Players:
Summary: Two powers go to their maximum levels before leaving their mark on the wielders.
Date: April 7, 2009
Lurk and Glimmer
Rating: R
Xavier Mansion - Quad
There is a square side walk of pavement with a nice grassy area in the middle with a few stone benches and trees along the corners. The pavement leads to the paths to the grounds of the school, the Dining Hall in Xavier's and the Ramsey Dormitories. It's not particularly large but it's a nice place for students and teachers to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
"Crap," Owen Folger, DarkForce using student, curses to himself this evening. He's dressed in jeans and a tank top but he's fuzzy. And leaking DarkForce all around. He's kneeling on the grass near a bench, one arm holding him up and the other holding his sides. Seems like he's in pain.
On the other end of the quad is the running ball of light that is Leo. "Crapcrapcrapgottagetawaygottagetawaygottagetaway." He says quickly as he darts across the campus, pausing only for a second as he sees the dark force user on the bench. He whips around and turns back, "Owencanyouteleportmesomewhere? Pleasepleaseplease? I'mgonnaexplode!"
Owen doesn't quite hear what Leo says but does hear him. Looking up, his eyes are glowing brighter than usual. "Get away!" he warns, trying to wave Leo away. "It's…Dangerous!" he manages to get that out before the transformation begins. Thankfully, the DarkForce covers him to hide the gruesome details but not the sounds of clothing being destroyed and flesh and bone changing. After a moment, a screech pierces the air. The DarkForce clears as if thrown away by a powerful win as a massive man-bat creature, about eight feet tall, spreads its wings and lets out another screech. The tattered remains of Owen's clothes hang off it, shorts that were once jeans keeping it decent.
"Owen? Ohshit." Leo says, not running away, but instead standing there staring. His energy is flowing around him madly, covering him in more than sparkles… more like bright flashes of light around his body. His eyes glow like 100 watt bulbs. "Owen,We'llgetyoufixed." He says, simply. Darkforce. Living Light. He's been told there's a connection. He intends to find out. His own clothing is neither ripped nor torn, as his powers have never transformed him.
The Bat lets out another screech before slamming its claws into the pavement, tearing up and cracking it. Leo is turned to, the beast staring despite the brightness. Apparently it's drawn to him. The creature stays for a moment before lunging at Leo, trying to pin him to the ground and bite into his shoulder.
The sheer life force flowing through Leo is amazing. He gets bounced to the ground easily, because he wasn't expecting it. However, he does release a couple of blasts of energy as he does so, gasping sharply as his flesh is bitten. "Owen, snap out of it." He says, arcing his back as the pain settles into him, letting all the energy he has flow outwards.
The moment those teeth sink in, The Bat starts to drink in the Life Energy. Dark Force starts to bleed off his back and the creature lets out a few noises as it's blasted, holding on tighter. There's no response to the call for snapping out of it though. Seems no one's home up there.
It's a really good thing that Leo's a beacon of life limitless. He squirms underneath the Bat, letting more blasts of energy fire into the creature as he wriggles around, trying to moves his hands to different places, to see if they make a difference as they move.
The Bat growls at Leo as it continues to drink down the LifeForce. The blasts get annoying to the point where the creature just lets all its weight fall onto Leo in attempt to pin his hands. As the speed of the drain increaes, so does the speed of the DarkForce bleeding away from the Bat's back. And…it seems the creature's getting smaller.
As the Bat seems to shrink, however, Leo's also dimming, slowly. Becoming less and less of a bright beacon of light. The blasts are also becoming less intense as he feels less trapped. He leans his head forward slightly in an attempt to bite back, but not to cause any skin penetration, just to return the favor.
The Bat doesn't seem to mind the bite, barely even feeling it. It just continues to drain Leo. Slowly, it transforms back into Owen. Groaning and in his fuzzy form, Owen's just laying on Leo. "Wha…what happened?"
"You batted out. Drained the force from me. I lost my explosion." Leo says, slowed down as he wraps arms around Owen with a grin. "I knew it. Our powers DO work together." He sighs, looking down at the fuzzy form on his chest. He tilts his head to show the bite mark. "See?"
Owen doesn't seem to mind Leo wrapping arms around him, or the fact that the remains of his jeans aren't doing a good job at keeping him decent. He looks at the bite mark, frowning at the blood. "We…should get ya looked at, Leo…you're bleedin'…"he pauses. "Wait…Ah overloaded…and you overloaded tah turn me back?"
"I'll be fine. I can't be infected with anything, I don't think. My body rejects stuff. And… I'll be healed by tomorrow." Leo says, grinning as he slides upward into a sitting position to look towards the dorms. "Yeah… I had heard them say that Darkforce and Living Light work together well. That Cloak and Dagger need each other to prevent going crazy. Now… we know why." There's a vertical line of light slowly forming down the left side of Leo's face. Narrow, only about a half-inch thick. It goes from his hair to his chin.
