Hank, Jubilee, Friday afternoon

[x-beast.livejournal.com]

Backdated to Friday the fourth, Jubilee is still upset about the whole nude-photos debacle, and goes down to visit the one person who probably doesn't know a thing about it. They talk, and do what they can to comfort each other.



Jubilee headed down for the Medlab, last refuge of the injured or in her case, needing to hide out till certain things were not as fresh in everyone's mind. She was getting somewhat sick of the 'What a jerk' looks she'd been getting.

Yeah, she'd been insensitive and more then likely deserved the looks but just because you knew you'd been a jerk didn't make that kinda thing easy to take.

She'd wait a week and then start e-mailing Amanda. It might be better that way at first, rather then continuing to seek her out. Finals were coming up too, and she was going to have to start pulling all night study as well as classes if she was going to pass anywhere in the range she needed to.

She was going to show them. Call her stupid, she'd fuckin' show 'em up and get the best damn scores in the entire school even if it killed her to do it.

She hugged the checker's box to her, looking around for Hank. He'd be down here somewhere, and at the moment she just needed a friendly face.

Hank was in his office, using a stack of his medical textbooks to build a castle on his desk. They were of no other use to him, right now, and he preferred not to be out in the main Medlab... Maddie and Moira kept giving him sad, worried looks when they thought he didn't see. He looked up when the door opened, and smiled as Jubilee peeked around it. "Hi, Jubilee!" he said, doing his best to seem cheerful. "How you?"

"Hey, Big Blue!" Jubilee replied, her tone upbeat and happy. She walked into the office and placed the box down on the table. "Thought you could use some distraction."

Hank nodded, giving the box a rather sad look. "Could. But that... too hard, now. Want help me build?" He pointed at the desk. "Making a castle."

Jubilee placed the box on the desk, grabbing a chair and pulling it up close as she sat down. She hadn't realised how far gone Hank had become.

'You haven't exactly been visiting him either, have you?' she thought, wrinkling her nose.

She'd been doing that a lot lately, being self absorbed. She just hadn't realised how much till now. "Sure I can help, Big Blue. What kinda castle?" she said, her voice still cheerful.

"As tall as it can get." Hank laid a book flat carefully across two thicker ones that were standing up. They stayed up much better than the cards. Then he looked at Jubilee, and reached out to touch her cheek gently. "Look like... been sad," he said softly. She had a defensive look she got, sometimes, and it was sad to see... she'd really been trying, lately. "I help?"

"Don't think you'd want to, Blue. Not if you knew why, an I don't want ta tell you, cause I need a friendly face right now. Just another of my mistakes, ya know? I been gettin' good at people lately. But, guess I started gettin' sloppy again', not thinkin' on things." she replied, picking up a book and placing it neatly on top before meeting his eyes.

He wasn't talking very well. She hadn't known a time when Hank hadn't dazzled her with so many words that she had to think really hard to find a meaning amongst them all. Just how far was this going to go? How much...How much could he stand to lose before it was too much?

Hank nodded. "Nobody... tell me much, now," he said ruefully. "Don't want me upset." He added another book, and reached to pat her shoulder. "Always glad see you."

"Mushrooms." Jubilee said suddenly, smiling at the confused look Hank was giving her. "They're treating you like a mushroom, ya know? But they're just worried 'bout you."

Hank had never been afraid to touch her. Despite the amount of 'don't touch me' vibes she sent out on a regularly basis. It was something she'd always secretly liked about him, even if she kept up the tough attitude outwardly. It was nice to be touched, just because. To not have to break down crying, or to touch first. She placed a book sideways, and then another beside it before placing one flat on top. "You know, when you get better, we could go on a drive somewhere. I'll have my license by then so we could probably get damn far with the two of us."

"You good, 'til then, I let you drive my car. Blue convertible," Hank said proudly. "Pretty and fast." He kind of missed his car, but he couldn't risk driving now. Maybe when he was well.... if he ever was. "And I know everyone worried about me. Wish I could make feel better."

