Players:
Summary: Leo tells Nathaniel what he's decided.
Date: May 4, 2009
New Rules
Rating: R
Xavier Mansion - Ramsey Dormitories Lobby
The lobby of Ramsey Dormitories has two elevators at one end of the wall along with the entrance to a cafeteria. On the wall are three pictures that say 'In memory of'. One is of Douglas Ramsey, another of John Proudstar and the last one is of Jean Grey. There are several couches and tables down here for students to relax. Large windows in the front and sides allow for a lot of light in the room.
It's early on Monday afternoon and Nathaniel is wandering through here, on his way to the Quad and likely into the woods beyond that. He checks his beat up plastic wristwatch, wiggles his wrist, then looks around to see if he can find the lobby clock, likely meaning to check and see if his clock is on the right time. He winds up looking curiously at the memorial portraitrs, scratching the hair behind his ear absentmindedly.
Seeing Nathaniel there, and with new decisions in his mind, Leo takes the initiative and moves up behind Nate with a grin. "Hey." He says softly, reaching a hand out to touch his … boyfriend? Are they? He hopes so, it's just a sudden spike of worry accompanied with the love.
Nathaniel is actually a little startled by the touch, blinking as he looks back at Leo; it's rare for him to be startled by, well, anything living, so it takes him a few seconds longer to recover as he gazes at Leo. He eventually smiles, though, dropping his hand to rub his opposite forearm idly, "Oh. Sorry, Leo. I was thinking… Hey."
"What's wrong, babe?" Leo asks, knowing there's something odd going on there. He bites his lip as he scratches his head. "Are you ok?" He says, squeezing the arm under his hand lightly. "I've been thinking, myself."
Nathaniel blinks at that only to smile slightly, shaking his head and nodding to the portraits, "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking. I'm surprised this wall isn't more crowded." It's a morbid thought, but he can be morbid, in a weirdly positive way, when he wants to be. He turns his back to the wall, though, in order to face Leo, reaching up to snag his hand in the process, "How about you? …what've you been thinking about?"
There's a light nod from Leo. "They look after themselves. They don't let each other die, if they can avoid it." He says softly, before nodding "Us. I want to still have an us. So, after talking to someone, I have… I figured out what bothered me so much." He admits, blushing softly.
Nathaniel looks around the lobby before he gently tugs Leo towards the nearest couch, a light smirk on his lips, "I'm sure their friends watched out for eachother, too, sweetheart." It's not inflammatory, of course, just idle, somewhat nervous talk. He drops onto the couch and folds his arms loosely around his middle, furrowing his brow before he asks, "What bothered you so much?"
"I think it was… that… well… You didn't want me to meet him. How can I know him? How can I trust him?" Leo says softly, biting his lip. "I don't know him and that bothers me. It's not sex. That's just whatever. But, it's supposed to be shared with people that you care about and trust. And… I can't trust him without knowing him, so it kinda bugged me that you… ya know."
Nathaniel nods his head slightly, lifting a hand to run his fingers through his hair in that habitual way he does, "Yeah… I guess that makes sense…" He bites his lip as well for a few seconds before he shakes his head again, "But you trust me, right? …I can't tell you why I don't want you to meet him because I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone. Whatever it is, it doesn't effect me, but it might be a problem for you. Does that make sense?" He rubs his temple now, as if trying to explain it alone gave him a headache.
"To an extent, but… it makes me feel less because I can't know. Ya know? I mean, if you were sleeping with… Him or Him…" Leo points to a few doors, "I don't think it would bother me, because I CAN know them, ya know? That's the big thing. And I understand keeping your secrets, but…"
Nathaniel sucks on his lower lip, obviously not enjoying having to be secretive with Leo, especially concerning something like this. He reaches out to grasp Leo's shoulders, exhaling slowly and eventually saying, "He is not exactly a friend to Mutants, Leo. Not to us as a people. He knows what I am and accepts me on an individual basis, but otherwise, it's a matter of keeping him away from you, not the other way around."
"It's not that. You… mentioned making rules that we can both live with? I want to know people that you do things with. And I'll hold the same thing true." Leo explains shaking his head. "I'm over what you did with him. And, I don't think he could do anything to me, with my powers… I could stop him before he got a chance."
Nathaniel shakes his head, laughing as he props his heel on the edge of the couch and folds his arms over his ribs again, "I'm not worried about him trying to tear you apart or anything." He stares across the lobby contemplatively, swaying his knee back and forth like a timekeeper before he eventually sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, "I… I guess."
The sigh makes Leo worry. DId he go too far? He was just doing what Nate wanted. Oh no, there's that worry again. "Oh… well, I don't know. I really don't have any idea about things."
Nathaniel shakes his head quickly, leaning his head against the back of the couch as he says, "No, it's okay. It's not a bad rule. I'm just reluctant to have you meet him, that's all. On top of not being the best for you, I'm pretty sure he'd also want to shag you, and I don't know how I feel about sharing you with him. I mean, some people, maybe, but it's one of those weird things I can't explain…" He makes a face, then shrugs and leans forward, propping his elbows on his thighs and lacing his fingers together, "Otherwise, I don't have a problem with agreeing to that."
