The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
The walk down the corridor had seemed endless but Ben was now standing in front of the black door bearing the distinctive male figure that marked the male rest rooms. He felt relieved that he and Michael had made it this far without encountering anyone, he wasn't yet reading to provide an explanation for the state they were in. He turned and looked at his friend, the walk here had taken most of his remaining strength and he looked worse than death. At least in here he could sit down even if it was on an undignified seat.
Ben was finding it very weird to be entering the men's room deliberately at the same time as someone else. He had seen the girl's all go into the rest rooms at one time, it seemed like they considered it some kind of social activity. But as far as men were concerned they went alone and just got on with it.
But these were exceptional circumstances and all he needed to do was get the blood of his face.
He pushed the door open and entered the room that consisted of two cubicles, a urinary and a couple of sinks. He held the door open so that his friend could pass through and tried to rid himself of the feeling of weirdness about the whole situation.
Ok now they were in Michael had to sit down and he had to try and clean up without leaving blood all over the place. He pushed the handicapped cubicle door open so that Michael could sit himself down and turned to the mirrors.
"Well, I have to admit that next time I get in a fist fight I'll decide not to wear my glasses..."
He removed the red quartz specs with a small gasp of pain and put them down next to the sink. Then he set about removing the blood from his chin and cheek with a damp paper towel. He did not yet dare go anywhere near the actual wound that was still slowly oozing blood. He also knew that he would not be able to do anything about the blood that had soaked into his t-shirt, which was thankfully enough dark green.
When he had finally got most of the excess blood off, he had no other choice than to look at the gash on his face. It turned out to be about a centimetre long drawn out horizontally from the corner of his eye, which he now saw had come very close to being damaged as well. In order to assess how bad the wound actually was he lent right up to the mirror and pulled it apart somewhat.
There was a flash of white. Was that bone? Well the skin was very thin around the eye so it very well could be. It was in time like these that Ben was glad that he could keep a cool head at the sight of blood. But now one thing was immensely clear, he needed stitches for he could not afford to let the healing of this wound up to chance not that close to his eye.
"Michael, I'm going to need stitches... and the only person that can do that is Dr McCoy... how are we going to get him to understand?"
He got up, walked down the corridor and went through the door that Ben held open for him There. Those were the facts. The reality was something else. To be honest Michael wasn’t even sure how he managed to do it. In all logic he shouldn’t have been able to even taking into account the adrenaline surge that his anger had provided him with. It was as if something just kept pushing back the limit of how much pain he could take before he passed out, letting him move forward certainly but denying him the release that his body cried out for. It took forever, each hard won step seeming to take him no closer to where he needed to be. Thought and reason had long been cast aside, only his will remained pushing him onwards.
Half way there he wouldn’t even have minded if they had been caught as long as he could stop. By the time they got to the door he couldn’t even remember where they were going only that he had to get there. He was hot and there was no air to draw into his lungs and it hurt when he breathed as if there were still claws stuck in his side. A small drop of agony in the ocean of pain that washed over him. He knew it was going to make him sick It was only a question of time. He was dizzy already, ironically the crutches providing him with the extra balance he needed to stay upright. In fact everything was fading to black and there was a roaring in his ears that heralded the end of his strength.
Then suddenly he was seated his back propped against something cold and the need to move thankfully over. Though the world didn’t stop moving. It rolled around him taking his senses with it and his body shook as nausea took hold of him. He leaned his head back against the wall but that didn’t seem to help everything behind his closed eyelids was turning, turning…. He felt himself sinking into the whirlpool, knowing from past experience that maybe if he rode it out he could hold things together. No trying for coherent thought. Just let it come and hopefully go , no matter how bad it was in the meantime
But there was something tugging him back even although he didn’t want to come . A voice. Far away. "Well, I have to admit that next time I get in a fist fight I'll decide not to wear my glasses..." It almost drew him back and he felt his stomach start to rebel….. *No Don’t listen Its not important he told himself Don’t think about it Don’t think at all….* He had almost managed it, feeling the shaking that had threatened to take hold of him recede when the voice came again and this time there was no denying it for it called his name. "Michael, I'm going to need stitches... and the only person that can do that is Dr McCoy... how are we going to get him to understand?"
