LOG: [Forge, Marius] Coda

[x-emplate.livejournal.com]

Marius seeks out his former suitemate for a talk, and one last bit of business is gotten out of the way.




"Goin' for the change in scenery, eh? I'm quite proud, although you know a faux beach with sunlamps isn't quite the proper substitute for actually venturing out of doors."

Forge looked up from his laptop, seeing Marius standing in the door to the otherwise-empty Boiler Beach, the strange appearance of a door in the middle of a holographically-generated beachscape notwithstanding. "Oh," he said quietly, looking around down at his watch. "It has the distinct benefit of generally being the last place people expect someone to be. It would seem that while losing the little hand-mouths, you've gained a keen detective sense. How're you feeling, by the way?"

Marius shoved off the doorframe with an airy wave of his hand. "Nah, no excitin' new developments in the powers area, just got a reliable tip-off. An' I'm doing quite well, cheers for the inquiry. Still enamoured of the novelty of a mutation that is no longer actively hazardous to my health." He collapsed artfully onto a towel at the foot of the beach chair his former roommate had sprawled across and lay one hand over his heart. "I have so much to learn."

"Well, you now have the benefit of a long life to learn with, without your body trying to maim itself at every turn." Forge sighed, then shut his laptop down and sat cross-legged on the chair. "You realize that aside from the complete and utter lunacy of having a former terrorist 'oh, but not really a bad guy' seeking asylum here, this is pretty much the closest things have been to normal in a year?"

Marius snorted. "Search me, if rumour can be believed that's hardly the most outrageous origin story we've got here. Granted, I'd have been a bit more dazzled by the charges of supervillainy before I could say from personal experience it is a position attainable simply by means of Bloody Stupid. But yes. Your point is taken." Under his weight against the carpet his fingers curled to touch the scartissue on his palms. "Normal. Feels . . . weird. After everythin'."

He broke off for a moment, then glanced up at the other boy. "But I imagine you know from that. Didn't even occur to me what with the deadly combination of self-pity, goin' mental and then amazin' recovery, but it is just about that time of year, isn't it?"

Forge nodded. "Yeah. Hell of a year." He sighed, looking down at his hands, forcing himself to breathe evenly. "Talk about all over the board. Magneto, my book, graduation, San Diego, Jennie--" He caught himself, glancing briefly over at Marius, and then shrugged. "People coming in and people..." friends, he corrected himself silently, "leaving, it's kind of like it's all gone by so fast."

"Least you're one step up on me. I never did quite believe any of it, comin' here. First classmate you meet's just been subject of a darin' rescue from Magneto it rather sets the tone. Sudden exposure to that sort of thing can be somethin' of a shock for the sheltered child of privilege, worldly in some ways though he may be." Marius reached up to push back the hair. When he remembered he had none he settled for a rub instead. "Parents Day, when you an' yours absconded with me as mine were so villainously occupied? Can't say as I was disappointed by the absence. Furthest thing, in fact. Don't know exactly why. Suppose so long as nothin' from life before came up on me it was easier to think where I was now didn't count. Not so much the mutant bit, but the bit where I wasn't a very successful one."

Marius paused again, then added in a wry tone, "Of course, that bit of reasonin' turned out just brilliantly."

"Yeah, no arguing things sucked," Forge answered, "but they're better now. Not just the powers thing, you know what I mean. You and Jennie seem to be cool with things, and even Yvette's better off than she was. When I say things will turn out all right for people, you all just need to trust me." He smirked, lacing his fingers behind his head and leaning back. "I mean, if you're going to give up all hope and think the world's nothing but downers and broken promises and horrible things, there's really nothing for you but a rubber room or a job at Snow Valley."