"Well, the only way to avoid is to not go back to him for that." Leo says with a bit of a shrug, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just one of those things. I'm more comfortable with things if I know more about them. And… why would it be so bad if he WANTED to do something. It doesn't mean I'd agree. I may not like him." He crosses his arms, impishly teasing. "I want you… and I want you to be happy. But, I don't wanna be UNhappy either."
Nathaniel makes a face at Leo, his arms tensing slightly before he leans back again, "I /like/ going to him for that. You fool around because you're friends with people, I do it because I'm a slut. There's a distinct difference." He makes an amusing gesture with his fingers at this point, tapping index tips together while he looks vaguely bemused, shrugging as he continues, "It's not like I want to make you unhappy, Leo. I want you to be happy, too. I'm just… it's not easy for me all the time, okay?"
"Is there something I'm not providing that he is?" Leo asks, wanting to know. "Something that I'm not good enough for?" That's how it feels more than anything. Especially since the guy can't be introduced to him. He's scared that it'll cause more problems. That the guy is a danger to him and his well being.
Nathaniel blinks at that, shaking his head in a somewhat quixotic fashion, "Huh? No. Leo, it's not like that. It's not a matter of filling in gaps or difference in quality." It's apparent that the thought of comparing Leo to this other man hadn't actually occurred to him. He reaches out to take Leo's hand again, giving it a little tug, "I can't explain it as well as you might want me to. I just… like doing it. I like the guy, but he doesn't compare to you, and I wouldn't try to. I love you, Leo. Everything you do, even that, is better than what it is with better people, but this is just the way I am. Given lieuway, I like sleeping around. It's… fun." He shrugs slightly after this, though he doesn't look particularly proud of it.
"Like I said, I don't have a problem with that, as long as I know who it is." Leo says, sighing a bit. "I don't know him, how can I trust him to treat you well? Yes, I know your powers say he's ok with you, but I don't have that luxury, that knowledge, or that ability. All I have to go on is that you say he's ok. But I can't KNOW that on the inside. I can't feel it from within unless I know him. I'd trust you with oh… Eddie, even though he wouldn't cause he's taken. Or Dai, or Jared, or any of the people here. Why? Because I KNOW who they are. This guy is an unknown factor. That's my issue. People's desires and emotions can change in a heartbeat. They can turn on you at the snap of a finger."
"Not on me," Nathaniel says with a hint of shade, likely indicating his powers, frowning sharply before he shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair, "So you're worried this guy is going to… turn on me? Or try to steal me? Something like that? Or is it just because you can't judge him on your own? I'd think my opinion of him would be a pretty trustworthy one." He reaches out to poke Leo in the side, just under his ribs, eyebrows lifted.
"I can't trust him because I can't judge him on my own." Leo nods. "It's like… keeping a secret." He explains. "I don't like secrets. I know my parents kept some from each other. I don't want that in a relationship I have. I need to know."
Nathaniel frowns again at that, shaking his head and looking across the lobby, "It's not a secret. I didn't keep it from you. I told you outright. I even told you his name." He sighs again, his head tilting down while he runs his fingers through his hair again, leaving fingers entangled in the mix of dirty blonde locks, "Fine. If you want to meet him, you can. I'll see when he's free next."
"I know you told me all that. But, you still told me you didn't want me to know him." Leo says with a bit of a sigh before moving in to wrap arms around Nate, if he doesn't move away. It's a strong, protective hug.
Nathaniel shakes his head again, though he doesn't pull away from the hug, just bumping his forehead against Leo's before he says, quietly, "Well, you're not giving me much choice, Leo. Either I let you meet him or you're not going to be my boyfriend any more. I tried to be as honest as I could."
"It's more that I need to know that you're safe." Leo says with a pout on his lips at that. That did hurt. "I was giving you choices. I just… I've been good. Doing my best not to do anything ot upset you. And I just wanna chance to know him to see if -I- trust him. That's all. And you don't have to introduce me. You could… not go back." He says with a shrug. Not that he'd ever mean that. If it came down to it, he'd step out of the picture first.
Nathaniel laughs again, ruffling his hair away from his eyes, "I /am/ safe. I'm not… weak or anything. If he does anything I don't like, I'll turn him into a gibbering idiot." He tugs on his hair after that, looking askance at Leo once more before he drops his hand and says, "I'm not going to be happy with any of these choices, Bright. I'll introduce you to him, but… I won't be happy about it. It's not like it's a big deal. You don't have to be a hundred percent happy all the time in a relationship."
"Compromise, right?" Leo says, reaching out to twist some of Nathaniel's hair between his fingers. "Is… is there anything I should do?" He asks, raising his eyebrow. Hey, he made A rule. Nate has every right to make some, too.
Nathaniel shrugs slightly at the question, running his fingers through Leo's hair now as he looks over his features, "I can't think of anything." Nathan doesn't even know what's incumbent in most relationships beyond secondary feedback, so he can't really figure out what other rules might be useful to set now. Either way, he sighs after a while, pulling gently on Leo's ear, "I think maybe I'll just put a collar on you some time. Then you can do whatever you want without anyone being able to forget that you're my boyfriend." He grins mischieviously, bumping his forehead against Leo's.
"Fine. But there need to be two involved."Leo says, leaning forward for a quick kiss before he gets a devious grin. "Let's go down to the lake. I need a nap and I wanna be by you when I take it. And that way… you don't have all these others around." He says, stroking a finger over Nate's hand softly. He's in a much better mood now.
