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milliways_bar
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Kevin had been watching for any familiar faces, since he got to Milliways.
However, a friendly reunion was the last thing he had in mind. If anything, he meant to steer clear of
any of his former schoolmates or the X-Men.
He wasn't ready to talk to any of them yet. Kevin might not be a genius or as insightful as some of his
friends, but he wasn't wilfully stupid. Of late, he'd had to swallow a few hard truths on his own.
Sadly, as usual, reality wasn't in a mood to cooperate with his desire to go think, mope, or hurt over his
supposed friends' words the last time he'd talked to them.
He had a room on the fourth floor. He was on his way to it, after talking with Ray Stantz, when he
turned a corner to come face-to-face with someone headed the other way.
He froze, and sighed sharply. "Hi, Sooraya," he said "Fancy seeing you here. "
Kevin didn't move any closer, watching her warily, hands half raised--if still gloved.
Sooraya's brown eyes widened. "Kevin?!" She was taken aback only momentarily, smiling. "I had no idea you had found Milliways--How long have you been here?"
"About a week. I'm Bound," he answered matter-of-factly.
Her smile faded when he didn't return it. "I was too, for a while," she offered. "Are you all right? I mean--
I'm sorry. That's a stupid question. "
"I will be," he said at last, after a pause that was a little too long. "This is better than--" he stopped himself. "Where I was staying. Met some good people here."
Sooraya flinched at the deliberate avoidance of a location for him, back home, but nodded silently.
"An' it wasn't a stupid question. But I-- I can't go back yet. Not even if I could, I mean. I just... not yet." He tried to keep the anger and hurt out of his tone. "I still have nightmares. About Laurie. What I did to her."
Sooraya looked as if she wanted to say something. Kevin shook his head. "Don't, okay? Don't tell me it'll be all right.
I can't keep thinking like that. I, I only want her to be well again, but even that won't fix this. I've been runnin' in place
for too long. Stuff may be no worse with my powers, but it's not better."
"Someone here might know a way to help," she suggested. "There's people from other worlds. Gods and magic users as well as mutants. You might ask around, see if anyone..."
Kevin stiffened. "Who else from our world? I know Kate Pryde, Dr. McCoy, and Rachel Grey have been in here."
"Logan is, too. And," a brilliant smile lit her face, "Prisma found it too, a few days ago. We should talk to her.
Remember her fixing Rogue's powers when she and Bobby got married? Surely she could think of something for you. But you know how she hates to push. I'm sure she'd love to help, if you only asked first. I think telepaths or healers tend to want to avoid going where they're not wanted--well, with a few--okay, several exceptions, but she is one." She beamed at him, her expression almost worshipful.
"...I'm sorry, what? Who is that?" Kevin was confused. "Rogue and ..." he stopped. "Crap. Not more timejumping.
I should've asked when it is for you, if it won't blow up the timespace continuum or turn us all into steamed eels or something. I don't know anyone named Prisma yet. "
"It's mid 2006," she replied, equally confused. "...um. She's my best friend. My sister. Remember? From home? My parents took her in as a baby when hers died. She came to the Institute before I did. You don't remember her? "
Kevin remembered his talk with Stantz, and fought the urge to curse. " Is she one of the X-Men, or another student?" he asked. "Sounds pretty cool."
"Well, yes, she is! She's the most powerful telepath in the X-Teams, and a healer, too. But you don't recall?" Now Sooraya looked disturbed. "You two were on the same squad! She's Cable's daughter. Kevin, are you sure you're okay? You haven't run into any rude telepaths lately, have you?"
Kevin's eyes narrowed angrily. "I...don't think so. Do you have a picture of her?" he asked. "Maybe that'd jolt my memory if it's been messed with. "
Sooraya hesitated, then nodded, and got out her wallet, hidden in a fold of her clothing. She flipped through several photos, and began to frown. "I must've left it at home, or in my room here..." she stopped, rubbing at her temples.
"Sooraya." Kevin felt growing worry, now, too. "Do you know a guy named Ray Stantz?"
" Y-Yes. We were talking yesterday, about--"
"Look, maybe I'm wrong, but I never even heard of this person. You always said you don' t have any living family but your mom. And I don't think you meant just blood relatives. If you loved her as much as you sound," Kevin had to stop, swallow hard, "why wouldn't you have said something before now? And no, you didn't. "
"It wasn't a lie. It wasn't--" she went silent, visibly fighting back tears. "I don't, do I?" she whispered, sounding bereft.
