Rictor & Shatterstar, Thursday evening
Feb. 29th, 2024 05:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsShatterstar invites Rictor to try to re-create their powers circuit from the District X attack. It unlocks a lot of feelings for the boys. (Also Rictor is a huge weeb.)
Shatterstar didn't know why he had put effort into his appearance before he went to Rictor's suite door. He didn't know why, when he was going to ask Rictor to train with him, he had carefully rebraided his hair and outlined his birthmark in eyeliner. He didn't know why his stomach refused to settle as he knocked.
"Rictor. Would you like to train? With me. I believe I could amplify your powers again," he said all in one breath.
It was a minute before Rictor opened the door, punctuated by muffled Spanish swears as a freshly showered post-work Rictor hastily pulled on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. He answered Shatterstar's summons still drying his hair with a towel. "Star. Hi. Sorry, I didn't hear all that. Huh?" He stepped aside to let his friend in.
Any competent thoughts processes left his head when he saw Rictor drying his hair, still wet from his shower. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, suddenly entirely conscious that he didn't know what to do with his hands. "Do you want to train. Um. With me."
Great job, Shatter, very eloquent.
What was wrong with him? It was just Rictor. So what if using their powers together had made him feel like touching a live wire. They'd seen each other plenty of times since then. Granted, he hadn't been asking Rictor to do something so intimate as sharing his power those times.
Rictor's fingers tingled at the memory of their teamwork, Shatterstar's calloused hand in his, the power flowing through them, both gifts amplified. Rictor couldn't say yes fast enough. "I need to put on clothes first!" Tossing the towel on the sofa, he retreated to his room and emerged shortly after in a sweatshirt and tugging on socks. "The quarry again? Unless we can get someone to supervise the Danger Room."
"Yes, the quarry," Shatterstar agreed, feeling as though it was their special spot- somewhere secret between them even though everyone knew about it. He waited patiently for Rictor to finish dressing for the cold, shoving his hands into his pockets when he couldn't figure out what to do with them.
He didn't want to ask anyone to supervise them. He wanted, selfishly, for this to be private.
"Vámonos." Rictor shut the door behind them as they left, then pulled on a wool beanie so his damp hair would not freeze. He considered gloves, too, but worried that would impede sharing their gift. And besides, he also wanted to feel . . . no, never mind that. This was purely for their own power and safety.
Neither said a word as they headed downstairs to the backdoor, an unusual silence for the two of them. Rictor glanced at Shatterstar, then nudged him with an elbow. "Why so serious?" he teased, longing to diffuse whatever tension was growing.
"I'm always serious, you know that," Shatterstar teased back, but the nervousness that had been building in the air around them dissipated. He nudged Rictor back playfully. It was so easy to be playful with Rictor. It was like he brought out a side to himself he didn't know he had.
They came to the quarry and it looked the same as always- their own private spot. Shatterstar brought his hands out of his pockets. "My suspicion is that I redirect your power," Shatterstar said, betraying that he had put significant thought into this.
"Redirect? What do you mean?" Rictor asked, his mental dictionary failing to translate that word into anything meaningful.
"Like. I make your power go through the air too instead of just the ground," Shatterstar said, tugging one of his braids as he thought about how to describe what he meant. "Or maybe we both make the reach of each other's power bigger?"
Rictor squatted and placed his hand on the ground, his usual warmup to align himself with the silent shifting of the Earth deep down. He had been here for barely 6 months, but this place was already familiar and intimate in a way his time at university in CDMX never was. "I thought about that," he said, gently drawing on the tectonic forces stirring beneath them. "Maybe your vibrations intensify my own. So, yes, we improve each other."
"I'm like a tool for you," Shatterstar said with a quiet satisfaction that his powers and his hollow bones and the resonance they created could improve Rictor's powers in the same way a tuning fork or a metal rod like his sword did for him. He liked the idea of being a tool, of being useful to Rictor in battle. A weapon at his side. He squatted next to Rictor even though he didn't have to and held out a hand. "I want to know if I can feel the vibrations like you."
