xp_logs | Prom: Alex. Lorna and Shiro

When Shiro is distracted, Lorna asks Alex for a dance, for old times sake. They prove again how bad they are being just friends, and again, they get caught. Lorna and Shiro actually exchange punches before Alex breaks them up...and everyone leaves alone.

Eventually, you just had to accept that at some point, someone was going to spike the punch so what was the point in watching it? Besides, didn't these kids deserve something considering their memories of prom were going to be always tainted by the sight of their teachers in the wrong bodies? Which is why Lorna was watching the dance instead of the punch. The shine of purple satin caught his eye quite by accident, not at all because he'd been looking for it. Setting down his sadly not spike beverage, Lorna wended his way to the side of the curvy blonde and reached out to tweak a curl, "Can I have this dance?"

Shiro had, surprisingly been asked by Clarice to dance and Alex had resigned herself to sitting this dance out. But thankfully, she was saved from her place by the wall by a handsome man with green hair. Alex grinned up at Lorna, after starting slightly at his sudden appearance. "It would be my pleasure." She answered, taking his hand with a large grin. Surely Shiro wouldn't mind one dance...?

Oh, Shiro probably would but Lorna had a plan for that. Instead of taking Alex to the dance floor, he drew his former fiancé out onto the terrace, where the music spilled into the cool night. "Just so that I don't get a face full of plasma," he explained with a smile as he rested his hands on the warm satin at Alex's waist, "We're so close to getting our proper bodies back it'd be a shame to ruin these now."

Alex met that with a laugh, which had already started as a giggle as Lorna had drawn her outside. "I'd protect you." That that she could do much, what with her much smaller body, but she'd try. It was Shiro's own fault anyway for leaving her alone and that was the reasoning he was sticking too. "While I will be glad to be a dude again...this was so fun." She took a step back and while still holding one of Lorna's hands, did a small twirl, a wide grin on her face.

Lorna laughed as well, a low rumble of amusement from deep in his chest, spinning Alex back into his arms. "It's a great deal of fun. I'm not going to miss it but it hasn't been all that bad. The clothes are totally comfortable too."

"No kidding. Why do girls get all the cool clothes? Not that I want to be a cross-dresser or anything but when it comes with the territory..." She stopped and just laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck, swaying with the music drifting out the doors. "And what are you talking about? You used to steal my trunks all the time!"

He chuckled, "Well, yeah but it's different when you're wearing the whole shebang. I love the tux, for example." It felt odd, looking down at Alex, seeing in the soft lines of a woman's face the man that Lorna had once loved beyond all reason. It was odd. But it wasn't unfamiliar. Their positions may have been switched but the way they fitted...that still made sense. His voice dropped lower as he spoke in hushed tones, "You look beautiful in that though. Even if I'm sure it's a pain to wear."

Alex's smile softened as she looked up at Lorna, feeling the exact same thing. It was weird, looking up at him, trailing her hand through much shorter and darker green locks. But it felt the same...and gave him the same little thrill. He was still as beautiful as ever. Even in other bodies...this still felt so familiar and so right. Alex sighed softly, happily. "And you're easily pulling off the tux better then most in the room...even the natural males. You're gorgeous."

The music changed. Lorna flicked his gaze back inside then down at Alex again, "Well, that's my dance, I guess. I should let you get back to Shiro." He didn't let go, not yet. He'd been the one who let go too many times.

Alex wasn't exactly ready to leave the comfort of his arms either. She sighed, looking up at him. "Yeah, I guess." But she didn't move her arms from around his neck. "Lorna...I..."

He moved one hand now, up the line of her back, along her throat and over her lips, just a light touch so it wouldn't muss the carefully applied lipstick and gloss. "How do we keep ending up like this?" Lorna asked softly, smiling a rueful smile. "You'd think we'd be over each other by now."

Closing her eyes at the gentle touch, Alex reopened them when he spoke. She smiled, shaking her head gently. "You'd think. But then...we ever never very good at doing anything right. And some things...you just don't get over. Not completely."

"You're...still dating someone." Just like the last time they'd been this close, when it was hot sands and salted ocean air instead of New England's crispness. "That's really hard to respect right now."

Shiro...god, who didn't deserve this. With a painful look on her face, Alex looked down but was still reluctant to let go. "Yeah...But if I wasn't...would it matter?"

Lorna tilted his head back, took a deep breath and shook his head, "I can't answer that, Alex. You are. If that changes, we can...I don't know, we can talk about this then." He looked down again, lifted Alex's chin with a gentle hand. "Are you happy?"

"Yes." She said softly, but her eyes showed how conflicted she was...and would always be where Lorna was concerned.

"Good." This was the wrong thing to do. But as Alex had pointed out, they were never very good at doing anything right. Lorna lowered his mouth to Alex's softly, just the barest brush of lips. It was strange. And it was familiar. Just like everything tonight. Lorna sighed. "You should go inside," he murmured.

Alex really couldn't help herself. A tease just wasn't enough. She stood up on her toes to give him a more proper kiss...before realizing what she was doing and pulled her head away. "Yeah...I should."

