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Victoria heard Andy speak to her, and felt somewhat relieved, although she still failed to live up to her own standards and she wasn't as forgiving. _{"I... Thank you. You're a better person than I am."} she hushed her reply, trying to focus on what the others were saying.

Once again, Danni demonstrated how hopelessy naive he was. She let the bracelet bounce off of the cuff of her jacket and fall to the ground. She supposed she could hardly blame Diana for trusting the establishment, considering her family was part of it. But Victoria felt like somewhere down the line, she would get an 'I told you so.'

Mt. Leah then errupted and left, which was a shame, as Victoria would have liked to have the same minded voices at least present in the room. While she felt her outrage was justified, having what amounted to her best friend there for support would have been nice.

Victoria almost went after her in hopes of putting her mind at ease, or at least to try given her usual lack of people skills, but another voice spoke up in the same manner as herself. She was loathe to admit she barely knew Mary Sue, but obviously the girl had her head on straight, and realized some timeline implications that Victoria didn't even think to consider.

Then Flynn Elder opened her mouth, and Victoria found her jaw tensing and feeling like she would grind her teeth into powder. Her well of restraint has bottomed out. "Feel free to go bury your head in the sand when things get hard, Flynn. I believe that team was already started by Mr. Kingston and is gathering over on that side of the desk. I intend to find solutions to the problems I see." Victoria spat out.

The headmaster then started to say something about stuff actually getting done, but the conversation then took a turn she did NOT expect. If what he says is true... she couldn't. She didn't want to even think about that. Victoria suddenly remembered an eerily similar conversation she had with professor Harkness. I need to write to her. I want a second opinion. And if fate is really sealed... Well, then I would very much like to know what the cards said that evening, rather than stumbling through destiny oblivious to it.

And then, Nimue gave her the told you so she thought would come much later. She wanted to get mad again, but she just felt so drained by this conversation, and it only lasted a few minutes so far. She stared blankly at the 'teacher'. "I don't know what millenium you're from, Madam. But in this day and age, society builds schools to prepare their successors for the future, rather than traumatizing children or letting them die to see who makes the cut. If that was the case, why build a school instead of letting life teach us. Maybe it's your antiquated thinking that doesn't have a place here anymore."

Sighing and shaking her head, Victoria turned to Coulson: "Headmaster, maybe you should also take some time to bring more concrete idea of what future we are actually chosing by attending here. You say you are deliberating improvements, and a member of your staff says everything is working as intended. I won't be satisfied with vague promises or conflicting ideals, and I won't be bought with hush grades either. And if you want me out, you're going to have to kick me out. I'm not abandoning a cause I think is worth pursuing because it may get me in trouble with the system or be otherwise difficult. In fact, I'll happily put in the work, if you think I can be of help."

She almost surprised herself by extending that olive branch at the end. But whether she liked it or not, steadily working towards change within the system has been proven by history to be more successful than revolutionary efforts. And as for fearing retaliation? 'Usagi' has been giving them grief all year. Victoria will brave it and she will hold. Having spoken her mind, she stepped aside to allow the rest of the people to file out at their own pace, staying behind as requested, hoping that included the other teachers.

“Wait, are we all skippin’ over Zeld's ventriloquism act ‘ere or am I ‘allucinatin’? I really t'in’ t'at's not somet'in’ we should just ignore?” Danni waved at the corner where her voice came from. “Did ya just not wanna show up but sent like, a super tiny mic and/or camera combo ‘ere? T'ats's kinda rude. ‘Ow am I supposed ta give ya your friendship bracelet? I'll come bot'er you at your dorm wit’ it t'en!” He gave Zelda's tiny camera a thumbs up.

“But yeah, like tots babe! We can chat later. I need all t'e deets!” Danni nodded at Mads just as Leah blew up. Talk about needing therapy, sheesh! “If we wanna delay t'e whole team decidin’ t'in’, we can but Imma fight ta t'e death for Princess, Dee, and me on one ‘cause it's everyt’in’ we've been dreamin’ about for two years now and we don't get ta dangle t'at out in front of my face and t'en snatch it away wit'out me screamin’ and kickin’. Just fair warnin’!” Danni blew Beanie a kiss and whirled on the newest person to join, Zari.

“Just our bonding bracelets! ‘Ere I ‘ave one for you and one for Mr. Eyeball. You know for t'e whole we survived a supervillian t’in’.” Danni found himself quickly corrected, t’at they did apparently die but they still lived and then they were put in water for too long? Yeah, it made you look wrinkly but what did pruney skin have to do with time travel?