Kevin thought about his father, about a pair of graves in an Atlanta cemetery, and his face hardened. If 'Prisma'
showed up, he rather thought he'd be at risk for finding out how much celltime one got here for ripping someone's face off and handing it to them.
Literally.
There were some lies you just did not tell.
Sooraya's expression shifted several times, from confusion to hurt to anger. She snarled something in Arabic and
began to turn away.
Kevin locked a hand around her wrist, jerking her to a stop.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked icily.
"I"m going to find her, and--"
"And get brainwashed again? Riiight. I don't think so. Not by yourself. "
"Let go, Kevin."
"Go fuck yourself, Sooraya. " He used a deliberately bland tone, almost mocking. Anger was good. Anger was much, much better than hurt...and vulnerable to this thing.
His sense of self-preservation may've been left in his other jeans. Hell, that was pretty par for the course, wasn't it?
"You need to stick with people who won't add to the mindwarping," he said. "Ones who can help you keep remembering what's real, not what isn't. Playing lone ranger? That's my gig, Dust. You've got other people to look after. Which you can't do with your brains dribbling out your ears, and your tongue hangin' out like some lovesick puppy, or a drunk hooker on Carney Avenue hoping for a blowjob."
She drew in a shocked, affronted gasp at his language. "How dare you--" She raised her free hand, slapped him
across the face hard. The blow left his lip split and bleeding, and he suspected he'd have a bruise on one cheek.
He ignored her sharp cry of pain. Even a glancing contact with his skin would cause harm. He'd half expected her reaction and had done what he could to grab ahold of his power, try to rein it in--
Not altogether successfully. He could see reddened and flaking skin on the palm of her hand. Thankfully it was no worse.
He released her and stepped back. They stared at each other, and she was the first to look away.
Then she fled downstairs with a muffled sob.
Kevin counted to five, then ten, before he turned and stalked downstairs too, his hands clenched so tight that bones pushed against skin.
Kevin had been watching for any familiar faces, since he got to Milliways.
However, a friendly reunion was the last thing he had in mind. If anything, he meant to steer clear of
any of his former schoolmates or the X-Men.
He wasn't ready to talk to any of them yet. Kevin might not be a genius or as insightful as some of his
friends, but he wasn't wilfully stupid. Of late, he'd had to swallow a few hard truths on his own.
Sadly, as usual, reality wasn't in a mood to cooperate with his desire to go think, mope, or hurt over his
supposed friends' words the last time he'd talked to them.
He had a room on the fourth floor. He was on his way to it, after talking with Ray Stantz, when he
turned a corner to come face-to-face with someone headed the other way.
He froze, and sighed sharply. "Hi, Sooraya," he said "Fancy seeing you here. "
Kevin didn't move any closer, watching her warily, hands half raised--if still gloved.
Sooraya's brown eyes widened. "Kevin?!" She was taken aback only momentarily, smiling. "I had no idea you had found Milliways--How long have you been here?"
"About a week. I'm Bound," he answered matter-of-factly.
Her smile faded when he didn't return it. "I was too, for a while," she offered. "Are you all right? I mean--
I'm sorry. That's a stupid question. "
"I will be," he said at last, after a pause that was a little too long. "This is better than--" he stopped himself. "Where I was staying. Met some good people here."
Sooraya flinched at the deliberate avoidance of a location for him, back home, but nodded silently.
"An' it wasn't a stupid question. But I-- I can't go back yet. Not even if I could, I mean. I just... not yet." He tried to keep the anger and hurt out of his tone. "I still have nightmares. About Laurie. What I did to her."
Sooraya looked as if she wanted to say something. Kevin shook his head. "Don't, okay? Don't tell me it'll be all right.
I can't keep thinking like that. I, I only want her to be well again, but even that won't fix this. I've been runnin' in place
for too long. Stuff may be no worse with my powers, but it's not better."
"Someone here might know a way to help," she suggested. "There's people from other worlds. Gods and magic users as well as mutants. You might ask around, see if anyone..."
