Logs from Blammo.

[x-sparky.livejournal.com]

The official welcome to the So You Blew Up Your Girlfriend Club, belatedly following this short exchange.


The can in Jono's hand was cold and he flexed his fingers around it, surprised again how the cold didn't seem to affect him. He raised his other hand and knocked, almost quiet and hesitant at first, then louder.

Alex looked up from the surfing magazine he was reading, wondering who was coming to see him now. "Door's open!" He called, eyes going back to the page in front of him.

Jono opened the door, then stepped in, holding out the Coca-Cola bottle in front of him like a shield. "I thought I'd offer a something to welcome you properly to the club."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the coke, but smiled slightly. "Thanks, I always wanted admission to the blowing-up-your-girlfriend club." He said more jokingly then sarcastically. Sitting up and tossing the magazine aside, he took the bottle from Jono, shivering at the cold. "Nice cold drink on a nice cold day."

"Well, British as I am, I'm sure I could whip up a cup of tea for you, if it's too cold," Jono pushed his hands into his pockets, looking around the room. "I'm really trying to work this club into having a more approachable image."

"Nah, the coke is fine." Alex set it aside so it could warm up a few degrees before he opened it. "More approachable image? Now that's an interesting goal...I wonder how you plan on achieveing that?"

"I think I might have to hire an image consultant, really," Jono shuffled around, going to look at a poster stuck on the wall. "I think the club might also need a shrink to take care of the members."

"Image consultant I can't help with but I'm sure Alison would volunteer to be our personal shrink." Alex cracked another smile as he watched Jono move about the room. "She'd jump at the chance really."

"She'd make us do group therapy," Jono sounded rather ominous as he poked about in the room. "Group hugs."

Alex nodded, shifting a bit on the bed. "I wouldn't put it past her, now that she has more of a group to deal with. And if we wouldn't do the hug thing, she would threatened us with the cuteness that is Miles."

"That would at least get me out of my misery," Jono rolled his eyes, remembering the passing out only too well. "Although Blaire's-" the rest of the sentence was lost as Jono stumbled over Alex's skateboard, innocently sitting in the middle of the room. He straightened slowly, and cast a rather bewildered look at Alex. "You know these things will kill you, don't you?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight of Jono tripping over the board. Then he shrugged his shoulders innocently. "If I can't surf, I have to have something else to do that keeps me from dwelling on the fact I'm a human time bomb." His smile turned slightly sarcastic. "And I'm sure you know exactly what I mean."

Jono kicked the skateboard under Alex's bed with a mistrusting look. "Yeah and that's why we have this club. We can watch Speed for encouragement. Nothing cheers up a man more than watching Keanu Reeves defuse bomb after bomb," his reply didn't lack sarcasm either.

"Keanu Reeves... one of the last people I would want to be incharge of my fate." Alex leaned over and pulled the skateboard out from under his bed, playing with wheels as he set it in his lap. "And it's not so dangerous really, if you know what you're doing...kind of like our powers, or so Shiro claims."

"I've come to the conclusion that the only good thing we can do with our 'powers'," it was clear Jono didn't like the word, "is not to use them." He sat on a chair, tilting it back on two legs and teetering there.

Alex smiled. "I'll agree to that." He reached over and grabbed the coke which was a more reasonable temperature. He popped the lid off and took a sip.

At that Jono gave him an odd hungry look, then blinked and turned away, staring at a wall. "Yeah," he muttered. "Not much else we can do."

Alex noticeded Jono's sudden distress and decided now would not be the best time to drink the soda. So, he capped it again and replaced it on the night stand. "Scott claims there are other things, but he's yet to figure out an answer to my question of 'what?' "

"Wear tights and defend justice as members of the X-Men?" Jono let the front legs of the chair fall back on the floor. "Blow up bad guys and learn to love ourselves despite the things we do to those who love us?"

Alex sighed sadly. "Scott would love that, his little brother part of the X-men. When we were little, I always wanted to be just like my big brother, but now...with everything...I'm not so sure I share his noble sense of duty anymore."

"Who would?" Jono shrugged, leaning his elbows on his knees. "That's only for people who believe in something."

"But in that I envy them...right now I just believe I'm a menace to society, not a very good way to look at things." Alex brought his knees to chest and rested his chin on them as he hugged his arm around them.

"Tell me when you find another way to look at things and I'll free you of your club duties," Jono's amusement had a bitter edge. "Which include self-pity and wallowing in depression."

Alex grinned. "Agreed, but I have a feeling it's up there with the cure for cancer and world peace so don't hold your breath. Your club has at least two life time members."

"Holding my breath won't be an issue," Jono rapped his knuckles against his chest. "I wonder if I should make these club meetings a weekly thing. We could commiserate. Imagine the sheer fun of that."

"Equal to a barrel of monkies I'm sure. And as for weekly meetings, I'd find a place Paige and Alison can't find for I don't think they'd approve of the idea. Too gloomy." He would have added Lorna to that list, but that would have been a bit painful still.