“Yeesh, y'all are real serious about t'is. Can't we like, eat candy and roll in t'e grass and ‘ave fun and just be glad we're alive? Oh, Couls I didn't make you a bracelet but you weren't t'ere so should I not make you one? But I kinda want ta, you know? I t'ink I will so email, text, or send a wierd letter on school paper tellin’ me what color ya want. I get a sunflower vibe from you.” Danni peered at Coulson hard before shrugging. “But yeah, I'm wit’ Princess ‘ere. We talk ta t'e shrink-and man, are t'ey gunna regret askin’ me ta talk. T'ey're gunna charge t'e school ta shut me up once I'm done wit’ t'em, ha!-we celebrate we ‘ave a chance ta keep rockin’ ‘ow great we are, and we fuckin’ slay t'e championship so everyone sees villians ain't got not'in’ on us. Now, y'all ‘it me up when we wanna talk teams. Leah left wit'out ‘er bracelet!” Danni paused, grabbing Vicky's bracelet off the ground and popped it on her shoulder.

“Sooooorry, you’re stuck wit’ me! I'm non-refundable! And t’at goes for all of you!” Danni cackled and bolted after Leah. “Leaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Wait up! You forgot your bracelet!” Danni jogged after her, popping up next to her.

“Special delivery for one rocky woman!” Danni proudly held out the bracelet. “Man, I t'ink ya ‘ave me beat on dramatic exits for t'e week. You can't keep t'e tiara from me for long, but I'll let ya keep it for now. What's up wit’ t'at t'ough? Ya left before t'ey even talk ‘bout how we actually got pruney in t'e tanks, we didn't come out flawless Like I remembered, and apparently everyone went fuckin’ wild over it? And like, I know I care ‘bout my looks but a little pruniness after serving a serial killer? Not worth complainin’ ‘bout in my book. I know ya don't really like me much, but ya can go off wit’ me sis. Let some of t'at pressure out!”

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Leah wasn't having a good day. In fact, she wasn't having a great time lately. She would've just stayed at the school the whole time, but no, someone who didn't understand the circumstances or had any right to understand them just had to stick their nose in it. She was perfectly capable of looking out for herself. These stupid laws about human beings not being able to do that until a certain age didn't feel like they mattered to her, they never did, and Leah was lately wondering if she was ever human in the first place. Mutants technically weren't human, and she always thought she was one, but at least that meant she was at least born on the same planet as April and Sabine.

And her dad knew she was here, and could've sprang his trap at any point. Was there even a trap? Did she just delude herself into thinking he still gave a shit, and didn't go off to have another kid?

And now all this. Just one shitty thing after another, now compounded by the fact that she was probably going to get investigated, interrogated, or some other inane shit by the Avengers. Leah was about to just go sit under a tree and tune the whole world out when some fucking golden retriever in human form started yapping in her ear. Danni.

God, fuck, damn, shit, fuck. She never could get along with this guy, and Leah never really had any idea why. He just didn't shut the fuck up, and she could never fully understand what he was saying, and he was so fucking loud about it. April was pretty energetic too, but holy shit. At least she had some semblance of a filter. He held out some damn bracelet, and she just stared down at it before walking.

"I don't know what the fuck that even means, Danni," She griped, not giving much of a fuck if he actually followed her. He probably would.

"I already know what happened, I can take a guess. He stuck is in there, tried to kill us, won, and someone had to fuck with time to fix that. I get it, okay? It's not hard to read the damn room." April usually did a worse job masking her fear of mortal perils, than Leah. "I don't know what possessed the little fucking prick to try it, but he got away with it, right? The clock just got wound back for a do-over, tell me if I'm wrong."

She walked out into the front of the school, taking a spot under a tree like as she wanted to. She dug out a pouch of small stones. "I'm guessing April's going to want you and Dorian on the same team as me and Sabine. That's fine, I don't care at all about the teams, as long as someone knows what they're doing. I'm sick of caring. So, sure, bother me. It's fine, seriously." It occurred to Leah that she could keep being arbitrarily annoyed by Danni's existence, or she could grow the fuck up for April's sake. And for Sabine's too, but Sabine was probably a lot more willing to chew her out for it than April.

There was a flower in the grass, one that looked frail and wilted. A sunflower. Leah reached into her pouch and grabbed two of the stones. One carved with a symbol resembling a capital B, the other an S. Berkano and Sowilo, based on some shit she looked up over the break.