Owen blinks as he's shifted with Leo. He's pretty much an Owen-ragdoll right now, moving hurting too much. "Wow…" he trails off. When the line starts to move, Owen stares. "Uh…Leo. Ya got somethin' on your face…"
"Hmm?" Leo asks, running a hand over his face. He feels nothing whatsoever. It's just his skin changed to another color. White. Strange, yes, but hey. "I'm fine, just a little sore." He says softly before moving a hand to stroke fur.
Owen shakes his head then winces. "No…ya've got this…white line on your face. It's right from your hair down…" he trails off. The stroking of fur gets a faint reaction from Owne but he doesn't seem to notice it.
"I feel nothing. I'll have to look in a mirror to see what you're talking about, I guess." Leo says, shrugging softly as he gives a snuggle to the Owen. "Are you feeling better?
Owen nods slowly. "Yeah…mirror. Sorry…Ah don' carry one," he says with a little laugh. "Well…Ah'm sore all over and kinda tired but Ah don' feel like Ah'm gonna go all giant bat again anymore."
Leo moves to stand, trying to carry Owen with him. "Wanna come with me while I go check it out?" He asks, grinning. "I can drop you off by your room, too."
Owen cringes as he's moved to his feet, soreness shooting through him. As he stands, what's left of his clothes falls the rest of the way off but he doesn't seem to mind. "Yeah…Ah could use some help gettin' inside…"
"I'll carry you." Leo offers, happily. "We both seem to have learned something… good about ourselves." He grins. "Uhm… Owen? You're nekkid."
Owen looks down at himself then nods slowly. "So Ah am. Tends tah happen after Ah transform. Clothes get ruined and Ah get left naked," he says, using his free hand to cover himself.
SCENE MOVE
As they get to the room, Leo opens the door to help Owen get inside. "There, you're safe. You don't have to cover up anymore. I don't care." He chuckles softly as he moves straight to the mirror to see his face. "Wooooow." He mutters, looking at the new mark. "I don't even feel it."
Owen's room may be shared with Skyler but since Skyler has yet to be there (spending time as a girl instead), only Owen's taking up the room. His half is somewhat decorated with some sports posters but that's about it. All fuzzy, he sighs as he flops down onto the bed. Letting his hands fall to his sides, he doesn't mind the nudity. "Yeah…just like Ah don' feel the fur or fangs comin' or goin'. Our powers are weird."
Leo continues to look at himself in the mirror, leaning forward to see his face. He follows the line up to his hairline and back down to his chin. It stops exactly at the chin and starts exactly at the hairline. Strange. "I wonder what caused it…" He mutters. "And you're fine with fuzz and fangs. I like it that way."
Owen chuckles. "Ah know. Ya told me about it when we met in the maze," he says, stretching then wincing. "Maybe usin' your powers agains' mahne like ya did caused some kinda reaction. Might go away after awhile like mah fur does."
"I dunno." Leo says with a shrug. He looks over his shoulder at the fuzzy body and laughs. "I hope my boyfriend likes it, really. I mean, it's a lighter glow than my body normally has." And it's not bad looking. Though, who knows what'll happen next time.
Owen blinks a few times. "Nathan, right?" he asks. The fuzzy teen looks up at his ceiling and thinks about something. "Well, Ah think it looks okay," he remarks.
"Cool." Leo chuckles, reaching out to run a hand through fuzzy's hair with a chuckle as he sits down on the bed next to him. "So, how are you settlin' in?" He asks, grinning. "And you know, from now on, when you feel the bat, call me."
Owen's hair, strangely enough, feels just as soft as the rest of his fur. "Tah the school? Pretty good actually. Likin' the room even if Ah've never met mah roommate and found out he spends his time as a she these days," he chuckles. "And bein' off the farm is pretty new," he adds. "Expect a call from me in about two weeks then."
"That's about my rate of explosion, too." Leo says with a nod. "Good. We can just deal with each other and get things out of the way every week and a half or so." He grins brightly, laying back on the bed, remaining fully clothed.
Owen nods as well. "Get thin's outta the way?" he asks. "How we gonna do that though?" he asks curiously. Doesn't seem to bother Owen much that Leo's there all covered.
There's a light knock on the door, followed by the languid, low baritone of a familiar young man, "Leo…?"
