RP Log: Atobe and Tezuka
Date: Last Saturday (July 7th)
Rating: G [OOC: has any Tezuka log gone beyond G yet? O_o Oh Tezuka, cute liittle Dan is getting more action than you, the oldest virgin in XP... You've never been kissed either, I'm sure! XD]
Summary: Atobe and Tezuka keep spending time together. At least they've gotten to the point where they're now discussing powers? ^_^;;;;; [ooc: Please stop me from dreaming about SanaAtoTez. Sanada and Tezuka don't know each other like that, yet, and I should stop dragging my OTPs into everything. Isn't it bad enough I squee incoherently when I read SanaTez --> AtoTez in those Chinese fics?]
[ooc: And someone stop me from spamming these headers. PLEASE. *facepalm*]
To say Atobe was not overly fond of the summertime would be a gross misrepresentation of how utterly awful his week had been as the mercury began to rise. It was only going to get even warmer, he knew - August was going to be the death of him. It certainly did not help that Sanada's core temperature rose right along with the heat outside so regulating the temperature in their room was too much to ask of any sort of heating or cooling system the school had and Atobe's own powers were exhausting him just from fighting off the ambient heat to keep from quite literally melting. Or rather, that was what it felt like. He imagined even if he let go, he would just feel uncomfortably hot as he was still flesh and blood and not made of solid ice despite some opinions to the contrary. Why, in this state, he had thought it would be a genius idea to go bother Tezuka in the park on a Saturday morning was well beyond his sensible logic. Curiosity regarding the other mutant's powers had gotten the better of him while his mind was fogged from the heat and it had been playing in the back of his mind for a couple days.
Regardless, he still felt physically miserable. His stomach did nauseating acrobatics whenever he moved too suddenly or tried to bend over himself. Though he would normally love to join Tezuka in playing with Kinoko, he instead sat on the grass with his knees pulled up and his arms draped over his knees, his cheeks flushed slightly from effort. The grass directly below him was pleasantly cold - cooling earth and plants was not nearly as difficult as convincing the air to decrease in temperature. Despite his utter misery, the only outward sign was his unusual lethargy. This was not to say that he was faring any better than Sanada; it was unpleasant for him to have his temperature suddenly spike, as well, there was just no fear of melting.
It was another quiet morning. For some damnable reason, Tezuka was fond of the early morning when Atobe was not in the best state to begin with and having to drink iced coffee as a substitute had put him off. They were out before the world properly woke up and it showed for the lack of people in the park or on the streets... or futhermore how few shops were actually open, at this hour. The perfect sort of morning for satisfying curiosity, Atobe thought. "You know, you've never told me much about your gift," the younger mutant pointed out, resting his cheek on one knee but still watching Tezuka. "I'm not sure I even know what you do."
It was clear Atobe wasn't in the best of spirits that morning, because though he'd appeared in the park, he hadn't shown any interest in playing with Kinoko. In fact, Atobe had merely sat there in the shade, not moving the entire time. Tezuka couldn't blame him--the heat had been somewhat severe, especially since the weather the week before had been so agreeable. Kinoko was still running about, but even so, she wasn't moving as much as she used to, either. The heat was affecting them all.
So it wasn't as if Atobe's question was completely unexpected, really. Tezuka had wondered when Atobe would ask. "Kinoko," Tezuka called, watching with fondness as Kinoko came running. He nodded towards the tree, and she flung herself down on the grass a short distance from Atobe, settling in for a rest. Tezuka seated himself next to Atobe.
"My powers function similar to Magneto's," he said in reply to Atobe's question. It was the fastest way Tezuka knew of to explain them.
Lifting his head off his knees, Atobe leaned enough to the side that he could pat Kinoko on the head, scratching behind her ears. "Magneto, was it?" Not that it was an unfamiliar name to him - or to anyone else for that matter, but it was nearly impossible to equate Tezuka to Magneto in his head... even if it was only in the matter of their mutant abilities. It was equally difficult to picture Tezuka having any sort of practical use for that power in his everyday life which somehow was humorous in and of itself. Not that knowing his powers were that of Magneto explained anything of how it worked. "Manipulation of metal, right? Or is there more to it?" Atobe looked away from Kinoko, looking back at Tezuka with a smile despite the heat and his powers overcompensating and freezing sweat against his skin.
Manipulation of metal? Tezuka gave Atobe a quick glance, and wondered if perhaps Atobe was just unable to see the source of the manipulation because he didn't possess the same power. It was possible. Now the question was, how much Tezuka could explain without having to explain physics. He could explain his powers, but teaching was not exactly Tezuka's strong suit. "Magnetic fields," Tezuka said after a pause. "That's how we control metal. I generate magnetic fields and manipulate them."
Well, that made sense... to a point. Atobe had not studied physics much, to be honest, and science was not his strongest subject (as though he had a weak subject to begin with). So if he was generating magnetic fields and then manipulating said fields, in theory, he would have some sort of control over anything that could be magnetized... or something like that. Perhaps it was better not to try to figure out exactly how it worked before going into some sort of advanced science class where he could present th more complicated questions. Until then, something more practical than words might be better. "Can you show me?" Of course, the park was not the best place for any sort of large demonstration, but so few people were passing on the streets at this time, anyway. How else was he going to learn without a demonstration?
A demonstration in this weather? Tezuka glanced around the park. There wasn't anyone else around, and considering they were beneath a tree, it was unlikely that many people would be staring out at them. The benefit of the heat--it kept most people indoors, or sent them away further east towards the beaches. Tezuka slowly expanded his personal shielding field, and then pushed at edge next to Atobe.
There they were. Ryuhana's room keys had always been made of that metallic alloy, and Atobe had kept the steel ring they were usually on, too.
With a tiny (and invisible) magnetic storm, he wriggled the key loose from its confines in Atobe's pockets, glad that Atobe's cellphone was not in the same one. The storm would have fried the electronics otherwise. "At the risk of teaching you how to pick pockets instead," Tezuka said, "Here you are." He levitated the keys, and then dropped them in Atobe's lap.