Marius gazed up at Forge with hooded eyes. "My choice is between a straightjacket or a trenchcoat? If ever I succumb to either such horrendous fashion-call I can assure you I am well and truly lost. But yes. Jennie and I have come to terms. In the meantime, I have made a personal resolution to reserve all judgement an' possible inner turmoil regardin' the moral justification of removin' a girl from slavery by purchasing her like a side of beef until the matter is conclusively settled with said girl, so that matter needs must wait until either she returns from Kosovo or I convince my parents an international flight is necessary for reasons of Closure." Marius rolled his yellow eyes at himself and made an expansive gesture, fingers waggling. "Behold! My newly manifested secondary mutation of personal accountability. We have come far indeed."

"Responsibility. Will wonders never cease?" Forge mused dramatically, then chuckled to himself. "It's weird, you know. Like... after what Masque did to me, seeing myself as normal for just a few days, even with the pain - I wondered what it'd be like." He perused his metal arm intently, running his fingers over the small striations in the myomer. "Being normal again. So I suppose in a way, I'm envious. Not of all the crap you've been through, believe me. But you got what you've wanted for the past year. Curse lifted, and all that."

Dropping down roughly onto the sand, Forge set his laptop on the chair, then looked over at Marius. "So what now?"

"Hangin' about. Gettin' accustomed to the whole 'functional mutant' bit. I've considered bein' haunted by my abominable acts long past the point all others have ceased to care, but if the last month is any indication my time is best spent on somethin' productive, like conservin' the rainforests of Antarctica." The younger boy glanced down to scuff one of his feet in the sand, digging a furrow. "But mostly, been thinkin' on the bit about how you repay the savin' of a life. You don't make it easy on a bloke, you know? Bloody twice now. I admit you did get a bit shafted for June's unfortunate happenings, but already havin' acquired a motor vehicle of your own I was a bit stuck for the grand gestures."

Forge cocked his head at Marius, then chuckled. "You really mean that, don't you? That it's something that needs to be repaid." He turned to face Marius fully, resting his elbows on his knees. "It's not like I'm a doctor providing a service, man. I have a gift, and I use it. Acknowledgement's enough for me, if you're talking about repayment. I know you think that you've got to provide something in return, but believe me - getting the chance to help you, or anyone else? That's my way of repaying a debt. I got a second chance, this is my way of earning it."

Marius regarded Forge out of the corner of one eye. "You said it yourself, mate -- this is my life. You didn't do it with payment in mind, that I get. So far as I'm concerned, doesn't make the doin' worth any less. You've got your debts. I've got mine." Marius turned to the other boy and smiled. "But no worries. I have no plans to demean your altruism with base materialism. Certainly my progenitors, cruel though they are, would indulge if so requested, but you know. The unique an' meaningful. An' the simple, when it's all said and done. So . . ."

Then, for the first time since he'd arrived at Xavier's, Marius held out a hand to shake.

"Thank you."

Forge looked down at Marius' right hand, the scar on the palm the only evidence of any former disfigurement caused by his powers.

This is important, he realized.

Solemnly, he extended his own hand, pressing his palm against his former suitemate's. "You're welcome," he answered, then gave a wry grin. "I should say something like 'it was nothing', but man, if you only knew how hard it is to wrap my brain around biology. I do feel it fair to warn you, though, if I spend my time and effort saving your life and you turn around and steal my girl out from under me - this of course, assuming I had one - I'm going to feel very put out. Again."

Marius snorted as Forge's hand closed around his own. "Mate, if only you knew how little you have to fear," he replied. After the last two incidents that was an issue he was just fine letting lie fallow for a while.

He clasped Forge's hand and gave it a firm shake. "Do not think your sacrifice has gone unnoticed, though I fear your lovely cohort is rife with envy that you beat her to the epiphany. Now, perhaps you can help me come up with proper means to thank Kyle for the save . . . though I suppose in a pinch one could claim givin' me a good kicking in front of Jen an' select members of the staff counts as its own reward."

"You might have remembered that he's a bit of a badass," Forge said with a laugh, "And almost all the actual lab work was Paige and Moira, to tell the truth. I just came up with the idea and did all the legwork - literally in my case. But really, the only thing you owe anyone is not to waste this."

"No worries," Marius smiled. And meant it.