xp_logs | Jay & Forge, backdated to 1/17 (Reply)

After this thread on Shiro's journal, Forge takes Jay out to the local burger joint. The roommates bond over grilled meat and Shakespeare's sonnets, and learn that there is much more to each other than either of them suspected.

Forge pulled the Jeep to a stop outside of The Burger Shack, a small wood-shingled establishment off the proverbial beaten path from the urban developments in Salem Center. Despite its rather generic name, the restaurant had a flavor all its own, as was evident from the moment one walked in the door. Photos were tacked up across the walls so thickly that one could barely see the paint underneath. People had scrawled greetings on them, a counterpoint to the smiling faces looking on the diners from the walls.

Jay was holding onto his seat for dear life as Forge sped down the roads to the burger joint he'd invited Jay to. His stomach was up in his throat by the time Forge parked. "Jesus Christ, man," Jay said shakily, unbuckling his safety belt. "What the hell was that?"

Walking around the Jeep, Forge looked over his shoulder at Jay. "I told you, man," he said, "don't worry about the wings. They've seen stranger, apparently."

When they walked in the door to see the cashier grin twice at them, 'stranger' became a relative manner. The young man behind the counter had two fully-formed mouths, one beside the other, his jaw hinging oddly where a normal human chin would be.

"Welcome to the Burger Shack," he said, sounding like a slightly off-sync dubbed film. "Table for two?"

Had Jay not been at Xavier's for months now, he would have gaped openly at the host. He thought that he would actually look rather attractive if not for the odd mutation, actually. "Um, yeah." Looking around, Jay figured he'd found the Xavier's rejects department. A boy with a fish-like face and a normal-looking woman (Jay assumed it was his mother) were laughing at a corner table. A man who looked like a plucked chicken was making googly eyes with a black girl who had a 'fro and fly-like wings.

Forge grinned. "Most folks come down from the college upstate, either folks like me who can 'pass', or those who, well..." He jerked his head over to the chicken-looking boy. "I met Barnell there on one of the activist message boards, he's actually the one who told me about this place." Forge tucked his sunglasses in his pocket and looked up at the menu. "How's it going, Steve-Steve? I'll have the double barbecue burger, large spicy fries, and a large Coke. Jay?"

"Um, bacon-cheddar burger, side of onion rings, and also a large Coke," Jay ordered, after quickly looking over the menu. "So, what, this is like the mutie-mutant" - he quickly corrected himself, as he didn't need a dozen mutants jumping him for using the offensive term - "activist hangout? Y'all gather 'round here ta plan shit? And Ah didn't even know you were into that kinda stuff."

"Quite the opposite, actually," Forge corrected, picking up his tray and heading to a booth. "Most folks here don't really have any kind of agenda or manifesto or anything. Just folks living normal lives that happen to have an x-gene. Or regular folks who don't care that the guy who makes the best burgers in the state happens to have two kids who are x-positive. His daughter's actually enrolled at the school. One of the younger kids, glows like a light bulb, tends to burn paper when she touches it?" Forge waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, yeah, I've been on the boards since I found out I was a mutant. Been considering that HeliX thing that Jamie runs - if they actually started doing stuff besides being a social club."

He looked over his burger at Jay, then cocked his head. "What? Surprised that your roommate's got a social conscience?"

"Never figured ya for the bleedin' heart activist type," Jay said, shrugging. "Those boards are probably full of Magneto-types, aren't they? Or people tellin' ya that all of y'all're abominations to Christ or somethin'. When Ah was comin' out, Ah went to check some of the queer boards, see what was around home and all, and half of them had those crazy fundie types tellin' me that Ah was gonna burn in Hell."

"They've got their share of shit-stirrers and trolls. And don't get me started, on the 'Magneto Was Right' crowd. Whackos." Forge melodramatically waved two fries at each other. "Grr! Humans bad! Evolution is only solution. Aaaar!" He shoved the fries in his mouth and swallowed. "But mostly it's just folks, lot of them our age, who want to see a change made. Only a few of them have any clue how to go about it rationally, but isn't that the way it is in any group?"

Reaching into his pocket, Forge slapped a copy of Sonnets of the Bard on the table. "Speaking of not having a clue - the rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem, for that sweet odor, which in it doth live - I am so damn lost here. He's talking about roses look nice, but smell better? And that is romantic... how?" Forge rolled his eyes. "God, I hate interpretive lit."

"That's sonnet fifty-four, yeah?" Jay confirmed, taking a large bite of his burger. "Wow, this is really good," he said, his mouth full. Swallowing, Jay coughed to clear his throat. "The canker blooms have full as deep a dye, as the perfumed tincture of the roses, hang on such thorns, and play as wantonly when summer's breath their masked buds discloses." He recited the following verses without a hint of accent, smiling as he did so. "What? Ah can not speak like a country bumpkin when Ah wanna."

Taking a large sip of his soda, he continued. "Willy's sayin' here that it's what's on the inside that counts. Ya can have two pretty flowers, but the one that actually has a pleasant scent is nicer than an odorless one."