The keys fell heavily in Atobe's lap. "I should report you for that," the younger mutant joked, but scooped his keys up from the cradle of his lap. So, it really was pretty straight forward - pretty much what he expected it to be. Though he highly doubted Tezuka's powers were all picking pockets and levitating keys. For his age, he must have manifested ages ago - he would have a good ten years of training under his belt as well. If his powers really were equivalent to Magneto's, he would also be much more powerful than just parlor tricks.
"So if that's what you do..." Atobe tilted his head, letting the key ring slip down around one finger. "What are you capable of?" He knew he was asking a lot with that question; particularly for someone who did not openly share much about himself... no doubt this would be no different.
What was Tezuka capable of? To be honest, Tezuka didn't know himself. He was limited by his stamina, and it seemed he couldn't expand his range beyond fifty meters. He couldn't control non-magnetic substances (well, to some extent--some diamagnetic substances could be levitated), and he couldn't affect light yet, though it had been the focus of recent exploratory training exercises. Electromagnetism had to mean all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but Tezuka had yet to find control over more than just the obvious.
But just because he couldn't do it now, didn't mean it was impossible to do it in the future... right?
Still, was it wise to simply report his abilities to Atobe? Never mind that Atobe was a teenager studying at Ryuhana, and there really was no reason to distrust Atobe. Something in the back of his mind urged him to err on the side of caution. Mere paranoia, Tezuka chided himself, but it wouldn't stay quiet. So Tezuka remained quiet for a while, studying Atobe's face.
Finally, Tezuka said, "Use your imagination."
Atobe lifted an eyebrow, giving Tezuka a look that readily conveyed that he was not impressed with that response. Still, it was exactly what he had expected. It was only a matter of time before he hit a wall when it came to the older mutant - they had danced this dance time and again. Each time, Tezuka shied away from an honest response, each time Atobe tried to find a way to weasel his way in... sometimes, more effectively than others. Case and point, their discussion of German composers had gone well, while the ice cream outing had been generally disastrous... and ended in Tezuka storming off. Not that Atobe had the strength to argue.
Instead of answering Atobe's question, Tezuka decided he'd had enough of being the source of information. "And your powers?" Tezuka had seen Atobe's file on the desk of someone else--it wasn't as if Tezuka had gone looking for it, but when one's colleague was filing and left it in plain sight, there was nothing that said Tezuka could avoid reading the top page.
Why was Atobe so confident, if he was merely learning about his skills? How could a mutant not long manifested not feel insecurity? Was it just the confidence borne of years as the heir to the Atobe empire? Or something else? Atobe's powers weren't really flashy powers like pyrokinesis or telepathy either. Why was Atobe asking all these questions about Tezuka, why was Atobe spending time with Tezuka? Was it really because Atobe enjoyed Tezuka's company, as he claimed, or was it for some other reason?
Paranoia, Tezuka thought, but now that the door to doubt had been opened... "Is there a point to this, Atobe-kun?"
Point? Earnestly, Atobe responded, "Yes, I'm trying to learn all your inner workings so I may report them back to an evil overlord who will use the knowledge against you." Which was obviously not the case - far from it - but he had to know if sarcasm was lost on Tezuka, as well. Shaking his head, he flopped back on the grass, pillowing his head in his hands and closing his eyes against the sun. "With the understanding of your powers, we will rise against all things good and lovely and conquer the world - nay, the universe." Atobe opened one eye, glancing at Tezuka with a tiny half-hearted smirk. It really was too hot for sass.
But not too hot for a bit more needling, "Join me - together we will rule the galaxy as father and son." Though... Atobe highly doubted Tezuka had ever seen Star Wars, much less knew the reference.
"I refuse," Tezuka said firmly. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he turned to hide the small smile. If there was one thing Tezuka respected about Atobe, it was the young man's quick wit. "You're too old to be my son."
That's better, Atobe thought, not fooled for a second by Tezuka turning his head. "Unless I've been lying to you about my age. I'm actually only ten years old and my mutation has an odd side-effect that causes me to look like I'm nearly fully physically matured." With his eyes closed once more, Atobe flopped one of his arms over his face, resting the crook of his elbow over the bridge of his nose - it wasn't particularly comfortable; anywhere skin met skin on his body was just too damn hot, but it blocked out the sun without putting on his sunglasses. Somehow, Tezuka struck him as the sort that didn't appreciate being spoken to with sunglasses as a barrier between them. He seemed so concerned about Atobe's honesty that he would want to see his eyes if they were having any sort of serious discussion.
Despite that cheery thought, Atobe did not move his arm before tacking on, "Iceman - the member of the X-men. My powers seem to be akin to his." Which was to say the ability to create ice from water particles in the air... or at least that was the easy way of explaining it. Atobe's power ran much deeper than that; there was something much more fundamentally influential about his powers. In theory, he could manipulate any liquid or gas into a solid - that's all his power really was, slowing down movement on a sub-atomic level. Though he was not nearly trained enough to go about testing the theory, he knew that the aforementioned X-man had the ability to turn his body into solid ice... and in Atobe's case, he had very nearly done that to his right arm when he was fending off Sanada's powers a couple of nights before. All that had stopped him was broken concentration when the cold had encased his elbow and caused horrible pain in the joint.
There had to be a less painful way of going about it... and a more intentional way. But on the face of things, what he was showing other people, he was still coming into his power at all. "I've been a quick learner - it's always been difficult for Sanada to accept that he grows at a different pace than I do." Both of those statements were true, of course. That was half of what caused friction between them when they were training together. Atobe lifted his arm off his face, again, to look back at Tezuka. "It's been a constant battle since we met." Sanada was strong, but Atobe was stronger. None of that would matter if they were on the same side; it was when they teamed up that they were really capable of incredible things.
