2010-01-03: That's The Problem

Players:

Leo_icon.jpg Nathaniel_icon.jpg

Summary: Leo and Nate finally have their discussion.

Date: January 03, 2010

That's the Problem

Rating: R


Xavier Mansion - Observation Deck

Glass windows surround the circular room giving a full view of the school grounds. Two telescopes sit in front of the window for students to looks at the stars. A few comfortable chairs are placed up here for students to relax. Its a quite place up here that allows the fresh air in through sky vents in the summer and is well heated in the winter.


It's been a while since Leo's been up here. He's rather bright tonight. For some reason, he's been staying fairly bright of late, and can't tone it down, even after letting it all out. He's moving around the Observation deck cleaning away, just trying to find something to do.

Nathaniel hasn't been avoiding Leo, but for once he also hasn't gone out of his way to meet up with him. Today is apparently a change in that, as the darkly clad teen steps out onto the observation deck with his hands tucked into the pockets of his oversized jeans, a knit cabby hat shoved down haphazardly over his thick, light brown hair. He watches Leo contemplatively for a little while, not actively bothering to announce himself, standing relaxedly by the door.

AS he finishes some dusting, Leo looks to the entryway. "Hey babe." He says brightly, happy as always. It's very rare for him not to be. "You ok now? I mean… is everything figured out… or…" He's a little nervous to even ask, but it needs to be asked. At least, he thinks so.

Nathaniel responds with a mild shrug, lifting his hand to pull off his cap and rustle his hair, smacking it down into place, "I guess so. I don't know. Did Owen tell you why I got upset?" He tucks his hands back into his pockets, hitching his shoulders up minutely as if he were cold, despite the fact that he's pretty well insulated, "I talked to him a while ago."

"No, but I didn't ask. I figured anything you had to say to him about things was between you two and not my business." Leo explains. "That, and well… I figured you'd tell me if there was something you wanted to say to me." He bites his lip as he moves to sit down on the couch. He pats the seat for Nate.

Nathaniel shakes his head slightly, sucking on his lower lip; he doesn't sit, but he does walk forward, resting his leg against the edge of the couch, "You and Owen… you care about him, now. I mean, you did before, but it's more now, and when I came back… you kept smiling at him and you went over and hugged him, like you had to reassure him that you still liked him, even though I was back. I felt like you were more concerned making sure he was okay than welcoming me home. I don't know if that's selfish or not, but there it is."

"Sweetheart, it's not like that at all." Leo smiles, chuckling softly. "Why wouldn't I reassure my friends that I care about them. Especially when you already KNOW." He reaches out and taps on Nate's chest. "I can't hide it from you. I wouldn't even try. You know my heart as well… or better… than I do." He chuckles. Of course, in his mind, Nate's just being silly in his worries and what upsets him.

Nathaniel frowns slightly, shaking his head at that, "Don't act like my feelings are stupid. That's not fair… and reassuring them, sure, fine, but I hadn't seen you in months. Maybe I wanted more of your attention rather than playing second fiddle to someone else just then." He takes off his hat again, twisting it idly between his hands and then shaking his head again, wandering off to look out the window at the woods, "Being an empath doesn't mean I'm fine feeding off of it like some kind of emotional parasite, and just because I know doesn't mean I don't like being reminded."

Leo blinks. "I'm not acting like your feelings are stupid. I don't understand." He says. "I mean… you're saying I did something wrong, but I don't feel like I did. I did acknowledge you were back and I was happy for it. I really don't get what you're saying I did wrong." He's actually quite confused.

Nathaniel turns around and props his back against the glass, studying Leo quietly for a few seconds before he says, "You really don't, do you?" He tucks his hat back on, fidgeting type that he is, sliding his hands back into his pockets and chewing at his lower lip. He seems uncertain what to say, staring thoughtfully at Leo for a long time only to eventually sigh, "Friends shouldn't be more important than your boyfriend… and in this case, they were. Owen was. You want Owen, that's fine. He's a cool guy. If you want him more than me, I can accept that. I just don't like walking into a situation where I'm made to feel like that's the truth before I've been given much of a heads up. That's what it was, Leo. Yeah, you were happy I was back, but it was more important that Owen be okay than for me to be - at least in those few minutes. And they were important minutes to me." He shrugs again, scratching the back of his neck with a randomly freed hand, "I can't blame you. I was gone a long time."

"I never said he was more important. And if you took it that way without asking, well… I'm sorry you felt that way." Leo says, still rather confused, but dealing with it in his own way. "Did you stop to ask me? I assumed you would know and would talk to me rather than getting angry and taking it the wrong way before running off upset." He says, shaking his head. "Owen is one of my best friends. Of course he's important to me. Jared IS my best friend. And he has been almost all my life. He's always going to rank extremely high. I didn't say or even feel that Owen was more important. Why didn't you just say something then?"