"Well, duh," Forge replied. "so how does that apply to people? Unless Shakespeare was into romantic love with flowers, in which case, ew." He slammed back the last of his soda and looked down at the page. Jay had recited the sonnet line for line. Hmm.

"I mean, I've heard the whole 'on the inside' line all my life – but what's he saying about the flower being treasured more for its odor? Can't flowers be there just to be looked at? Like, you know, eye candy. Aren't there a place for those as well?"

"But he ain't talkin' about that. It's a metaphor, ya gotta apply it ta people. Look at Peter Rasputin for example. He's hot and buff and has really nice hands" - not that Jay paid attention, really - "but everyone thinks he's just a jackass. And then take al Rashid. He's also hot and built, and he's also a nice fella. The point is, ya'd rather eat a Krispy Kreme with a sweet frosting fillin' than one that tastes like mud."

"You ARE aware that Mr. al-Rashid has more artificial parts than I do, right?" Forge tried not to snicker at Jay's attempt at blasé evaluation. "But I think I get the point. All other things being equal, you'd obviously choose the whole package over something that looks nice but doesn't have the other qualities." Forge pondered, running his finger up and down the page. "So what about the flower that ain't exactly a rose? I mean, isn't it kind of hypocritical that Shakespeare's talking about accepting what's inside, when he's using the rose as a metaphor? It's always the same thing the poets keep talking about. 'Love is a rose', 'beautiful as a rose'. Just like everyone wants the same thing out of people. Conform, conform, conform."

Jay rolled his eyes and threw an onion ring at his roommate. "Har-fuckin'-har. Ah can enjoy the view without thinkin' 'bout anyone's parts. And Ah don't think he's talkin' about conformity. Roses are nice ta look at and they smell good, so they're good images. And anyway, isn't the rose the official symbol of the royal family back in Shakespeare's day? So usin' that flower is just kissin' the king's and queen's asses."

"My point exactly," Forge retorted, taking a bite out of the onion ring. "He's sayin' what people want to hear. Everyone wants to think it's what's on the inside that counts, but who can really say if that ain't just talk. I mean, shit, look at the school. Who's coupled up? The attractive people. They're the first ones to gravitate to each other, no matter where you go. Roses may be pretty, but they tend to choke out anything that you put them next to."

"Ah ain't got no one," Jay pointed out, although it was not clear whether he was disappointed by the fact or just teasing. "And besides, Ah'd like to think that those people who're involved see stuff in each other that goes beyond looks. Dude, we're teenagers, so of course the first thing we're gonna go for is how hot other people are. But iffn ya got any substance, then you'll be able ta stick together. If not, then you'll just be miserable, even if the sex is good."

Forge snorted. "I wouldn't know anything about that. But you've got a point. Your sister's dating probably two of the weirdest and freakiest of the weird freaks, from what I understand. But then again, she's not exactly the stereotypical teenager around here." Forge couldn't resist a quick jab. "She is insanely hot, though."

That deserved another onion ring in the face. "Mah family's romantic history is majorly fucked up anyhow. Sam was apparently datin' Alison way back when, and for some stupid reason they broke up. Dude, Ah'm queer, but not even Ah would give up datin' a superstar like her. And then there's Paige, whose idea of love don't make no sense ta me." He looked away as he took the final bite of his burger. "Ah ain't got much luck either," he said almost inaudibly.

Forge paused in bringing the onion ring to his mouth. "You're shitting me, really?" He slowly closed the book and stuffed it back in his pocket. "I figured what with the music and all, you probably had someone you were writing it for. Especially that one song you keep working on. Can't hear it very well through the door but it's, um..." Forge looked for the words, "...sounds like you put a lot into it."

Why was he telling this to Forge of all people? Jay sighed, and figured he might as well. Forge didn't seem like the kind of person who would laugh at him or offer empty platitudes. "Well, where Ah come from, either you're straight, or you're so far in the closet thatcha're findin' next year's Christmas presents. So Ah think that all of three people knew 'bout me, and that's only 'cuz we had a band and Ah couldn't lie ta them. Not that Ah didn't get propositioned by just about every girl in school, but Ah just played coy and probably pissed more than a few of them off. There was this one guy Ah was with, but it ended pretty badly. Ain't been with no one since."

"Ah." Forge just nodded. "Yeah, that sucks. I mean, being a mutant's one thing. To look at me, for instance, you'd never know. And there's nothing sayin' that we can't find someone who happens to be, well, not a mutant. Look at Mr. Dayspring and Doctor MacTaggart. But you know, the stuff you can't hide," he wiggled his mechanical fingers and pointed at Jay's wings. "Lots more people tend to accept being gay than they do the physical things. But hey," Forge let the sarcasm creep into his voice, "it's what's inside that counts. The smell of the rose, all that." He twirled a finger dramatically. "Yay Shakespeare."

"Ideally, one should only care about the inside." Sitting back in his seat, Jay patted his stomach and belched in content. "There're a couple of normals who don't care 'bout the physical stuff. They're hidin', but Ah'm pretty sure they're there."

