jade ☃ harley (
basslines) wrote in
bakerstreet2016-09-08 02:14 pm
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thursday pic prompt

the picture prompt meme
i. COMMENT WITH CHARACTER
ii. OTHERS LEAVE A PICTURE (OR TWO OR THREE....)
iii. REPLY TO THEM WITH A SETTING BASED ON THE IMAGES.
THIS POST WILL BE IMAGE HEAVY.
Re: Kurt and Charles
In all honesty, he had been something amount of miles away, although it hadn't been the best of memories, there were a few lingering, happy thoughts in between - no matter how fleeting they may have seemed. The far less pleasant memory had left an odd, burning sensation in his chest and a bitter taste of bile rising in his throat. Why did this sort of thing have to come at the most inconvenient time? He wouldn't blame Charles for mentioning Raven, but when he remembered his family, it led to other things and, well ...
The touch on his arm did help draw him back into reality, iridescent eyes flickering with their usual spark. He drew his head back up and turned to face his teacher, mouth dry, regardless of his attempts to work past it, "Professor, I ..." he trailed off, the rest of the words dying in his throat, the hand at his neck lowering to gingerly grip Charles'. "... it's nothing." Which was an outright lie, but he didn't want to cause more distress.
Re: Kurt and Charles
The look that Charles gave Kurt suggested he didn't believe the young man for a moment. It had nothing to do with his abilities and everything to do with the fact that Kurt was giving it all away in the look in his face, the movements of his body. Usually he would have backed off here but it was the touch to his hand in return that prompted him to say more. "...it's not nothing," he said quietly, not quite asking the question but giving Kurt every chance to speak up instead.
Sometimes all a child needed was a chance to get it off their chest, to speak about something bothering them, to try and ease some of the confusion or hurt they felt from it. Sometimes a child needed much more of a push because the confusion or hurt was like a sluggishly bleeding wound. Charles hoped Kurt was in the former category, but the young man's life had been rough from everything Raven and Kurt himself had told him. No one should have had to live like that.
Re: Kurt and Charles
Kurt didn't need to be looking at Charles to know that his excuse was practically transparent; his eyes were always so expressive, no matter how much he would try to hide the actual emotions he'd be feeling. Most of the time, he never had to worry about trying to mask his true feelings, but this was one of those moments where he preferred to not cause more concern than necessary. The telepath's words made his heart sink into his stomach, the truthfulness of them ringing loud and clear in his ears. "... you're right," he whispered tentatively.
He wanted Charles and everyone else that he befriended to know that he trusted them and if he couldn't talk about his problems with someone as kind as his teacher, then what would be the point? With a quick huff, he averted his gaze to the ground beneath his feet and let his hand fall back to his side. "I was thinking about my family, which ... doesn't always come with the best of memories."
Re: Kurt and Charles
Some people wore their heart on their sleeves. Hank was one of them; to someone who had known Hank as long as Charles, Hank was a transparent mask that showed every little emotion behind his heart. Raven could see him just as clearly, but then again, Hank could be one of the most caring, gentle men he had ever known. That open heart usually meant a good one that would hold secrets in the depths and never let them go, that offered love and caring freely, but it also meant they could be hurt all too easily.
Kurt was most definitely that kind of person.
There was that brief moment of pride at being able to read Kurt right to get the young man to open up a little more, but that feeling of ego was quickly pushed aside. Not now, damn it. "...what about your family, this time?" he probed gently, his voice soft, just barely heard over the birds, the faint wind, and the crunch of his wheels against the asphalt.
Re: Kurt and Charles
From the sounds of it, he and Hank have a lot more in common than just being blue. Perhaps, when he found enough courage to do so, he could ask Hank about being a fellow heart-sleeve wearing mutant, too.
Charles' question momentarily broke the silence, though once it settled back in, it was almost deafening. Slowly, but surely, the sound of the wheelchair, the rustling of the wind and the faint calls of birds and something else - something that vaguely sounding like buzzing and he wasn't sure if it was from their surroundings or if it was just in his head.