Rictor caught Shatterstar's eyes and held his gaze. "You're not a tool to me, Star," he affirmed, his tone serious and steady. "That's not a thing you should say about yourself. People are not tools." He turned his attention back to the ground, surprised to find he had clenched his fist around a clod of dirt. "When we cleaned up after the hurricane, Marie-Ange told me that there are so many people who try to, uh, exploit? I think that's the word she used. Exploit mutants. Turn them into weapons. Her whole life is about making sure no one suffers that.
"Even as a joke, I don't like to think of you in that situation."
Shatterstar felt like he was stuck in a wave at how seriously Rictor responded. It struck him that Rictor cared about him- he really cared about him. He cared about him enough that Shatterstar doubted it would matter if he explained that he would like to be his tool. It wouldn't matter that Shatterstar didn't see it as an act of exploitation, but as being useful to Rictor. Maybe it was because Shatterstar took good care of his tools, revered them even, that he hadn't thought of it as a bad thing.
He didn't know how to explain that he already felt like a weapon, and he trusted Rictor to wield him well.
"I wouldn't want you to be a weapon either," Shatterstar said instead. After a moment he added. "We can be partners."
Rictor was sure his face was reddening because it was cold out and not for any other reason. No way, no how. He stood back up, wiping his hands on his pants, and held out his left hand for Shatterstar to take. "Somos compañeros. Or nakama, like in One Piece. Bueno, let's try and see what happens."
"You lead, and I'll amplify," Shatterstar said, clapping his hand into Rictor's and interlacing their fingers.
Nakama. He had never watched One Piece before meeting Rictor, but he liked the sound of that.
Shatterstar closed his eyes, trusting, and let Rictor work.
That same wave of power rippled through the two young mutants as they held onto each other, their joint hands glowing with that same eerie green energy. Rictor let it build inside them for only a moment before it was too much and expelled it. The air rippled and they heard a crack like thunder, but it fizzled before it traveled far. Even so, Rictor was left breathless trying to command that much energy.
"Mierda. That was lame."
Shatterstar had felt the power as a gentler set of vibrations, flowing from the side of his body connected to Rictor's to the other side where he had extended his hand. It wasn't as overpowering as it had been in District X, or as it could be when he was producing it himself. It reminded him, strangely, of riding the T in Boston. A rumbling.
"It felt good." Shatterstar responded, even if the result had been a big bang but not far travelled. "Controlled."
"I guess," Rictor lamented, "But I was hoping for a bigger boom. How do you feel? Are you sore and sunburned?"
"Good sore only," Shatterstar said in surprise at the realization. It felt like after a hard stretch, sure, but he didn't feeln dizzy or sunburned. It was easier, with Rictor. It felt... good. tiring still, but not exhausting. Unconciously, he ran his thumb over Rictor's hand.
The little gesture, inadvertant as it was, did not go unnoticed. Rictor had the presence of mind not to jerk his hand out of Shatterstar's, but the prolonged contact only made his heart beat faster and quicken his breathing, like he had just finished a 5k run. His fingers trembled and he was pretty sure that was not because of their gifts.
"Uh, yeah, okay. Um, let's try again?"
"Yes. I will add more of my power this time. Maybe it will be more impressive for you," Shatterstar said as if he was promising something to him. He felt Rictor's fingers trembling and held his hand tighter. He looked for the feeling of his power and hummed slightly, ready to have their powers combined again.
Even if Rictor's lessons with Amanda were a perpetual fail in terms of magic, the breathing and calming exercises she had taught him were magical enough on their own. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Slow that heart rate, empty the mind, focus only on the energies stirring around. That last part was easy, since he was directly holding onto an open power source that was eager to combine with him. Rictor did not realize he was humming along with Shatterstar, exactly matching his pitch. The power built up again, casting the pair in a green halo, but recalling Amanda's instructions, Rictor forced himself to hold onto it, to let that energy flow through his body—and also Shatterstar's, by extension.
Where did Rictor end and Shatterstar begin? It was getting more difficult to tell.