"I wouldn't bother," came a dark, hoarse voice from the doorway. Shiro stood there, fists clenched and eyes narrowed. "I do not think there is anything particular for you to come back to."

Immediately turning her head at the voice, Alex gave a small sound of surprise and despair. No...not again. She stepped back away from Lorna and towards Shiro. "Shiro, wait...Of course there is!" Her heart wanted to burst out of her chest...if she could unlodge it from her throat.

Lorna had let go instantly then hesitated, not sure if he wanted to step back and... be the better man. Or step forward and let Shiro know that there was reason to worry. He was torn, really wanting to take advantage of this new height and strength and put a fist to Shiro's stupid face...and then he stepped back, spreading his hands wide away from his body, palms out and non-threatening. "We're just friends. That's it."

Shiro snorted, spouting small bursts of fire from his nostrils. "This is so cliche that it is disgusting," he spat. Literally. "What is wrong with you? Why do you constantly insist on spreading whatever brand of mental retardation you favor? Everything always has to be as you want it, anything else be damned."

"Shiro! That's..." Okay so it was kinda of true...but Alex didn't want to admit it. Couldn't admit it. "Everything else is not damned! Please...let's just go back inside and talk about this..." She took a step towards him, hoping the slim chance that she hadn't just fucked up...again. Maybe she wasn't meant for this dating thing?

Lorna ran a hand through his hair and tried to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Resisting the urge to add commentary took the rest of his willpower which is why he shrugged rather callously, "I'm going inside if you two aren't. It's not any of my concern if you're too stupid to trust Alex." Okay, so apparently there was a little commentary after all.

Shiro reached out to grab the lapel of Lorna's jacket as she tried to walk past. He was still shorter, but his grip was like a vise and the fabric singed in his fingers. "You are a man now, and I would have no qualm against physically expressing my distaste," he threatened.

Lorna hesitated just long enough to realize that he was never going to be able to wear this jacket again--you know, in the unlikely event he became a man in the future--and then shoved Shiro away hard. "Christ, why are you such a dick? You got a problem with me? Fine, let's fucking get this over with," he swore and hoped that Shiro would try to hit him. It would really feel good to have the excuse.

Oh come on, Alex thought to herself, though a small portion of her brain was laughing in amusement at the whole situation. She immediately stepped in between them, shoving them a step apart, Shiro's with a bit of power behind it. "Stop it! Both of you!"

Lorna's push had almost made Shiro stumble back, so it was only Alex's sudden appearance between them that stopped Shiro from lobbing a fireball at Lorna's hair. Alex's touch, and the brief flash of energy that accompanied it, gave Shiro pause as his body consumed what Alex had provided, and offered him the familiar sensation of exhilaration. But it was brief, and Shiro stepped back, wearing a mask of fury and even embarrassment. "This is pointless. You two belong with one another. Who am I to get in the middle of that?" he asked rhetorically, stepping back and preparing to take flight.

That was good enough. Lorna moved Alex aside, stepped forward and slugged Shiro hard all in a single smooth motion.

Alex had opened her mouth to retort what Shiro had said...but instead just let it hang up when she was shoved aside and Lorna decked Shiro. She could only stare as this night quickly went from fun to a nightmare. oh my god oh my god oh my god...

Shiro gaped at Lorna. "You . . ." He rubbed his jaw gingerly, wincing at the touch. Then he barked out a laugh. She'd started it, so he was absolutely within his rights to respond in kind. So respond he did, and aimed a punch at Lorna's gut. And wow did that feel good.

Oh, she'd been wanting to do this for months. "That's it..." He stripped off the ruined jacket and threw it at Shiro's face, following after it with another quick jab. The trouble here was that Shiro was in his own body and had a long better hand to hand training. But hell, she had several inches and dozens of pounds of muscle. That was even enough.

It was so not fair that Alex's body change had also made her slighter and smaller. "Oh come on! This is really mature! Stop it both of you!" She tried to pull them apart but was shoved away again, by who she wasn't sure. Angry now, She blasted a nearby planter, sending dirt and flowers raining down around them. No doubt that manager would have a fit but it did the purpose of getting their attention way from beating the crap out of each other. "To both of you, I'm sorry about what happened. I'll face the consequences whatever they are. But if you two want to beat each other up to make you feel better, then fine, but I'm not going to be a part of it." And then she turned and went back inside to look for someone to take her home...preferably before she started to cry.

It was a tough decision: continue this mighty fine physical beat down of the person whom he could blame a number of problems on, or leave it and try to console one of the few people who actually meant something to him. So Shiro chose neither. He released Lorna's arm, which he'd grabbed after blocking an attack, and lifted off. "Neither of you have to be a part of anything, so far as I am concerned. This is pointless."

"Asshole," Lorna snapped back. "I walked away because I didn't want to hurt him. You're running because you're hurt." Without waiting for a response, he turned and dashed inside, determined to find Alex and make things better. Somehow.

"Just taking after you," Shiro muttered as he flew away. "~Maybe if I act more like you, then Alex won't leave . . .~"