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Jan. 20th, 2004 12:19 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsEver see a logarithmic curve? I think that's Doug's emotional curve right now. Up, up, up, up, up, CRASH.
Posted for Doug's player, because I am awesome.
Doug tapped lightly on the door to Manuel's room, a sheaf of freshly translated notes in his hand. He was still feeling extremely giddy since Marie had given him the brief kiss on the cheek, and he did a slight dance as he waited for Manuel to answer the knock.
Manuel, for his part, opened the door relatively quickly. "Ah, Doug." he said, in English. Switching back to Spanish, he said "Just the person I wanted to talk to. I have had a revelation."
Doug raised an eyebrow in response. "Interesting. A revelation about what?" His accent still wasn't the match of Manuel's smooth Castillian tones, but at least he was starting to sound a little less book-taught after spending time listening to the Spaniard.
"About language and emotions. See, I was working with Ms Frost today on my English, and I realized something. If I concentrate, I can tell if a word is right or wrong based on the feelings it raises in the listener!" Clearly, Doug's good mood was beginning to rub off on Manuel, because Manuel _never_ sounded this excited, and he's even smiling now.
Doug smiled in response. "That sounds fantastic, Manuel. You're making some very good progress, and in such a short amount of time. I'm very happy for you." Remembering belatedly, he handed the notes over. "By the way, I finished translating the notes from Ms. Braddock's psychology class."
Manuel smiled as he accepts the notes. "Thanks. These will help a _lot_. Hey, do you want to come in for a while before dinner?" he asked, wheeling himself to present an opening to the blond boy if he wants to take it.
Doug nodded. "That sounds wonderful." Entering the room, he found a chair and lowered himself into it. "So," he said, "you seem to be getting around a lot better. How has the physical therapy been going? Does Dr. McCoy think you'll be needing the chair much longer?"
Manuel kept smiling, even though his eyes got a slightly panicked (and reddish?) look. "Ah, I used to really hate the chair, but right now, I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm in too good of a mood right now. But the therapy is progressing, albeit slowly. Can't rush things, you know."
Doug nodded. "That makes sense. It will be good when you're finally well again." The bubbly giddy feeling inside Doug felt like it was slowly growing. He grinned irrepressably, tapping one foot to an imagined rhythm.
Manuel's eyes were now undoubtedly glowing red, and he made no attempt at hiding it. "I had a pretty intense workout earlier today. Made a full lap around the pool today. It really tired me out, but Dr McCoy says that I'm rebuilding muscle mass right on schedule."
Doug smiled, nearly on the point of laughing from sheer joy, and placed a comradely hand on Manuel's shoulder. He was just so very _happy_. Everything felt right with the world. "That's excellent to hear."
The eyeglow was intensifying. "I think something's wrong." Manuel said with a smile. "I know that I'm never this cheerful and happy. And I know it's not right. And you know what? I really don't care. It feels too good to be happy once in a while."
Doug grinned, almost manically. "I think you're right. I've been happy most of the past couple days, but this seems like a bit much even for me. And I don't really care myself. How about that?" He giggled.
Manuel managed to bite back a giggle, but it clearly took a lot of effort. His eyes were now completely obscured by the hellish red glow. "Yeah, you've got a point. Hey, now that I'm thinking about it, you're really happy about something. Feel like talking about it?"
Doug grinned. "Well, there's this girl." He blushed slightly. "There's a lot of stuff complicating the whole situation, but she said that she likes me, and she even gave me a kiss the other day."
Manuel smiled. "That's really lame, but right now that's OK. You're happy, so I'm happy! What could be wrong with that? And is this girl anyone I know?"
Somewhere in the back of his head, a piece of Doug's brain was trying to tell him that maybe it wasn't so great to have his feelings dismissed as 'lame', but he was too busy feeling too good. "Marie. The one with the stripe in her hair."
"Marie, eh? I think I've seen her around. Not bad, if you like 'em bony. But all she did was kiss you? You didn't even get any? That's both really lame and really, really cool, all at the same time. Ahhh, it's all good, really. Just - good. Yeah. Good." said Manuel with a almost drugged expression. "Umm, Doug? I think we have a problem here. This isn't right. Not that there's anything wrong with feeling good, because it's good to feel good. But this isn't right."
Doug was starting to get a similar expression to Manuel. "I think you're right, Manuel. Um, maybe I should go back to my room. Maybe that will help whatever it is that's going on with us." Doug nodded jerkily. "I...think I'm going to go back to my room now. See you." He abruptly moved to the door and let himself out. As he wandered down the hall, he grinned to himself and snapped his fingers rhythmically.