"Get things over with so I don't explode and you don't go crazy and hurt someone." Leo says with a chuckle. "Just let our powers flow." He says, moving to the door with a grin. "Baby!" He says, opening it, not bothering to warn Owen. Leo now has a bright white tattoo/mark/whatever down the left side of his face, over his eye, from hair to chin. "Owen went bat and I fed him enough lifeforce that he didn't hurt anyone."
Owen blinks, looking up towards the door. "Howdy, Nathan," he calls. Owen's all fuzzy and rather naked, laying on his back. "Sorry about the bite…" he adds when Leo mentions no one getting hurt.
"Sounds like a busy day," Nathan says in a drawling deadpan, his lips upturned in a somewhat bemused smile. He tilts his chin back to look at the other youth's new tattoo, lifting a hand to grasp his chin gently before he nods slightly, "I like it. It makes you look kind of punk." He slides his hand up to ruffle Leo's hair lightly, glancing over in Owen's direction only to cock an eyebrow, "Bite? …and hey, Owen. Did it all work out, then?" Yes. He knew where they were. Fear the psionic powah.
Leo tilts his head over to the side and shows the fading marks. "Yeah, bit. He doesn't control his Bat very well." He says, yawning softly as he goes to sit on the other bed after giving Nathan a nice healthy kiss. "I'm glad you're here."
Owen frowns. "Ah don' control the Bat at all…" he sighs. "Ah check out…it's its own thin'…" he sighs. "Thin's worked out well enough."
Nathaniel returns the kiss, following the other boy to the bed after closing the door behind him; he stands next to it, though, hands tucked in his pockets and head tilted to the side, "At least Leo managed to keep it under wraps - you won't have to worry as much, now that you're here."
"He also kep' me from 'splodin'." Leo says, punctuated with a yawn as he looks up at Nathaniel, eyes bright (though sleepy) and full of affection. "I think our powers work together that way on purpose."
Owen nods. "Ah'm glad ya did, Leo…" he trails off. "Last thin' Ah want is tah turn intah that thin' and hurt more students or the teachers…" he sighs. "Ya're welcome tah use that bed if you're tired and don' mind mah nekkid self bein' over here. People tell me Skyler's bein' a girl right now so she's in her girl dorm."
"Must be nice to switch back and forth as you please," Nathan says with an idle smirk, propping his hips against the wall and eyeing his sleepy lover for a few seconds with no small amount of amusement - he looks like a kitten. Shaking his head, he nods slightly to the both of them, huffing his bangs away from his eyes, "I'm glad the two of you have found a balance."
Leo reaches his arm out somewhat to try to pull Nathan into a hug as he lays down. "Lay with me, baby?" He asks. Of course, Nathan already knows that Leo sleeps like the dead… well, the grabby huggy dead. He yawns again quickly as he curls up on the empty bed.
Owen chuckles. "Ya'll can stay too, Nathan. Don' worry 'bout me. Ah'll be asleep soon," he yawns. "If ya'll need anythin' …there are supplies in mah desk drawer."
"Supplies?" Nathan says as he toes off his shoes for the sake of politesse and slides onto the bed next to Leo, curling his arms around the other young man and adjusting himself so that he can take up a comfortable position. Prone to catnaps himself, he doesn't mind settling in with Leo for his short naps, tucking his arm underneath his back so that Leo can lie on him if he wants to.
"I think he wants to watch us." Leo giggles softly. "THOSE supplies." He leans in snuggly against Nathan and gives one last big yawn before he's dead to the world.
Owen laughs. "Hey, Ah'd leave but walkin' hurts right now," he says. "Besides…like Ah said…Ah'll be fallin' asleep soon," he adds.
Nathaniel rests his cheek against Leo's head, watching as he drops into a dead sleep with that same amused smile on his face, "I don't think it'd make much difference, Owen… but I don't think we'll need the supplies." He pokes at Leo's cheek gently as if to make a point, apparently finding that solid sleep extensively funny.
Owen lets out a little sigh. "Ah see…wouldn' be much fun with him all passed out like that," he chuckles. "Too bad though," he muses.
Nathaniel takes to running his fingers through Leo's hair in a way that is likely more to soothe himself than his sleeping boyfriend, grinning slightly in Owen's direction, "No, not really. It's a lot more fun when he's awake."
Owen sighs. "Ya'll are a lucky pair, findin' eachother," he states simply. "And sorry tah you too…that that thin' bit him even if he is healin'."
"It's all right. Leo's tougher than I am, no matter how much I'd like to think I can protect him… and yeah, we are lucky, though…" Nathan looks from Leo's sleeping features to Owen, contemplating him quietly for a few seconds before informing him, "You found him too, Owen. Both of you did. Cloak and Dagger, right?"