If Atobe's powers were akin to Iceman's, why did Atobe seem to be melting in the heat? Tezuka wondered how Atobe's powers worked. "Summers must be difficult," he said, glancing at Atobe. "The temptation to use your powers outside must be very strong at times." At this moment in time, Tezuka wondered if he would have the discipline Atobe seemed to have with respect to his powers. At least with magnetokinesis Tezuka wasn't constantly tempted to lift cars. It was a mental note to himself, then. If a young teenage boy could exhibit discipline like that, Tezuka had no excuse not to.
"It's worse than just temptation," the younger boy said, sitting up once more and running his fingers through his hair to resettle it. "I have a hard time thermo-regulating when it gets too hot - I'm sensitive to extremely high temperatures; I start to feel nauseated when temperatures get ridiculous." And by ridiculous, he meant living with Sanada. "My core temperature is much lower than yours and it's easy for me to sustain that when it's cooler out. But even now, I'm using my powers just to keep from wallowing in misery. Haven't you noticed how cool the ground is? Shade is a nice excuse." A bit wryly, he added, "Of course, it would be much easier for me to just give in and cover myself in ice or just freeze the whole damn park, but I can't well do that, now, can I?"
Leaning forward to brush his hand over Kinoko's fur, he said, "Where would she play if I did something like that? Right, Kinoko-san?" He gave the dog his full attention, smiling distantly at her back.
Oh. So Atobe had been using--continued to use--his powers. Though Tezuka couldn't blame him. "Very considerate," he said, watching Atobe pet Kinoko. "The cooler shade is appreciated, too." He wondered if he could do something about heat, but suspected the answer would be a no. Heat and magnetic fields didn't seem to work together, as far as he knew.
Atobe looked back over his shoulder at Tezuka, examining his face. Was he done being upset about Atobe prying, now? The younger mutant offered a smile, not taking his hand away from Kinoko's back, but also not looking away from Tezuka. It was no more blatant than the man's display of pick-pocketing, but perhaps it had also been enough to satisfy some level of curiosity about Atobe's powers. Usually, people did not question his level of control which was what he really had failed to show off to anyone but Sanada... then again, Sanada was not showing Yamato and the others his full potential, either. It did not come out without an even match.
"Ha'penny for your thoughts, Tezuka-san." Maybe leaving it on his terms would get them somewhere.
Tezuka blinked. He actually hadn't been thinking of anything; he'd been watching Atobe pat Kinoko and merely... existing in the heat. A much-cooler heat, but it was still hot--warm air constantly being moved by a breeze strong enough to push hot air particles around, not strong enough to cool overheated skin. He watched Atobe's fingers stroking through Kinoko's fur, and then looked up to see that Atobe was looking at him. Tezuka looked back, noting silver-gray eyes that gazed at him without pushing, returning the look with one of his own. He stayed that way, watching Atobe watch him, focusing on the rhythm of Kinoko's tail swishing and thumping lightly on the grass.
Then he realized what he was doing.
By sheer force of will, Tezuka managed to look away. "Too cheap," he said.
With a chuckle, Atobe commented, "I might have a 500 yen coin in my wallet you can pick-pocket." He glanced back at Kinoko when her tail thumped down on the ground dangerously close to his leg. She was pleased, at least. "How about my curiosity for your thoughts?" Not that it was a fair trade, but it was closer to what he was actually giving. With a thin smile Atobe resumed just watching Tezuka's face - for whatever reason, it seemed like it bothered the other mutant, but it was hard to tell when he wasn't saying much of anything.
"No thank you." Tezuka kept his eyes straight ahead. He was vaguely aware of Kinoko's happy tail-thumping, and far too aware of Atobe's eyes on him. "It's rude to stare."
"It's rude to address someone without looking them in the eye," Atobe shot back jovially, leaning back on one hand. Not that he really cared in the least, it did confirm that it was making Tezuka uncomfortable having Atobe watch him. Still, how could he resist the open invitation to say something? "Does it bother you?" He made sure that the humor was not present in his voice, just curiosity. The last thing he needed was Tezuka inglobating like a pill bug on him.
Not expecting to be caught out, Tezuka cast a surprised glance at Atobe, and then nodded, turning away again. Atobe was right, it was rude not to look at the person one was speaking to. "Some of us prefer not to be the center of attention."
Though he was stating the obvious, Atobe pointed out, "I'm the only one here - I'm afraid you're going to have to just cope with my full attention." Even though his attention was somewhat split between Tezuka and Kinoko who was still happily relaxing by his feet. It was not as though Tezuka was an unpleasant sight, anyway... it was a nice day out and it was a lovely park, sure, but it hardly pained him to give up the scenery.
Obviously Tezuka needed all his wits about him if he was going to argue the point any further. He didn't answer, though he gave Atobe another look that included Kinoko, who merely lifted her head, barked once at Tezuka, and then lay it back down. Even his dog agreed with Atobe. Tezuka sighed inwardly, surrendering. "They're not worth the amount you're offering," he said, reluctant to share. It was true--his thoughts at the moment weren't anything worth sharing.
Atobe pulled his knees up, again, moving his hand away from Kinoko to wrap his arms around his knees and says, "Somewhere between a ha'penny and 500 yen is the value of your thoughts. We're going to be here all day if you make me keep guessing." Perhaps it was the heat that was making his mind fuzzy - and no doubt Tezuka's as well - but his argument in favor of Tezuka just telling him did not seem as solid when spoken aloud as it had in his mind. Tezuka was probably trying to tell him that his thoughts weren't anything special, but it had become the principle of the matter.
They were getting nowhere, and over such a trivial matter. "Why is it important you learn my thoughts?"
"It isn't," the younger mutant responded flippantly with a half-hearted shrug. "Why does it bother you when I stare?"
"I told you," Tezuka said patiently. "Some of us prefer not to be the center of attention." If it wasn't important, then hopefully Atobe would bore of asking and move on to other subjects. "Kinoko would appreciate it more."