He brushed it aside for now, attempting to focus on the older man's question, "Their reactions when they first found out about my markings." And there it was, finally laid out for Charles to ask any sort of questions about them that he so wished, no matter how personal they could get. It was never easy to think about, but maybe, if he could talk about them, the weight on his chest would lessen.
Re: Kurt and Charles
It was, no matter how open the invitation could seem, an incredibly delicate subject. Such raised flesh carved in such elegant patterns had to have quite the story behind them and Charles got the distinct feeling that they were not done by the hand of someone completely above pain. So his words were chosen with care, his pace slowing to give them more time to speak.
"...where did they come from?" Charles finally asked, not wanting to put words into Kurt's mouth. Perhaps, by some good grace, he was wrong and they were something natural, however unnatural that might be, but he didn't want to suggest either how he might feel about them. This was something that needed, above all else from him, to not be judged.
Re: Kurt and Charles
There were plenty of times that he wished he could claim that they were natural, mostly so he wouldn't be judged harshly after admitting that he'd made the intricate designs in his own skin. That was what made him briefly hesitate at Charles' question; the fear of disgust from his teacher. He didn't want anyone to think lesser of him because of his past or possible future, considering he'd thought multiple times about taking a blade to his skin for what had happened to Warren - repentance for letting the winged warrior die in battle.
Although Kurt was petrified at what Charles would say, he did his best to not start violently trembling, inhaling sharply and responding, "I did them myself." The breath he'd taken in released in a shaking huff, the only thing more deafening than the earlier silence currently being his pulse throbbing in his ears.
Re: Kurt and Charles
Hell, so his first guess was accurate. Charles knew he had to think very quickly and say the right thing in this situation or his chance to help Kurt was not only gone but he could lock the younger man away from him. So he sped up his chair enough to partially get in front of Kurt, looking up to him. How he wished he could have taken Kurt by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes in that moment, but this would have to do. "Look at me," he said in a soft but firm voice.
"...I'm proud you told me," he started off, that same tone of voice, not looking away from Kurt's face regardless if Kurt decided to actually meet his eyes or not. "I'm not going to judge you based on your actions, only hope that I can help keep it from being any necessary in the future. You had your reasons, and from everything I've heard and seen, I don't blame you. We all... we all bear scars from our pasts, some on the outside, some on the inside."
His gaze dropped away, looking down to his own arm. They were something he had kept hidden from the children and parents, always making sure his shirts were long enough to hide the marks even when the cuffs were neatly rolled back as they were now. It wasn't much effort to pull back on the sleeve, shifting his shoulder and elbow up enough to let the cotton slide, knowing the odd motion would draw Kurt's eyes to it. The myriad of white marks, tucked neatly in and around the soft skin in the crook of the elbow. So many failed attempts to hit a vein when he was in the depths of his guilt and pity depression.
Re: Kurt and Charles
Just as he'd predicted, the rising fear began to blossom into almost full-blown panic and had Charles not sped up, moved in front of him to stop his walking, Kurt might have made a mad dash for the door to get away. Instead, he halted entirely, only now noticing that he had brought the same hand back up to grip his throat, the tips of his claws threatening the tender skin. He hesitantly met the telepath's gaze and the hand dropped back to his side, along with his mouth falling open in complete, utter shock.
He was ... proud that he'd been able to come out with it? The urge to look away was almost overpowering, yet he kept his wide eyes locked on Charles, brow creased with perplexity. For once in his life, the blue boy didn't know what to say in response; he was so used to being pitied or berated for doing something that people claimed to be 'idiotic' that he wasn't sure how to approach someone actually telling him that they understood where he was coming from.
It was Charles who finally broke eye contact, though. He averted his attention to the older mutant's arm at the peculiar motion, squinting briefly before his eyes dilated once more at the sight of the multiple scars in the crease of Charles' elbow. "P-Professor," he stammered, cupping one hand over his mouth and reaching the other one to gingerly run the fingertip of his index digit across some of the markings. Hopefully, he hadn't taken too many liberties with such a delicate motion. "What ... what are they?"