Nathaniel shrugs slightly, sliding his hand back into his pocket, "Because I'm not perfect. I'd just gotten back from a stressful situation with my parents and, like I said, I couldn't really deal with it right there. It's not like it was a well thought out process, Leo. My feelings were hurt." He leans away from the window, walking over and bumping his foot against Leo's, "I also didn't say that you said or felt anything like that. It was just the way you were acting. Maybe I did read more into it than I should've, but it's not like I wanted to throw some huge fit in the middle of the rec room."

"Next time, ask me." Leo says. "Remember, I'm… not like a lot of people." He says, scratching his head. He tilts his head. "I mean, if you're upset, how else are we going to work through things… unless you'd rather not work through them and just… go on." He says, biting his lip. After all, Leo is fairly much innocence incarnate. At least emotionally. When he's not Dark Forcey.

Nathaniel sits down, finally, but shakes his head again, resting his arms on his knees and picking at a loose thread on his jeans, "I don't know. I'd like to work through them, I guess, but I don't like feeling like this is all my fault, either. I'm not a completely insane person. I think I was reasonable to be hurt. You don't understand why, though, and when I try to explain it, you tell me I overreacted and failed to communicate. Hell, Leo, I'm not like a lot of people, either…" He sucks on his lower lip again, then sighs, "I don't know. It'll be time for the both of us to graduate soon. I guess this would be the time for us to think about what we want to do."

Leo takes a second to consider things and nods lightly. "I… I guess that's true. I'm actually hoping to be able to tone down my glow and go to college out here. Or, if I can't tone it down, maybe the college will be accepting of it. I'm not quite ready to go back to California… if I even want to." He says with a nod. "What are your plans? So we can see if they even synch."

Nathaniel shrugs slightly, clasping his hands loosely together, "Art school, maybe, if I can get in and get enough financial aide. I'll probably stay here in the city. I don't really have a home back in Illinois any more. If I can't get into school, I'll probably just go get a job, maybe travel a little, put together my own comic or manga." His tone is nonchalant, absentminded, and he winds up digging in his pocket and coming out with cigarettes. He glances at the door before sliding one between his lips, lighting it with a well-practiced flash of one hand. As he takes a drag, he returns his attention to Leo, the faint scent of cloves filling the air.

"Ok, so they're not inseperable nor are they required to be together." Leo says, considering things. "Since I don't seem to ask enough… what do YOU want, Nate? What do you want out of us, and our future?" He asks, tilting his head as he leans back on the couch. He's a little bugged that Nate wouldn't sit near him, but then… he's actually vibrating a little.

Nathaniel shifts from where he's sitting so that he is next to Leo, though it's an abstract thought that leaves him to do so. He doesn't have to have his power going full charge to pick up Leo, generally. He hooks his hands together again, rubbing his thumb over the curve of his hand thoughtfully, "I'm not really sure. I want us to be together, I think…" He laughs without much mirth, admitting, "I like being the most important person to you. It makes me feel… I don't know. Less existentially pointless." He looks at Leo again, though, smiling faintly, "That's just me. I understand that we're teenagers, Leo. Asking for something long term is hard. I figured it'd be a good way to get around that, having an open relationship, but… that may have been a mistake. I can just barely handle the idea of you shagging someone else, but caring about someone else just bothers me."

"And if that bothers you… then there's really no point." Leo admits, openly. "I'm a very loving, caring person. With my friends, whether or not I'm… as you say… shagging them. It's not about sex. It's about physical proximity and comfort. Maybe it's an effect of my powers. Maybe it's the way I was raised. But…" Leo pauses, considering things. "Why would you feel existentially pointless in the first place. And why place it on someone else's shoulders for you to have a reason for being?" He asks, seriously wondering about that. He scratches the back of his head. "Are you… do you… god, I don't know how to phrase this." He says, thinking for a few more seconds. "Have you talked to anyone else about that?" That's got him a little scared. Not knowing why you're there.

Nathaniel shrugs slightly, rubbing the back of his neck only to arch a brow at Leo, "…I'm not insane, Leo, and I'm not laying the burden of my existence on you. Existing for someone you love is classic, but that's not exactly normal, I guess." He shrugs, lacing his fingers together again and scuffing his heel against the floor, "My parents never really cared much about me. Being a mutant was just a good excuse to get rid of me. I don't have any other family, I've never had very many friends. I think you're the first person in my life to actually love me. That's all I meant." He goes back to rubbing the skin just above his thumb red, though it doesn't seem to hurt him, "It's not like I need you to not care about anyone, ever; it just worries me that we'll wind up in an awkward multiple relationship. I might be okay with it, I might not, but I can't promise either way." He takes off his hat for good, dropping it in his lap and ruffling his fingers through his hair, "Maybe there is no point."