Atobe was beginning to wonder how it was some of their conversations could go on forever, wandering without direction, while others looped back like this forever. "Very well, but don't complain about being jealous when I start giving her more attention than you." He got up on his knees and scooted up closer to Kinoko to give her more attention, as promised. Her fur was nice and soft and Atobe imagined that she'd be the sort of dog that would be nice to snuggle with... though the image of Tezuka snuggling on a futon at night was impossible to conjure. It did bring a smile to his face, nonetheless.
Atobe leaned down to tell Kinoko quietly, "I don't think Tezuka-san is feeling much like chatting."
Tezuka gave Atobe an incredulous look when the younger mutant bent to speak lowly to Kinoko. Though he heard his name, he didn't hear the rest of the sentence clearly. It wasn't something he needed to hear, though. As if Kinoko could understand Atobe. At least Atobe seemed to have put aside the previous topic.
Tezuka let the two of them be, focusing inwards. He wasn't going to use his powers, but there was really nothing else he could do without being observed. All he did though was expand his zone, checking the location and weight of every substance nearby that he could sense. Atobe had not been precise--he did not merely have a 500-yen coin in his pocket. He also had three hundred-yen coins, four ten-yen coins, and one five-yen coin. Tezuka could barely sense the magnetic ink on the bills in Atobe's pocket--reading them would be a challenge for some other time. Kinoko's collar was the same it always was. There was a fifty-yen coin about four meters away in the grass, and buried in the soil of the flowerbeds was what felt like the tip of a ball-point pen--possibly a discarded or misplaced biro. The dead zones around Atobe's neck and on his earlobes could only be a necklace and earrings--Tezuka wondered what the material was, but it couldn't be platinum--that was paramagnetic. Dead zones signified paramagnetism. Silver or gold, perhaps. He wasn't about to look at Atobe to check. He hadn't noticed any yellow gold, so it was either silver or white gold. Or some other more exotic material--he wouldn't put that past Atobe.
... was that an earring in the shape of a snowflake?
As usual, all the items he could sense were man-made. Tezuka wondered if that was because he wasn't skilled enough to sense naturally-occuring metals, or if the entire park was built artificially from dirt and other construction materials that had already been processed to the point where any metal contents were intentional rather than natural. It wouldn't surprise him, considering the neighbourhood.
Flopping forward to scratch behind Kinoko's ears, Atobe told her, "You have such lovely hair. I can't get mine to shine like that - how do you do it?" He grinned at her back, still pointedly ignoring the man behind him, though he was no longer speaking in low tones. Really, she was incredibly well behaved - that was to be expected of a dog that spent most of her time with Tezuka. Anyone would end up straight as an arrow after prolonged exposure. It could also be that she was enjoying the benefit of his company; who needed air conditioning when he was around?
Tezuka was quite sure that was a rhetorical question, quite possibly for his benefit rather than Kinoko's. He ignored it--if Atobe expected an answer, Kinoko could provide it. Right on cue, Kinoko barked at Atobe, three short friendly yaps as if answering his question, and Tezuka turned away to hide the smile on his face.
With a rolling laugh, Atobe asked, "Is that so? Thank you for sharing your secrets with me." He bopped her lightly on the nose with one finger before leaning back on his hands once more to look up at the branches of the tree above him.
After a few moments of Atobe's silence, Tezuka shifted, glancing at Atobe out of the corner of his eye, and then casting a quick look up at the tree just to make sure Atobe wasn't staring at a potential threat. Nothing. "Kinoko," Tezuka said, patting the shady grass beside him.
Kinoko lifted an ear, then her head, and looked at Tezuka. Tezuka repeated her name and patted the grass again. She got up reluctantly, padding towards Tezuka, passed Atobe, and then decided lying down in between Tezuka and Atobe was the best thing to do. Tezuka let it go, stroking her back. Her body was warm beneath the fur.
Turning his head to look at Tezuka, again, Atobe flopped down on the grass on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. Kinoko's tail would be in his face if she got enthusiastic, again, but it allowed him to scratch her back while he was flopped beside her. "I've asked you this before, but I don't think you liked me much when I asked you." Or rather, Tezuka simply had not known him in the least, but it was more fun to blame it on Tezuka's opinion of Atobe just in case it warranted more sputtering. Atobe's eyes drifted up from Kinoko's back to look at the older mutant's face, again. "Don't you ever start to feel lonely when it's just the two of you?"
Considering the question, Tezuka wondered why Atobe seemed obsessed with loneliness. If Atobe meant the empty feeling Tezuka occasionally had inside when his parents looked after Kinoko while Tezuka was busy, then no, Tezuka never felt lonely with Kinoko around. She asked for a lot of attention, and Tezuka was happy to give it.
He looked at Atobe properly, observing the way he stroked Kinoko. Atobe kept seeking Tezuka out, spending time with Tezuka, and talking to Tezuka. Why did Atobe ask if Tezuka was lonely when Atobe seemed to be the one exhibiting the behaviour of a lonely person? "I enjoy the solitude," he said. "If you are lonely, though, you are welcome to join us. Kinoko likes you. There is no need to ask the same question repeatedly."
Tezuka would have said Atobe was old enough to know when to be quiet, but all the questions Atobe had been asking lately might have been a way of attempting to socialize with him. Was that what those in Atobe's circles did? Ask incessant questions seeking answers they did not care about? Because Tezuka doubted it truly mattered to Atobe whether or not Tezuka was lonely.
Lonely? In a sense, yes, Atobe was lonely - in the sense that he did not identify with many of his peers... really just Sanada. In the sense that he was half the world away from where he was comfortable, what was home... he was homesick. But enough so that he was seeking Tezuka's attention for lack of companionship? Not so much. "That was the answer I was looking for. If you enjoy solitude, I'll drop it." It left another question unanswered, and the one that he had been trying to uncover by knowing if Tezuka was truly comfortable with his situation. That was what made him act like he did - why he acted like a crotchety old man when he was still young. If self-imposed loneliness was not the answer, why would he be so quick to distrust?
Well, whatever.
"Guess it's me and you, Kinoko-san." Atobe patted her back as he said this, diverting his eyes.