Re: Kurt and Charles
No one had ever touched the scars like that. Hank had occassionally touched there, usually in giving him another injection, but nothing quite like that. It brought a shiver out of Charles that he could repress; the touch was almost intimate even though he knew it wasn't meant to be. His hand came up, thumb rubbing over the same place Kurt had touched to erase that tingling feeling left behind.
"...needle marks," he said very quietly, admitting aloud something that only Hank would know. The sleeve was tugged back into place and Charles flexed his elbow once before he looked back up to Kurt. "Sometimes, we leave scars on the outside to bear the ones inside." His were not intentional on the same level of Kurt's, but he had done the deed in the depths of his pain.
"Some... will never understand and in reality, they can't."
Re: Kurt and Charles
Noting the shiver that his touch had caused, Kurt withdrew the hand and curled it against his chest. "Sorry," he whispered, glancing up to Charles' face then back down at his arm, lower lip tucking between his teeth as he watched him rub over the spot that he'd caressed.
The first thought that came to mind was to ask Charles what he was using needles for, but he held that back, unsure what sort of reaction the question would cause; he didn't want to make the situation anymore uncomfortable than it might have already become. "I must admit, it's odd to have another person that understands." Even if their scars had been created for two different reasons.
"You are absolutely right." He flattened the hand on his chest over his heart, absentmindedly running it down to rest at his ribs, "I haven't ... created any new ones in a long time. I felt the urge to do so after the battle with En Sabah Nur, but I've ... resisted, for now."
Re: Kurt and Charles
Even the mention of that name brought to mind feelings that couldn't be described even with years to try and explain it, the deep down fight to save his own existence from being wiped out of his own body like he was a smear to be cleaned from the glass, feeling his mental self breaking apart bone by bone, molecule by molecule, and in the end, not knowing sometimes if he'd lost parts of himself that he couldn't even remember were gone. Too many of his nightmares rested on the fact he feared that some of that man was still inside of him, or some of himself was gone forever.
"You're not alone." Those three words revealed so much all at once, even as it offered companionship in the terrible knowledge of what they both resisted. Charles had wanted, in fits and passings, to rip the power from his head and never use it again, never wanted to suffer that pain again or be someone's pawn. The feeling had passed, but he knew the possibility was never far away, not while Hank hid his true form.
"But I'll admit, for both of us, that I'm grateful we haven't added to our... collections." Charles looked up with that, his expression full of understanding.
Re: Kurt and Charles
He stood there in the soundlessness between them, unaware of the turmoil his teacher was currently going through with the memories of simply mentioning the name. Whenever he thought about it, all he could tell himself was that he should have been quicker, could have searched harder ... Should have avoided fighting with Archangel. A stab of guilt pierced his chest at the last thought, the hand at his side twitching then gripping at the leather of his suit. What a fantastic mutant, wings destroyed first by Kurt's determination to live and then his life lost when he'd been unable to escape the plane that he'd teleported all of them from. Dead, all because of En Sabah Nur's influence over him.
Again, he was drawn back to the moment at hand, but it didn't stop his heart from dropping into his stomach at Charles' words. "As selfish as it might sound, I wish that I was," he paused to release a harsh breath, head shaking, "No one should suffer with the pain." And yet, so many had or still did. If it were possible, he'd aid in ways to help them be rid of it and part of him wished there was some sort of second mutation he possessed to do so.
He met Charles' eyes again and some of the apprehension within him settled, a soft smile tugging his lips up. "As am I, Professor."
Re: Kurt and Charles
Which was why he brought the X-Men to existence again at all, because they could do something. Because they were needed. It still hurt, he believed their deaths always would, but he had pushed it to keep going. Now? Now.. parts of him wanted to break down but there was too much, there were people, relying on him unlike the last time when there was nothing left.
Re: Kurt and Charles
He laughed, despite the tears forming in the corners of his eyes, threatening to start running down his cheeks at any minute. "I'm an optimistic pacifist," he forced through his shuddering breath, "I always hope for the best and want to see the decency in people, even if they have proved otherwise. There are some people that show their intentions right away, like the Ringleader at the circus and the Announcer at the cage fights ... They are exceptions to this."