"Well, you're just going to have to get better now. I've been wantin' a chance at driving that car for ages." Jubilee said, her smile brilliant, not showing the pain in her heart.

She was using every acting skill she knew of not to simply bury her face in his fur and burst into tears. Why was it that the world did this kind of thing? Why did it always do this?

"You know, there's this place just outside of town. House of mirrors or somethin'. Had some of the crappiest tourist trinkets I've ever seen. We could bring some back for people, give 'em a good laugh." she replied.

Better to talk like there was a future, and she really did believe there would be one. Hank was going to get better, she wouldn't accept anything less.

"Presents always good," he agreed. He leaned two books against each other, and admired the way they stayed up. He was getting good at this. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She seemed very cheerful, very optimistic, very everything's-gonna-be-fine. On thinking it over, Hank decided that she wasn't fooling him. Although it was nice that she was trying. "Maddie says I be okay," he said softly. "An' she's smart. An' tough. She'll make it okay."

"Yeah. Mads wouldn't say somethin' if she didn't mean it." Jubilee replied, placing another book, her hands trembling slightly as she bit her bottom lip. "How long you been down here, Blue? Cause, you know, I reckon if I do the lost waif look at the other Docs, they'd let me take you to the atrium at least. The sky is so blue right now, and it's been warm today for a change."

Hank shook his head. "Don't want.... little kids to see me. Scare them." He saw the tremble and put down the book in his hand, holding out an arm. "You wanna hug?" he offered hopefully. "Can still do that."

Jubilee nodded wordlessly and launched herself at Hank, burying her face in his fur. "We'll do it at night then, an I can show you the stars. You shouldn't stay down here all the time, Dude. You can't get better trapped in a dungeon, even if it is a very nice Medlab otherwise, I'm sure."

Hank held her gently, stroking her hair. He'd been doing a lot of hugging and comforting, lately, which was nice... he liked doing that., he always had. "At night is good," he said softly. "We go see stars." Letting her help would be good. He was kind of fuzzy right now, but he remembered that it was good for people to feel like they could help, and be useful.

She nodded, leaning back slightly to rub an arm across her face. She'd promised herself she wouldn't start crying. Which had lasted till about the time he'd hugged her. Where the hell had her streetrat toughness disappeared to?

She hugged him again before drawing back fully onto her feet. "I'll come back tonight then. After the littlies are asleep."

"Okay." Hank nodded, and offered her a tissue. "Is okay to be scared," he said softly. "I am. But it'll be okay. Maddie said so." She hadn't promised, after he'd asked her not to, but she'd made Grimly Determined face. She would MAKE it be okay.

Jubilee wiped her eyes and then blew into the tissue, crunching it up before throwing it in the wastepaper basket. Her hair hung over her face as she picked at her nails. "It's not fair. You never even did anything wrong!"

"'m an X-Man. Knew... bad things might happen." He brushed her hair back gently. "Risk.... willing to take. To help people. You be a cop... might get hurt. That mean you don't want to risk helping?"

Jubilee shook her head, raising her eyes to his as tears sparkled on her lashes. "No. I'd still help, even if it got me hurt. I just, it ain't right that the good people get all the pain. I mean, it's okay if I get hurt. But you, Mads, you shouldn't, you're too good. It shouldn't happen that way to people that make the world a better place."

He hugged her again, gathering her up in his arms and trying to give her the reassurance that way that he couldn't in words. "Want to make the world better.... got to be ready get hurt doing it," he said gently. "Worth it, y'know?"

She clung to him, nodding as she let the tears come. It would be alright, Mads would make it alright. Mads could do anything she put her mind to, Jubilee believed that. And she'd take him to see the stars tonight, and she'd come to visit him tomorrow to help him build another book castle. But she'd come each day, till he was better.

"Shhh...." Hank rocked her a little bit. They'd never been close, but they'd been getting to be friends, before he got sick. It was nice, in a sad way, that she was worried about him. "Be okay. It will."

'It will. It has to be'

The thought, a prayer or a demand she wasn't sure but maybe both.