Kinoko barked, wagging her tail.
Rating: G [OOC: has any Tezuka log gone beyond G yet? O_o Oh Tezuka, cute liittle Dan is getting more action than you, the oldest virgin in XP... You've never been kissed either, I'm sure! XD]
Summary: Atobe and Tezuka keep spending time together. At least they've gotten to the point where they're now discussing powers? ^_^;;;;; [ooc: Please stop me from dreaming about SanaAtoTez. Sanada and Tezuka don't know each other like that, yet, and I should stop dragging my OTPs into everything. Isn't it bad enough I squee incoherently when I read SanaTez --> AtoTez in those Chinese fics?]
[ooc: And someone stop me from spamming these headers. PLEASE. *facepalm*]
To say Atobe was not overly fond of the summertime would be a gross misrepresentation of how utterly awful his week had been as the mercury began to rise. It was only going to get even warmer, he knew - August was going to be the death of him. It certainly did not help that Sanada's core temperature rose right along with the heat outside so regulating the temperature in their room was too much to ask of any sort of heating or cooling system the school had and Atobe's own powers were exhausting him just from fighting off the ambient heat to keep from quite literally melting. Or rather, that was what it felt like. He imagined even if he let go, he would just feel uncomfortably hot as he was still flesh and blood and not made of solid ice despite some opinions to the contrary. Why, in this state, he had thought it would be a genius idea to go bother Tezuka in the park on a Saturday morning was well beyond his sensible logic. Curiosity regarding the other mutant's powers had gotten the better of him while his mind was fogged from the heat and it had been playing in the back of his mind for a couple days.
Regardless, he still felt physically miserable. His stomach did nauseating acrobatics whenever he moved too suddenly or tried to bend over himself. Though he would normally love to join Tezuka in playing with Kinoko, he instead sat on the grass with his knees pulled up and his arms draped over his knees, his cheeks flushed slightly from effort. The grass directly below him was pleasantly cold - cooling earth and plants was not nearly as difficult as convincing the air to decrease in temperature. Despite his utter misery, the only outward sign was his unusual lethargy. This was not to say that he was faring any better than Sanada; it was unpleasant for him to have his temperature suddenly spike, as well, there was just no fear of melting.
It was another quiet morning. For some damnable reason, Tezuka was fond of the early morning when Atobe was not in the best state to begin with and having to drink iced coffee as a substitute had put him off. They were out before the world properly woke up and it showed for the lack of people in the park or on the streets... or futhermore how few shops were actually open, at this hour. The perfect sort of morning for satisfying curiosity, Atobe thought. "You know, you've never told me much about your gift," the younger mutant pointed out, resting his cheek on one knee but still watching Tezuka. "I'm not sure I even know what you do."
It was clear Atobe wasn't in the best of spirits that morning, because though he'd appeared in the park, he hadn't shown any interest in playing with Kinoko. In fact, Atobe had merely sat there in the shade, not moving the entire time. Tezuka couldn't blame him--the heat had been somewhat severe, especially since the weather the week before had been so agreeable. Kinoko was still running about, but even so, she wasn't moving as much as she used to, either. The heat was affecting them all.
So it wasn't as if Atobe's question was completely unexpected, really. Tezuka had wondered when Atobe would ask. "Kinoko," Tezuka called, watching with fondness as Kinoko came running. He nodded towards the tree, and she flung herself down on the grass a short distance from Atobe, settling in for a rest. Tezuka seated himself next to Atobe.
"My powers function similar to Magneto's," he said in reply to Atobe's question. It was the fastest way Tezuka knew of to explain them.
Lifting his head off his knees, Atobe leaned enough to the side that he could pat Kinoko on the head, scratching behind her ears. "Magneto, was it?" Not that it was an unfamiliar name to him - or to anyone else for that matter, but it was nearly impossible to equate Tezuka to Magneto in his head... even if it was only in the matter of their mutant abilities. It was equally difficult to picture Tezuka having any sort of practical use for that power in his everyday life which somehow was humorous in and of itself. Not that knowing his powers were that of Magneto explained anything of how it worked. "Manipulation of metal, right? Or is there more to it?" Atobe looked away from Kinoko, looking back at Tezuka with a smile despite the heat and his powers overcompensating and freezing sweat against his skin.
Manipulation of metal? Tezuka gave Atobe a quick glance, and wondered if perhaps Atobe was just unable to see the source of the manipulation because he didn't possess the same power. It was possible. Now the question was, how much Tezuka could explain without having to explain physics. He could explain his powers, but teaching was not exactly Tezuka's strong suit. "Magnetic fields," Tezuka said after a pause. "That's how we control metal. I generate magnetic fields and manipulate them."
Well, that made sense... to a point. Atobe had not studied physics much, to be honest, and science was not his strongest subject (as though he had a weak subject to begin with). So if he was generating magnetic fields and then manipulating said fields, in theory, he would have some sort of control over anything that could be magnetized... or something like that. Perhaps it was better not to try to figure out exactly how it worked before going into some sort of advanced science class where he could present th more complicated questions. Until then, something more practical than words might be better. "Can you show me?" Of course, the park was not the best place for any sort of large demonstration, but so few people were passing on the streets at this time, anyway. How else was he going to learn without a demonstration?
A demonstration in this weather? Tezuka glanced around the park. There wasn't anyone else around, and considering they were beneath a tree, it was unlikely that many people would be staring out at them. The benefit of the heat--it kept most people indoors, or sent them away further east towards the beaches. Tezuka slowly expanded his personal shielding field, and then pushed at edge next to Atobe.
There they were. Ryuhana's room keys had always been made of that metallic alloy, and Atobe had kept the steel ring they were usually on, too.
With a tiny (and invisible) magnetic storm, he wriggled the key loose from its confines in Atobe's pockets, glad that Atobe's cellphone was not in the same one. The storm would have fried the electronics otherwise. "At the risk of teaching you how to pick pockets instead," Tezuka said, "Here you are." He levitated the keys, and then dropped them in Atobe's lap.