And reality came crashing in on him bringing with it dizziness and the pain that he had so dearly wanted to leave behind. All the problems that this brought up. The meeting with Scott’s parents. The trip the next day. The very real chance of disciplinary action. It was all too much to handle and for once his his body agreed. With a groan Michael slipped to the floor and holding on to the porcelain bowl for support proceeded to be as sick as he had ever been in his life.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
The only reply Ben got from Michael was the rather unpleasant and stomach turning sound of him being violently sick. They were definitely going to have to go and see the doctor; there was no way he could even begin to convince himself otherwise. For the two of them were to go to Oregon the next day to visit his parents. And turning up from a place they thought was a specialised medical school that was helping him with his allergies, with the world’s most impressive black eye and a few cracked ribs would not be a good thing.
And besides anyone could see that Michael was in no fit state to go anywhere without some help, Ben was even dubious about whether or not his friend could make it to med bay. There was always the possibility of calling Talia over the com so that she could teleport them there but he could already picture the look on her face when she saw them. She did not approve of violence of any kind and it was all to obvious that a fight was the only way they could get this badly hurt… or was it?
There was one other place in the institute where stupid students could end up badly beaten up and that was the danger room. Normally there were safeties that prevented any of the machines or illusions from hurting anyone but these could be manually disabled before entering. Ben’s mind was trying to process the options this new line of thought was giving him. He had never lied to any of the teachers here but he knew full well that if reported there would be consequences. And he also figured that none of these would be good, they could even end up being expelled.
Now that was something he could possibly cope with as he had a family and if need be an old life to go back to. But Michael had none of that and if he ended up being kicked out of the institute he would have no where to go. He sighed, he knew lying was never the best solution but right now it was lie or get expelled, or if things didn’t get that bad tell the truth and get your head kicked in. Not really much of a choice.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
For one reason or another Porter’s sister needed to complain about one thing or the other when he did something wrong and he brought up the injustice of how others responded because of it. For example, just because he mouthed off and started a verbal war with one of the substitute teachers didn’t mean that gave them the right to remove the portal holo-emitter from his care. However those sentiments were not shared by his sister who had stated it was Porters own fault for being so sensitive or stubborn regarding his own personal thoughts or feelings on a subject.
The fact Porter had such a strong obsession with his appearance did at times make him realize he must be making it hard for his sister who was holding her head up high and embracing what fate had given her with so much more grace then Porter was. He respected her for that, perhaps even envied the fact she seemed to be so strong and give the false impression that she just didn’t care what others thought. No matter the arguments they found himself bickering about, the two were always strong, often feeling as if as long as they had each other the world wouldn’t be so evil. They knew it wasn’t enough, they needed - and wanted – the extended family the X-men had become for them. Their uncles and aunts, from Storm and Jean to Scott and Wolverine, Uncle Hank with all his endless care and affection and Jean with her boundless motherly tenderness, Scott stern and strong and Logan fierce and unstoppable, wrap them all together and there wasn’t any family that could meet such diversities as them.
"Hold up," Not very descriptive but Porter’s sister didn’t need to be a genius to figure he was about to take hold of the door coming up on their left, pearl eyes looked thoughtfully at the girls toilets but then she decided against it, both usually steered clear of the public ones and she didn’t really need to go.
"I’ll wait here Darren," Of all the people Porter would snap at when they called him by his first name, his sister was never one of them, for some reason it fitted, probably because that’s the only name she ever called him since they could speak. There was something about the name ‘Calvin’ she didn’t find suited him, maybe because it was their fathers name and she didn’t want them both to have the same name, or maybe just because she always seemed to stick her ground, no matter what Porter demanded of others. She didn’t like how he was always trying to be someone else, she loved him for who he was, and it saddened her to think he felt so intensely on the matter of hiding his true appearance.
