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

[helpdesk_hero]

With the announcements over people start to trickle out, not that David shows any sign of wanting to move.

“Mutants are few and far between on Avengers teams. Better you stick to the X-Men. Not like the Avengers have anyone but the Maximoffs. Had, I guess.”

[wearingthestars]

"Notably some of the best Avengers they ever had," Billy adds with a teasing smirk, but he nods. "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry."

[helpdesk_hero]

Notably neither of whom was with the Avengers anymore.

“And here I thought you were a Cap fan.”

This is easier than thinking about what was happening. A lot easier.

[wearingthestars]

"I love Cap. But favourite all time Avenger...?" Billy pauses as though he really needs to consider. "Scarlet Witch. Maybe Thor."

It's definitely easier.

[helpdesk_hero]

"Alright then, so your favorite Avengers is a mutant. That's at least something."

A mutant that could never be with the X-Men because of her involvement with the Brotherhood. David sighs and closes his eyes.

"Is that why you have a cape in your closet?"

[wearingthestars]

"...You saw that?" Billy flushes and laughs. "...Yeah. Maybe. Half her, half Ororo. I like the cape aesthetic. It just...doesn't go with most of the X-uniforms."

[helpdesk_hero]

"No, the X-Men try too hard to seem alike. It makes us all a faceless mass in some ways."

Not that David has an opinion on how horrible that is for their cause.

[wearingthestars]

"I guess it's supposed to be part of the whole team thing. But maybe once some of younger kids start joining the main team-" Billy starts, and then he pauses, because if things stay as they are who knows if there will even be a team any more.

"...We should get out of here."

[helpdesk_hero]

Can there even be a team after this? Should there? But he supposes he really should go and do things. He's just... nervous though.

"Yeah. But where should we go?"

[wearingthestars]

"...You hungry?" Billy asks with a small smile, trying to think practically. Whatever's happened, they still need to eat.

"Then we could...go to the library. Or find somewhere to listen to music. Or...ditch this place completely, because whose really watching out for that right now?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Didn't you hear Emma? They're definitely watching for it, Billy."

And the world may not be safe for them out there. He sighs and stands, though. Food sounds good. He's very hungry.

[wearingthestars]

Billy shrugs. They've got a lot on their plates, he's not sure they'd notice, but it's not like Billy's usually clamoring to break the rules. He just wants to try and take David's mind off everything.

"Come on. I'll make you something, and you can politely pretend it's not trash."

[helpdesk_hero]

"Yeah, that works," David agrees. Seeing as he's hardly a cook himself, there isn't much he can do about it. "Come on, show me your cereal powers."

[wearingthestars]

"They are mighty and fearsome to behold," Billy warns in his best impression of Thor, laughing and leaning into David's side as they make their way to the kitchen. And yeah, cereal's pretty hard to mess up. That, some juice, bit of fruit, even some toast, and it looks like one of those 'part of a balanced breakfast' commercials. And the toast is only a little burnt.

[helpdesk_hero]

They aren't the only ones making food, and there are of course those that just head off to the cafeteria proper, but David isn't going to judge. He's too tired to. Maybe he should just climb into bed and pretend the day hasn't happened.

"I don't know, this toast is fearsome, but is it mighty?"

[wearingthestars]

Taking a test bite, Billy makes a face and shakes his head. "...It is not," he concludes apologetically, "You wanna eat here or take it up to our rooms?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Our rooms?"

That means not being together right now, and David doesn't know if he can handle that at the moment.

[wearingthestars]

"By which I mean kick Josh or Jay out and take over one," he clarifies. Billy doesn't want to leave David alone. Whether their room mates will put up with that he's not sure, but it's not like they're just looking to fool around.

[helpdesk_hero]

If Josh had his powers still, he would likely be helping heal any residual issues when someone got hurt from a lack of powers. So there you go. Decision made. So he picks up his plate.

"My room. If that's okay."

[wearingthestars]

"Mm, yeah. Your room is great," Billy agrees easily, gather up his things. It was sure to make David feel more at home to be in his own space, and Billy missed sharing.

[helpdesk_hero]

Emma hadn't been wrong to move them apart, though. Their make-outs had been getting sorta heated. But David nods and leads him out, because they really should be moving out to find somewhere quiet to be. Especially since Billy's parents would probably call soon.

"I have to wonder if this has hit any adult mutants, or just us. Here, that is. Emma did say something about world-wide."

[wearingthestars]

It was definitely a justified move. But it was harder to see that from a teenage point of view.

"I dunno. It would make more sense if it was just...anyone with an X-gene. Maybe we should check the news?"

[helpdesk_hero]

Especially hard to see when Emma's announcement had come literally with her walking into their room while David was kissing Billy with a hand under his shirt. Embarrassing.

"When I get back to my room I can use my glasses for that. Unless Kitty or Beast locked me out of the computer systems."

Then he'd be able to figure it out.

[wearingthestars]

Mortifying. Especially as Billy's thoughts seemed to turn that moment whenever he found himself in Emma's presence.

"Why would they lock you out?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"To hide what's going on? To prevent fear."

Because David might have been able to get in. Once. He doesn't know if he could now.