Shatterstar let himself hold the power until he could feel it in his very bones, his body shaking with the intensity of it as his own powers resonated with it. He reached his other hand out and with a breath let it flow through him. The air rumbled around them and he felt the ground shaking too. He leaned against Rictor some to steady himself. It sounded like thunder. It still wasn't as powerful as the wave of force they had created in District X but the rocks in the quarry were breaking under them. It was overwhelming. He wasn't sure the strain to his body was the problem but the intimacy of it. The adrenaline and necessity of the past hadn't allowed him to really feel the foreign sensation.
Shatterstar ripped his hand from Rictor's grasp before putting it in his shoulder to steady himself. "I'm sorry. It was just very much."
It hadn't been bad though.
"Yeah. Maybe we should take a break." Rictor followed his own advice immediately, not-too-gingerly lowering himself to the cold ground to sit. "It's interesting, isn't it? Normally, I have to touch the ground to make quakes, but when you boost me, I can make quakes through the air. I wonder if that is something I could learn to do myself or if I'll always need you. Heh, you will be stuck with me forever in that case."
Shatterstar knelt next to Rictor and looked into the results of their powers merging so as not to look at Rictor. "I wouldn't mind that," He admitted before pausing. "I like being your friend."
Even with how dark out it was getting, Rictor started to worry that he was blushing (from the cold!) so much that he was practically glowing red. "Pues, we will still be together even if I do master this on my own. I bet we will learn something else we can do, you know?"
"I will always be willing to be your amplifier," Shatterstar said, stealing a glance at Rictor.
There was more he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to make it into words. Instead he said. "Do you want to go back in?"
Rictor nodded as he pulled himself back to his feet, and held out a hand to help Shatterstar up. His hold lingered for a moment before he stuffed his hands into his pockets for warmth. "I'm really hungry now. Want to get burgers? My treat."
"Yes," he said, allowing the feeling of Julio's hand on his to linger. "I would like that."
Shatterstar didn't know why he had put effort into his appearance before he went to Rictor's suite door. He didn't know why, when he was going to ask Rictor to train with him, he had carefully rebraided his hair and outlined his birthmark in eyeliner. He didn't know why his stomach refused to settle as he knocked.
"Rictor. Would you like to train? With me. I believe I could amplify your powers again," he said all in one breath.
It was a minute before Rictor opened the door, punctuated by muffled Spanish swears as a freshly showered post-work Rictor hastily pulled on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt. He answered Shatterstar's summons still drying his hair with a towel. "Star. Hi. Sorry, I didn't hear all that. Huh?" He stepped aside to let his friend in.
Any competent thoughts processes left his head when he saw Rictor drying his hair, still wet from his shower. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, suddenly entirely conscious that he didn't know what to do with his hands. "Do you want to train. Um. With me."
Great job, Shatter, very eloquent.
What was wrong with him? It was just Rictor. So what if using their powers together had made him feel like touching a live wire. They'd seen each other plenty of times since then. Granted, he hadn't been asking Rictor to do something so intimate as sharing his power those times.
Rictor's fingers tingled at the memory of their teamwork, Shatterstar's calloused hand in his, the power flowing through them, both gifts amplified. Rictor couldn't say yes fast enough. "I need to put on clothes first!" Tossing the towel on the sofa, he retreated to his room and emerged shortly after in a sweatshirt and tugging on socks. "The quarry again? Unless we can get someone to supervise the Danger Room."
"Yes, the quarry," Shatterstar agreed, feeling as though it was their special spot- somewhere secret between them even though everyone knew about it. He waited patiently for Rictor to finish dressing for the cold, shoving his hands into his pockets when he couldn't figure out what to do with them.
He didn't want to ask anyone to supervise them. He wanted, selfishly, for this to be private.
"Vámonos." Rictor shut the door behind them as they left, then pulled on a wool beanie so his damp hair would not freeze. He considered gloves, too, but worried that would impede sharing their gift. And besides, he also wanted to feel . . . no, never mind that. This was purely for their own power and safety.