Manuel, for his part, just leaned back in his wheelchair and smiled blissfully. Surely something that felt so right, so good, couldn't be wrong. Could it?
------
Doug moved around his room, feeling too good to sit still. Then, suddenly, a particularly toe-tapping song came on his computer's MP3 player, and Doug was struck with an idea. Grinning to himself, he fished out his leather pants and shimmied into them. Turning up the sound on his speakers, he skidded out into the hall and began singing in a bad parody of Moira's Scottish accent, "When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you..." Finding Artie and Miles walking back towards the room, he gathered them up and sat them down, singing to their increasing giggles.
Marie-Ange poked her head out of her room at the noise. Once she identified who was performing in the hallway, and checked her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things, and pinched herself to make sure it was not yet another dream, and once the song had ended, she called out. "Doug? Are you giving a concert?"
Doug's response was a wicked grin that verged on a smirk as he continued wailing along with The Proclaimers. As the song ended, he hit pause on his remote and drew Artie and Miles off to one side and whispered to them so that Marie-Ange couldn't hear him. Then, breaking the huddle, he unpaused the playlist as a punk cover of "The Rainbow Connection" came on, and all three played along on their air guitars, Miles' piping boy soprano meshing with Doug's mellow tenor.
Eyes wide in surprise, Marie-Ange darted back to her room, but returned a scant few minutes later, grinning playfully. She produced a digital camera in one hand. "Say cheese." and took several snapshots.
Doug vamped outrageously for the camera, encouraging Miles and Artie to do the same. As the song ended, he grinned and shuffled through his playlist until he found the one he wanted. Grinning at Marie-Ange, he waited through the opening bars from The Police. Doing a passable imitation of Sting, he made it through the verse to the chorus, his grin widening. "Don't stand...don't stand...don't stand so close to me..."
A long pause followed the song, as Marie-Ange retreated back into the safety of the room once again. What came back out was not the quiet French girl, but a veritable barrage of socks, balled nylons, and one fuzzy slipper. "You are so a dead man!"
Doug ducked and avoided what he could of the sock barrage, giggling. His playlist cycled again, and Bryan Adams' guitar came on. "I got my first real six-string, bought it at the five and dime..."
Under the music, if you listened closely, a quiet giggle could be heard, along with the sound of typing. Once the typing ceased, Marie-Ange returned to her doorway. "Revenge is mine, Doug Ramsey."
------
Having tried (unsuccessfully) to concentrate enough to write more than two words for her English paper due in the next day (Professor Xavier had asked them to write about their Christmas vacation and she'd had trouble describing the illegal rave on Brighton Beach in terms that wouldn't freak out the munchkins) Amanda sighed and got up. She was restless in a way she hadn't been since visiting Stonehenge with some stoned hippie friends - she could feel the magic coursing through her and sitting still wasn't helping. Normally she'd go to a club or something when things got this bad, but since that wasn't an option here, she decided to go for a walk instead. 'Borrowing' Paige's winter coat from her closet, she left the room and entered the hallway...
...only to find a blond boy wearing leather pants dancing around the hall and singing loudly (and not badly, either)
"This would be Doug, right?" she asked no-one in particular as she leaned against the wall to watch the show. She wasn't the only one there.
Doug grinned wickedly as he watched the audience for his impromptu concert growing. Seeing the newest arrival, he cued another song from his remote. The opening notes from the Black Crowes spilled out into the hall as he began to sing, "Baby, here I am, a man on your scene...I can give you what you want but you got to come home with me..."
"Shinobi told me about the pants. Didn't expect an appearance this soon, but."
Doug smirked and danced in the circle that had grown around him. As the song ended, he cued another and danced a little closer to Amanda, singing directly to her along with The Clash. "London calling to the faraway towns...Now war is declared, and battle come down...London calling to the underworld...Come out of the cupboards, you boys and girls..."
Although it didn't really suit her image (or her mood at that point) Amanda couldn't help giggling. The image of Doug, all-American blonde boy gyrating to the Clash in those leather pants was just too funny.
""You know, if you're going to sing punk, you really ought to look the part, sunshine," she said with a suddenly evil grin.
"What...?" Doug began, but before he could say more, Amanda made some complicated gestures with her fingers and whispered a couple of words he couldn't quite catch. There was a brief flash of light, and when everyone's eyes cleared, Doug was now shirtless (although the pants remained), with the traditional punk chain-and-padlock choker around his neck.
