Arise X-man || Give a little more
Nov. 13th, 2021 02:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsBackdated to Saturday 13th November
Trigger Warning: Mental Manipulation, Adult/Teenager Relationship, Dubious consent.
Laurie takes Nate to see a movie and test his abilities in a crowd. Results are surprising.
Laurie had been spending almost every moment she could snatch away at various points in the past few weeks with Nate, continuing to work on his powers and what pheromones were of most use in different moments.
He was not who she would have expected to meet all those weeks ago. Thoughtful, with a large destiny on his shoulders that she still not one hundred percent understand but seemed such a horrible weight to burden someone with.
She’d started out needing to help him, but she’d started wanting to help him as well.
“Do you think your father would let us go out if I asked? I was thinking we could do something fun, maybe a little silly?”
"Dad's not much for silly, but sure. It's not like I'm locked up here. We just need to be careful." Nate had explained about his illness when his powers first started to emerge, which kept him isolated for almost two years before his father figured out how to cure it. But because of the potential of his psionic abilities and the inability of his body to contain them reflexively, Nate had the power to accidentally hurt himself or others. For a teenager, Nate had an extraordinary sense of personal responsibility. She could tell the excitement he had about once his powers were stable being able to attend college classes with other students, roam around the city, but he wasn't willing to risk other people no matter how much he wanted to grab on to something more normal.
"Dad? Dad!" Nate said, stepping out of the lounge. Essex's head came up from behind a row of monitors. It was odd to watch the normally cold, calculating scientist act like a father. "Do you mind if we do a field trip?" Essex gave Laurie an inquisitive look.
“Nothing strenuous or dangerous,” Laurie replied with a smile. “I was thinking a movie honestly. It’s a good chance to test his abilities at telepathy in a crowd. Besides, there’s some quite good shows out that really need a large screen to be worthwhile.”
Essex paused for a moment. "I suppose there's no harm in a matinee. Although Adam, do turn on the bio-metric monitor on your phone before you leave."
Nate rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm just going to grab a sweater and my jacket." He said, heading back towards his living quarters. As he left, Essex turned back to Laurie.
"Part of your training program, Dr. Collins?"
“You’ve raised a fine man, Dr. Essex but he needs normality when he isn’t saving the world. I’d like to give him a view of the things he’ll be saving.” She hadn’t mentioned Nate’s talk to Essex, preferring to allow him to feel that she would keep anything between the two of them as confidential as he needed but she also wasn’t going to prevaricate either. “Maybe you might tell me about that someday.”
"In a stressful situation, Adam is capable of pulling down a building around himself by accident. Normality can come once he's capable of control. That's why his trips into the city are carefully monitored so that he can have time away from here without risking anyone." Essex said. "I'd like you to push him. Stimulate him. But... if he starts to lose control. I want him shut down immediately. This is a crash button. If anything happens, hit this button and we'll extract you both in a matter of minutes. Do you understand?"
“Of course.” Laurie took the button and placed it in the pocket of her jacket, within easy reach. She had confidence in her own powers to keep them safe but Essex had told her they were damaged, they would need to see how it worked out. “He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
"I expect him to be." The tone had a menace underneath. "Once you're done for the day, we have some things to discuss regarding your treatment."
“I’ll be sure to stop by.”
Laurie’s nonchalance over his tone was carefully considered. She was well aware of the threat Essex posed but he’d been magnanimous to this point, and as long as she treated his son well and kept him safe, she felt that she had nothing to worry over.
“Come on Nate, or I get to pick the movie!” She sang out, headed for the door. “And I’m sure there’s at least one zombie movie somewhere.”
"I'm here! I'm-" He was fumbling his phone, jacket, and general teenagedness for a moment. "What are we doing?"
“Movie first. Maybe food if it goes well and you’re feeling up to it.” Laurie laughed but it wasn’t cruel, just delighted by the excitement. “What genres do you like?”
"I'm open. I watch a lot of movies." It was a reminder that his life was often a bit lonely and isolated. He just wanted to be out.
“Flashy disaster movie it is then.”
It was too early for Die Hard, much as she loved finding cinemas showing it around Christmas time. But there was almost always a Blockbuster or two featuring explosions and screaming people around this time of year. It would be a test of his focus if she could get him to focus on the people in the theatre while all that was going on.
“I’ll buy you popcorn.”
***
They’d settled into their seats, one of those couple types that would allow her to keep her hand to his skin while they watched and she asked him to work.
She glanced at the advertisements scrolled across the screen currently and the few people settling around them. The movie had been out for a few weeks and so, it has been the perfect option.
“Tell me if you want to start or if you’d rather watch for a while.”
"I don't mind watching." He said, quietly twining his hand around her good one.
“It’s his last one, you know? Daniel Craig that is.” Laurie murmured, keeping her voice low as they got to the previews. “I think he’s been my favorite James Bond, though.”
‘No Time to Die’ had been showing as a matinee when she’d looked and she’d been meaning to see it, so it was serendipitous to both see it and test her ability to help Nate in public.
