Nightshift 44: Men's Bathrooms (M01-M40)

[justanimpulse]

[from here]Bursting through the door with Piper in tow, Bart couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, even though they weren't technically out of the woods just yet. At least there were sinks in here, so they could clean up any...uh, messes that might be accidentally created

Comments

[hamelinschild]

Into the bathroom Bart went, with Hart flailing behind him, pushing forward and into a stall with just enough time to hit his knees again before loosing his dinner.

It was a good number of minutes past the dry-heaving stage that he finally shifted, slumping back against a divider wall. He frowned and wiped his mouth off on his sleeve. No necking for him tonight. The man needed some heavy duty mouthwash.

"I-I'm fine."
Mostly.

Rather than cat back to something that wasn't there, Hart rolled his eyes, biting his words back.

"Sorry I broke on you like that. Call you--" Barely upright ahead, he stepped back out, still undone by the sight of the younger Allen before him. "--a sight for sore eyes?" He offered up a weary smile, arms crossed around his middle again, like a poor attempt to keep him from doubling and slumping back to the ground.

[hamelinschild]

Trickster? James?
The second the name left Bart, he received something damn close to a thousand-yard-stare.

It took him through all of Scourge's reply before his thoughts had resolidified enough to make conversation.

"A-ah...no, no one's a henchmen here. We're may lean toward a common leader, but no one is under anyone else's thumb." Ever for equality, even under stress, that was a part of him unlikely to crack.

He never attempted to correct Bart about James, though. Not a word more unless the young man felt it absolutely necessary to bring the man around into conversation himself. Otherwise...

"But can I get some word at least that the two of you won't go to blows right now? No one here's done anything wrong." At least they hadn't at this rough and tumble round table.

[justanimpulse]

Sitting practically in Piper's lap as he was, Bart noticed the stare, and it earned Piper a curious look. What was that all about? Did it have to do with his question about Trickster? Bart would have liked to ask, buuut...Talking about supervillains in the general sense seemed okay, but actually catching up with Piper in front of a stranger? Something seemed a little off about that idea

[haplesstracker]

"Not crazy," Scourge grumbled through gritted teeth. "But no, I'm not. I just get a bit twitchy at night and you were standing all threatening at Piper." While being even shorter than Scourge and acting in the most friendly of fashions. It had been an honest mistake!

"Who are you, anyway?" Piper had mentioned he was 'Bart', but that was a human name and told him nothing. Bart hadn't attacked him or condemned him like most good guys, but Piper had called him one and Scourge was guessing he needed to keep any mentions of being evil on the down-low. Beyond that, it was just a human. "To Piper, I mean. You guys come from the same place?"

[hamelinschild]

Hart missed the look Bart gave him, but with the young man nearly in a sprawl against him, a mild nervousness took him over--and with hands settled on the floor at his sides, they stepped up to Bart's shoulders, and finally up into the youngster's bushy hair, slightly massaging the other's scalp as he ran his fingers through the mess.

"We're..." The scritchies paused as he mulled over the terms to use. Messy business this all was.

"--I think displaced is the proper term."
I'll show -you- a proper term, bend ov--
Not NOW. Be an adult for Christsakes.

"I'm...not precisely sure per say, but I think we're from the same world. Or have a good chance of it anyway. He's just from earlier in the woodworks than I am. By a few years by my estimate."

[justanimpulse]

"I didn't say you actually were crazy," Bart grumbled right back. "Just that I thought you were. I don't have a problem with you at all, as long as you're not pointing a knife at me."

He might have gone on, but then Piper performed his most distracting act yet: he gave Bart head-scritchies. And they felt sooo good...No! Focus, Bart! Focus on the people! Saying things!

What were they talking about? Something about places, times...oh, right! The whole multiple universes thing, only Piper seemed to think they were from the same one after all. Only he came from a point on the timeline when Bart was dead.

This wasn't a good time to talk about it, with Scourge watching, so Bart leaned into Piper just a little, just to show he was listening. And they were definitely going to talk about this later. In the meantime, more head-scritchies, please?

[haplesstracker]

Piper was getting kind of cuddly there with Bart. It looked like another one of the human's "hugs", which made Scourge feel irrationally jealous. Why did a good guy get hugs too? What had he done to deserve it?

"I think we had the same problem with Starscream. The one here's from right before I was created, so he's got no idea who I am or why I want to torture him until his vocalizer shorts."

Scourge grinned, remembering that fleeting moment of glory he'd earned for attacking the traitor on his own and the outraged squawks he'd made as Scourge clawed up his legs. "It's actually kind of funny seeing him get so confused. He still thinks he's leader of the Decepticons."

He hadn't seen Starscream around recently, as it happened. Maybe he'd been eaten by a monster or brainwashed into submission by the institution--Scourge found either option a fitting end as long as Starscream didn't come back and haunt him again.

[hamelinschild]

Bart got cuddles because Hart needed physical contact of the nice variety NOW. It helped that it was a Fun Size Bart too. While all Barts were nice, the tiny ones made Hart's paternal instincts rocket off the charts. Combine the two facets and it just made him grabby.

Hence such, scritchies continued in generous helpings.

It put him at greater ease that Bart and Scourge weren't trying to kill one another.
Yet.Shut up

[justanimpulse]

It was like watching a steel trap slam shut -- or maybe a puppy get shot. The happy, nearly blissed-out expression on Bart's face vanished, along with his relaxed posture, and were replaced by a tense flinch that carried him away from Piper's chest and nearly out of his lap altogether, while his face could only be described as haunted.

His scars. How had he forgotten about that? Of course Piper would want to know about them, his lower arms and palms were only covered in the stupid things!

"I..." Fell on some broken glass. It wasn't as though Piper would know any better, right?

