[ he adjusts his posture to wrap both arms around her, his heart sinking. hasn't she had enough bad news for a 1000 lifetimes? when will the powers that be leave her alone? ]
[Nodding. She's not going to use the words "like a mom" but...] She helped me a lot. I mean, all the X-Men did. I was kind of a mess when they rescued me, but I spent a lot of time with her.
[It's is as far as her last memories, but she knows better from the things Kurt said. Sorry.]
Strong. Impossibly strong. Beautiful from the inside out. She could control weather. You don't want to mess with someone who can throw lightning bolts at you. [She smiles.] Warm. Caring. She helped me find my place with the team.
[ he wishes he could've gotten to know her without making an ass out of himself. but that's probably too much to ask for. ]
I wish I could've too.
[ that pinches at his heart. kara called it the same - well about what he made of her mask not his time, but still - and it's a mixed happy-sad feeling he can't quite figure out. so he lets it go in favor of kissing her gently. ]
[She didn't mean to steal Kara's lines and doesn't realize she has. Anything she sees in Winn that isn't happiness she assumes comes from knowing she lost a friend. She smiles fondly at him after the kiss.]
What were you working on when I came in? Maybe I can help.
[ he's very sorry about the cardigans and being her ex. ]
Ah - a splitting headache.
[ he nods. that part is true. but he reaches his leg under the bed to drag his notebook out before leaning down to pick it up.
it's a good thing he had the sense not to use titles. he opens it up to show her a mess of equations with notes littered all around in a small, messy handwriting. some crossed out, most surrounded by question marks. ]
[He gets a kiss on his temple first for his poor splitting headache. Then she peers down at his writing. She points to one of the lines with questions.]
That's an interesting thought. It would explain how they access so many realities. At least on a basic, theoretical level.
Basic theoretical level's the only level I'm on so far.
[ and it's frustrating, but people far more brilliant than he'll ever be have dedicated their lives to studying these theories without moving to the next level.
Well, it's not exactly your direct field of interest or study, right? Then again multidimensional prisons that call themselves prisons and those that don't can make anyone suddenly take up a love of physics.
Well, there's a beautiful woman in my bed so I'd say I'm doing better than ever -
[ aside for the whole fear that he is actually losing mind and the awkwardness with kara, that is, but nobody needs to know about that, right? he's itching to tell her, to talk about everything that's been happening - in and out of his head - but he can't bring himself to say the words. ]
[He does such a good job of hiding it and distracting her with nice things like calling her beautiful. She leans in to kiss him when she should be pressing him for more information. She does want to know him on a deeper level. She has. She's never felt so close to him as when he was telling her about his father. But she knows his world isn't like hers and sometimes she overcompensates for that and assumes things are easier and more perfect than they really are.]
[ oh - victory. he returns the kiss, happy for the distraction.
he's happy to let her think that, after everything she's been through in her life, he doesn't want her wasting her concern on him, doesn't want to make her feel any more sadness than she already has. ]
[Happy kisses. She doesn't get too carried away in them just yet. She likes kissing time a lot but she also likes talking and getting to know him better and just sharing thoughts. So when she pulls away with a smile she opts for a topic that he's always good with.]
How's Kara doing? It's been a few days since I talked to her.
[ oh come on. 5 seconds? that's how long his victory gets to last? really multiverse? he clenches his fist on the bed, trying to resist the urge to tangle it in his hair or his clothes or anything that would be too painfully obvious. ]
She's visiting friends a lot, keeping busy I guess.
[Putting it in his hair would have been the more obvious tell for him, but clenching his fist on the bed is...odd. She doesn't notice it at first but when she does there's a long pause.]
Friends that aren't us? [She's not jealous. This is her probing at last.]
Well, I'm right here and you haven't talked to her in a while so -- yeah, I think that's a safe bet.