Both of his hands lifted this time, palms pressing against his cheeks, fingers rubbing at his eyes to rid himself of the tears. "Are you sure I am a right choice for this team, Professor? I do not meant to question your judgement and I will always strive to do my best as long as I am here, but ... are optimism and pacifism something that we need?"
Re: Kurt and Charles
If Kurt would allow him, he would draw the young man down and into a hug, one that would begin easily and tighten if Kurt didn't draw away. If not, he would leave his hand on that wrist and merely watch his face. "We don't just need people who are strong or powerful, who can hit hard. We also need the people who will keep those people in check and make sure that what we're doing is as right as we can make it."
Re: Kurt and Charles
Kurt hadn't quite anticipated the next movement of Charles tugging him down into a hug, the gesture causing his eyes to broaden with astonishment. He inhaled somewhat sharply and brought his free arm up, balancing himself out to return the embrace by looping his arm around Charles' shoulders and squeezing tight. "Then, I will continue to do my best and make sure that we do the right thing, including my diligence with practicing to keep others out of harms way."
Re: Kurt and Charles
"Go head up for a rest," he said in a way to defuse the air slightly, offering a small smile. "Teleport yourself downstairs and get changed, head up normally. I'm going to find my sister and let her know what happened this afternoon... and Doctor McCoy the results of our testing. He'll be very excited to hear all about it."
Re: Kurt and Charles
"Okay," he agreed with some reluctance, still wanting to continue with the training, although he was feeling rather tired. "You do not want me to teleport you back inside? I would have no trouble doing so, considering how close we are and all."
Re: Kurt and Charles
"I'll need to go back upstairs to find Raven as it is," Charles assured, giving a quick smile. "Besides, it's a beautiful day out. No small hardship for me to be able to enjoy it while heading back inside. We'll talk tomorrow, and make sure you have a large breakfast." Not that he thought the young man wouldn't be starving by the time he woke up, but it was a part of that more fatherly feeling in him he couldn't quite help.
He started towards the house, then peered back and his smile grew slightly. "Go on." Before he let the wheelchair go at full speed down the driveway.
Re: Kurt and Charles
"Ah, right." He returned the smile and dipped his head, eyes glittering with elation. "Enjoy the weather, then. I will go rest for the remainder of the day and make sure that I load up on carbs in the morning." Oh, that meant something nice and filling, like pancakes with lots of butter and syrup! Kurt's grin widened at the thought as he headed for the door.
Hesitating for a moment, he blinked and looked over his shoulder just as Charles glanced at him one last time. "... thank you, Professor." Then, in a swirl of smoke, he was gone.
After the blue boy had gone back to the locker room, gotten changed then returned to his room, it didn't take long for him to wind down from the earlier exercise by losing himself in a book he'd been enthralled with. The longer he read, the heavier his eyes got and before he could register it, he'd curled onto his side and dozed off, clutching the book to his chest in his sleeping state.
Throughout most of the night, Kurt rested peacefully, somehow ending up with one arm and his tail dangling off the edge of the bed. It wasn't until about two in the morning that something dark crept into his mind, began disturbing the quietness of his dreams; the smell of burning skin and something else he couldn't quite make out, his own familiar scent of brimstone, mixed with the acrid smoke of fire.
He coughed in his sleep, as if struggling to breathe, shifting up onto his hands and knees, face burying into his pillow. Why did his hands burn?
Another flash in his thoughts - the screaming of the announcer from the cage fight, his own pained whimpering (had he done that out loud?) from trying his hardest to get out of the electrified prison, the cry of agony from when Angel's feathers had burned away when he'd slammed the winged warrior into the metal to protect himself.
"Nein!" he shouted, struggling about in his blankets, sweat-dampened limbs tangled effectively in the sheets and blankets. "Please ..." And try as he might, no matter how hard he fought, he couldn't seem to get free of his bed, of the damn cage, of the turmoil inside of his head ...