"Won’t be long," Porter added since she was just going to stand around, it was more reflexive and something he wouldn’t have said if it had been anyone else other then his sister…well… he might have with Arisa…but that’s another story. It was a common case where the self proclaimed ‘outcasts’ ended up finding each other in one dark corner or another, though Porter was about two years older then her they got on well enough, growing up tended to build those connections amongst the youths. It was only in the last two years really that Darren saw her as the young woman she was growing up into, but only recent months while she was away from the school that he grew keen on spending more time with her.
Inside Porter found himself confronted with a scene which made him pause, people knew easily enough how sensitive he was about his appearance and since the holo-emitter was removed for disciplinary reasons some students had been pouring salt on the wound which had been ripped open for all to see. There were still occasions, like now for instance, where Porter would reach for his wrist in order to activate his emitter, but desperate fingers were only able to recognize the alien feel of bare skin where the wrist mounted device should have been.
Pearl white eyes took in the situation, not at all feeling threatened at the moment by the two, especially the blonde he looked as if he was recovering from an unpleasant moment which Porter could guess had occurred by the vague smell and paled expression…not to mention the way the boy seemed to be positioned over the sink. Looking over towards the other boy beside the sickly looking one, Porter’s expression sifted to one which clearly started ‘that has to hurt’ as it key features wrinkled slightly at the sight. A brow raised slightly however as Porter’s mind quickly became adjusted to the scene, a curious look hidden within his now neutral features.
"Am I interrupting?" The comment came out a little more flatly spoken then Porter had intended, but some students didn’t like others walking in on them during this type of scenario, and Porter wasn’t in the mood to be shooed off rudely when he tried to ignore them there. If they said no then he could carry on blissfully ignoring them and their obvious problems…though if his sister was aware of this scene she’d insist they offer to take the hurt students to the med lab. Porter gave up offering such things, most of the time the students went about other ways of dealing with their issues just to try and stay under the faculty’s radar of ‘wrong doings’.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
Hey....you're always optimistic Angie Michael was still on the floor at the end if my post But we'll get him as far as the sink never fear. Here's the first installment!
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The world was steadying slowly, the dizziness receding sufficiently for him to at least manage to flush the mess away and turn round to a sitting position. Wonderful, he was on the floor again and this time he knew there was no way he was going to get up. Not without help. And not just of the physical kind. Ben was right. They had to get to med bay and fast.
Their luck wasn’t going to hold indefinitely. Someone was bound to push the rest room door open at any minute and there was no way they would be able to explain their way out of this situation. Not looking the way they did. Which was entire justification for what he was going to do, wasn’t? Though to be honest the pain that grasped him and stripped away any remnants of pride he might have had left was justification enough. “God Ben” he whispered “I am so sorry to have dragged you into all of this.”
Not that he had really dragged, he realised that. Ben had come to his rescue of his own accord, just as Michael would have done had the situation been reversed. Except that it wouldn’t have been. Ben wouldn’t have been either vulnerable enough to be picked on in the first place or stupid enough to have talked back in the second.
If it had only been the tickets that were in play maybe Michael would have shut up as well, though he doubted it. But the threat against Paige That was something he couldn’t let lie. Even if had it meant diverting the bullies furore towards himself. Except that there were some things that usually helped white knights defend damsels in distress. Armour for one. Or maybe just the ability to stand up! That always helped. But he had had neither and now he was paying the price.
As the nausea receded to a level where he thought he might actually be able to contemplate movement, the reality of the situation crashed in around him. And there was nothing glorious about it. If they were to maintain their unquestioned place on the team then they had to get out of there and he couldn’t move. Not unless………
” You’re right” he acknowledged.” We need to get to med lab . And I’m not going to make it Unless you help me.” He hated to ask. It hurt him almost as deeply as the attack to ask. But he had to. For both their sakes.
“ I need you to open my backpack “ he said as steadily as he could though it cost him dear. “Under all the books and things you’ll find a box of medication” It sounded innocuous enough. As of it was a bottle of aspirin or an inhaler. Which of course it wasn’t! Phials! Needles! The inevitable paraphernalia of the addict! Everything that he hated! Everything that he had tried to hide! Laid out and exposed just as he was, helpless on the floor before the pain that crippled him.
