(Untitled)

[leftwithmybones]

McCoy's been settling in with the new status quo as best as he can. It's not like he's totally in love with hurtling even further into the past when he's already coping with losing five hundred centuries of gains in medicine and technology, but he's gonna make do. After what happened in the lab, he figures he's got no right in hell to complain

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[awomanscornd]

"Woah there, you okay?" Madelyne asks, picking up her skirts and rushing over to help McCoy up. He's probably never going to be someone she'll ever make a habit out of seeking out, but it would make her a special brand of nasty to ignore the guy after a spill like that, especially so close after the whole thing where he nearly killed himself in the lab. He can't exactly be operating at a hundred percent just yet.

[leftwithmybones]

In the immediate aftermath of the spill, he looks up and sees Jean instead of Madelyne. He thinks he's a real asshole for that and shakes his head to try and clear himself of any confusion. "It's not the fall that's worrying me," he admits, wrapping an arm around her elbow to help himself sit up.

It's at this point that he lets out a lamenting sigh and cocks a gaze upwards. "Sorry about getting you into this mess."

[awomanscornd]

"Is that...?" Madelyne asks as she follows his gaze up to the ceiling, her expression one of worry for an entirely different reason now. Normally, there would be no reason to care about a bit of mistletoe one way or another, at least where it concerns a guy that she has no intention whatsoever of ever kissing, but the stories of people being trapped left and right by the stuff have been spreading like wildfire all month.

[leftwithmybones]

"Yeah," he agrees, knowing what he has to do. He clears his throat and tries to get as comfortable as he's going to, what with the new bruises that are probably developing. "Just, go," he instructs. "Madelyne, I'll be fine, just get out of here," he says roughly. This is too awkward and he doesn't want to be thinking if she kisses the same, but it's a thought on his mind.

[awomanscornd]

"Right, uh..." Madelyne starts, annoyed by his tone, but figuring she can take him to task for it later if it's still really that much of an issue. Bigger concerns at the moment, and all. "I'll get help," she says before doing her level best to follow his instructions and book it out of the general vicinity.

No such luck, naturally. She barely gets a foot out of place before her momentum drops inexplicably to zero and she stays right where she is.

[leftwithmybones]

McCoy closes his eyes tightly when he sees that she's stuck. They're both stuck and he feels like he wants to curl up and die. Part of him's too invested in this potential kiss and a part of him wants to try everything to get out of it. "Look," he says, voice raw as anything, "it's not that I don't want to. It's just...I don't want to compare this to anything. I don't want to compare you to her. It's not fair to either of you."

[awomanscornd]

"Believe me," Madelyne says, eyes narrowing as anger just barely overtakes annoyance, "the last thing I want is to be compared to her." The 'again' goes unvoiced, especially since the last time it happened, the comparison was apparently an unfavorable one.

[leftwithmybones]

McCoy lets out a pained exhalation, wishing that he could say something -- or anything -- that would make this better. He offers the briefest of smiles and steps closer. "We should just do this quickly, right?" he asks, voice subdued by the severity of the situation and how badly he doesn't want to hurt her in any way.

[awomanscornd]

"Woah, settle down, who says we're doing anything at all?" Madelyne cuts in, holding up a hand. As far as she's concerned, she's already done her part in helping McCoy just by making sure he's all right. Had he not pissed her off, then she'd likely be more amenable to taking the easy way out, but frustration breeds stubbornness in her. "I'm sure someone else will come around before long."

[leftwithmybones]

He sets his jaw tensely and glances up to the mistletoe and down to her. "Sorry," he replies, snappishly. "I figured you were trapped too. I wasn't implying you had to do anything, but unless you wanna wait for some kind Samaritan willing to do this for the both of us, the solution is right in front of our noses, however crappy it looks."

[awomanscornd]

"A solution," Madelyne corrects him testily. "Not the solution, a solution." Given that she doesn't particularly want to stand around any longer than she has to, either, though, she doesn't actually say more than that.

[leftwithmybones]

"Yeah, a solution, if you want to get picky about the damn thing," he agrees, his scowl deepening. He's going to have permanent wrinkles at the end of the day if this is the road they keep venturing down. "Your call, Madelyne."

[awomanscornd]

"Naturally," Madelyne sighs in exasperation, tossing her arms up halfway before relenting. She just doesn't have a history of making the best calls, is all. "Alright, let's get this over with." She already has plenty of reasons to feel insecure where Jean Grey is concerned, she might as well try to ignore and get past as many as she can.

[leftwithmybones]

He nods, treating this like a business proposition and not one that involves any kind of personal feelings. It's just business, that's all. He needs to be freed, so does she, and they're each others' best bet. There's nothing beyond it. He leans in awkwardly, closing his eyes before thinking better of it and opening them again. "Shit," he exhales. "Why's this so damn hard?"

[awomanscornd]

"Because I look just like your ex-girlfriend who you're probably still mourning, and the last time that happened, I married the guy, which turned out fantastically," Madelyne snaps, the words coming out in a rush, nerves too frayed to bother tiptoeing around the redheaded elephant in the room. "It's pretty much just a lousy situation for all involved," she adds, hoping that will serve as a sufficient distraction as she pushes up on her toes and kisses him. Her thoughts are pretty well occupied, at least.