Jay & Cessily morning, Jay & Tommy the sam.

[x-icarus.livejournal.com]

Jay and Cessily look for people and a loss of control makes things go bad to worse.

Sitting in front of the boat, Jay folded the side of the map to the area he was told to focus on. Taking up navigator, Jay sat up and braced a hand on the side of the boat, looking for stranded people. Or bodies. His skin crawled at the thought and he shivered as a gust of wind cooled him further and he brushed his wet hair away from his face. The radio on his hip cracked and someone spoke something muffled, but in their inexperience, they cut half of what they said off and waited for someone to answer. It was at that moment Jay looked up from his map and turned his head, glancing back at his current partner, Cessily. Not much came from either of them, no introductions, just get in the boat and do it.

"Helloooooooooooooooooo!?" he called out.

After waiting a long moment, Jay sighed. "How is it that we're supposed to find people in this slop? Ah thought they said there was people stranded. Ain't a person in sight."

"That's what scares me," Cess said quietly, eyes intent on the water.

His eyes followed her gaze, down to the water, judging seven, maybe ten feet between them and the ground. The water was murky, undrinkable and again, Jay wondered if they would find bodies. "Ah keep thinkin' we're gonna turn a corner and someone's gonna jump out of the water to sink us. Turn here, Ah think," he said, unsure if they were where they were suppose to be, checking the map again. They were following the streets. Behind them, another boat followed, two other people looking for anything they missed. He looked at the other boat some ways away and they turned, gesturing Cessily to guide them.

Cess steered the boat uncertainly, following Jay's direction. "If someone does, don't count on me to do anything but squeal like a little girl."

"You'll be fine, oh hey, look. See that guy? Go to him. Ah'll go get him." Jay stood up, wobbling the boat and spread his wings, taking off. He was careful not to shake it too much as he started flying towards the man on the roof. He looked safe enough and the man stood up upon seeing them, but he backed up a few paces.

Jay got close to the water, getting ready to land when a gust of wind threw his balance. Blown awkwardly to one side, one quarter of his wing caught in the water and it tumbled him down into the water. Jay hands frantically searched to grab for something but there was nothing and he panicked, trying to swim, broke the surface. Sputtering and gasping for air, the water carried him fast.

"Cess!" he coughed, spitting out water and tried to lift his wet wings from the pull. "Cess!"

"Oh no!" Cess gasped as she threw herself across the boat. She reached out to grasp at Jay's hand desperately, but even as she did, she felt her control slipping away.

Jay's desperate hand closed around hers and he pulled, his slopping wings felt like suctioned weights and he reached out to grasp the edge of the boat.

Cess pulled back against Jay's weight, feeling the boat rock under their combined mass. Her scream was cut short as the boat rocked back. Her control snapped. She lost all shape and dropped through the water like a lead weight.

No! The word didn't even break his lips. Cessily slipped through his hands and he disappeared beneath the surface without so much as a breath being taken. Jay battled the current, his arms reaching out blindly to grab anything that he could. Panic rose in his throat and he flapped uselessly.



Jay gets into an unexpected jam and Tommy gets him out.

Jay's body hit the object with brute force and he coughed, gasping for air that wouldn't come. His lungs filled with water and he gasp again only taking in more. Struggling, his wings flailed wildly where he was pinned, his head underwater, his wings above. A dead robin surfaced into his head, his body floating in the calm water, long after it had drown and it changed to his dead lover, Kevin. This last thought gave Jay one last struggle to get himself out, out of the netting caught around his feet. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!


It was the red wings that caught Tommy's attention as he was searching the water for anyone in need of help. Him and John, another volunteer, had just saved some pets at a couple houses and had just come back out onto the water in there boat. He pointed in Jay's direction. "John, over there!" The other teenager nodded and gunned the engine of the motor boat. They made up the distance quickly, John slowing as they neared their target.


His finger nails dug into the brick, and he tried to push frantically away from the wall. A cry swelled in his throat but it choked on a gasp. His body shuddered once, stiffening and went limp. His wings fell under, just the hint of them above water.

"Slow down!" Tommy warned as he hooked his feet around the bench of the boat and leaned out towards the red wings. He tried rousing the body attached but got no response and trying to pull the other mutant into the boat, even with John's help, proved to be a failure as well.

It was John who found the source of the problem. "Tommy, look. I think he's caught on the net that's tangled along that wall.

Tommy was already pulling off his gloves as he got a better hold on the bench with his legs. "If I fall in, pull him in first. I'll be okay for a minute between the wall and boat. " John only nodded, having already seen Tommy use his powers to clear debris numerous times. Taking a deep breath, Tommy leaned far over the side of the boat, dunking his arms into the water so could reach down for the net. A moment later, the net dissolved into salt.

With the netting released, Jay's limp body slipped from the wall, but firm hands grasped his wings, hauling him up into the boat. He fell cross the boat bench, his back arching and his head lulled back.


As John pulled Jay back into the boat, Tommy pulled his arms back into the boat and put back on his gloves. When he turned around, John was doing CPR. Tommy moved to take over for him so John could take them to get medical attention.

Jay's chest convulsed as his body jerked, his muscles spasming with the sudden shock of restored life. He lurched forward, coughing and spitting as his lungs forced out the murky water that had nearly killed him. His chest hurt and his lungs burned with each sharp cough. Suddenly, Jay felt himself being rolled over and automatically tried to grip something stable. His clinging fingers caught Tommy's arm, holding it firmly. Then his soaked wings spread half-open, ready to flap, as his body shook off the last tremors of his close brush with death.

Tommy held Jay steady as the boat rocked with both moving through the water and the sudden movement of Jay's wings. "Jay...can you hear me? Are you alright?" He asked, wanting to know if there was anything else wrong that he hadn't noticed.

Nodding, Jay stilled himself and didn't move for four long breaths, instantly reminded how good it felt to breath in air and not water. His mouth tasted like rotten fish, gritty dirt (among other things) and he bit back the impulse to throw up. Three more shaky breaths and his salivating mouth wouldn't allow for any other taste except for the bile and more water, hunching his back while he puked into the boat.

One hand holding onto Jay to keep him steady, Tommy fished around with the other until he came across a bottle of drinking water. He made sort work of the cap before offering it to the sputtering Jay. "Here, this should help."


He turned away from the water, running the back of his wet hand across his bottom lip, taking several more moments to ground himself. Or at least as grounded as he could get in the boat. His body shivered and he wished he had something warm over his shoulders without his wet wings hindering him. His arms folded and crossed over the bench and Jay closed his eyes, resting his head there. He could feel the warm body leaning against him, wished it would come closer but he couldn't bring himself to move yet, just in case he threw up again.


When Jay released him, Tommy reached over and grabbed a blanket, spreading it over the other. "We're going to get you help Jay, just hang on."