“If I get an injection I might just be able to move.Michael said honestly "If not all I can suggest is that you get out and leave me here while you still can. Because without the morphine I can’t get up. Not again”
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
Ben thoughts were cut short by Michael’s whisper. “God Ben, I am so sorry to have dragged you into all of this.”
This brought a smile to Ben’s lips, not one of amusement but one of bitter disgust. Here they were, Michael not even able to sit himself upright without something to support him and yet he still felt like this was somehow his fault. The anger that he been pushed aside by his sensible side was back, how could these people enjoy destroying the lives of others? He took a deep breath to steady himself and decided that vowing revenge was not going to help them in any way right now… so he would just have to do it later.
Looking down at his friend, he could see how much this encounter had hurt him, not just physically but emotionally as well. He could sense the dejection from where he was standing, and he knew that there was nothing he could do to help. So he did the only thing he could and gave his friend as much time as he needed to recover.
“You’re right. We need to get to med lab. And I’m not going to make it unless you help me.”
Ben was relieved that his friend saw the necessity of going down to med lab there was no glory in trying to play hero now. However he was also keenly aware of how much his ribs hurt and that carrying Michael was not going to help with the pain. But they were in this together and there really didn’t seem to be any other option available to them right now. But to his surprise his friend did not ask to be helped to his feet but simply for him to pull a box of medication out of his backpack.
When Ben finally found the box, he had a flash of recognition as if he had seen it before but could not quite place where. For all he knew he had seen Michael put it in his bag before. He did not really want to know what was in it for if Michael was using it in an emergency it was not going to be some nice little herbal remedy.
“If I get an injection I might just be able to move. If not all I can suggest is that you get out and leave me here while you still can. Because without the morphine I can’t get up, not again”
So the box contained morphine, Ben knew that this should worry him in some way. But right now it didn’t, he had had to carry adrenaline with him everyday since he was ten so he did not feel the right to make judgements on things like that. Fate dealt you certain cards and it was up to you to make the most of them, and as far as he was concerned Michael was doing bloody well with his. He did however feel the need to look away when the box was opened, he still could not cope with needles.
OOC: Ok I can either leave it there and let you get in another Michael post or I can move straight on to Porter coming in.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
The familiar box was there sitting open on his lap like a snake waiting to bite. Michael watched as Ben turned away whether in disgust or in a vain attempt to give his friend some privacy for this most intimate of moments Michael wasn’t sure. He knew how he felt about the situation on the other hand. Humiliated! Bitter! Desperate!
His hands shook as he rolled up his sleeve, readying himself as best he could for the injection. He had no illusions as to how he looked doing it. The movements were almost automatic, each gesture precise, speaking of long practice with the instruments he was handling. *Hey guys* he thought cynically *Come on down and watch Ben and Michael do hard drugs in the boys bathrooms. @#%$ how could I have been reduced to this?*
Remarkably easily, came the reply. Pain had a tendency to do that to you and this pain had been way out of control. But now he could feel the longed for numbness coursing through his veins, blissfully fast as always. He closed his eyes in relief this time, letting the drugs take hold and build their fragile barrier between him and the agony that had taken possession of him. This was the moment that his body craved, the reason he could never give up on the morphine no matter what. Intellectually it might be repugnant to him to be dependant on the substance but physically he gave thanks every day that he had it and that it worked even if only for a little while.
It was working now. Michael could feel some of the gut knotting tension easing out of him as his tortured muscles started to relax. He took four or five deep breathes helping the process along as best he could before opening his eyes again and tidying the incriminating syringe back in to the small seemingly innocuous box. “Lord that feel so much better” he whispered with a sigh of relief handing the box back to Ben as he spoke. “Just give me a minute more and then I’ll have a go at getting up.”
He wasn’t looking forward to doing so but at least now it was something that had re entered the realm of possibility. He felt around for the crutches which he had inevitably let fall in his distress. They weren’t far away which was hardly surprising, after all there was virtually no place for them to be other than close at hand given the confinement of the cubicle.