"No point in which?" Leo asks, simply. "And honestly, I wasn't sure what you meant. That's why I asked." He nods. "It's just… you seem to make it seem like caring for my friends cannot let me form attachments. That's all Owen and I are. Very close friends. And he's very important to me. And… the whole power issue thing. I just… are we ready to try to keep going in a relationship? I don't understand things. You don't understand things about me. I don't know." He shrugs. He's not upset, he's just concerned. He's trying to figure it all out. To put two and two together and not come up with 42. "You know how I feel about you. That's a given."

Nathaniel shrugs slightly, resting his chin on his palm and his elbow on his knee, looking at Leo through a fringe of light brown hair, "I'm not sure… and it's not like I don't want you to form attachments." He bites down on the curve of his pinky idly, pausing for thought yet again, eventually continuing, "I believe I do, but it sounds like you've sort of made up your mind, glimmer."

"No, I just search from all angles, babe. My dad's a businessman. Ask ALL the questions." Leo says, shaking his head. "Search all outcomes. Come up with a solution. Make yourself think." He explains. "It's not a win-win situation either way we go. That's why I'm trying to figure it all out."

Nathaniel throws his hand up, falling back onto the couch and lifting his feet to rest his heels on the edge. He resentfully eyes where he crushed out his cigarette, then turns his attention to the ceiling, "Well. Most people spend years together trying to understand one another. Everybody has problems. The only real questions are whether or not you actually want to stay together, if you think things will be all right, and if you'll be happy. We can decide whether to break up or stay together right now, or wait until later, even."

"Or whether YOU'LL be happy." Leo tacks on. "After all, I'm not the one who's really been upset." He points out. Not rudely, just stating fact. "And no, we don't have to decide now. Just… think on things." He says with a soft nod. He ponders. "I just don't want you getting more upset and letting things fester. For an empath… you hide your own emotions sometimes."

Nathaniel nods minutely, shifting into a better sitting position before, after a touch of hesitation, he reaches over and lightly runs his fingers through Leo's hair, "Yeah. Maybe I'll tell you about it some time. I'll try to keep things under better control in the future, though. If something pisses me off, I'll talk to you first, even if it means having to pick you up and cart you off somewhere so I can." He finally grins, mild though it may be.

Leo smiles brightly, beaming his affection openly. Leo DOES wear his heart on his sleeve after all. "Ok. And if you tell me something bugs you, I'll try not to do it, or to at least explain to you WHY I do it. It's just… hard for me to figure sometimes." He nods, moving to sit on Nate's lap, regardless of whether or not the other mutant wants him to. Yup. He's vibrating.

Nathaniel sits there for a few seconds before he blushes and laughs, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Did you know that you're, uh… like… shaking? In my lap?" He pokes Leo in the side playfully for it before he curls his arms around the youth's middle, pressing a few hard, warm kisses to the other teen's neck. He lets Leo feel how much Nate missed him for the first time in that alien touch of someone else's emotions, then withdraws it, "Yeah, well. I guess it can't be helped that you're such an airhead." Bwaha.

"Yeah. I… I've released my charge. Twice. But… it's like there's still too much." Leo actually lets a little worry creep out before he dulls it down. "It's like my light's coming stronger now that I'm using it regularly." He explains, snuggling into the affection, finally. "I'm not an airhead!"

Nathaniel is always amused by the wordage involved there, forced to bite his lip as laughter can be heard stifled in his throat. His voice is painted with it, though, even if it doesn't completely show on his face, "Your charge, mm…? …and I don't know. Maybe you're getting stronger. We're mutants, after all. Our DNA isn't really stable, I don't think." He quirks another light grin, scratching the back of Leo's neck gently and mussing up his hair, "You're a total airhead. That's why your light is so bright. It has nothing to dim it! Just lots and lots of empty space." He teases Leo easily enough, glad to be in a good mood again.

Leo ponders a second. "Better an airhead than an emo. Oh, woes is meeeeeees!" He cries, mockingly. "I'm so dark and drab, my fashionsense shows the world that I can't coordinate." He holds a hand to his forehead in a mock-faint. He is practically purring though, in the attention. "I'm glad you're back. If you didn't already know."

Nathaniel rolls his eyes at that, tucking his hand under Leo's legs so that he can flip the other boy onto his back on the couch. This is due to an ulterior motive, however, as he soon slides on top of him, though it's largely for the sake of comfort. He toys with a lock of Leo's hair, grinning down at him and finally leaning his head down to kiss him, a long, soft sort of kiss. Satisfied, he lifts his head and states, tone sullen, "I have great fashion sense."

"Who said I was talking about you. Remember VLAD?" Leo sticks out his tongue with a laugh and shakes his head. He giggles lightly, enjoying the moment, glad to have it all back to normal for now.

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