"Much better." Amanda smiled at him as she brushed past, giving him a slap on the rear. "Now aren't you just the most adorable little punk? Thanks for the song - I'll catch you in a bit. You owe me a tutoring session, remember?" And with that she left, leaving a bemused Doug and amused by-standers in her wake.
------
If Doug were to stop and think about it, he'd probably be a lot more self-conscious about the fact that he was dancing and singing in front of the better part of the student body wearing nothing but his leather pants and the padlock and chain choker that Amanda had magicked up. But the fact of the matter was, he was just feeling too _good_ to worry about it. The songs kept coming, and he kept singing.
There had been a lot of music coming from out in the hall and Marie was finally lured away from her reading material to see what was going on. She wandered out, hands in her jeans pockets to find Doug holding what seemed like a private concert of sorts for a number of students. He was wearing leather pants and a collar and seemed to be in full swing, enjoying himself immensely. The sight of it resonated with the good mood she'd been in all day and she drew closer, watching him perform unselfconsciously.
Doug was submersed in the music, feeling the enjoyment of his audience on an almost tangible level. A few songs went by, and then the strumming of an acoustic guitar reverbated throughout the hallway. Turning almost instinctively to where Marie stood, Doug gazed right at her, singing as though she was the only one there. Totally unselfconscious, words coming straight from the heart. "My stupid mouth / Has got me in trouble / I said too much again / To a date over dinner yesterday / And I could see / She was offended / She said "well anyway..." / Just dying for a subject change..."
Marie couldn't help but smile at the beginning of the song and then blush when she heard the rest of the verse. Looking down at her feet, she laughed and then looked up at Doug again, shaking her head a little.
Doug smiled at Marie, and continued like the rest of the world didn't exist. "Oh, another social casualty / Score one more for me / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one soon..."
/Silly,/ she said, just her lips moving. Doug looked so happy and carefree, it was endearing. -He really is a sweet guy,- she thought with a twinge of regret for any pain she might cause him.
Doug read her lips and grinned even wider. Yes, he was being silly. But he was just brimming over with joy and life and putting it all into lyrics felt even better. "We bit our lips / She looked out the window / Rolling tiny balls of napkin paper / I played a quick game of chess with the salt and pepper shaker / And I could see clearly / An indelible line was drawn / Between what was good, what just slipped out and what went wrong..."
Marie bit her lip in unconscious mimicry of his words at their accuracy but Doug was obviously not taking it too seriously. He had a great voice and it was just good to see him, as she'd said in a conversation before, find that center of himself where other people's opinions didn't matter.
Doug kept right on, his eyes locked with Marie's, as he returned to the bridge. "Oh, the way she feels about me has changed / Thanks for playing, try again. / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one..." Smiling gently, he sang the next bit softly. "I'm never speaking up again / It only hurts me / I'd rather be a mystery / Than she desert me / Oh I'm never speaking up again / Starting now..."
/I'm glad you told me,/ she mouthed, knowing full well he could read her lips.
The small part of Doug's brain that wasn't going along with the manic happiness brought about by whatever had happened with Manuel quietly said ~I hope so...~ Crinkling the edges of his eyes and smiling, Doug poured, if possible, even more emotion into the last verse. "One more thing / Why is it my fault? / So maybe I try too hard / But it's all because of this desire /I just wanna be liked / I just wanna be funny / Looks like the joke's on me / So call me captain backfire..." Closing his eyes, he sang one last time through the bridge. "Oh, another social casualty / Score one more for me / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one soon..." His voice trailed off with the guitar at the very end. "I'm never speaking up again / It only hurts me / I'd rather be a mystery / Than she desert me / Oh I'm never speaking up again / Starting now..."
Marie applauded briefly when Doug finished and stepped forward, offering him a hug.
Doug grinned and closed his eyes as the cheers and whistles of his classmates rolled over him. He stopped just short of Marie, vaguely aware of all the bare skin he had, and Marie's continued warnings about hurting him.
Marie hugged him carefully but warmly, her long-sleeved cotton blouse and thin gloves protection enough for both of them. "That was great," she said.
------
Cain Marko moved irritably through the main floor to the stairwell, the stairs bending slightly under his weight. ~What the hell is that noise upstairs? Sounds like a damn rock concert in the hallway.~ Rounding the corner, he saw a knot of students surrounding an open space containing just one person. The crowd was stomping and whistling, egging whoever it was on. Cain grumbled and drew in a breath as he prepared to disperse the crowd.
Manuel, for his part, opened his door so he could enjoy the music, and the empathic buzz from the crowd was coming very close to blowing the top of his head off. His eyes were glowing a very bright cherry red, and for once he just let everything slide and enjoy the happiness.