But Bart would know, and he was done trying to lie about this. Hadn't that been the whole point of his little episode with Tim the night before, to get to the truth of this? He flinched again, curling in on himself as he turned back to face Piper.

"I was taken upstairs a few nights ago, for one of the sleep studies." Wait, had Piper even heard about those yet?

[haplesstracker]

"Slag..."

Scourge drew in air through his teeth, fingers clenching around the crude hilt of his weapon. He knew what Bart was talking about. Vaguely. Bits and pieces overheard and those bits were more than he wanted to know because he'd tried to avoid thinking about how it might be him one of these nights tied down and sliced open.

He looked at Piper, his expression far more nervous now. "The guys running this place, sometimes they take a handful of people away during the night and do things to them. Nasty stuff. I think it's experiments or something, trying to take us apart and figure out what makes us tick." Bart had gone through that and come out alive and sane, it seemed, but the scars on his arms didn't make it look fun.

Scourge's shoulders curled inward, a barricade against the encroaching darkness. His lips twisted in a scowl. "Or they just do it for fun. Who knows?"

[hamelinschild]

"--someone did this to you?!" Congratulations, you've roused the mama bear. The paternal is what you get when the man is feeling protective. The ursine is what you get when he's feeling protective and murderous.

Monsters were one thing.
Torturing for kicks was another. Hart was going to have someone's balls for this.

However, before he could do that--sadly there were many a more preparations he had to take into consideration. Obviously he'd discovered that his use to the Search and Rescue team would be nil until he knew his way around. Recluse would help with that, passing him a map. Hart already had a weapon and had more than his fair share of survival skills.

Hobo-sexual, Hartley!
SHUT. UP. NOT NOW.

"I--" Teeth gritted, he had to take a moment to wash everything back down, to gain some sense of tranquility.

It's barely passable, but he continues anyway.

"--you won't go back there, Bart." He combed his fingers through Bart's brunette mop, just a gentle continuation of his earlier pettings. "Not on my watch."

[justanimpulse]

Bart had been expecting questions, the need to come up with some kind of explanation. And he would have given one, if Piper had asked. No matter how painful he found even thinking about the entire experience even now, several day later, he would given a full account.

Not being required to do so -- especially after the grueling confession he'd given Tim, just the night before -- was a relief that Bart wasn't sure he knew how to handle. So he...didn't.

Wrapping his arms into Piper's chest, he crawled completely into the other man's lap, holding tightly to stave off a creeping case of the shakes. Bart didn't see what Piper could do to actually protect him, but wasn't it the thought that was supposed to count...?

[haplesstracker]

That strange little angry feeling came up in the back of Scourge's head again, so out of place in the fearful situation that it took him a moment to recognize it as jealousy. Nobody held him like he was a weak little minibot and Scourge's dignity liked it that way, but the protectiveness...that sort of defensive aggression-on-his-behalf was enviable.

Cyclonus did it for Galvatron, and for him when he needed it. All the chocolate cake in the institute hadn't filled the lingering need for a wingmate to back him up and speak out for him.

"They probably won't want him again, if they've already poked at him," Scourge offered quietly. "Just saying." It was more for Piper's sake than Bart's. He didn't even know Bart.

Would Piper make a good wingmate? He had a good mindset, he was protective of his own, he was bad enough to be fun but not cruel enough to be scary. He wouldn't be Cyclonus, but he'd do.

[hamelinschild]

He certainly didn't enjoy seeing Bart wrecked like this, but it gave part of him needed closure. One chapter of his life had ended, no questions asked. This was the new verse--a little bit louder and a little bit worse. It also helped in that someone elses turmoil helped him focus his own out of the picture. So long as Hart was busy, he couldn't dwell.

Thank the New Gods.

"Regardless," It was a stern, nearly commanding tone despite its lack of volume. "--monsters? zombies? If anything, the last thing any of us should be doing is going out anywhere at night alone. No one should have to suffer in this place. Not you--" he passed to Scourge. "--not me. Not Bart."

Dawww. Papa Hart. That'd be cute. You know. If you weren't queerer than a three dollar bill.
When we're all out of this, I'll drown myself to shut you up, I swear to god.

"Scourge, if you're willing, since Recluse seems to be partnered with with Statesmen for the runs, would you have any issues coming along to make same runs with me?"

[justanimpulse]

Even though he didn't see how Piper could seriously protect him, especially since Bart doubted he had any of his sonics guns or other gadgets with him, it was hard resist the feeling of safety that came with being held. And then there was Piper's tone of voice...come to think of it, had he ever really heard Piper sound like that before? Wally was usually the one calling the shots when it came to saving the day, though Linda had also been known to take charge in a crisis.

Just how many things had changed, between the time Bart knew, and Piper's time...?

For the moment, he stayed snuggled close, though he was listening carefully as Piper talked. Having Scourge along could make things kind of complicated if they ran into trouble, but Bart could hardly mention it with the man standing right there. And while he wasn't certain he knew what Piper had in mind, it wasn't as though he'd had any idea what to do with himself tonight.

[haplesstracker]

What was that strange feeling inside him, that stirring and fluttering of sensation? Probably residual nausea from the smell, but still.

"Just you and me? Partnered up?" Scourge asked, trying to hide his hopefulness. "Watching each other's backs and all that kind of thing? Yeah!" Bad hiding, Scourge. "I mean, sure. It'd make us more effective, too. I can get you a weapon, and I know where everything is, and maybe we can get your flute back and we'll be a good team."

He stepped over and sat down on the ground next to the pair, legs pulled up towards his chest. Not quite intruding into the hug-space, but obviously eager for Piper to give him more approval.

Maybe Piper had a partner back then as well, maybe he needed a wingmate too. Scourge didn't know why he hadn't thought of the idea sooner.