"I'll take your word on it. Besides, not like I'm worrying too much. If they keep throwing these weekly lit interpretations at me, I'll never have TIME to even pursue that road," Forge groused. "Mr. al-Rashid suggested using that synthetic skin stuff he's got, you know, to look more normal?" He perused his hand for a moment, then casually pulled on the leather glove he'd taken to wearing since the trip to Oklahoma. "Not my style. If people like you or Dr. McCoy or Clarice shouldn't have to pretend to be normal, why should I, right? Not normal enough to fool anyone, anyway."

"Are ya sayin' that Ah'm freakier-lookin' than you?" asked Jay. "See, Ah'm all about pride and that stuff, but Ah also know that bein' proud in some places can getcha your ass handed to ya on a silver platter, so you just gotta try an' pass. You shouldn't worry 'bout it much, though. Seems ta me thatcha've already got someone sorta interested already."

"Well, it's obvious," Forge indicated, "I can wear a glove or pants, you've got wings and wait a minute WHAT?" The double-take hit Forge as his mental gears slipped for a moment. "Interested who in me the what now?" He looked nervously from side to side. "That's a load of pure Kentucky bullshit right there, man."

"Maybe Ah'm just readin' things wrong," said Jay with a bored shrug, although the small grin on his lips suggested his amusement, "but that Dani girl seems awfully smitten. Always talkin' to ya, and Ah believe she even wrote that she loves ya when ya helped her out with her heartburn or somethin'."

At that, Forge made a loud spluttering noise and waved his hands in front of his face. "Oh no. No no no. It's not like that. Not at all, I swear." He mentally cursed his father's heritage for making him the first person Danielle seemed to have latched onto when arriving at the mansion. "It's an Indian thing, I think. She's basically considered me family since she got here. Hell if I know why. But I'm not about to argue with it, really. I mean, any one of the folks here I'd trade for my real family in a heartbeat. But Dani?" he shook his head, "No, not like that. Besides - she's crazy and pregnant, and she's already zapped me once with her power to teach me a lesson, I think. None of that there, no how."

Jay held his hands up defensively. "Okay, okay, sorry. Ah'm misunderstandin' things, then. But why didja sound so dang surprised at just the thought that someone might have a thing for ya? I mean this in an totally platonically way, dude, but you're not bad lookin', even with the metal bits."

"Not bad?" Forge tried to grin, "You damn me with faint praise. Hah! I do remember that from lit analysis. But seriously, think about it?" He held up a hand and started ticking off fingers. "At least half the girls even close to my age in the mansion are dating someone. And those who aren't? Dani's like a sister. Sharon's a friggin' CAT. Clarice is... well, she's Clarice. She wouldn't have the slightest bit of interest. Rahne's nice, but she's too nice, you know? Although now that you mention it..." Forge stroked his chin, "now that half of your sister's beaus are reduced to glittering masses of discorporate energy particles, I wonder if she needs a stand-in..."

"At least you've got choices," Jay bemoaned. "Peter and Warren and Paul are too freakin' old, Bobby apparently plays for both teams and is with that Jane girl, and there's no way in hell ya could get me to go out with that freaky John guy. Ya know what Ah heard? Ah heard he actually went ta help out Magneto once, way back during the Day of Massive Migraines. Oh, and iffn ya think of touchin' Paige, then Ah'll do even worse to ya than Shiro threatened today on his journal."

"Now that's what I expected," Forge smiled. "Besides, as divinely fine as your sister may be, it'd be a serious conflict of interest, what with me trying to help Dr. McCoy get whatsisname, Jono? Get him a body again, anyway. That's not exactly public knowledge, by the way," Forge mentioned, the words "doctor-patient privilege" flashing through his brain. "And John? The weird kid who does the pyrokinetic stuff? No shit?" He threw up his hands in frustration. "It's like I told Kyle. Might as well fish outside the pond. There is no joy in Mudville."

Checking his watch, he glanced outside. "And crap, speaking of Kyle, I told him I'd tutor him in geometry this semester. You gonna finish those onion rings?"

"You can do that?" Jay asked in surprise. "Make someone a new body, that is. Wow." Impressed, Jay finished all but one of his onion rings and passed his plate across the table to Forge. "Yes Ah am, actually. M'a growin' boy an' all." He reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet to cover his meal and share of the tip. "They tell me Ah gotta eat a lot because Ah need much more energy that the rest of y'all."

"I don't know. I could make a robot or something, but that's not the idea. I think it's to get Jono to where he can remake his own or something. Dr. McCoy's making a lot of headway there." Forge shoved an onion ring in his mouth, finishing off the plate. "Me? I eat a lot because I'm hungry. Genius burns calories, you know."

"If there's one good thing 'bout bein' a mutant, whether ya've got somethin' physical or not, it's that it's damn hard ta get fat. We all need a whole damn lot more energy than normals." As Forge paid the waiter, Jay folded his wings close to his body and put on his jacket. "This is a pretty good place, dude. Thanks."

"Hey, anytime. Besides, anything that gets you out of your room other than class had better be worth the time, right?" He smiled over at his roommate as he headed out the door. "So, Kyle's blue and it's Clarice's doing. This shall not stand. I mean, sure, he's a dork, but he's our dork..."