xp_logs | Sunday Afternoon- Scott and Alex

Scott comes over to Lorna's house to talk to Alex face to face about what happened.

Just because he knew Lorna's house was five minutes away from the school didn't stop time to take an eternity between when Alex knew Scott left the mansion to when he knew to expect a knock on the door. It wasn't so much that he was nervous, he actually really did want to talk to Scott about this, but still, it was going to be hard just due to the nature of the thing. When the knock actually came, Alex jumped from his spot on the floor, took a deep breath and answered it with a small, tired smile. "Hey bro."

Scott gave his surroundings a quick, assessing look - this was the first time he'd been in Lorna's place, after all - and then refocused on his brother. "Hey. Get any sleep?"

Alex rolled his eyes slightly, amused. "Yeah, lots. Who knew holding your powers in was just as tiring as expelling them?" He closed the door behind Scott and herded the dogs into the bedroom so they wouldn't be disturbed.

Scott made a face, while Alex couldn't see it. "Not good for you," he said. "I understand you don't want to be at the mansion right now, but if this goes on for more than a few days we need to find out another way for you to bleed off some of that energy."

Biting his lip as he went and sat down on the couch, Alex shook his head. "Oh I'm not doing it anymore. I know being out of the mansion is enough. But the hour or so I had to do it wiped me out completely. It's a good thing Lorna knows what happens when I use my powers because she knew just what I needed." He of course said this off-handed as if it was common sense.

The situation was more than a little odd, really. Scott sat down in one of the other chairs, repressing a sigh. "So," he said, and then found himself somewhat at a loss for words.

After examining his fingers for a few moments Alex looked up. "How's Shrio?"

"To be honest, I haven't sat down and talked to him properly about this yet," Scott said. "The doctors are still keeping tabs on him, as I understand. I've been a little more concerned with you." And not entirely sure that he trusted himself to talk to Shiro just yet. Maybe Ororo would be a better choice? But no, that was passing the buck...

"He's seeing the doctors, that's good." Alex said with serious relief. Then he sighed. "What do you want me to say Scott? I told you everything on the phone. Shiro is addicted to my powers, I knew it was bad for both of us, so I got out of there."

"I'm a bit more concerned about how fast you took off out of the mansion, and why," Scott said, and somehow managed to make it not sound like he was interrogating his brother. Probably because he was genuinely concerned, above and beyond anything else. "I know it can't have been good to figure out what was going on, but did anything else happen? You just weren't much more coherent on the phone when we talked..."

Alex again considered his hands and didn't look up at Scott as he spoke. "I wasn't running away if that's what you think." Those words just kinda burst out before he gained control of how he wanted to explain this. "I just had to get away from Shiro, because I didn't want him feeding off me and well...he'd been getting rather forceful lately. I didn't think anything of it, untill I realized why he was sick." His voice got softer and he put enough stress on the words that the 'it' was obvious.

Forceful? Okay then. Scott kept his voice and expression mild as he went on. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

But this was his brother. "No he didn't, and Scott, he wasn't thinking clearly." Alex wanted to stress this fact.

He was almost positive Alex wasn't telling him everything, but then, he really ought to have expected that. "You do realize I'm not going to go back to the mansion and punch him in the nose," Scott said, not quite lightly. "I haven't, yet."

And yet Scott would know or figure it out, both which Alex neither would be surprised at. But at his brother's words, he rolled his eyes. "I know that. But I just...yeah." He didn't know exactly what to say then. He wouldn't go so far as to say Shiro was still his best friend, but he still cared about the other boy.

"So what do you want to do?" Scott's voice was gentler, now. "Stay here for the time being?" He doubted Lorna would be kicking Alex out anytime soon.

"I don't think Lorna minds, so if its okay? I know I'd feel better if I didn't feel like I'd have to hold it in all the time." Which Alex would. If there was anything that made him paranoid was people feeding off him afterall. And he didn't want to hinder Shiro getting better. He paused before he added, "I'm okay Scott. Really." For the situation, but he was.

"Alex, you don't need my permission. I want you to be where you're comfortable, while we get this sorted out." Shiro's addiction issues weren't the only issues in this situation. Scott kicked Alex's leg lightly, more of a reproving tap. "And you don't need to keep telling me you're all right. You're going to have me thinking you're trying to convince yourself." The comment was deliberate, to see if Alex twitched, or had any other reaction that might suggest that was indeed what he was doing.

Alex couldn't help himself. He chuckled and kicked back. "Dully noted. I wasn't sure there /you/ believed /me/."

"Oh, I don't, but that's my brotherly prerogative so long as I'm not obnoxious about it, right?"

Alex just gave him an amused but pointed look.

Scott mustered an innocent look in return. It wasn't hard, although he still was deeply concerned about all of this. If there was one thing he'd learned in the last year and a bit, it was to compartmentalize really well.

And it was the innocent look that made Alex laugh again and reach over to hug his brother, just because.