Carefully Michael propped them up against the wall before turning his body half round and hauling himself once more into a seating position on the toilet. The effort almost undid all the good the drugs done up till then but at least he didn’t pass out and that was by his standards progress indeed. He gave himself another moment to steady his resolve and then reached for the waiting crutches.* Come on* he told himself encouragingly *One last effort …… *
Except he knew that it was far from being the last effort he was going to have to make even thought his mind shied away from the very thought. Stairs! One way or another they were always lying in wait for him and this time he truly didn’t know if they weren’t going to bring him down once and for all. *Can’t think about that just now* he reminded himself sternly. *Just got to take this one step at a time Literally!”
Resolutely Michael drew his left leg under him and transferred his weight to the crutches with a groan. It wasn’t pretty but he was more or less upright and right at that moment it was going to have to be enough. “Great, we have lift off” he said shakily “ Now lets see how far I can get without falling over!”
Walking wasn’t the hell it had been before the morphine had kicked in but it wasn’t easy either. Still he did manage to get as far as the sinks where he stopped to get some water to wash the foul taste out of his mouth and the tear tracks from his face. It made him feel slightly better knowing that he could at least hide the worst of his humiliation from any other student they might run into on their long journey to med lab.
Which was just as well for confrontation was upon him before he even had time to prepare further for it. As the rest room door swung open Michael realised just how lucky they had been that no one had walked in on them minutes earlier with needles and drugs in plain sight. That would have been to awful for words. Already it was bad enough to have Ben know about his addiction. To have had it revealed to a complete stranger…….!!!
And the youth who entered was a stranger. Pink skinned, pale eyed, Michael didn’t remember seeing him around the school.” But then I’ve hardly been around the school have I. I seem to spend most of my time in med lab one way or another. Not really the best place to socialise.* ”the Scot thought wryly, hoping it wasn’t too obvious how bad he felt, but knowing from the all to truthful mirror that it was. And the newcomer’s face confirmed that only too well. Michael saw surprise sympathy and curiosity all succeed each other in quick succession before the young man settled for a more bland expression and asked "Am I interrupting?"
How were they to answer that? Michael honestly didn’t know. But then the throbbing in his lag flared again and stole away any words he might possibly have offered, forcing him to gasp and close his eyes, leaving him speechless before the pain.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
Ben kept his eyes tightly closed as he heard the noise of the metallic box opening. He was also trying to ignore the sounds which his overactive imagination was transforming into images of what was going on. The whole thing made his skin crawl; his fear of needles had also lead to a complete dislike of anyone touching any area of his body where veins were prominent like wrists or the back of his ankles. Other people just didn’t understand and as far as he was concerned this was his least laughable fear, the looks on people faces when he told them about the whole dinosaur thing were truly comical. He knew that it was absurd for someone as logical as him to have a fear of dinosaurs but he just couldn’t help it, but thankfully at least he didn’t have to deal with it very often.
A small sound indicated that his friend had finished and Ben waited for the sound of the box shutting before opening his eyes again. He turned to Michael and took the box off him and placed it back in the bag. “Lord that feels so much better. Just give me a minute more and then I’ll have a go at getting up.”
It was strange how the feelings of rage and helplessness could catch up with you. Ben had just started to calm down when his friends words made him once again realise how little he could help Michael and how unfair it was that he should have been put through this in the first place. He knew that the best way to deal with this would be to tell a teacher but for that to be effective he should have done that right at the beginning. Besides if they told a teacher now they would risk being pulled of the team and with Scott’s future at stake they could not risk that.
He stood back a little to give Michael room to manoeuvre in the confined space, while staying close enough to try and catch him if he should fall. He knew that with his cracked ribs it would not be easy but attempting it was better than letting his friend break his head open on the sink. Luckily enough Michael managed to get himself upright without his help and although he still looked terrible it was major progress. Thought the problem of walking across a goodly portion of the school still remained.
“Great, we have lift off. Now let’s see how far I can get without falling over!”
Looking in the mirror Ben figured he didn’t look to bad if you ignored the flash of red that ran along the side of his face and the fact that his shirt was blood stained and Michael would look fine with about half a ton of makeup on to give him back some colour, all in all things did not look good. And then things went from bad to worse as someone gently pushed the bathroom door open.
"Am I interrupting?"