"Me too, although Pierce Brosnan was pretty cool." He was settled in, although couldn't stop shooting looks around at the other people. Most of his trips in the city had involved minimizing the crowds around him, which in turn had made him a bit of a people watcher.
“He wasn’t bad, but a little too polished for my liking,” Laurie admitted, not that spies couldn’t be polished. She wondered what Kevin would say about the Bond movies. Maybe she’d ask him the next time she met him passing in the hall. “They got the constant drinking right at least.”
"Tried to read the books but... well, he was pretty brutal in the one I read, so I stopped." The previews ended and they settled back for the movie.
“It’s not a life anyone would choose without reason,” Laurie noted, thinking of her friends in Xforce, and Darcy. “It’s a calling more than a job. You have to be okay with losing contact with a lot of the normalities of the world. I think you’d like some of my friends if you ever met, they’re good people.”
"Um, ok... the movie is starting."
***
Laurie had been using the movie to increase various pheromones, adrenaline, and other hormones much easier to control when what was on screen matched what she wanted to emit. She needed to test his abilities under stress, as Essex had requested.
“Feed me some popcorn?” she asked softly and then shook her head when he looked at her strangely and reached for the tub sitting nearby. “Not with your hands, with your mind, please. But make sure they don’t take notice as you do it, there’s only a few nearby, five minds should not be difficult.”
"Oh. Oh!" Nate concentrated, and several pieces floated around his hand. He motioned to Laurie. The first couple went to her mouth but the last one was in his fingers and he felt the soft pressure of her lips as she took it from him.
Laurie smiled as she ate the popcorn and nodded to the people around them.
“What are they thinking, did they notice?”
Nate tried to stretch out his mind but he staggered as a massive headache hit him and he all but whimpered in his seat.
Laurie placed her hand on the back of his neck, sending a combination of estrogen and endorphin to both relieve the pain he was feeling but also stop the constriction of blood vessels in his brain and body.
“Try again, Nate. You can do this.”
"I can't- It's too much-" Nate gasped, between the pain and the shame of failure.
Laurie increased the number of pheromones she was pouring into him, knowing some of it would leak out around them. She moved her hand from the back of his neck to his chin, pulling it up slightly so he was looking at her.
“It’s not. Not with me to help. You need to push a little bit, and trust that I won’t let it overwhelm you.”
He focused on her and the pain receded a bit. But the chaos was at the edge of his powers, threatening to overwhelm him. Until he pressed his lips to hers. And the pain disappeared.
Trigger Warning: Mental Manipulation, Adult/Teenager Relationship, Dubious consent.
Laurie takes Nate to see a movie and test his abilities in a crowd. Results are surprising.
Laurie had been spending almost every moment she could snatch away at various points in the past few weeks with Nate, continuing to work on his powers and what pheromones were of most use in different moments.
He was not who she would have expected to meet all those weeks ago. Thoughtful, with a large destiny on his shoulders that she still not one hundred percent understand but seemed such a horrible weight to burden someone with.
She’d started out needing to help him, but she’d started wanting to help him as well.
“Do you think your father would let us go out if I asked? I was thinking we could do something fun, maybe a little silly?”
"Dad's not much for silly, but sure. It's not like I'm locked up here. We just need to be careful." Nate had explained about his illness when his powers first started to emerge, which kept him isolated for almost two years before his father figured out how to cure it. But because of the potential of his psionic abilities and the inability of his body to contain them reflexively, Nate had the power to accidentally hurt himself or others. For a teenager, Nate had an extraordinary sense of personal responsibility. She could tell the excitement he had about once his powers were stable being able to attend college classes with other students, roam around the city, but he wasn't willing to risk other people no matter how much he wanted to grab on to something more normal.
"Dad? Dad!" Nate said, stepping out of the lounge. Essex's head came up from behind a row of monitors. It was odd to watch the normally cold, calculating scientist act like a father. "Do you mind if we do a field trip?" Essex gave Laurie an inquisitive look.
“Nothing strenuous or dangerous,” Laurie replied with a smile. “I was thinking a movie honestly. It’s a good chance to test his abilities at telepathy in a crowd. Besides, there’s some quite good shows out that really need a large screen to be worthwhile.”
Essex paused for a moment. "I suppose there's no harm in a matinee. Although Adam, do turn on the bio-metric monitor on your phone before you leave."
Nate rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, of course. I'm just going to grab a sweater and my jacket." He said, heading back towards his living quarters. As he left, Essex turned back to Laurie.
"Part of your training program, Dr. Collins?"
“You’ve raised a fine man, Dr. Essex but he needs normality when he isn’t saving the world. I’d like to give him a view of the things he’ll be saving.” She hadn’t mentioned Nate’s talk to Essex, preferring to allow him to feel that she would keep anything between the two of them as confidential as he needed but she also wasn’t going to prevaricate either. “Maybe you might tell me about that someday.”