Owen laughs a bit, cringing when he finds out that hurts his sides. "Dan'," he mutters. He quirks an eyebrow at what Nathan says. "Ah dunno," he says simply. "That's a power thin'. Leo's mah friend, sure. But Ah'm not lookin' tah try stealin' your boyfriend awaym, Nathan."
Nathaniel shakes his head slightly, laughing quietly despite the fact that it's not likely to wake Leo up, "I don't think you are, Owen; I don't think you would. I don't know you that well, but… well, I do, a little, I like to think." He taps his forehead with his free hand, then shrugs his unoccupied shoulder, "But I recognize the necessity."
Owen quirks an eyebrow, confusion and fatigue clear in him. "Ah…dunno what ya'll mean," he admits. "Ah'm not sure how we're gonna do this power-balancin' thin' without me transformin' and bitin' intah him but Ah'm pretty sure it's not sexin' one another up…"
Nathaniel shakes his head, motioning between Leo and Owen lightly, "I mean that it's necessary for you two to be around each other. I'm not worried about my boyfriend, Owen. He loves me. I can feel it from across the school; from across the damn city. Whatever happens, so long as you two manage to help one another, that's all that matters." Sure, he feels a little useless, but he chooses not to focus on that.
Owen nods, understanding dawning on him. "Oh…" he trails off. The fuzzy teen yawns and suddenly the fur fades from his body. His eyes return to thier human appearance and his fangs shrink back to normal teeth. Still naked though and still not caring much. "Yeah, yeah. Guess you're right."
Nathaniel laughs softly, running his fingers through Leo's hair and adding, idly, "And if it means sex, I'd prefer it to him getting chomped up, honestly." He watches as Owen transforms from his furry self to a more familiar, naked form, contemplating quietly for a moment before he asks, "Which form do you like better?"
Owen chuckles, shaking his head. His thoughts drift towards a certain other resident of the mansion out there somewhere that Owen's set his sights on. He's snapped back to reality by the question. "Ah…dunno really. Used tah be that the moment ya asked Ah'd say this one…but so many people are sayin' how much they like the fuzz. People aren't runnin' and screamin' or callin' me thin's like demon and monster so Ah've been…warmin' up tah it…"
Nathaniel grins at the notion, though he follows that errant feeling, glancing towards the wall as if he could follow it to its source, his eyes difficult to read. He looks back to Owen with an easygoing smile, seeming to be in a better mood just for being snug against Leo's side, "I think it may wind up being an important question, you know? I think if you get used to the fuzzy one, it may make it easier to control it. At least, everything I've ever seen or read has suggested that rejecting our demons tends to give them strength or drive them crazy."
Owen makes a little face. "Ah dunno. Doubt Ah'll ever like the other form…the bat," he frowns, regret, annoyance, self-doubt and a myriad of other such emotions sweeping through him as the Bat comes up. He shakes it off. "Ah could start likin' the fuzzy-form though…"
"Well, like it or not, it's part of who you are. You really think I get a kick out of feeling everyone in my head all the time? You're not the only dangerous person in the school… which I feel like I keep repeating," Nathan says, going quiet as if to go through his memories and check that, though he eventually just shakes his head, dropping it to the pillow and tugging Leo tight against his side, "You call it 'the bat' because it's not you, because you have no control over it, but wouldn't it feel the same way now, when you're being you? I'm not saying you need to have an internal hug or anything, but you've got some lieuway to understanding it now… it might be worth it to take the chance."
Owen frowns, confused at this. He remains quiet for several moments, thinking about all of it. "Well…Ah call it the bat cause it looks like a giant bat," he says, trying to inject a bit of humor. He yawns again, shaking his head. "Ah'm gonna try tah understand more about it…"
Nathaniel grins slightly, ruffling his hair back off his forehead before he says, "Sorry. I have a bad habit for giving advice when nobody asked for it." He looks at the ceiling, thoughtful and quiet, his fingers continuing to idly stroke through Leo's hair.
Owen chuckles. "Don' worry. That's usually one of the best times tah give it tah someone," he points out. There's another yawn before Owen shifts slightly to get comfortable. "Fallin' asleep…"
Nathaniel nods his head slightly, though he shrugs a bit and looks aside at Owen when he yawns, the sight of it causing him to yawn as well, "Yeah… me too… go ahead and get some sleep." He tugs the blanket off Skyler's bed so that he can tuck it over himself, used to sleeping warmly since Max is his roommate and he has to pile on the blankets. Snugging them around Leo as well, he nestles his cheek against the slighter mutant and closes his eyes.
Owen chuckles, a bit of jealousy and cynicism rising in Owen before he closes his eyes. "Night," he mumbles. Managing to turn onto his side with only a few muttered curses, he drifts off a moment later. Apparently no problem with sleeping naked atop the covers either.