Ben felt as it, he had just been caught doing something terrible and the answer to the boys question was “of course your interrupting!” but some part of Ben’s brain registered that this was not a very diplomatic way to handle a delicate situation. And there was something else… for some reason this guy looked familiar. Ben was not one to forget a face and he knew that he had seen this guy before though he was having trouble placing where.
And then it hit him, the reason he did not remember where he had seen Porter before is that last time he had seen him he was distinctly lacking in pinkness. He had heard of holoemiters before, but had never seen anyone wearing on before and as he had never met Porter before he had no idea that he was normally pink. But all of this information was irrelevant, what his brain was really trying to tell him was that this person could help.
He now remembered where he had seen the other mutant before, they had never been formally introduced but he had been given a name for their possible saviour and that was “Porter”. Ben figured that that was not his real name but more like an indication of what his powers were, like a code name, that had stuck and been adopted as a substitute name. Porter had been pointed out to Ben on the Monday after the training mission when he had pried into what had happened to other teams and someone had told him that some girl had had to be brought back early. And then Porter had walked past and his informant had told him that Darren was the guy that they had sent to get him and his sister had teleportation powers.
Now that he had worked out that this twist of events could be beneficial to them Ben now had to figure out how to rope this guy into giving them a direct lift to med lab. “It’s ok you might as well come in.”
Ben figured he would let this guy ask questions first and beg for help later. He figured that if they explained then Porter might actually be more likely to help than if he just burst right out with “could you get us down to med bay now please?” seeing as this newcomer did not know them nor they him.
OOC: Right Angie I’ve improved quite a bit and I am aware of the fact there might be flaws in my post; such as … no one around the institute knows Porter or his powers if that is the case just gimme a shout and I’ll edit.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recoverNay he was born in the school, most know he has mimicky powers he can't use, I'vem entioned some students harrass him for that... on top of his pinkness.
For a moment Porter found his pearl gaze shifting over the scene, slowly taking in the details and trying to piece together what may have occured. For Porter there was usually always a negative side to things, meaning that his first thought was pretty accurate as he wondered if they had encurred trouble with some other students or people. After all, it wouldn't be the first time people outside the school hurt some of the students, but it also wasn't unthinkable for students to hurt other students.. unfortunately.
“It’s ok you might as well come in.” Although now officially invited into the scene Porter made no move to approach them, firmly standing his ground. Porter wasn't filled with such high ideals that once he arrives in on some situation things magically become better, he hardly felt he could be of any help right now and barely cared to even try to show that he may be useful. Technically he wasn't, not on his own, and Porter still was lacking in his bedside manner, not yet realizing that sometimes situations can be eased just with the right attitude.
But just leaving them there like the wreck they looked wasn't in Porters attentions with, a relenting sigh gently left his lungs as he turned around and opened the door. Granted it may have looked as if Ported was just turning on his heels and walking out, but the pink mutant wasn't even thoughtful enough at this point to see that point of view. But he remained at the doorway and spoke to his sister who leaned patiently on the wall across from the males toilets.
"Can you come in here?" Naturally his twin stared rather blankly at the request before Darren motioned her, his body language drained of impatience and annoyance while speaking with the sister he was so fond of. "It's important," And as far as the young female cared that was all she needed Darren to say, her slender frame moving towards the doorway and peeking her head in, though still timid and shy, especially when she caught a glimpse of the two others guys in there.
"Oh!" The delicate voice sounded sympathetic as well as surprised when she caught Ben's wounds, and then worry when she saw Michael. "Are we opening a portal?" Her fingers already began to weave about Porters to ready for their combined ability since it made sense that's why he had called her...
"Well would you rather them bleed all over the bathroom? Some of us like to keep things hygenic in here." Over the years his sister was all too used to the retorts, not everyone realized Porter wasn't intentionally trying to be rude or arrogent, so usually she'd end up trying to defend her brother's comments. Right now however there were more important things and by the looks of it she wasn't the only one feeling a bit awkward and tense in here.