Cain's voice barked out like a drill sergeant on the parade deck. "Okay, everyone, party's over! This ain't friggin' Carnegie Hall in here! Go on, get going!" As the crowd began to disperse, Cain saw the student in the open space. Doug...Ramsey was the kid's name. But what the hell was he wearing? Cain didn't figure Ramsey for the bondage type. Doug was too busy gazing at the skunk-haired girl who had gotten all pissed at Cain's notice about the leaking roof. He stared intently at Doug. "What the hell is all this, Ramsey? And for Chrissake, put some damn clothes on!"
Manuel heard Cain (elk-herders in Finland had probably heard him) and decided that since he was feeling so much happiness that Cain needed to share in the love.
Cain, for his part, stopped and shook his head. "Alright, which one of you pinheaded little twerps is tryin' to mess with my mind? Because when I find out, I'm gonna get _real_ creative." He flexed his hands menacingly to demonstrate this point, and looked around at Doug and his crowd of onlookers.
Cain's bearing and growl sparked unexpected protectiveness in Marie and she took Doug firmly by the wrist and pulled him behind her, stepping forward as she did so. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited for someone to take responsibility for the game.
Doug, for his part, stood quietly behind Marie, rattled by the presence of one of the few other people in the mansion who seemed about as intimidating as Logan. And besides, he'd already attracted the notice of the behemoth. Better to shut up and try and get out of this one before he got in any more trouble.
Manuel blinked hard as a new emotion skittered across his senses - instead of the golden yellow, he was getting some very ugly black-and-red radiating from the freakishly large man standing by the crowd. "~So much for feeling good.~" he muttered under his breath as his feeling of good cheer and happiness disappeared like a popped soap bubble.
The same sensation of all the good cheer and happiness disappearing ran through Doug, and he staggered, suddenly feeling...violated. Not to mention much more aware of the fact that he no longer had a shirt. "Sorry, Mr. Marko. I just...was having a good time, so I thought I'd entertain everyone. I really...don't feel too good. Excuse me..." Doug staggered to his room, looking ashen. Managing to make it to his bed, he fell bonelessly to it, too drained to change from his outfit. A fit of shakes started.
Manuel, for his part, silently closed his door and wheeled himself back towards his bed. Straining, he flopped gracelessly out of the chair and face-first into his bed, where no one could see or hear him.
Cain, for his part, watched the students depart with some confusion. Shrugging, he stomped back downstairs.
Marie, seeing Cain depart without incident, followed Doug to his room. "Doug?" She pushed the door open and stepped in when she saw him looking ill.
A groan was her only response as Doug wearily covered his eyes with one hand. Not only did he have a raging headache that he figured must be something like what a hangover felt like, his entire mind felt like it had been shoved through a sewer pipe by a bristle brush.
"What the..." Marie shook her head and gave up asking questions. "Let's get you to bed properly," she said, looking him sprawled there on the covers in nothing but his infamous leather pants.
Doug whimpered. Clutching his arms around himself, he shivered, half from being shirtless and slightly cold, and half from the sudden withdrawal of what he now recognized as his artificially enhanced good mood. He kept his eyes shut tight, once again afraid to look at Marie.
"Come on, honey." Her tone was infinitely patient. "You need to get warm. And you look like you need something... tylenol? gravol? water?"
Doug sighed, weary to his bones. "What I really need," he whispered, "is the handy mutant ability to go back in time and not have completely humiliated myself in front of half the student body. Not to mention you."
"You were wonderful." Marie got a sweatshirt out of his closet and draped it over his chest. "Trust me. Why don't you get out of those magic pants of yours and I'll get you some water."
Once Marie had left the room, Doug summoned up all his strength, and shimmied out of the leather pants, leaving them in a haphazard pile on the floor. Putting his jeans back on, he held the sweatshirt for a moment, feeling a few tears run down his face and drip onto the cotton. Managing to pull the sweatshirt on, he once again flopped on top of his covers, curled into a ball, already half-asleep.
Marie came back to find Doug huddled on the covers and she sighed and put the water down. "Tired little rock star," she said affectionately. She picked him up as though he weighed nothing and pulled the covers back. "I don't know what happened." She laid him down and pulled the covers over him, tucking him in. "But you were very good." She smoothed his hair back from his pale face and then kissed him on the head. "Sleep. You know where I am if you need me."
Doug curled instinctively toward Rogue, but exhaustion had already sent him into unconsciousness.
Marie shut off his desk lamp and, finding some sticky notes, she wrote 'SLEEPING' on one in marker and put it on his door before turning off the overhead and shutting the door behind her.
