The Day After - For WearingtheStars

[helpdesk_hero]

He knows it the second he wakes up. Because there's this void in his head. Can't explain it, can only say it's wrong. As deeply wrong as anything has ever been in his life. Of course the only reason he even woke up was because of all of the shouting. The fear and the pain. And David swallows hard because he's reaching and there's nothing.

Which is what gets him grabbing at his jeans and a t-shirt, throwing himself out of the room, barely even acknowledging Josh as the gold-skinned idiot wakes up. No, his concern is the room across the hall. Is pushing past people so he can pound on it. Billy.

"Billy!" he shouts through the door. He should have fought harder when Emma found out they were dating. He shouldn't have let people change their rooms. He should be in there, knowing if Billy is feeling this same emptiness too.

An emptiness that can't just be David, because he thinks he just saw a girl that used to have purple skin and horns walk by. Without either of those.

"Billy, open up! Dammit, Jay, if you're in there, open the door, I need to see Billy."

Comments

[wearingthestars]

It's something you're forced to get used to in a place like this, but Billy's never liked the feeling of someone inside his head. He's never been good at projecting any sort of mental barriers, and now is no different, body crumpling the same as everyone else.

The haze seems to linger on when he finally wakes, hardly noticing his hunger or stiffness, feet moving to carry him towards the auditorium without really knowing why. He was doing something before, wasn't he? Something...important. ...With David.

His head turns vaguely, blinking in question. Where is David?

[helpdesk_hero]

Just behind him, it turns out. After getting to his feet he catches sight of his boyfriend and jogs the last few steps to catch up to him, grabbing Billy's hand and holding onto it.

"Is it wrong that I'm really worried about what's going on, with the telepaths so clearly manipulating us?"

[wearingthestars]

Oh good. Billy feels a sense of relief as David takes his hand, for worry he hadn't relized he felt so strongly until he was returned to him.

He shakes his head with a small frown, though it quickly fades to a much calmer expression. "No...I'm worried too."

[helpdesk_hero]

Fuck propriety and PDAs. David pulls Billy closer, an arm settling around the guy's waist. "But if they're calling us down, that means they're ready to talk about everything. So there are probably answers."

[wearingthestars]

Answers are good. Probably. At least they'd know more then they know now, good or bad. He leans into David's side, feeling a more genuine calm settle over him, and he nods softly.

"Maybe they know how to fix it," he agrees.

[helpdesk_hero]

It's a long walk to the auditorium, but David doesn't mind the holding Billy close to him, to feeling safe. And of course he makes sure that they sit together when they do sit down.

"Fixing would be good. You deserve a boyfriend that isn't miles away."

[wearingthestars]

"Is that really what worries you most about all this?" Billy asks, catching for his hand as they sit, "You know I'd come out to follow you as soon as I could."

[helpdesk_hero]

No, it's not. But if he lets himself think about the things he really does fear, then he's going to go crazy.

"I don't think your family would enjoy you running across country to chase a guy. Are you even out to them yet?"

[wearingthestars]

Heat colours his cheeks and Billy's forced to shake his head. "...Not yet," he admits, "But...I mean he's a hell of a guy. I don't think they can blame me."

[helpdesk_hero]

What a guy. David squeezes Billy's hand and smiles.

"I think... Billy, I think I might just love you."

A first utterance of that phrase. And he's not even ashamed he's saying it in public.

[wearingthestars]

The air seems to drain out of him again, but this time it's a wonderful, happy sensation instead of a terrifying one, and Billy's face splits into a belated and shy grin, ducking to touch his cheek to David's shoulder with a hushed laugh. He presses a quick kiss to David's jaw, returning the squeeze.

"...I think I might love you too."

[helpdesk_hero]

Well, at least there's one positive out of this whole mess. And one might be the right statement. Because with that Emma and Scott take the stage. And the announcement comes. There's been an incident. No one knows what, but mutants around the world have lost their powers. They are dealing with it, but they have no answers. They are contacting parents and being contacted by them, and the teachers are requiring everyone to stay on campus and do interviews with adults to see who does and doesn't have powers.

David's fingers tighten around Billy's as the announcement comes and he hears the whispers. Someone, Julian he thinks, calls out to ask how many people lost their powers.

