw it." He lifts his hands to either side of the young scientists face and tries to apply his reason lesson in kissing, slow and easy and not demanding, so Wyatt has a chance to back out if he wants. And Dallas reflects as he does it that life is like 3rd and 12 yards to go. Sometimes you just make the pass and hope for a good reception.
Wyatt? Back out? He's not planning on it. But then, it's a new experience to him. As his lips are touched, he freezes for a second before his lips soften. He's hesitant and shy, but he's not pulling away. The hand that was on Dallas's shoulder turns to a grip, and a strange little squeak/moan of pleasure comes from the scientist. His eyes close as he just stands there, trying to return it in his own clumsy way.
Dallas closes his own eyes as the kiss is reciprocated. He's not such an expert yet that 'clumsy' enters his mind. More along the lines of 'wow' and 'yay' and 'awesome!'. He lets it goes on for a bit and then regretfully breaks that kiss off and gives Wyatt a smile. Not a sardonic or light grin or a smirk but a genuine 'this is a good moment to be alive smile'. "Hi." Because it just seems appropriate to greet Wyatt, given that he's seeing the young genius in an entirely new light. "I'm glad we met." His hands tremble a little as he tries to resist the urge to go a thousand frenzied directions at once and his touch is lighter and more delicate than anybody at the school would believe him capable of.
There's a downward look before Wyatt returns the eye contact, beaming one of the happiest smiles he can remember ever showing. "Hi." He responds, "So am I." His voice is barely above a whisper as he stands there. His hand is shaking. He's amazingly nervous. "Glad I'm done drawing blood, or you'd be a big bruise by now." He grins, biting the corner of his lip as he leans forward to just brush the lips again. He can't help it. He enjoyed it.
Dallas snickers and says, "If you were still drawing blood, the combined blood flow away from the brain would have knocked me out." He transfers his hands to Wyatt's hips, sliding down the cheeks, neck, shoulders, chest and ribs to finally rest there, thumbs finding those notches in the hip that just seem made for holding. It's a slow, intimate gesture of exploration. He says, regretfully, "We should finish the examination." That kiss gets an answer and he pulls on Wyatt's lip a moment before letting go. "And then maybe figure out what we're going do." Because obviously, there's more to this than powers now.
"I'll admit. I don't have a clue. I've… never dated. Never been physically with a living body. I mean… uhm… oh god that sounded really strange, didn't it?" Wyatt says, unable to resist laughing. He nods softly and begins sliding the tape measure here and there, making notations on a pad. "Breathtaking." He does say, though.