Posted for Doug's player, because I am awesome.
Doug tapped lightly on the door to Manuel's room, a sheaf of freshly translated notes in his hand. He was still feeling extremely giddy since Marie had given him the brief kiss on the cheek, and he did a slight dance as he waited for Manuel to answer the knock.
Manuel, for his part, opened the door relatively quickly. "Ah, Doug." he said, in English. Switching back to Spanish, he said "Just the person I wanted to talk to. I have had a revelation."
Doug raised an eyebrow in response. "Interesting. A revelation about what?" His accent still wasn't the match of Manuel's smooth Castillian tones, but at least he was starting to sound a little less book-taught after spending time listening to the Spaniard.
"About language and emotions. See, I was working with Ms Frost today on my English, and I realized something. If I concentrate, I can tell if a word is right or wrong based on the feelings it raises in the listener!" Clearly, Doug's good mood was beginning to rub off on Manuel, because Manuel _never_ sounded this excited, and he's even smiling now.
Doug smiled in response. "That sounds fantastic, Manuel. You're making some very good progress, and in such a short amount of time. I'm very happy for you." Remembering belatedly, he handed the notes over. "By the way, I finished translating the notes from Ms. Braddock's psychology class."
Manuel smiled as he accepts the notes. "Thanks. These will help a _lot_. Hey, do you want to come in for a while before dinner?" he asked, wheeling himself to present an opening to the blond boy if he wants to take it.
Doug nodded. "That sounds wonderful." Entering the room, he found a chair and lowered himself into it. "So," he said, "you seem to be getting around a lot better. How has the physical therapy been going? Does Dr. McCoy think you'll be needing the chair much longer?"
Manuel kept smiling, even though his eyes got a slightly panicked (and reddish?) look. "Ah, I used to really hate the chair, but right now, I just can't bring myself to do it. I'm in too good of a mood right now. But the therapy is progressing, albeit slowly. Can't rush things, you know."
Doug nodded. "That makes sense. It will be good when you're finally well again." The bubbly giddy feeling inside Doug felt like it was slowly growing. He grinned irrepressably, tapping one foot to an imagined rhythm.
Manuel's eyes were now undoubtedly glowing red, and he made no attempt at hiding it. "I had a pretty intense workout earlier today. Made a full lap around the pool today. It really tired me out, but Dr McCoy says that I'm rebuilding muscle mass right on schedule."
Doug smiled, nearly on the point of laughing from sheer joy, and placed a comradely hand on Manuel's shoulder. He was just so very _happy_. Everything felt right with the world. "That's excellent to hear."
The eyeglow was intensifying. "I think something's wrong." Manuel said with a smile. "I know that I'm never this cheerful and happy. And I know it's not right. And you know what? I really don't care. It feels too good to be happy once in a while."
Doug grinned, almost manically. "I think you're right. I've been happy most of the past couple days, but this seems like a bit much even for me. And I don't really care myself. How about that?" He giggled.
Manuel managed to bite back a giggle, but it clearly took a lot of effort. His eyes were now completely obscured by the hellish red glow. "Yeah, you've got a point. Hey, now that I'm thinking about it, you're really happy about something. Feel like talking about it?"
Doug grinned. "Well, there's this girl." He blushed slightly. "There's a lot of stuff complicating the whole situation, but she said that she likes me, and she even gave me a kiss the other day."
Manuel smiled. "That's really lame, but right now that's OK. You're happy, so I'm happy! What could be wrong with that? And is this girl anyone I know?"
Somewhere in the back of his head, a piece of Doug's brain was trying to tell him that maybe it wasn't so great to have his feelings dismissed as 'lame', but he was too busy feeling too good. "Marie. The one with the stripe in her hair."
"Marie, eh? I think I've seen her around. Not bad, if you like 'em bony. But all she did was kiss you? You didn't even get any? That's both really lame and really, really cool, all at the same time. Ahhh, it's all good, really. Just - good. Yeah. Good." said Manuel with a almost drugged expression. "Umm, Doug? I think we have a problem here. This isn't right. Not that there's anything wrong with feeling good, because it's good to feel good. But this isn't right."
Doug was starting to get a similar expression to Manuel. "I think you're right, Manuel. Um, maybe I should go back to my room. Maybe that will help whatever it is that's going on with us." Doug nodded jerkily. "I...think I'm going to go back to my room now. See you." He abruptly moved to the door and let himself out. As he wandered down the hall, he grinned to himself and snapped his fingers rhythmically.
Manuel, for his part, just leaned back in his wheelchair and smiled blissfully. Surely something that felt so right, so good, couldn't be wrong. Could it?