"You should both let us take you to the medical bay." The young 17 year old girl insisted, though it was obvious she wasn't such a big speaker by the way she withdrew slighty behind Porter when she did speak to the other boys, even if her eyes seemed determined and strong.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover“It’s ok you might as well come in.” Ben said and Michael supposed he couldn’t really have answered any differently. To be honest just at that point he didn’t care. He just wanted not to throw up again and it took all his concentration to keep from doing so. It was only when the wave past and his vision cleared enough to let him at least believe what his eyes were telling him that he realised the stranger actually was pink and that it wasn’t simply his happy swinging in and out of consciousness that had made it seem that way. *He’s pink and I’m green! We must make a really great fashion statement* the irreverent part of his mind said as he gulped in some air to steady himself.
In any case it didn’t seem that the newcomer was impressed by what he saw for he turned with a sigh and made as if to exit, leaving Michael feeling strangely enough even worse than before. Something he hadn’t thought possible mere minutes before. So things really did look as bad as he feared! No doubt the story would be all round the school the next day maybe even getting back to the ears of the teaching staff and then the questions would start. Michael didn’t even want to think about what that would be like.
But the newcomer didn’t leave. Instead he called to someone who seemed to be waiting outside. "Can you come in here? It's important " he said rather impatiently, sounding as if the whole situation was one big mess he had found in his path and that he felt obliged either to share with the world or clean up. Michael could almost see his point. It certainly felt messy enough from where he was standing. He wondered who the fortunate witness to the debacle might be but even he wasn’t ready for the next humiliation.
A girl! Right there in the guys rest rooms! Michael could feel the blood rushing to his face as he looked at her Not that she seemed any more comfortable about being there than he was to have her there. She was obviously a blood relation of the guy, being equally pink in a pretty, fragile way. Though her eyes were kind and full of concern when they met his.
"Oh! Are we opening a portal?" Her voice was as delicate as she was and as out of place in the inappropriate surroundings .But the words themselves were a godsend. "Well would you rather them bleed all over the bathroom? Some of us like to keep things hygienic in here."
That was hurtful. It made Michael feel cheapened once again by the situation he found himself in. Yes it was shoddy.. But there were large parts of his life that were just like that The parts with needles and drugs. Where your family betrayed you for money and demons laid their hands on your body. Even if it was only in your dreams!
*But I’ve still got friends who will walk into those dark places to save me!*The thought pulled him upright to face the girl and the cynical stranger. "You should both let us take you to the medical bay." Michael’s characteristic smile was absent but his bone deep determination was not as he answered. “Any solution that doesn’t involve stairs is good by me. But then” he took a deep breath , acknowledging at least the girls helpfulness with a slight curve of his lips. “ it always is.“
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
Ben watched desolately as the newcomer sighed and turned to leave the room. Maybe he should just have swallowed his pride and asked for help, for now it appeared that they were back to square one again. But it turned out that he had misjudged Porters intentions and that he was a more understanding person than Ben was giving him credit for, which made the Darklight mutant feel even more retched. He always prided himself in having an understanding of people and it seemed that today all of his intuitions and ideas had turned out rather horribly to say the least.
"Can you come in here? It's important,"
The face of a young girl appeared in the doorway following Porters summons. Ben had also been told that Porter had a sister though her name had not been mentioned. She was a slight girl, whose face filled with concern at the sight of them. Ben actually had to physically refrain himself from raising a hand to his eye in order to hide the wound her eyes had settled on. He felt ashamed for he knew fool well that there was nothing glamorous about being in a fight, let alone on the losing end of one. But some small part of him knew that he had done it for the right reasons even though his bitterness had run away with him.
Deciding that looking anywhere else was better than facing that innocent gaze full of sympathy Ben turned his hear slightly and caught sight of Michael who seemed to be having issues of his own. If his ribs had not hurt so much he would have laughed as he realised that Michael was mortified by the fact that there was a girl in the boy’s bathroom. It was one of those few things his brave friend did not have prior experience with and by the looks of it he was having trouble coping. Ben did have to admit that the slender pink girl did have a certain charm about her and that he could understand where his friend was coming from as he had the same problem with Talia.