"In a stressful situation, Adam is capable of pulling down a building around himself by accident. Normality can come once he's capable of control. That's why his trips into the city are carefully monitored so that he can have time away from here without risking anyone." Essex said. "I'd like you to push him. Stimulate him. But... if he starts to lose control. I want him shut down immediately. This is a crash button. If anything happens, hit this button and we'll extract you both in a matter of minutes. Do you understand?"
“Of course.” Laurie took the button and placed it in the pocket of her jacket, within easy reach. She had confidence in her own powers to keep them safe but Essex had told her they were damaged, they would need to see how it worked out. “He’ll be fine, I’m sure.”
"I expect him to be." The tone had a menace underneath. "Once you're done for the day, we have some things to discuss regarding your treatment."
“I’ll be sure to stop by.”
Laurie’s nonchalance over his tone was carefully considered. She was well aware of the threat Essex posed but he’d been magnanimous to this point, and as long as she treated his son well and kept him safe, she felt that she had nothing to worry over.
“Come on Nate, or I get to pick the movie!” She sang out, headed for the door. “And I’m sure there’s at least one zombie movie somewhere.”
"I'm here! I'm-" He was fumbling his phone, jacket, and general teenagedness for a moment. "What are we doing?"
“Movie first. Maybe food if it goes well and you’re feeling up to it.” Laurie laughed but it wasn’t cruel, just delighted by the excitement. “What genres do you like?”
"I'm open. I watch a lot of movies." It was a reminder that his life was often a bit lonely and isolated. He just wanted to be out.
“Flashy disaster movie it is then.”
It was too early for Die Hard, much as she loved finding cinemas showing it around Christmas time. But there was almost always a Blockbuster or two featuring explosions and screaming people around this time of year. It would be a test of his focus if she could get him to focus on the people in the theatre while all that was going on.
“I’ll buy you popcorn.”
***
They’d settled into their seats, one of those couple types that would allow her to keep her hand to his skin while they watched and she asked him to work.
She glanced at the advertisements scrolled across the screen currently and the few people settling around them. The movie had been out for a few weeks and so, it has been the perfect option.
“Tell me if you want to start or if you’d rather watch for a while.”
"I don't mind watching." He said, quietly twining his hand around her good one.
“It’s his last one, you know? Daniel Craig that is.” Laurie murmured, keeping her voice low as they got to the previews. “I think he’s been my favorite James Bond, though.”
‘No Time to Die’ had been showing as a matinee when she’d looked and she’d been meaning to see it, so it was serendipitous to both see it and test her ability to help Nate in public.
"Me too, although Pierce Brosnan was pretty cool." He was settled in, although couldn't stop shooting looks around at the other people. Most of his trips in the city had involved minimizing the crowds around him, which in turn had made him a bit of a people watcher.
“He wasn’t bad, but a little too polished for my liking,” Laurie admitted, not that spies couldn’t be polished. She wondered what Kevin would say about the Bond movies. Maybe she’d ask him the next time she met him passing in the hall. “They got the constant drinking right at least.”
"Tried to read the books but... well, he was pretty brutal in the one I read, so I stopped." The previews ended and they settled back for the movie.
“It’s not a life anyone would choose without reason,” Laurie noted, thinking of her friends in Xforce, and Darcy. “It’s a calling more than a job. You have to be okay with losing contact with a lot of the normalities of the world. I think you’d like some of my friends if you ever met, they’re good people.”
"Um, ok... the movie is starting."
***
Laurie had been using the movie to increase various pheromones, adrenaline, and other hormones much easier to control when what was on screen matched what she wanted to emit. She needed to test his abilities under stress, as Essex had requested.
“Feed me some popcorn?” she asked softly and then shook her head when he looked at her strangely and reached for the tub sitting nearby. “Not with your hands, with your mind, please. But make sure they don’t take notice as you do it, there’s only a few nearby, five minds should not be difficult.”
"Oh. Oh!" Nate concentrated, and several pieces floated around his hand. He motioned to Laurie. The first couple went to her mouth but the last one was in his fingers and he felt the soft pressure of her lips as she took it from him.
Laurie smiled as she ate the popcorn and nodded to the people around them.
“What are they thinking, did they notice?”
Nate tried to stretch out his mind but he staggered as a massive headache hit him and he all but whimpered in his seat.
Laurie placed her hand on the back of his neck, sending a combination of estrogen and endorphin to both relieve the pain he was feeling but also stop the constriction of blood vessels in his brain and body.
“Try again, Nate. You can do this.”
"I can't- It's too much-" Nate gasped, between the pain and the shame of failure.
Laurie increased the number of pheromones she was pouring into him, knowing some of it would leak out around them. She moved her hand from the back of his neck to his chin, pulling it up slightly so he was looking at her.
“It’s not. Not with me to help. You need to push a little bit, and trust that I won’t let it overwhelm you.”
He focused on her and the pain receded a bit. But the chaos was at the edge of his powers, threatening to overwhelm him. Until he pressed his lips to hers. And the pain disappeared.