------
Doug moved around his room, feeling too good to sit still. Then, suddenly, a particularly toe-tapping song came on his computer's MP3 player, and Doug was struck with an idea. Grinning to himself, he fished out his leather pants and shimmied into them. Turning up the sound on his speakers, he skidded out into the hall and began singing in a bad parody of Moira's Scottish accent, "When I wake up, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you..." Finding Artie and Miles walking back towards the room, he gathered them up and sat them down, singing to their increasing giggles.
Marie-Ange poked her head out of her room at the noise. Once she identified who was performing in the hallway, and checked her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things, and pinched herself to make sure it was not yet another dream, and once the song had ended, she called out. "Doug? Are you giving a concert?"
Doug's response was a wicked grin that verged on a smirk as he continued wailing along with The Proclaimers. As the song ended, he hit pause on his remote and drew Artie and Miles off to one side and whispered to them so that Marie-Ange couldn't hear him. Then, breaking the huddle, he unpaused the playlist as a punk cover of "The Rainbow Connection" came on, and all three played along on their air guitars, Miles' piping boy soprano meshing with Doug's mellow tenor.
Eyes wide in surprise, Marie-Ange darted back to her room, but returned a scant few minutes later, grinning playfully. She produced a digital camera in one hand. "Say cheese." and took several snapshots.
Doug vamped outrageously for the camera, encouraging Miles and Artie to do the same. As the song ended, he grinned and shuffled through his playlist until he found the one he wanted. Grinning at Marie-Ange, he waited through the opening bars from The Police. Doing a passable imitation of Sting, he made it through the verse to the chorus, his grin widening. "Don't stand...don't stand...don't stand so close to me..."
A long pause followed the song, as Marie-Ange retreated back into the safety of the room once again. What came back out was not the quiet French girl, but a veritable barrage of socks, balled nylons, and one fuzzy slipper. "You are so a dead man!"
Doug ducked and avoided what he could of the sock barrage, giggling. His playlist cycled again, and Bryan Adams' guitar came on. "I got my first real six-string, bought it at the five and dime..."
Under the music, if you listened closely, a quiet giggle could be heard, along with the sound of typing. Once the typing ceased, Marie-Ange returned to her doorway. "Revenge is mine, Doug Ramsey."
------
Having tried (unsuccessfully) to concentrate enough to write more than two words for her English paper due in the next day (Professor Xavier had asked them to write about their Christmas vacation and she'd had trouble describing the illegal rave on Brighton Beach in terms that wouldn't freak out the munchkins) Amanda sighed and got up. She was restless in a way she hadn't been since visiting Stonehenge with some stoned hippie friends - she could feel the magic coursing through her and sitting still wasn't helping. Normally she'd go to a club or something when things got this bad, but since that wasn't an option here, she decided to go for a walk instead. 'Borrowing' Paige's winter coat from her closet, she left the room and entered the hallway...
...only to find a blond boy wearing leather pants dancing around the hall and singing loudly (and not badly, either)
"This would be Doug, right?" she asked no-one in particular as she leaned against the wall to watch the show. She wasn't the only one there.
Doug grinned wickedly as he watched the audience for his impromptu concert growing. Seeing the newest arrival, he cued another song from his remote. The opening notes from the Black Crowes spilled out into the hall as he began to sing, "Baby, here I am, a man on your scene...I can give you what you want but you got to come home with me..."
"Shinobi told me about the pants. Didn't expect an appearance this soon, but."
Doug smirked and danced in the circle that had grown around him. As the song ended, he cued another and danced a little closer to Amanda, singing directly to her along with The Clash. "London calling to the faraway towns...Now war is declared, and battle come down...London calling to the underworld...Come out of the cupboards, you boys and girls..."
Although it didn't really suit her image (or her mood at that point) Amanda couldn't help giggling. The image of Doug, all-American blonde boy gyrating to the Clash in those leather pants was just too funny.
""You know, if you're going to sing punk, you really ought to look the part, sunshine," she said with a suddenly evil grin.
"What...?" Doug began, but before he could say more, Amanda made some complicated gestures with her fingers and whispered a couple of words he couldn't quite catch. There was a brief flash of light, and when everyone's eyes cleared, Doug was now shirtless (although the pants remained), with the traditional punk chain-and-padlock choker around his neck.
"Much better." Amanda smiled at him as she brushed past, giving him a slap on the rear. "Now aren't you just the most adorable little punk? Thanks for the song - I'll catch you in a bit. You owe me a tutoring session, remember?" And with that she left, leaving a bemused Doug and amused by-standers in her wake.