The keys fell heavily in Atobe's lap. "I should report you for that," the younger mutant joked, but scooped his keys up from the cradle of his lap. So, it really was pretty straight forward - pretty much what he expected it to be. Though he highly doubted Tezuka's powers were all picking pockets and levitating keys. For his age, he must have manifested ages ago - he would have a good ten years of training under his belt as well. If his powers really were equivalent to Magneto's, he would also be much more powerful than just parlor tricks.
"So if that's what you do..." Atobe tilted his head, letting the key ring slip down around one finger. "What are you capable of?" He knew he was asking a lot with that question; particularly for someone who did not openly share much about himself... no doubt this would be no different.
What was Tezuka capable of? To be honest, Tezuka didn't know himself. He was limited by his stamina, and it seemed he couldn't expand his range beyond fifty meters. He couldn't control non-magnetic substances (well, to some extent--some diamagnetic substances could be levitated), and he couldn't affect light yet, though it had been the focus of recent exploratory training exercises. Electromagnetism had to mean all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but Tezuka had yet to find control over more than just the obvious.
But just because he couldn't do it now, didn't mean it was impossible to do it in the future... right?
Still, was it wise to simply report his abilities to Atobe? Never mind that Atobe was a teenager studying at Ryuhana, and there really was no reason to distrust Atobe. Something in the back of his mind urged him to err on the side of caution. Mere paranoia, Tezuka chided himself, but it wouldn't stay quiet. So Tezuka remained quiet for a while, studying Atobe's face.
Finally, Tezuka said, "Use your imagination."
Atobe lifted an eyebrow, giving Tezuka a look that readily conveyed that he was not impressed with that response. Still, it was exactly what he had expected. It was only a matter of time before he hit a wall when it came to the older mutant - they had danced this dance time and again. Each time, Tezuka shied away from an honest response, each time Atobe tried to find a way to weasel his way in... sometimes, more effectively than others. Case and point, their discussion of German composers had gone well, while the ice cream outing had been generally disastrous... and ended in Tezuka storming off. Not that Atobe had the strength to argue.
Instead of answering Atobe's question, Tezuka decided he'd had enough of being the source of information. "And your powers?" Tezuka had seen Atobe's file on the desk of someone else--it wasn't as if Tezuka had gone looking for it, but when one's colleague was filing and left it in plain sight, there was nothing that said Tezuka could avoid reading the top page.
Why was Atobe so confident, if he was merely learning about his skills? How could a mutant not long manifested not feel insecurity? Was it just the confidence borne of years as the heir to the Atobe empire? Or something else? Atobe's powers weren't really flashy powers like pyrokinesis or telepathy either. Why was Atobe asking all these questions about Tezuka, why was Atobe spending time with Tezuka? Was it really because Atobe enjoyed Tezuka's company, as he claimed, or was it for some other reason?
Paranoia, Tezuka thought, but now that the door to doubt had been opened... "Is there a point to this, Atobe-kun?"
Point? Earnestly, Atobe responded, "Yes, I'm trying to learn all your inner workings so I may report them back to an evil overlord who will use the knowledge against you." Which was obviously not the case - far from it - but he had to know if sarcasm was lost on Tezuka, as well. Shaking his head, he flopped back on the grass, pillowing his head in his hands and closing his eyes against the sun. "With the understanding of your powers, we will rise against all things good and lovely and conquer the world - nay, the universe." Atobe opened one eye, glancing at Tezuka with a tiny half-hearted smirk. It really was too hot for sass.
But not too hot for a bit more needling, "Join me - together we will rule the galaxy as father and son." Though... Atobe highly doubted Tezuka had ever seen Star Wars, much less knew the reference.
"I refuse," Tezuka said firmly. The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily, and he turned to hide the small smile. If there was one thing Tezuka respected about Atobe, it was the young man's quick wit. "You're too old to be my son."
That's better, Atobe thought, not fooled for a second by Tezuka turning his head. "Unless I've been lying to you about my age. I'm actually only ten years old and my mutation has an odd side-effect that causes me to look like I'm nearly fully physically matured." With his eyes closed once more, Atobe flopped one of his arms over his face, resting the crook of his elbow over the bridge of his nose - it wasn't particularly comfortable; anywhere skin met skin on his body was just too damn hot, but it blocked out the sun without putting on his sunglasses. Somehow, Tezuka struck him as the sort that didn't appreciate being spoken to with sunglasses as a barrier between them. He seemed so concerned about Atobe's honesty that he would want to see his eyes if they were having any sort of serious discussion.
Despite that cheery thought, Atobe did not move his arm before tacking on, "Iceman - the member of the X-men. My powers seem to be akin to his." Which was to say the ability to create ice from water particles in the air... or at least that was the easy way of explaining it. Atobe's power ran much deeper than that; there was something much more fundamentally influential about his powers. In theory, he could manipulate any liquid or gas into a solid - that's all his power really was, slowing down movement on a sub-atomic level. Though he was not nearly trained enough to go about testing the theory, he knew that the aforementioned X-man had the ability to turn his body into solid ice... and in Atobe's case, he had very nearly done that to his right arm when he was fending off Sanada's powers a couple of nights before. All that had stopped him was broken concentration when the cold had encased his elbow and caused horrible pain in the joint.
There had to be a less painful way of going about it... and a more intentional way. But on the face of things, what he was showing other people, he was still coming into his power at all. "I've been a quick learner - it's always been difficult for Sanada to accept that he grows at a different pace than I do." Both of those statements were true, of course. That was half of what caused friction between them when they were training together. Atobe lifted his arm off his face, again, to look back at Tezuka. "It's been a constant battle since we met." Sanada was strong, but Atobe was stronger. None of that would matter if they were on the same side; it was when they teamed up that they were really capable of incredible things.