[ he doesn't mean to quip, but it just slips out. he's angry at himself, angry at kara, angry at the world that won't just allow him to be angry like a normal person without all this added guilt and fear and pain - she's his best friend. shouldn't he be able to tell her when she crosses a line? isn't that real friendship, coming to each other about these things instead of letting them fester beneath the surface? then why does he feel like the villain of the story? ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Action
[ he adjusts his posture to wrap both arms around her, his heart sinking. hasn't she had enough bad news for a 1000 lifetimes? when will the powers that be leave her alone? ]
I'm glad you did -- what happened?
Action
Ororo disappeared. She was another one of the X-Men, but from a different reality. I didn't really even have much of a chance to get to know her here.
Action
[ he tightens his hold around her. ]
Were you close, on your earth?
Action
Action
What is she like -- your Ororo?
[ please, let it be is and not was ]
Action
Strong. Impossibly strong. Beautiful from the inside out. She could control weather. You don't want to mess with someone who can throw lightning bolts at you. [She smiles.] Warm. Caring. She helped me find my place with the team.
Action
[ he returns a small smile, as he resumes stroking her hair ] She sounds like an amazing person.
Action
...Winnprovement.
Action
I wish I could've too.
[ that pinches at his heart. kara called it the same - well about what he made of her mask not his time, but still - and it's a mixed happy-sad feeling he can't quite figure out. so he lets it go in favor of kissing her gently. ]
You're in luck, Winnprovements are my specialty.
Action
What were you working on when I came in? Maybe I can help.
Action
[ he shrugs. she rattled him by sounding like kara, and bringing up the project he's not allowed to talk about doesn't help it any.
he'd do a lot for a seamless transition about now. ]
Sitting on Plato would probably be more productive.
Action
all the time.] Well, I like physics theories about the places I'm in. What do you have?Action
and being her ex. ]Ah - a splitting headache.
[ he nods. that part is true. but he reaches his leg under the bed to drag his notebook out before leaning down to pick it up.
it's a good thing he had the sense not to use titles. he opens it up to show her a mess of equations with notes littered all around in a small, messy handwriting. some crossed out, most surrounded by question marks. ]
Action
That's an interesting thought. It would explain how they access so many realities. At least on a basic, theoretical level.
Action
Basic theoretical level's the only level I'm on so far.
[ and it's frustrating, but people far more brilliant than he'll ever be have dedicated their lives to studying these theories without moving to the next level.
they didn't have his motivation, though. ]
Action
Action
Action
So, how are you doing? [She came in all about herself. So seems a good a time as any to make sure all is well with Winn.]
Action
[ he nods ]
Well, there's a beautiful woman in my bed so I'd say I'm doing better than ever -
[ aside for the whole fear that he is actually losing mind and the awkwardness with kara, that is, but nobody needs to know about that, right? he's itching to tell her, to talk about everything that's been happening - in and out of his head - but he can't bring himself to say the words. ]
Action
[He does such a good job of hiding it and distracting her with nice things like calling her beautiful. She leans in to kiss him when she should be pressing him for more information. She does want to know him on a deeper level. She has. She's never felt so close to him as when he was telling her about his father. But she knows his world isn't like hers and sometimes she overcompensates for that and assumes things are easier and more perfect than they really are.]
Action
he's happy to let her think that, after everything she's been through in her life, he doesn't want her wasting her concern on him, doesn't want to make her feel any more sadness than she already has. ]
Action
How's Kara doing? It's been a few days since I talked to her.
Action
She's visiting friends a lot, keeping busy I guess.
Re: Action
Friends that aren't us? [She's not jealous. This is her probing at last.]
Action
[ he doesn't mean to quip, but it just slips out. he's angry at himself, angry at kara, angry at the world that won't just allow him to be angry like a normal person without all this added guilt and fear and pain - she's his best friend. shouldn't he be able to tell her when she crosses a line? isn't that real friendship, coming to each other about these things instead of letting them fester beneath the surface? then why does he feel like the villain of the story? ]
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action
Action