Kevin stiffened. "Who else from our world? I know Kate Pryde, Dr. McCoy, and Rachel Grey have been in here."
"Logan is, too. And," a brilliant smile lit her face, "Prisma found it too, a few days ago. We should talk to her.
Remember her fixing Rogue's powers when she and Bobby got married? Surely she could think of something for you. But you know how she hates to push. I'm sure she'd love to help, if you only asked first. I think telepaths or healers tend to want to avoid going where they're not wanted--well, with a few--okay, several exceptions, but she is one." She beamed at him, her expression almost worshipful.
"...I'm sorry, what? Who is that?" Kevin was confused. "Rogue and ..." he stopped. "Crap. Not more timejumping.
I should've asked when it is for you, if it won't blow up the timespace continuum or turn us all into steamed eels or something. I don't know anyone named Prisma yet. "
"It's mid 2006," she replied, equally confused. "...um. She's my best friend. My sister. Remember? From home? My parents took her in as a baby when hers died. She came to the Institute before I did. You don't remember her? "
Kevin remembered his talk with Stantz, and fought the urge to curse. " Is she one of the X-Men, or another student?" he asked. "Sounds pretty cool."
"Well, yes, she is! She's the most powerful telepath in the X-Teams, and a healer, too. But you don't recall?" Now Sooraya looked disturbed. "You two were on the same squad! She's Cable's daughter. Kevin, are you sure you're okay? You haven't run into any rude telepaths lately, have you?"
Kevin's eyes narrowed angrily. "I...don't think so. Do you have a picture of her?" he asked. "Maybe that'd jolt my memory if it's been messed with. "
Sooraya hesitated, then nodded, and got out her wallet, hidden in a fold of her clothing. She flipped through several photos, and began to frown. "I must've left it at home, or in my room here..." she stopped, rubbing at her temples.
"Sooraya." Kevin felt growing worry, now, too. "Do you know a guy named Ray Stantz?"
" Y-Yes. We were talking yesterday, about--"
"Look, maybe I'm wrong, but I never even heard of this person. You always said you don' t have any living family but your mom. And I don't think you meant just blood relatives. If you loved her as much as you sound," Kevin had to stop, swallow hard, "why wouldn't you have said something before now? And no, you didn't. "
"It wasn't a lie. It wasn't--" she went silent, visibly fighting back tears. "I don't, do I?" she whispered, sounding bereft.
Kevin thought about his father, about a pair of graves in an Atlanta cemetery, and his face hardened. If 'Prisma'
showed up, he rather thought he'd be at risk for finding out how much celltime one got here for ripping someone's face off and handing it to them.
Literally.
There were some lies you just did not tell.
Sooraya's expression shifted several times, from confusion to hurt to anger. She snarled something in Arabic and
began to turn away.
Kevin locked a hand around her wrist, jerking her to a stop.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked icily.
"I"m going to find her, and--"
"And get brainwashed again? Riiight. I don't think so. Not by yourself. "
"Let go, Kevin."
"Go fuck yourself, Sooraya. " He used a deliberately bland tone, almost mocking. Anger was good. Anger was much, much better than hurt...and vulnerable to this thing.
His sense of self-preservation may've been left in his other jeans. Hell, that was pretty par for the course, wasn't it?
"You need to stick with people who won't add to the mindwarping," he said. "Ones who can help you keep remembering what's real, not what isn't. Playing lone ranger? That's my gig, Dust. You've got other people to look after. Which you can't do with your brains dribbling out your ears, and your tongue hangin' out like some lovesick puppy, or a drunk hooker on Carney Avenue hoping for a blowjob."
She drew in a shocked, affronted gasp at his language. "How dare you--" She raised her free hand, slapped him
across the face hard. The blow left his lip split and bleeding, and he suspected he'd have a bruise on one cheek.
He ignored her sharp cry of pain. Even a glancing contact with his skin would cause harm. He'd half expected her reaction and had done what he could to grab ahold of his power, try to rein it in--
Not altogether successfully. He could see reddened and flaking skin on the palm of her hand. Thankfully it was no worse.
He released her and stepped back. They stared at each other, and she was the first to look away.
Then she fled downstairs with a muffled sob.
Kevin counted to five, then ten, before he turned and stalked downstairs too, his hands clenched so tight that bones pushed against skin.