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xp_logs2004-11-29 11:53 am
x-skin.livejournal.com) wrote in xp_logs2004-11-29 11:53 am
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Angelo, Amanda, late Monday night
After talking with Lorna in the kitchen, Amanda comes to Angelo's room needing a shoulder to cry on and some - platonic - company for the night, both of which he provides.
It was late. He'd be asleep. Asleep and not wanting to be bothered with her. But she couldn't sleep, not in that room alone, not with the dreams and the link empty in the back of her head... Raising her hand, then realising it was the wrong one, she switched and knocked gently on the door. "Ange?"
He'd been less asleep than dozing fitfully, unable to achieve real sleep however tired he was. Putting it down to a mixture of the residual pain from his bruised hands and the anger that he just couldn't get out of his head, he told himself that if he wasn't asleep in another hour, he'd get the pills. But then came the knock at the door, and recognizing the voice, he hauled himself out of bed to open it. "Amanda? What's up?"
"I... I can't sleep," she quavered, twisting the hem of the t-shirt she'd pulled in her fingers. "Angie's still in the boathouse, an' it's too quiet, an' I keep thinkin' 'bout what happened..." She wouldn't cry, not again, she had to stop doing that. "Can I... can I sleep here tonight? With you? I just need... I need a hug," she finished, hating the pathetic tone of her voice.
He looked down at her, eyes dark with worry - he'd rarely seen her this vulnerable. But then, he knew, she had more than good reason to be, right now. Without answering at first, he reached out and drew her into a hug, stretching out skin from his fingertips to turn the light on inside the room. "'Course you can, little sis. Come on in."
Gods, contact... Amanda leaned into the hug, trying not to cling to him too hard and failing miserably. "I hate this," she muttered at last as he drew her inside and closed the door behind them. "I hate feelin' like this, hate reachin' out down the link an' gettin' nothin' back, hate bein' this bloody weak..." Looking up with a bitter laugh, she went on: "I fell apart on Lorna tonight. Lorna, of all people. I just got so tired of her actin' like Manuel's a monster when he's not even him any more."
Angelo nodded, holding her close since she clearly desperately needed it. "Does... or did... she really know that, though? I mean, she won't have spoken to him since it happened, any more than she did before. An' if the... the Manuel she's carryin' around in her head is still the one who did what he did to her... when an opinion's formed like that, it's not easy to break, even if it's not true anymore..."
"I know all that. 'S not her fault - I didn't mean t' make her feel bad," Amanda said miserably, realising for the first time that Angelo slept in his boxers and she was in danger of crying all over his bare chest. Ew. She pulled away a bit, wiping her damp eyes with her shirt sleeve and flinching as she touched the worst of the bruises yet again. "Bloody fuckin' hell," she growled, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I just want it all t' stop!" she cried, turning away and going to sit on the edge of his bed.
He grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk - why it was there when he hadn't had a cold in who knew how long, was a mystery, but there it conveniently was - and went to sit beside her, holding them out. "Here. If I could make it stop for you, I would..."
"I know you would," she sighed, accepting the tissues and using one to wipe her eyes, carefully this time. "It'll get better, it has to. 'S just gunna take time, is all." She leaned her head tiredly against his shoulder. "Makes me wish I had time travel as me mutant power."
Angelo wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close into his side. "Think that's one we could all do with, sometimes." Joyita, curled up nearby on the bed, suddenly woke up with a snuffle, raised her head, and then decided she felt neglected and got up to sprawl across both their laps.
Stroking Joyita's thick fur, Amanda nodded, relaxing a little into him. "'S why I can't stand medlab, y'know," she said, seemingly disconnected to anything else, except her own muddled thoughts. "They make me sleep alone there, an' I can't stand it. Even on the streets, there was always someone else around, somewhere close. Close enough you could hear 'em breathin', or snorin'..." A brief smile crossed her face. "'S bad enough, not bein' with Manuel, not feelin' him next t' me..." Her voice wobbled and she swallowed hard. "But with Angie gone, 's just me in that room an' it's so bloody quiet, seems like I can hear me heart beatin'."
Angelo nodded, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "You thought about askin' if you can change rooms?" he asked quietly. "Not for good, just for a while. Just till Angie's sorted out an' back in your room, so you don't have to be by yourself every night until then. I mean, when Paige isn't sleepin' in here, you're always welcome, but..." He shrugged with a wry grin.
"Wouldn't want t' get in the way of yer sex life, big brother," Amanda replied, a chuckle escaping her. It was ragged and strangled, but a chuckle nonetheless. "An' I'd feel a bit like a baby, askin' t' change rooms." Thinking about it, she added, thoughtfully: "Nate asked if there was anythin' he could do t' help, maybe he an' Moira could put me up for a bit. Their couch is pretty comfy, an' it'd be somethin' that wouldn't take too much effort on their parts - they're both lookin' really run-down lately."
Angelo smiled slightly. "There you go, then. Can't see them sayin' no to that - Moira might be a bit worried about you sleepin' on the couch for a long time, but hopefully they'll sort out whatever's up with Angie before too long, an' then she'll be back."