Neither said a word as they headed downstairs to the backdoor, an unusual silence for the two of them. Rictor glanced at Shatterstar, then nudged him with an elbow. "Why so serious?" he teased, longing to diffuse whatever tension was growing.
"I'm always serious, you know that," Shatterstar teased back, but the nervousness that had been building in the air around them dissipated. He nudged Rictor back playfully. It was so easy to be playful with Rictor. It was like he brought out a side to himself he didn't know he had.
They came to the quarry and it looked the same as always- their own private spot. Shatterstar brought his hands out of his pockets. "My suspicion is that I redirect your power," Shatterstar said, betraying that he had put significant thought into this.
"Redirect? What do you mean?" Rictor asked, his mental dictionary failing to translate that word into anything meaningful.
"Like. I make your power go through the air too instead of just the ground," Shatterstar said, tugging one of his braids as he thought about how to describe what he meant. "Or maybe we both make the reach of each other's power bigger?"
Rictor squatted and placed his hand on the ground, his usual warmup to align himself with the silent shifting of the Earth deep down. He had been here for barely 6 months, but this place was already familiar and intimate in a way his time at university in CDMX never was. "I thought about that," he said, gently drawing on the tectonic forces stirring beneath them. "Maybe your vibrations intensify my own. So, yes, we improve each other."
"I'm like a tool for you," Shatterstar said with a quiet satisfaction that his powers and his hollow bones and the resonance they created could improve Rictor's powers in the same way a tuning fork or a metal rod like his sword did for him. He liked the idea of being a tool, of being useful to Rictor in battle. A weapon at his side. He squatted next to Rictor even though he didn't have to and held out a hand. "I want to know if I can feel the vibrations like you."
Rictor caught Shatterstar's eyes and held his gaze. "You're not a tool to me, Star," he affirmed, his tone serious and steady. "That's not a thing you should say about yourself. People are not tools." He turned his attention back to the ground, surprised to find he had clenched his fist around a clod of dirt. "When we cleaned up after the hurricane, Marie-Ange told me that there are so many people who try to, uh, exploit? I think that's the word she used. Exploit mutants. Turn them into weapons. Her whole life is about making sure no one suffers that.
"Even as a joke, I don't like to think of you in that situation."
Shatterstar felt like he was stuck in a wave at how seriously Rictor responded. It struck him that Rictor cared about him- he really cared about him. He cared about him enough that Shatterstar doubted it would matter if he explained that he would like to be his tool. It wouldn't matter that Shatterstar didn't see it as an act of exploitation, but as being useful to Rictor. Maybe it was because Shatterstar took good care of his tools, revered them even, that he hadn't thought of it as a bad thing.
He didn't know how to explain that he already felt like a weapon, and he trusted Rictor to wield him well.
"I wouldn't want you to be a weapon either," Shatterstar said instead. After a moment he added. "We can be partners."
Rictor was sure his face was reddening because it was cold out and not for any other reason. No way, no how. He stood back up, wiping his hands on his pants, and held out his left hand for Shatterstar to take. "Somos compañeros. Or nakama, like in One Piece. Bueno, let's try and see what happens."
"You lead, and I'll amplify," Shatterstar said, clapping his hand into Rictor's and interlacing their fingers.
Nakama. He had never watched One Piece before meeting Rictor, but he liked the sound of that.
Shatterstar closed his eyes, trusting, and let Rictor work.
That same wave of power rippled through the two young mutants as they held onto each other, their joint hands glowing with that same eerie green energy. Rictor let it build inside them for only a moment before it was too much and expelled it. The air rippled and they heard a crack like thunder, but it fizzled before it traveled far. Even so, Rictor was left breathless trying to command that much energy.
"Mierda. That was lame."
Shatterstar had felt the power as a gentler set of vibrations, flowing from the side of his body connected to Rictor's to the other side where he had extended his hand. It wasn't as overpowering as it had been in District X, or as it could be when he was producing it himself. It reminded him, strangely, of riding the T in Boston. A rumbling.