Talia! She was the one thing his brilliant “lets go to med bay” plan had not taken into account. He could already picture the quiet look of disapproval they would receive if she saw them. After that thought there was a moment when Ben nearly decided that it would be better to face his parents like this than Talia, but that was the coward’s way out. The path someone who was ashamed of their actions would choose. He took a deep breath and hardened his resolve; he would face her and deal with the consequences of his actions.
Then strangely enough Ben found his thoughts drifting to another girl. He could also imagine the look that May would give her two battered team mates. It would be one that said, “well this is unexpected, you need more practice and I am somewhat impressed” all at once. Ben liked his withdrawn and somewhat condescending team mate and he was still determined to crack the shell she hid behind. As his thoughts came to an end he realised that he had missed the conversation and that by the sounds of the last few words he caught an offer had been made to take them to med bay, which was more than ok with him.
“If you would it would be doing us a great favour, for I fear wondering the corridors like this is not the best plan of action.”
“Any solution that doesn’t involve stairs is good by me. But then” Stairs, they definitely looked like something these boys wanted to avoid, but Porter was the only one to have yet noticed the wretched looking leg of the boy. “ it always is." he had finished and all the young girl could do was offer a sweet but sad little smile. Porter's pearl eyes turned towards the other as he too spoke up.
“If you would it would be doing us a great favour, for I fear wondering the corridors like this is not the best plan of action.” And Porter had to agree, if they didn’t want to get themselves into even more trouble or have more people talking about it. Though… Porter was a little impatient, it wasn’t like he was waltzing on in here to have a party with a bunch of broken up individuals…but looks like things would have to wait, his sister’s grip on his hand pretty much saying Porter wasn’t going to be able to skip off to the little boys room before they took care of these guys.
All Porter did was tighten his hold on his twins hand gently enough not to hurt her but firm enough so she knew he was ready to proceed with the portal. The pink sphere which formed behind them would have easily been missed until the ring began to grow and the passageway from time and space was opened, offering a private hallway directly into the medical bay with just a few more manageable steps… Porter stepped aside, his hand raising slightly to motion towards the portal.
Re: The Rest Rooms: Trying to recover
Ben seemed as enthusiastic about the plan as Michael was himself, which was hardly surprising considering the state he was in “If you would it would be doing us a great favour, for I fear wondering the corridors like this is not the best plan of action.” he said as logical as ever sounding cool and calm despite everything that had happened. Michael feared he himself hadn’t managed as quite well. There had been an edge of desperation to his voice when he spoke that even he had been aware of. Still that couldn’t be helped. The truth was that he was desperate and he suspected there was very little he could do to disguise that fact. But still no matter how embarrassing the setting, and Michael was hard pushed to imagine a more embarrassing one, it did seem that help was finally at hand.
The two unlikely saviours had been holding hands for a moment but now a faint look of concentration came over their faces and the world changed. It was the first time that Michael had ever seen a portal opening and perhaps if he hadn’t been looking in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time he would have missed it. As it was he caught the whole show and it almost sent his unsettled stomach back into nausea.
There was a melting of reality just in front of him, something neither his eyes nor his brain seemed to want to accept. Then the swirling stopped and Michael found himself looking at a section of med lab through a portal that was as pink as the twins themselves. Even now, caught up as he was in his pain , there was a part of Michael that wanted to ask a thousand questions. All the how’s and why’s that each new power he encountered called to mind. But over and above all, pushing even his lively curiosity into abeyance there was relief.
This was more than just a new experience to be explored , it was a blessed shortcut saving him from the hellish journey to med lab that he had seen no way to avoid. Though he still wasn’t sure what he was going to offer as an explanation for his condition when he got there, he did know one thing. He would find help there. They would make things better and for now that was worth an awful lot.
“After you ladies.” Even the slightly mocking words couldn’t make him feel anything other than profoundly grateful towards the students who stood waiting for him to accept their most miraculous form of transportation. “Thanks” he said sincerely. “I don’t know how Id have managed if you hadn’t come along. I owe you both big time” Then he seized the crutches with a groan and gritting his teeth hauled himself forward through the portal .
Michael was still on the floor at the end if my post But we'll get him as far as the sink never fear. Here's the first installment!
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