"I hope so." Amanda didn't need to add she was worried about her roomie - that was obvious from the tone of her voice, the slump of her shoulders. "She kept sayin' somethin' 'bout me settin' Lee on fire. Begged me not to."
Angelo frowned. That didn't sound good... "You think it's somethin' to do with her precog? Why she's taken herself out to the boathouse? If it is, it doesn't sound like it's just you she's been seein' things for, or else she'd just've moved into Doug's room or somethin'..."
"Remy said in his post that it could be a powers thing, some kind of overload. The docs said she was hallucinatin' - probably the same thing. I just don't know how real the visions are, if they are her power. I mean, I hate Lee, but that doesn't mean 'm gunna kill her." Amanda shook her head, shivering a little and digging her fingers deeper into Joyita's fur.
Angelo wrapped his arm more tightly around her. "Not all of her visions come true, even when her powers aren't in overload", he pointed out. "An' sometimes, even when they would have, someone's been able to stop them."
Amanda nodded again, more tiredly, her eyes drooping a bit - it had been a long, hard day. "I wouldn't do that," she repeated, letting her head rest more heavily on his shoulder. "Not fire, any way. 'S too flashy." She seemed unaware of what she was saying.
Angelo turned his head sharply to look at her, while still careful not to disturb her near-sleep. What Strange had said about unusual behaviour was still fresh in his mind, and he made a mental note to think, later, about whether or not to report what she'd just said. It might be nothing, after all, and this wasn't the time to challenge her on it. Turning, he asked quietly, "D'you want to sleep now?"
"Mm-hmm," she murmured in assent, not bothering to open her eyes. Between nice warm Angelo next to her, and nice warm puppy on her lap, she was definitely being soothed.
He nodded slightly. "Right then." Moving the puppy gently off his lap and entirely into hers, he then reached to fold back the covers of the bed. "In you get."
Looking down at Joyita, Amanda gave her a solemn look. "'M gunna need me legs back, puppy," she said, and carefully eased the puppy onto the end of the bed before crawling in and Angelo laying the covers back over her. "Paige isn't gunna show up in the mornin' with a shotgun, is she?" she asked sleepily, curling up on her side.
Angelo, over by the door turning the light off, looked back at her with a chuckle. "No, she won't. She understands how it is with us - an' if she was goin' to be here tonight, she most probably already would be." He moved back across the room and slid into the bed, careful not to disturb Joyita, who had already gone back to sleep.
"That's good. Crappy way t' start the day," she mumbled, snuggling up to him. That was so much better - she felt safe with someone else near. "Night, big brother."
"Night, little sis", he murmured back, arms going carefully around her. "Sleep well, now."
It was late. He'd be asleep. Asleep and not wanting to be bothered with her. But she couldn't sleep, not in that room alone, not with the dreams and the link empty in the back of her head... Raising her hand, then realising it was the wrong one, she switched and knocked gently on the door. "Ange?"
He'd been less asleep than dozing fitfully, unable to achieve real sleep however tired he was. Putting it down to a mixture of the residual pain from his bruised hands and the anger that he just couldn't get out of his head, he told himself that if he wasn't asleep in another hour, he'd get the pills. But then came the knock at the door, and recognizing the voice, he hauled himself out of bed to open it. "Amanda? What's up?"
"I... I can't sleep," she quavered, twisting the hem of the t-shirt she'd pulled in her fingers. "Angie's still in the boathouse, an' it's too quiet, an' I keep thinkin' 'bout what happened..." She wouldn't cry, not again, she had to stop doing that. "Can I... can I sleep here tonight? With you? I just need... I need a hug," she finished, hating the pathetic tone of her voice.
He looked down at her, eyes dark with worry - he'd rarely seen her this vulnerable. But then, he knew, she had more than good reason to be, right now. Without answering at first, he reached out and drew her into a hug, stretching out skin from his fingertips to turn the light on inside the room. "'Course you can, little sis. Come on in."
Gods, contact... Amanda leaned into the hug, trying not to cling to him too hard and failing miserably. "I hate this," she muttered at last as he drew her inside and closed the door behind them. "I hate feelin' like this, hate reachin' out down the link an' gettin' nothin' back, hate bein' this bloody weak..." Looking up with a bitter laugh, she went on: "I fell apart on Lorna tonight. Lorna, of all people. I just got so tired of her actin' like Manuel's a monster when he's not even him any more."
Angelo nodded, holding her close since she clearly desperately needed it. "Does... or did... she really know that, though? I mean, she won't have spoken to him since it happened, any more than she did before. An' if the... the Manuel she's carryin' around in her head is still the one who did what he did to her... when an opinion's formed like that, it's not easy to break, even if it's not true anymore..."
"I know all that. 'S not her fault - I didn't mean t' make her feel bad," Amanda said miserably, realising for the first time that Angelo slept in his boxers and she was in danger of crying all over his bare chest. Ew. She pulled away a bit, wiping her damp eyes with her shirt sleeve and flinching as she touched the worst of the bruises yet again. "Bloody fuckin' hell," she growled, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I just want it all t' stop!" she cried, turning away and going to sit on the edge of his bed.
He grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk - why it was there when he hadn't had a cold in who knew how long, was a mystery, but there it conveniently was - and went to sit beside her, holding them out. "Here. If I could make it stop for you, I would..."
"I know you would," she sighed, accepting the tissues and using one to wipe her eyes, carefully this time. "It'll get better, it has to. 'S just gunna take time, is all." She leaned her head tiredly against his shoulder. "Makes me wish I had time travel as me mutant power."
Angelo wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close into his side. "Think that's one we could all do with, sometimes." Joyita, curled up nearby on the bed, suddenly woke up with a snuffle, raised her head, and then decided she felt neglected and got up to sprawl across both their laps.
Stroking Joyita's thick fur, Amanda nodded, relaxing a little into him. "'S why I can't stand medlab, y'know," she said, seemingly disconnected to anything else, except her own muddled thoughts. "They make me sleep alone there, an' I can't stand it. Even on the streets, there was always someone else around, somewhere close. Close enough you could hear 'em breathin', or snorin'..." A brief smile crossed her face. "'S bad enough, not bein' with Manuel, not feelin' him next t' me..." Her voice wobbled and she swallowed hard. "But with Angie gone, 's just me in that room an' it's so bloody quiet, seems like I can hear me heart beatin'."
Angelo nodded, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt at comfort. "You thought about askin' if you can change rooms?" he asked quietly. "Not for good, just for a while. Just till Angie's sorted out an' back in your room, so you don't have to be by yourself every night until then. I mean, when Paige isn't sleepin' in here, you're always welcome, but..." He shrugged with a wry grin.
"Wouldn't want t' get in the way of yer sex life, big brother," Amanda replied, a chuckle escaping her. It was ragged and strangled, but a chuckle nonetheless. "An' I'd feel a bit like a baby, askin' t' change rooms." Thinking about it, she added, thoughtfully: "Nate asked if there was anythin' he could do t' help, maybe he an' Moira could put me up for a bit. Their couch is pretty comfy, an' it'd be somethin' that wouldn't take too much effort on their parts - they're both lookin' really run-down lately."
Angelo smiled slightly. "There you go, then. Can't see them sayin' no to that - Moira might be a bit worried about you sleepin' on the couch for a long time, but hopefully they'll sort out whatever's up with Angie before too long, an' then she'll be back."
"I hope so." Amanda didn't need to add she was worried about her roomie - that was obvious from the tone of her voice, the slump of her shoulders. "She kept sayin' somethin' 'bout me settin' Lee on fire. Begged me not to."
Angelo frowned. That didn't sound good... "You think it's somethin' to do with her precog? Why she's taken herself out to the boathouse? If it is, it doesn't sound like it's just you she's been seein' things for, or else she'd just've moved into Doug's room or somethin'..."
"Remy said in his post that it could be a powers thing, some kind of overload. The docs said she was hallucinatin' - probably the same thing. I just don't know how real the visions are, if they are her power. I mean, I hate Lee, but that doesn't mean 'm gunna kill her." Amanda shook her head, shivering a little and digging her fingers deeper into Joyita's fur.
Angelo wrapped his arm more tightly around her. "Not all of her visions come true, even when her powers aren't in overload", he pointed out. "An' sometimes, even when they would have, someone's been able to stop them."
Amanda nodded again, more tiredly, her eyes drooping a bit - it had been a long, hard day. "I wouldn't do that," she repeated, letting her head rest more heavily on his shoulder. "Not fire, any way. 'S too flashy." She seemed unaware of what she was saying.
Angelo turned his head sharply to look at her, while still careful not to disturb her near-sleep. What Strange had said about unusual behaviour was still fresh in his mind, and he made a mental note to think, later, about whether or not to report what she'd just said. It might be nothing, after all, and this wasn't the time to challenge her on it. Turning, he asked quietly, "D'you want to sleep now?"
"Mm-hmm," she murmured in assent, not bothering to open her eyes. Between nice warm Angelo next to her, and nice warm puppy on her lap, she was definitely being soothed.
He nodded slightly. "Right then." Moving the puppy gently off his lap and entirely into hers, he then reached to fold back the covers of the bed. "In you get."
Looking down at Joyita, Amanda gave her a solemn look. "'M gunna need me legs back, puppy," she said, and carefully eased the puppy onto the end of the bed before crawling in and Angelo laying the covers back over her. "Paige isn't gunna show up in the mornin' with a shotgun, is she?" she asked sleepily, curling up on her side.
Angelo, over by the door turning the light off, looked back at her with a chuckle. "No, she won't. She understands how it is with us - an' if she was goin' to be here tonight, she most probably already would be." He moved back across the room and slid into the bed, careful not to disturb Joyita, who had already gone back to sleep.
"That's good. Crappy way t' start the day," she mumbled, snuggling up to him. That was so much better - she felt safe with someone else near. "Night, big brother."
"Night, little sis", he murmured back, arms going carefully around her. "Sleep well, now."