If Atobe's powers were akin to Iceman's, why did Atobe seem to be melting in the heat? Tezuka wondered how Atobe's powers worked. "Summers must be difficult," he said, glancing at Atobe. "The temptation to use your powers outside must be very strong at times." At this moment in time, Tezuka wondered if he would have the discipline Atobe seemed to have with respect to his powers. At least with magnetokinesis Tezuka wasn't constantly tempted to lift cars. It was a mental note to himself, then. If a young teenage boy could exhibit discipline like that, Tezuka had no excuse not to.
"It's worse than just temptation," the younger boy said, sitting up once more and running his fingers through his hair to resettle it. "I have a hard time thermo-regulating when it gets too hot - I'm sensitive to extremely high temperatures; I start to feel nauseated when temperatures get ridiculous." And by ridiculous, he meant living with Sanada. "My core temperature is much lower than yours and it's easy for me to sustain that when it's cooler out. But even now, I'm using my powers just to keep from wallowing in misery. Haven't you noticed how cool the ground is? Shade is a nice excuse." A bit wryly, he added, "Of course, it would be much easier for me to just give in and cover myself in ice or just freeze the whole damn park, but I can't well do that, now, can I?"
Leaning forward to brush his hand over Kinoko's fur, he said, "Where would she play if I did something like that? Right, Kinoko-san?" He gave the dog his full attention, smiling distantly at her back.
Oh. So Atobe had been using--continued to use--his powers. Though Tezuka couldn't blame him. "Very considerate," he said, watching Atobe pet Kinoko. "The cooler shade is appreciated, too." He wondered if he could do something about heat, but suspected the answer would be a no. Heat and magnetic fields didn't seem to work together, as far as he knew.
Atobe looked back over his shoulder at Tezuka, examining his face. Was he done being upset about Atobe prying, now? The younger mutant offered a smile, not taking his hand away from Kinoko's back, but also not looking away from Tezuka. It was no more blatant than the man's display of pick-pocketing, but perhaps it had also been enough to satisfy some level of curiosity about Atobe's powers. Usually, people did not question his level of control which was what he really had failed to show off to anyone but Sanada... then again, Sanada was not showing Yamato and the others his full potential, either. It did not come out without an even match.
"Ha'penny for your thoughts, Tezuka-san." Maybe leaving it on his terms would get them somewhere.
Tezuka blinked. He actually hadn't been thinking of anything; he'd been watching Atobe pat Kinoko and merely... existing in the heat. A much-cooler heat, but it was still hot--warm air constantly being moved by a breeze strong enough to push hot air particles around, not strong enough to cool overheated skin. He watched Atobe's fingers stroking through Kinoko's fur, and then looked up to see that Atobe was looking at him. Tezuka looked back, noting silver-gray eyes that gazed at him without pushing, returning the look with one of his own. He stayed that way, watching Atobe watch him, focusing on the rhythm of Kinoko's tail swishing and thumping lightly on the grass.
Then he realized what he was doing.
By sheer force of will, Tezuka managed to look away. "Too cheap," he said.
With a chuckle, Atobe commented, "I might have a 500 yen coin in my wallet you can pick-pocket." He glanced back at Kinoko when her tail thumped down on the ground dangerously close to his leg. She was pleased, at least. "How about my curiosity for your thoughts?" Not that it was a fair trade, but it was closer to what he was actually giving. With a thin smile Atobe resumed just watching Tezuka's face - for whatever reason, it seemed like it bothered the other mutant, but it was hard to tell when he wasn't saying much of anything.
"No thank you." Tezuka kept his eyes straight ahead. He was vaguely aware of Kinoko's happy tail-thumping, and far too aware of Atobe's eyes on him. "It's rude to stare."
"It's rude to address someone without looking them in the eye," Atobe shot back jovially, leaning back on one hand. Not that he really cared in the least, it did confirm that it was making Tezuka uncomfortable having Atobe watch him. Still, how could he resist the open invitation to say something? "Does it bother you?" He made sure that the humor was not present in his voice, just curiosity. The last thing he needed was Tezuka inglobating like a pill bug on him.
Not expecting to be caught out, Tezuka cast a surprised glance at Atobe, and then nodded, turning away again. Atobe was right, it was rude not to look at the person one was speaking to. "Some of us prefer not to be the center of attention."
Though he was stating the obvious, Atobe pointed out, "I'm the only one here - I'm afraid you're going to have to just cope with my full attention." Even though his attention was somewhat split between Tezuka and Kinoko who was still happily relaxing by his feet. It was not as though Tezuka was an unpleasant sight, anyway... it was a nice day out and it was a lovely park, sure, but it hardly pained him to give up the scenery.
Obviously Tezuka needed all his wits about him if he was going to argue the point any further. He didn't answer, though he gave Atobe another look that included Kinoko, who merely lifted her head, barked once at Tezuka, and then lay it back down. Even his dog agreed with Atobe. Tezuka sighed inwardly, surrendering. "They're not worth the amount you're offering," he said, reluctant to share. It was true--his thoughts at the moment weren't anything worth sharing.
Atobe pulled his knees up, again, moving his hand away from Kinoko to wrap his arms around his knees and says, "Somewhere between a ha'penny and 500 yen is the value of your thoughts. We're going to be here all day if you make me keep guessing." Perhaps it was the heat that was making his mind fuzzy - and no doubt Tezuka's as well - but his argument in favor of Tezuka just telling him did not seem as solid when spoken aloud as it had in his mind. Tezuka was probably trying to tell him that his thoughts weren't anything special, but it had become the principle of the matter.
They were getting nowhere, and over such a trivial matter. "Why is it important you learn my thoughts?"
"It isn't," the younger mutant responded flippantly with a half-hearted shrug. "Why does it bother you when I stare?"
"I told you," Tezuka said patiently. "Some of us prefer not to be the center of attention." If it wasn't important, then hopefully Atobe would bore of asking and move on to other subjects. "Kinoko would appreciate it more."