------
If Doug were to stop and think about it, he'd probably be a lot more self-conscious about the fact that he was dancing and singing in front of the better part of the student body wearing nothing but his leather pants and the padlock and chain choker that Amanda had magicked up. But the fact of the matter was, he was just feeling too _good_ to worry about it. The songs kept coming, and he kept singing.
There had been a lot of music coming from out in the hall and Marie was finally lured away from her reading material to see what was going on. She wandered out, hands in her jeans pockets to find Doug holding what seemed like a private concert of sorts for a number of students. He was wearing leather pants and a collar and seemed to be in full swing, enjoying himself immensely. The sight of it resonated with the good mood she'd been in all day and she drew closer, watching him perform unselfconsciously.
Doug was submersed in the music, feeling the enjoyment of his audience on an almost tangible level. A few songs went by, and then the strumming of an acoustic guitar reverbated throughout the hallway. Turning almost instinctively to where Marie stood, Doug gazed right at her, singing as though she was the only one there. Totally unselfconscious, words coming straight from the heart. "My stupid mouth / Has got me in trouble / I said too much again / To a date over dinner yesterday / And I could see / She was offended / She said "well anyway..." / Just dying for a subject change..."
Marie couldn't help but smile at the beginning of the song and then blush when she heard the rest of the verse. Looking down at her feet, she laughed and then looked up at Doug again, shaking her head a little.
Doug smiled at Marie, and continued like the rest of the world didn't exist. "Oh, another social casualty / Score one more for me / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one soon..."
/Silly,/ she said, just her lips moving. Doug looked so happy and carefree, it was endearing. -He really is a sweet guy,- she thought with a twinge of regret for any pain she might cause him.
Doug read her lips and grinned even wider. Yes, he was being silly. But he was just brimming over with joy and life and putting it all into lyrics felt even better. "We bit our lips / She looked out the window / Rolling tiny balls of napkin paper / I played a quick game of chess with the salt and pepper shaker / And I could see clearly / An indelible line was drawn / Between what was good, what just slipped out and what went wrong..."
Marie bit her lip in unconscious mimicry of his words at their accuracy but Doug was obviously not taking it too seriously. He had a great voice and it was just good to see him, as she'd said in a conversation before, find that center of himself where other people's opinions didn't matter.
Doug kept right on, his eyes locked with Marie's, as he returned to the bridge. "Oh, the way she feels about me has changed / Thanks for playing, try again. / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one..." Smiling gently, he sang the next bit softly. "I'm never speaking up again / It only hurts me / I'd rather be a mystery / Than she desert me / Oh I'm never speaking up again / Starting now..."
/I'm glad you told me,/ she mouthed, knowing full well he could read her lips.
The small part of Doug's brain that wasn't going along with the manic happiness brought about by whatever had happened with Manuel quietly said ~I hope so...~ Crinkling the edges of his eyes and smiling, Doug poured, if possible, even more emotion into the last verse. "One more thing / Why is it my fault? / So maybe I try too hard / But it's all because of this desire /I just wanna be liked / I just wanna be funny / Looks like the joke's on me / So call me captain backfire..." Closing his eyes, he sang one last time through the bridge. "Oh, another social casualty / Score one more for me / How could I forget? / Mama said "think before speaking" / No filter in my head / Oh, what's a boy to do / I guess he better find one soon..." His voice trailed off with the guitar at the very end. "I'm never speaking up again / It only hurts me / I'd rather be a mystery / Than she desert me / Oh I'm never speaking up again / Starting now..."
Marie applauded briefly when Doug finished and stepped forward, offering him a hug.
Doug grinned and closed his eyes as the cheers and whistles of his classmates rolled over him. He stopped just short of Marie, vaguely aware of all the bare skin he had, and Marie's continued warnings about hurting him.
Marie hugged him carefully but warmly, her long-sleeved cotton blouse and thin gloves protection enough for both of them. "That was great," she said.
------
Cain Marko moved irritably through the main floor to the stairwell, the stairs bending slightly under his weight. ~What the hell is that noise upstairs? Sounds like a damn rock concert in the hallway.~ Rounding the corner, he saw a knot of students surrounding an open space containing just one person. The crowd was stomping and whistling, egging whoever it was on. Cain grumbled and drew in a breath as he prepared to disperse the crowd.
Manuel, for his part, opened his door so he could enjoy the music, and the empathic buzz from the crowd was coming very close to blowing the top of his head off. His eyes were glowing a very bright cherry red, and for once he just let everything slide and enjoy the happiness.
