[Opposite Plot] Pre-Play

[forhawkeye]

Everywhere I went, people stared; I could feel their eyes trailing me all day long, as though they were paparazzi for the utterly unimportant. Much to my chagrin, changing into an unassuming outfit of a purple plaid shirt and a pair of ratty jeans hadn't convinced a single person to look elsewhere. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and, as the

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[throw_it_off]

Something was wrong. Nate wasn't sure what, but he was sure about that. Remy was acting high, he was still trying to convince himself that Chuck was pulling his leg, and Serena was acting... well, like Blair which was plenty unnerving. He felt like his head was spinning even though he knew he was still normal.

Normal didn't mean he was watching where he was going though, and he managed to plow right into someone who all but squeaked an apology. "No, no," he said quickly. "It's my... Kate? What's wrong?" She looked so frightened, so not like Kate, that he immediately assumed something was wrong, ignoring the obvious answer.

[forhawkeye]

Nate Archibald was the most beautiful man I had ever met. He was considerably taller than I was, meaning I had to tilt my head backwards just to get even a glimpse of his perfect face. His sapphire eyes glittered in the low light of the gloaming and suddenly he was all I could see. All of my worries simply melted away with one short glance.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head emphatically. "Not now that you're here."

I couldn't look away from him, so dazzled was I by his presence alone. I lifted my hands as though to hug him, but then thought better of it, chagrined by my own surprising forwardness.

"Is it alright if I...?" I asked, staring at him hopefully.

[throw_it_off]

He almost forgave the odd answer because, if something had been wrong, he was just glad that it was okay now. Only his mere presence had never fixed anything, as far as he knew, and that was the last thing he expected his superhero girlfriend to say since he was pretty sure she could kick his ass with one hand tied behind her back.

And then there was the question.

"..If you what?" he asked, frowning, not following at all. This was all just too weird.

[forhawkeye]

"Forget about it," I said quickly, lowering my hands. I reluctantly tore my eyes away from his unparalleled good looks, his full pouting lips, his cheekbones that could cut the hardest of diamond. "It's stupid. I don't even know why I thought you'd let me."

[throw_it_off]

"Let you what?" Nate pressed, still confused. "Kate, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, setting his hands on her shoulders to squeeze gently. "I think things are, you know... weird again." He didn't have boobs again, but he would have preferred that at this rate.

[forhawkeye]

"Touch you," I informed him sullenly. At his next words, however, my lower lip began to tremble, even as my heart sped up from the weight of his hands on my shoulders. "You think I'm some sort of freak, don't you?"

[throw_it_off]

"What? No!" he sputtered, solidly rejecting the idea. "You can touch me if you want, Kate. That's how the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing works, you know?"

She did know. Something was wrong here. Seriously wrong.

[forhawkeye]

"Oh," I said, though I brightened up a little at the thought. Considering that permission of a sort, I hesitantly wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his immaculately sculpted chest. "You smell good," I murmured without thinking, and immediately I felt my face burn with embarrassment.

[throw_it_off]

"Uh thanks," he answered quickly. His own arms went around her, because just then he kind of needed a little assurance too. "Kate did anything... happen that I don't know about? Do we need to talk about something?" It would really, really suck if he chalked up some relationship problem to the island being weird, and would probably come back to bite him in the ass later.

[forhawkeye]

"What? No," I replied earnestly, pulling away just enough so I could assure him as much with a quick shake of my head, my cheeks still pink from my comment only seconds earlier. "I just woke up this morning and realized everyone had been staring at me. I don't know why you put up with me, really. God, I mean, look at me!" I drew back completely, then, and gestured violently at myself. "I'm like a walking circus sideshow."

[throw_it_off]

Okay, yeah, definitely something weird. Kate had some issues, but massive lack of self esteem and a skewed world view weren't any of them. Nate just stared wide-eyed at the gesture, not having any clue why anyone would be staring at Kate. Other than her being hot. "Well... I guess purple plaid isn't normal island wear?" he guessed.

[forhawkeye]

"I thought it would be better than purple Kevlar," I admitted in a small, pitiful voice, my mouth setting into a deep frown. "That maybe I'd draw less attention if I covered up my freakishly pale skin."

[throw_it_off]

"You're-- Okay, this isn't right," Nate decided, shaking his head to emphasize the point. "You don't have freakishly pale skin. You have perfectly fine, healthy skin and you are not a walking circus or whatever. You're hot, Kate," he said with a small laugh. Only here and now would he have to tell his girlfriend this. "You're beautiful, and you're not acting like you."

[forhawkeye]

I was silent for a long moment, turning his words over and over in my mind. Beautiful? Hot? I was sure I thought the same, once, but I'd chalked it up to a(n admittedly long) fit of arrogance and overconfidence, not to any sort of truth.

Panic started to build in my chest. What if I wasn't acting like myself? What if I was secretly a Skrull all along? Oh, God, what if I was a pod person?

"What do you think is wrong with me?" I asked him, eyes wide with fear, and I clasped my hands to his forearms, my earlier hesitation all but forgotten in the face of sheer terror.

[throw_it_off]

"What?" That hadn't been what he meant at all, but it just figured that Kate would take it that way. This day was not going as planned.

...Oh God, how long did these things last?

"No, nothing's wrong you with, Kate," he assured her, carefully looking her in the eye with his best honest face. "I think it's just one of those island things? You know, like turning me into a girl that one time."

[forhawkeye]

"Well, what do I do, then?" I all but demanded, my fingers tightening around his muscular arms. "I can't just go around with the island controlling my mind, Nate! People will stare!"