Atobe was beginning to wonder how it was some of their conversations could go on forever, wandering without direction, while others looped back like this forever. "Very well, but don't complain about being jealous when I start giving her more attention than you." He got up on his knees and scooted up closer to Kinoko to give her more attention, as promised. Her fur was nice and soft and Atobe imagined that she'd be the sort of dog that would be nice to snuggle with... though the image of Tezuka snuggling on a futon at night was impossible to conjure. It did bring a smile to his face, nonetheless.
Atobe leaned down to tell Kinoko quietly, "I don't think Tezuka-san is feeling much like chatting."
Tezuka gave Atobe an incredulous look when the younger mutant bent to speak lowly to Kinoko. Though he heard his name, he didn't hear the rest of the sentence clearly. It wasn't something he needed to hear, though. As if Kinoko could understand Atobe. At least Atobe seemed to have put aside the previous topic.
Tezuka let the two of them be, focusing inwards. He wasn't going to use his powers, but there was really nothing else he could do without being observed. All he did though was expand his zone, checking the location and weight of every substance nearby that he could sense. Atobe had not been precise--he did not merely have a 500-yen coin in his pocket. He also had three hundred-yen coins, four ten-yen coins, and one five-yen coin. Tezuka could barely sense the magnetic ink on the bills in Atobe's pocket--reading them would be a challenge for some other time. Kinoko's collar was the same it always was. There was a fifty-yen coin about four meters away in the grass, and buried in the soil of the flowerbeds was what felt like the tip of a ball-point pen--possibly a discarded or misplaced biro. The dead zones around Atobe's neck and on his earlobes could only be a necklace and earrings--Tezuka wondered what the material was, but it couldn't be platinum--that was paramagnetic. Dead zones signified paramagnetism. Silver or gold, perhaps. He wasn't about to look at Atobe to check. He hadn't noticed any yellow gold, so it was either silver or white gold. Or some other more exotic material--he wouldn't put that past Atobe.
... was that an earring in the shape of a snowflake?
As usual, all the items he could sense were man-made. Tezuka wondered if that was because he wasn't skilled enough to sense naturally-occuring metals, or if the entire park was built artificially from dirt and other construction materials that had already been processed to the point where any metal contents were intentional rather than natural. It wouldn't surprise him, considering the neighbourhood.
Flopping forward to scratch behind Kinoko's ears, Atobe told her, "You have such lovely hair. I can't get mine to shine like that - how do you do it?" He grinned at her back, still pointedly ignoring the man behind him, though he was no longer speaking in low tones. Really, she was incredibly well behaved - that was to be expected of a dog that spent most of her time with Tezuka. Anyone would end up straight as an arrow after prolonged exposure. It could also be that she was enjoying the benefit of his company; who needed air conditioning when he was around?
Tezuka was quite sure that was a rhetorical question, quite possibly for his benefit rather than Kinoko's. He ignored it--if Atobe expected an answer, Kinoko could provide it. Right on cue, Kinoko barked at Atobe, three short friendly yaps as if answering his question, and Tezuka turned away to hide the smile on his face.
With a rolling laugh, Atobe asked, "Is that so? Thank you for sharing your secrets with me." He bopped her lightly on the nose with one finger before leaning back on his hands once more to look up at the branches of the tree above him.
After a few moments of Atobe's silence, Tezuka shifted, glancing at Atobe out of the corner of his eye, and then casting a quick look up at the tree just to make sure Atobe wasn't staring at a potential threat. Nothing. "Kinoko," Tezuka said, patting the shady grass beside him.
Kinoko lifted an ear, then her head, and looked at Tezuka. Tezuka repeated her name and patted the grass again. She got up reluctantly, padding towards Tezuka, passed Atobe, and then decided lying down in between Tezuka and Atobe was the best thing to do. Tezuka let it go, stroking her back. Her body was warm beneath the fur.
Turning his head to look at Tezuka, again, Atobe flopped down on the grass on his side and propped himself up on his elbow. Kinoko's tail would be in his face if she got enthusiastic, again, but it allowed him to scratch her back while he was flopped beside her. "I've asked you this before, but I don't think you liked me much when I asked you." Or rather, Tezuka simply had not known him in the least, but it was more fun to blame it on Tezuka's opinion of Atobe just in case it warranted more sputtering. Atobe's eyes drifted up from Kinoko's back to look at the older mutant's face, again. "Don't you ever start to feel lonely when it's just the two of you?"
Considering the question, Tezuka wondered why Atobe seemed obsessed with loneliness. If Atobe meant the empty feeling Tezuka occasionally had inside when his parents looked after Kinoko while Tezuka was busy, then no, Tezuka never felt lonely with Kinoko around. She asked for a lot of attention, and Tezuka was happy to give it.
He looked at Atobe properly, observing the way he stroked Kinoko. Atobe kept seeking Tezuka out, spending time with Tezuka, and talking to Tezuka. Why did Atobe ask if Tezuka was lonely when Atobe seemed to be the one exhibiting the behaviour of a lonely person? "I enjoy the solitude," he said. "If you are lonely, though, you are welcome to join us. Kinoko likes you. There is no need to ask the same question repeatedly."
Tezuka would have said Atobe was old enough to know when to be quiet, but all the questions Atobe had been asking lately might have been a way of attempting to socialize with him. Was that what those in Atobe's circles did? Ask incessant questions seeking answers they did not care about? Because Tezuka doubted it truly mattered to Atobe whether or not Tezuka was lonely.
Lonely? In a sense, yes, Atobe was lonely - in the sense that he did not identify with many of his peers... really just Sanada. In the sense that he was half the world away from where he was comfortable, what was home... he was homesick. But enough so that he was seeking Tezuka's attention for lack of companionship? Not so much. "That was the answer I was looking for. If you enjoy solitude, I'll drop it." It left another question unanswered, and the one that he had been trying to uncover by knowing if Tezuka was truly comfortable with his situation. That was what made him act like he did - why he acted like a crotchety old man when he was still young. If self-imposed loneliness was not the answer, why would he be so quick to distrust?
Well, whatever.
"Guess it's me and you, Kinoko-san." Atobe patted her back as he said this, diverting his eyes.
Kinoko barked, wagging her tail.