And the way the adults look at each other makes David shudder.

"The numbers have to be high, if they aren't telling us. A percentage of mutants," David says. "And if they're telling us, I'm guessing a VERY high percentage."

[wearingthestars]

"...How is that even possible?" Billy mutters, and the mounting seriousness of all this makes him feel all the more guilty for being one of the few that's been spared for seemingly no real reason. "If someone did this- how would they even...you can't just take people's powers en mass like like."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Not like humans haven't been trying," David points out. There have been people going for extermination or 'curing' them. It's bad. "If I had to make a guess? On this kind of scale, that suddenly, with none of us knowing? Someone's either playing with time, or magic."

Or both?

[wearingthestars]

That prompts an almost guilty look on Billy's face, abruptly remembering his strange awakening, and worrying for a moment that maybe it's not a coincidence that whatever it was happened to him at the same time as all this?

"...You think they did it on purpose?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Something like this?"

David frowns. Yeah, he has to think that this is on purpose.

"I wish I could say. If Doctor Strange was in here he could tell you, no doubt. But I don't know magic. I have to think there is some degree of intention involved."

Because this is an attack on mutant kind.

[wearingthestars]

Billy frowns, and seems...distracted, nodding faintly. "...Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

That anxious static returns, and he carefully releases David's hand.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Hey," David says, as Emma announces classes are cancelled until otherwise stated, "it's okay to be scared. This is scary. But if we know this is happening around the world, you should check in with your parents later."

David isn't ready to talk to his yet.

[wearingthestars]

"Yeah...yeah I know," Billy acknowledges, and he tries to ignore that gnawing feeling. It's David he should be worrying about.

"You wanna talk about it, or am I on distracting duty?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"You really don't have to do that, Billy."

But really, he wants to have that. Because he's... scared of what this means for him.

"You know my parents just want me to be normal."

They aren't mutant-phobes or haters. They're just... they just didn't get him and his powers. He probably would have had an easier time with them if he hadn't been able to pass for human, or at least had a power with a visual aspect.

[wearingthestars]

"I know." And he knows why David feels that's less serious, compared to the homes some of the kids are leaving behind to come here. But it still has to hurt, even if it comes from a well intentioned place. They want him to have the best possible outcome, the least hurt. The same justification parents might use when they wish that their child will be straight, or able bodied...'normal'.

"They love you. But it doesn't mean they're right."

[helpdesk_hero]

Their son had all the potential in the world in their eyes, and they hadn't realized how much of it was stolen from other minds. Their own included.

"Yeah, says the guy with perfect parents," David shrugs. "Seriously, I am starting to think the only bad things in your life are how your powers manifested and how that white-haired guy with the Young Avengers sorta looks like you. In a super blurry way."

Everyone knew there was a guy named 'Speed' with the Young Avengers, but no one was fully sure what the kid looked like. All David had was an impression of a jaw like Billy's, but between the goggles, the different hair color, and the way the guy tended to only be a blur on screens or vibrating to hide his face, it was hard to see much of him. Only reason David noticed even that is because he'd always been reminded a bit of Erik Lehnsherr when he really looked at Billy. Which was stupid, of course.

[wearingthestars]

Yeah. He knows he has no real right to speculate given how accepting his own parents have been. And it's hard to explain how that can be stressful in it's own way, how it's festered a sort of insecurity in him, that he'll never really be good enough to deserve what he has.

"What, Speed? How's that a bad thing? If I looked even a little bit like one of the Avengers that'd be pretty cool, wouldn't it? Or some kind of 'It Takes Two' scenario, where I've got a face twin out there?"

[helpdesk_hero]

“Really? It Takes Two? Couldn’t go with the Prince and the Pauper? Come on, Billy. You’re practically a shoe-in for the X-Men. Dani was talking about asking Ororo to come and give you extra lessons for your electricity and it’s still you wanting to be an Avenger, isn’t it?”

Aren’t they good enough?

[wearingthestars]

"What, I liked the Olsen twins," he defends, giving a small laugh. He looks a bit guilty then, and shrugs a shoulder, "No- I mean...yes I've always wanted that, but it's just...a stupid fantasy thing. I'm not sure I'd call myself a shoe-in, but of course I'd pick the X-Men."