Re: Kurt and Charles
Sleeping had become a thing of difficulty since his return home from Egypt and what had happened. The nightmares tended to come when he least expected it and left him panicked, sweating, and reliving parts of it that he didn't even want to remember. Hank was the only one who knew how he spent most of his nights - reading, researching into the scientific or politic side of being a mutant, checking on the finances for the school. All things until he could exhaust himself. No wonder he had fallen asleep in the library.
What surprised him that night was the feeling of something wrong in the air. He lifted his head from his work, one hand spread across a bill he needed to speak to the landscaping company about, and he tried to focus on that sensation creeping on the air. It was something he had become far more sensitive to in the time since Jean had become a part of their school, given how dangerous her nightmares had the potential to be, but while similar, didn't 'taste' of her.
With some effort, he shifted himself over into his wheelchair, still in his pajamas, and started up towards the student rooms. Barefoot and in a thin teeshirt, he didn't think too much of it as he narrowed down the feeling towards the boys' side, then to his surprise, Kurt. His brows shot up as he knocked on the door, and in a split second it was opened by a very sleepy looking Peter.
"...kinda late isn't it, teach?" Peter asked, cracking a yawn. Definitely had been asleep at the knock.
"I think your roommate is having a nightmare," Charles calmly explained, making the speedster look over his shoulder towards the thrashing Kurt. Charles caught that blink of surprise.
"Uh, yeah. Should I wake him up?" Before Charles could even respond, Peter was at Kurt's side. Charles just managed a 'wait!' before Peter's hand touched Kurt, catching Peter before possibly he ended up getting a very startled Kurt to react. He gestured for Peter to go over to his own bed and came into the room, wheeling himself beside Kurt.
"Kurt?" Trying quietly, not wanting to pull the young man out of his sleep any more violently than the dream felt even from a distance.
Re: Kurt and Charles
For a moment, his struggling ceased - just as Peter had reached out to wake him. Then, Kurt twisted onto his back, threw his head against the pillow and arched before dropping rather suddenly and falling still once more. Another image, something that seemed more comforting to start with, but it didn't last long. He was in a basement, surrounded by a circle of candles, hands clasped around ebony prayer beads and a blade gripped in the spade of his tail.
The knife lifted to his shoulder, cut into the skin, allowing crimson to pour forth and although it hurt, he simply applied more pressure to continue the motion, knowing the pain would fade and the blood would dry, but the scar would be forever. All the while, a voice - deep and unrecognizable - echoed through his thoughts: 'It's an abomination. We must be rid of it.'
'It's a demon.'
Another voice, 'Fight or they'll kill us both!'
"I won't," he pleaded, curling into himself and clutching his arms. "Never again." A return to the darkness, the faint crackling of electricity. The box he'd been kept in before battles. The claustrophobic conditions, the inability to see, to move, to break free ...
'Kurt?'
His name, spoken by a familiar voice, shot through with concern. He reached with both hands, pressing them to the doors of the box and fighting against whatever was keeping them closed. Who? Who was--?
"Charles," he breathed, reaching, stretching, grasping at air, but in his dream, he couldn't push past the confines of the container he was trapped in.
Re: Kurt and Charles
He jerked slightly in his chair as he dropped into Kurt's dream, burning inside as his whole being suddenly felt absolutely trapped, like he couldn't breathe, claustrophobic, but unlike Kurt, he could drag himself up above it. What was this? What sort of horrid nightmare? He could smell something burning, cooked flesh, hear the crackle of electricity-
"KURT!" A call out, trying to shatter through the dream and pull the other to him.
Re: Kurt and Charles
His name again, louder this time, urging him to lift his attention back to the doors. Charles. It was Charles.
He drew his arms up again, slammed both of his palms into the doors with all his might, forced them to push open--
And woke suddenly in his bed, golden eyes snapping open in complete shock, mouth agape in the same manner. The hand that had been grasping for nothing reached and took hold of Charles' wrist, a little more firmly than he'd intended, but nothing too painful. His head whipped between his teacher and his roommate, features practically disintegrating into sorrow, "I ... I'm sorry," he whispered, releasing his hold on Charles' arm and withdrawing into himself. Then, again: "I'm sorry!"
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