"It felt good." Shatterstar responded, even if the result had been a big bang but not far travelled. "Controlled."
"I guess," Rictor lamented, "But I was hoping for a bigger boom. How do you feel? Are you sore and sunburned?"
"Good sore only," Shatterstar said in surprise at the realization. It felt like after a hard stretch, sure, but he didn't feeln dizzy or sunburned. It was easier, with Rictor. It felt... good. tiring still, but not exhausting. Unconciously, he ran his thumb over Rictor's hand.
The little gesture, inadvertant as it was, did not go unnoticed. Rictor had the presence of mind not to jerk his hand out of Shatterstar's, but the prolonged contact only made his heart beat faster and quicken his breathing, like he had just finished a 5k run. His fingers trembled and he was pretty sure that was not because of their gifts.
"Uh, yeah, okay. Um, let's try again?"
"Yes. I will add more of my power this time. Maybe it will be more impressive for you," Shatterstar said as if he was promising something to him. He felt Rictor's fingers trembling and held his hand tighter. He looked for the feeling of his power and hummed slightly, ready to have their powers combined again.
Even if Rictor's lessons with Amanda were a perpetual fail in terms of magic, the breathing and calming exercises she had taught him were magical enough on their own. Deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Slow that heart rate, empty the mind, focus only on the energies stirring around. That last part was easy, since he was directly holding onto an open power source that was eager to combine with him. Rictor did not realize he was humming along with Shatterstar, exactly matching his pitch. The power built up again, casting the pair in a green halo, but recalling Amanda's instructions, Rictor forced himself to hold onto it, to let that energy flow through his body—and also Shatterstar's, by extension.
Where did Rictor end and Shatterstar begin? It was getting more difficult to tell.
Shatterstar let himself hold the power until he could feel it in his very bones, his body shaking with the intensity of it as his own powers resonated with it. He reached his other hand out and with a breath let it flow through him. The air rumbled around them and he felt the ground shaking too. He leaned against Rictor some to steady himself. It sounded like thunder. It still wasn't as powerful as the wave of force they had created in District X but the rocks in the quarry were breaking under them. It was overwhelming. He wasn't sure the strain to his body was the problem but the intimacy of it. The adrenaline and necessity of the past hadn't allowed him to really feel the foreign sensation.
Shatterstar ripped his hand from Rictor's grasp before putting it in his shoulder to steady himself. "I'm sorry. It was just very much."
It hadn't been bad though.
"Yeah. Maybe we should take a break." Rictor followed his own advice immediately, not-too-gingerly lowering himself to the cold ground to sit. "It's interesting, isn't it? Normally, I have to touch the ground to make quakes, but when you boost me, I can make quakes through the air. I wonder if that is something I could learn to do myself or if I'll always need you. Heh, you will be stuck with me forever in that case."
Shatterstar knelt next to Rictor and looked into the results of their powers merging so as not to look at Rictor. "I wouldn't mind that," He admitted before pausing. "I like being your friend."
Even with how dark out it was getting, Rictor started to worry that he was blushing (from the cold!) so much that he was practically glowing red. "Pues, we will still be together even if I do master this on my own. I bet we will learn something else we can do, you know?"
"I will always be willing to be your amplifier," Shatterstar said, stealing a glance at Rictor.
There was more he wanted to say, but he didn't know how to make it into words. Instead he said. "Do you want to go back in?"
Rictor nodded as he pulled himself back to his feet, and held out a hand to help Shatterstar up. His hold lingered for a moment before he stuffed his hands into his pockets for warmth. "I'm really hungry now. Want to get burgers? My treat."
"Yes," he said, allowing the feeling of Julio's hand on his to linger. "I would like that."
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Date: 2024-03-01 04:19 am (UTC)Really enjoy seeing how Star processes everything through the filter of battle and training, up to and including offering to be Rictor's weapon. Rictor immediately seeing the danger of making these kind of promises provides a nice example of the balance in their dynamic.
The way you describe their powers synthesis is really fascinating.
"So, yes, we improve each other."
Yes, they do.