"That's easy, we'll ask Pete if we can have them in his room or something. No one dares to go there in fear of dying in lung cancer the moment they step in," Jono suggested with a brief glint of humour, then he stood up, rolling his shoulders. "I should probably go before we manage to negate each other's angst."

"Pete..huh...wouldn't have thought of that. I guess that's why your in charge of the club." Alex streched his legs, then stood. "Negate each other's angst? No, wouldn't want that to happen, wouldn't fill the monthly quota."

"Yeah, exactly," Jono made his way to the door, careful of any skateboards lurking about. "Enjoy your Coke for me too." He turned to give Alex one last look, rather sad. "I'm sorry it had to happen to you too."

"I will." Alex said seriously. "Yeah, me too. But I'm glad your not alone anymore. Angst isn't any fun unless you can share it every once in a while." He then cracked a small smile. "Plus, would be a boring club with only one member."

"Oh, I had some fun times by myself, but it got old pretty fast," Jono shrugged one shoulder, then opened the door. "Cheers," he said before walking out.

"Later." Alex said, before shutting the door behind Jono and going back to his bed. He picked up the coke and drank it slowly as he went back to reading.



Followed by a little Angelo/Jono moment.


It was almost odd to be walking down the stairs instead of up them. Nevertheless, Jono wasn't regretting his move to the basement, life was almost simpler there. He spotted Angelo coming up somewhere in the middle. "Hey."

Angelo looked up at Jono, slightly surprised to see him upstairs for once. "Hey", he answered. "How's it going?"

"Just brilliantly", Jono replied automatically. "I was visiting the other club member up there", he gestured upstairs with his head.

"The other... oh", Angelo answered, belatedly getting what Jono meant. "How is he?"

"Well enough, I suppose", Jono shrugged. "Not that blowing up people you care about is a fun exercise."

"No", Angelo agreed. "But he's... as well as can be expected?"

Jono nodded noncommittally, then continued downstairs, stopping again when he was a few steps below Angelo. "Are you busy?"

Angelo turned to look down at him. "Not particularly. Why?"

"I could use someone to play Soul Calibur with", Jono tilted his head. "It gets boring alone."

Angelo blinked, surprised that Jono had asked him, then nodded with a slow smile. "Sure. Where's the Playstation set up?"

"The basement", Jono raised an eyebrow and continued down again. "Where did you think it was?"

"Just making sure it was still there", Angelo countered, following him.

"It's not going to move from there", Jono said, confirming that he had no plans whatsoever to move back to the dorm.

Angelo nodded. "Okay, basement it is."

They walked a bit in silence, then Jono broke it with what passed as small talk for him. "So was that you mother here?"

Angelo beamed suddenly, any mention of his mother's presence still having that effect on him. "Yes! The others decided to give me a surprise."

"Some surprise", Jono commented and glanced at Angelo, feeling the burst of happiness from him. "All went well then?"

"All went very well", Angelo confirmed. "The first talk was... difficult... but things are fine now."

"That's good", Jono said a bit vaguely, his mind on his own parents and wondering if they'd still think he was a monster. "I'm glad for you."

Angelo blinked again, but didn't say anything about this uncharacteristic kindness - uncharacteristic especially where he was concerned, even if things had been going better lately. "Thanks."

"Yeah, I have to start somewhere", Jono replied as if reading Angelo's mind. "This can be my good deed for today."

"Appreciate it", Angelo answered quietly.

A moment passed in silence again, before Jono started again. "So, this party.. Have you asked Paige yet?"

Angelo blinked again, but for an entirely different reason this time. "Er... I only just saw the post about it, and I haven't seen her yet. Is... is it okay with you that I ask her?"

"Yeah", Jono swept some of his newly-cut hair out of his eyes. "Because I don't want to be there even if I have to play things, and I want her to have fun."

Angelo nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll make sure she does, then."

"Good", Jono gave Angelo an amused glance, but his words had a slight sarcastic tinge. "I knew I could count on you."

Angelo looked at him levelly, and when he spoke, there was a warning in his tone. "I'm in this to make Paige happy. *Whatever* that takes." Including letting her go to you, if it's what she wants.

"You're a better man than I am, then", Jono's eyes skittered over Angelo, as if he couldn't look at him straight. "I wouldn't mind having some happiness for myself too."

Angelo relented, looking at him. "Listen, Paige would never see you unhappy. Why do you think..." He trailed off without finishing the impulsively begun second sentence.

"No, maybe she wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I have to let her to mop up my unhappiness when she doesn't have to", Jono explained. "Especially at a party. She needs to be happy. You can give her that."

Angelo dropped his gaze. "I hope so. But so could you, if you'd let yourself."

Jono focused on the basement door instead, managing to almost ignore the rather tasteless array of Christmas decorations on and around it, almost covering the warning-sign. "Yeah, well", he pushed the door open. "Better this way."

Angelo just shrugged and followed Jono through the door. He wasn't going to argue this particular point anymore...

"Sit wherever you like", Jono gestured vaguely around the room, while switching on the tv and the playstation.

Angelo dropped onto one of the chairs in front of the TV, keeping his silence for a simple lack of anything to say.

"Let's play", Jono tossed the other controller at him, after slipping Soul Calibur 2 into the console.