Cain's voice barked out like a drill sergeant on the parade deck. "Okay, everyone, party's over! This ain't friggin' Carnegie Hall in here! Go on, get going!" As the crowd began to disperse, Cain saw the student in the open space. Doug...Ramsey was the kid's name. But what the hell was he wearing? Cain didn't figure Ramsey for the bondage type. Doug was too busy gazing at the skunk-haired girl who had gotten all pissed at Cain's notice about the leaking roof. He stared intently at Doug. "What the hell is all this, Ramsey? And for Chrissake, put some damn clothes on!"
Manuel heard Cain (elk-herders in Finland had probably heard him) and decided that since he was feeling so much happiness that Cain needed to share in the love.
Cain, for his part, stopped and shook his head. "Alright, which one of you pinheaded little twerps is tryin' to mess with my mind? Because when I find out, I'm gonna get _real_ creative." He flexed his hands menacingly to demonstrate this point, and looked around at Doug and his crowd of onlookers.
Cain's bearing and growl sparked unexpected protectiveness in Marie and she took Doug firmly by the wrist and pulled him behind her, stepping forward as she did so. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited for someone to take responsibility for the game.
Doug, for his part, stood quietly behind Marie, rattled by the presence of one of the few other people in the mansion who seemed about as intimidating as Logan. And besides, he'd already attracted the notice of the behemoth. Better to shut up and try and get out of this one before he got in any more trouble.
Manuel blinked hard as a new emotion skittered across his senses - instead of the golden yellow, he was getting some very ugly black-and-red radiating from the freakishly large man standing by the crowd. "~So much for feeling good.~" he muttered under his breath as his feeling of good cheer and happiness disappeared like a popped soap bubble.
The same sensation of all the good cheer and happiness disappearing ran through Doug, and he staggered, suddenly feeling...violated. Not to mention much more aware of the fact that he no longer had a shirt. "Sorry, Mr. Marko. I just...was having a good time, so I thought I'd entertain everyone. I really...don't feel too good. Excuse me..." Doug staggered to his room, looking ashen. Managing to make it to his bed, he fell bonelessly to it, too drained to change from his outfit. A fit of shakes started.
Manuel, for his part, silently closed his door and wheeled himself back towards his bed. Straining, he flopped gracelessly out of the chair and face-first into his bed, where no one could see or hear him.
Cain, for his part, watched the students depart with some confusion. Shrugging, he stomped back downstairs.
Marie, seeing Cain depart without incident, followed Doug to his room. "Doug?" She pushed the door open and stepped in when she saw him looking ill.
A groan was her only response as Doug wearily covered his eyes with one hand. Not only did he have a raging headache that he figured must be something like what a hangover felt like, his entire mind felt like it had been shoved through a sewer pipe by a bristle brush.
"What the..." Marie shook her head and gave up asking questions. "Let's get you to bed properly," she said, looking him sprawled there on the covers in nothing but his infamous leather pants.
Doug whimpered. Clutching his arms around himself, he shivered, half from being shirtless and slightly cold, and half from the sudden withdrawal of what he now recognized as his artificially enhanced good mood. He kept his eyes shut tight, once again afraid to look at Marie.
"Come on, honey." Her tone was infinitely patient. "You need to get warm. And you look like you need something... tylenol? gravol? water?"
Doug sighed, weary to his bones. "What I really need," he whispered, "is the handy mutant ability to go back in time and not have completely humiliated myself in front of half the student body. Not to mention you."
"You were wonderful." Marie got a sweatshirt out of his closet and draped it over his chest. "Trust me. Why don't you get out of those magic pants of yours and I'll get you some water."
Once Marie had left the room, Doug summoned up all his strength, and shimmied out of the leather pants, leaving them in a haphazard pile on the floor. Putting his jeans back on, he held the sweatshirt for a moment, feeling a few tears run down his face and drip onto the cotton. Managing to pull the sweatshirt on, he once again flopped on top of his covers, curled into a ball, already half-asleep.
Marie came back to find Doug huddled on the covers and she sighed and put the water down. "Tired little rock star," she said affectionately. She picked him up as though he weighed nothing and pulled the covers back. "I don't know what happened." She laid him down and pulled the covers over him, tucking him in. "But you were very good." She smoothed his hair back from his pale face and then kissed him on the head. "Sleep. You know where I am if you need me."
Doug curled instinctively toward Rogue, but exhaustion had already sent him into unconsciousness.
Marie shut off his desk lamp and, finding some sticky notes, she wrote 'SLEEPING' on one in marker and put it on his door before turning off the overhead and shutting the door behind her.
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