xp_logs | Angelo and Nathan (Reply)

Angelo visits Nathan for help with his Mandarin homework, and they talk about Paige, Jono, and Nathan's current condition.

Later in the afternoon, Angelo wandered along to Nathan's rooms. He'd been trying to do his Mandarin homework, had run into difficulty, and when the teacher lived in the same building, it was just stupid not to take advantage. Arriving at the door, he knocked and waited for an answer.

Sprawled on the couch, Nathan sighed and sat up. "Come in," he called, sensing that it was Angelo before the door opened. He made himself smile at Angelo, seeing that he had the Mandarin book and a notebook under one arm. "Hey. Problems?"

Angelo nodded a little sheepishly. "Kinda not gettin' it. This a good time?"

"Sure," Nathan lied, gesturing for him to sit down. "I ought to set up some regular office hours anyway, I suppose." He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing a little as knotted muscles protested. His bad shoulder was twinging, too, yet another indication that he was far too tense.

Angelo moved further into the room and sat down, eyeing him a little dubiously. "That'd be cool."

"It's the tonal stuff you're getting stuck on, I bet," Nathan said, and then noticed the way Angelo was looking at him. "What?" he asked, his smile turning defensive. "Is my hair sticking up or something?"

Angelo shrugged. "No, you just looked... stressed. C'n do this another time, if somethin's wrong."

"It's just been a long day," Nathan said with a sigh, reaching out and picking up Angelo's textbook. A long day, and he still had to pick up Pete at the end of it. "And I'm still having my little insomnia problem, which doesn't help."

"Askani still givin' you trouble?" Angelo asked with a frown, before adding, "I know you can hear me, Askani. You promised you'd try not t'hurt him."

"Hey," Nathan said with a helpless, weary smile. "Don't challenge the scary firebird woman, okay? It's not her fault." He leafed through the textbook, tickled to see the extensive marginal notes in the first couple of chapters.

"So what is it?" Angelo asked, worry audible in his tone. He paused, remembering something. "Wouldn't be anythin' to do with Manuel, would it?" he asked, watching Nathan's face.

Nathan managed not to react visibly. "Saw his post, did you?" he asked, the weary smile lingering. "I can't talk about it, Angelo."

Angelo very clearly didn't like that, but knew how it was when you couldn't talk about stuff, and chose not to press the issue. "...'Kay."

"Besides," Nathan said, managing a brisk tone and a more natural smile. "Best to move on, no?" He glanced back down at the textbook, tilting his head. "Liked Paige's shirt that day, did you?"

Angelo blinked for a moment, then glanced down at the book, saw what Nathan meant, and would have gone red if he still could. "Uh. Yeah?"

"Hmm," Nathan said, noting the page where he'd found the scrawled observation on Paige's fashion sense. "Friday afternoon? I'm trying to remember what she was wearing on Friday afternoon that would have provoked the edge of... awed appreciation I'm seeing here..." He grinned at Angelo wickedly. "You can throw something at me if you want."

Angelo glanced around, half-seriously, for something to throw, and came up with a cushion. That'll do. Soft is harmless. Grinning slightly, he bounced it in Nathan's general direction. "It was the button-up shirt, if you really want to know. Blame Paige, she knows it distracts me."

Nathan caught the cushion telekinetically and bounced it gently off Angelo's head. "I sympathize," he said with a chuckle. "The episode with the white dress has given Moira all kinds of ideas."

Angelo laughed. "She's not gonna post the pictures on the journals anymore, is she? I think Doug's head might explode if she does."

"I was the one who did that, remember? But no, that's probably a one-time thing. More to prove a point to her than anything else," Nathan said reflectively, leaning back against the cushions. "You're happier," he said thoughtfully, eyeing Angelo. "Or your thoughts are more composed, rather. When you talk about Paige. Something good happen?"

Angelo glanced at him in faint surprise, then shrugged with a slight smile. "Yeah, we kinda sorted some things out. About the whole situation with me, an' her, an' Jono."

Nathan smiled back. "I'm glad," he said honestly. "I don't know much about what was going on with the three of you - and this isn't me trying to pry, either - but sorting stuff out is good. One less thing to really worry about, right?"

Angelo nodded emphatically. "Definitely. It was really gettin' to her, too... but 's all okay now."

"I emailed Jono," Nathan offered suddenly. "Mentioned that I might have some ideas to help him with his mutation. Haven't heard anything back from him yet, though."

Angelo glanced up, at that. "I'll mention it, if you want. Make sure he hasn't just forgotten."

"I don't want to push," Nathan said. "But if you could think of a diplomatic way to let him know that I am serious, not just blowing smoke or something, go ahead."

Angelo nodded. "Yeah, I'll try. Maybe if he could meet Askani, that might help... Or I'll just tell him what you told me, about her bein' so powerful it kept her strong for years longer'n anyone else would've been. Powerful psi, like him."

"Could work," Nathan said amiably, wondering what the hell he was doing, trying to get involved with another young psi-with-problems. Like he was doing so well with the one he had on his hands already.

"Gotta be worth a try", Angelo agreed. "Ms. Frost was tryin' to help, but nothin' much's seemed t'work too well so far. Well, other than he's not explodin' anymore."

"You could always sic Paige on him, too," Nathan suggested, only half-whimsically. He reached for Angelo's notebook, unthinkingly with his bad arm, and winced as the muscles in his shoulder started to spasm. "Shit," he grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder with a grimace.

"Not a bad idea, actually. He might even listen to her..." Angelo trailed off at Nathan's obvious pain. "Thought your arm was healin'?"

"It is," Nathan muttered, eyes narrowing against the pain. But rubbing it was only making it hurt more, and he let his hand drop with a sigh. "My own fault. Getting that wound up today..." He got up and limped out to the kitchenette to look for an icepack. Moira had taken to storing a couple there, given how often he seemed to need them. "Telling Paige might be a good idea, then," he said, more loudly so that Angelo could hear him. "I could mention it to her?"

"Yeah, I'd say go ahead if you want", Angelo called back. "Might say somethin' myself, actually, but you're better placed to tell her how it'd work."

"Will do, then," Nathan said, coming back with an icepack. He sank down on the couch again, gritting his teeth as he pushed it against his shoulder. "Might just drop her an email in a little while."

Angelo smiled an acknowledgment, edged with concern. "You gonna take anythin' to help with that?" he asked, nodding towards Nathan's shoulder.

"If it doesn't stop, yeah," Nathan conceded. He had quite a bit of driving to do tonight, after all.

Angelo nodded, satisfied. "Good."

Nathan mock-glared at him. "You're turning into a mother hen, boy."

Angelo grinned back unrepentantly. "Well, you will keep goin' off an' gettin' hurt. What d'you expect?"

"I'm getting a definite sense of deja vu when it comes to this conversation," Nathan said dryly, leaning forward. "So let's see what about the homework's giving you trouble."