"Okay. Fuck it, why not." She placed them both between her fingers, and pointed her hand down at the sunflower.

"Do something."

The flower twitched, and the stones felt warm to the touch. The sunflower bloomed into something golden, bright and downright majestic, reflecting the sunlight in the sky like polished gold. Leah hadn't ever seen something grown in dirt look that healthy, and she was a bit confused that it worked so easily.

"...Well, shit." She looked up at Danni. "I guess I'm a plant wizard."

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Madalyne looked at Danni and nodded, she would talk about all her changes later, as her attention turned to Leah and she went off on Coulson as well as Lady Nimue and Ser Nemo and flinched slightly when the door slammed shut. Leah was certainly not having a fun time at all. Shortly after Leah had left Zari and Mr. Eyeball came into the room finally asking what happened as well as hearing Zelda's voice as she spoke. "For what happened Headmaster Coulson is giving us a free pass for the rest of this semester, though we have to do therapy." Madalyne answered Zari's question.

Then Mary-Sue spoke up, and mentioning that they ended up dying and due to some weird time travel shenanigans they were alive now or something from what she understood. Ser Nemo then started to explain a little bit more which was confusing to her, though Mads wasn't taking his course. Madalyne didn't really like Lady Nimue speaking but she decided to not really say anything about it the meeting seemed to be pretty much over at this point and Coulson was giving them permission to leave now. "Just let me know what times are for the therapy sessions." Madalyne told the headmaster, as much as she hated it if it was the only price to pay for using the Framework without supervision and outside of school hours she was going to do it.

"We all should discuss the team situation at lunch or something." Madalyne suggested, she was still more than happy to continue with the Contest of Champions. Madalyne stood up and looked at Headmaster Coulson and gave him a slight nod before heading out while holding the little bracelet that Danni had given everyone. They had the rest of the day now and Madalyne was going to enjoy the time away from classes and headed outside.

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Diana shifted slightly in her seat as she listened to Leah went off on Coulson and Lady Nimue and Ser Nemo for basically what happened and she flinched slightly when Leah slammed the door shut. She shook her head slightly she thought it was a little bit overkill as Madalyne managed to give Zari an answer to her question and Zelda's voice as well to wherever she was in the room and Mary-Sue speaking up as well to about what happened. April tried to reason and change the subject but the headmaster was firm on staying on the subject at hand apparently they all had died or something but they didn't it was really confusing to her.

Diana listened to Lady Nimue as she spoke she was probably referencing Greek Tragedies or something but it wasn't really helping the situation really. But the meeting seemed to be over now at this point as Diana stood up, since Percy and Dorian still hadn't appeared at all really to this meeting. "I'll go and relay the message to my brother and Dorian Coulson." Diana said as she followed shortly behind Mads out of the headmaster's office. She didn't really feel like walking all the way over to Stark Hall, and luckily she was able to get around campus very quickly.

In a bright flash of blue light Diana teleported out of the hallway leading to Coulson's office, she must have miscalculated Diana had aimed to teleport to the hallway where Percy's dorm was as she teleported in a blue light in a dorm. Diana looked around the room, and when she turned around Diana spotted her brother shirtless and Dorian in nothing but his underwear. "Dorian what the fuck are you doing?!" Diana yelled seeing him straddling her brother as Diana tried to look away seeing them both like that was so weird. "Are you trying to sleep with my brother!" Diana yelled again looking for something to throw at Dorian she found a shoe probably Dorian's to throw at his head when she turned around they were both gone.

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What if he didn't? Didn't what? Change uniforms? Dorian knew that Percy wasn't exactly the most fashionable person, but even he had to understand that Dorian's look had to be cohesive. He'd turned around, still in his boxers, to say as much towards Percy when he noticed the red tinging his boyfriend's cheeks. A sudden realization came over Dorian, he'd meant something beyond the realm of what he'd previously imagined. ”What if I…don't put on…more clothes? Mon chère, you tease me. Non?” Dorian asked expectedly, seeing if Percy had truly meant for them to have a bit of fun before going to the meeting they were already very late for.

“Mais non!” Percy stammered, his mutant gift triggering as he began to speak back in French without realizing. “Je ne te moque pas, c’est juste…On pourra…” He hesitated again, scrunching up his nose slightly. Words were usually so easy. But now? Now he couldn’t think of how to say what he wanted to - his entire grasp of language seemed to be eluding him. “… Je n’ai pas des mots, désolé…”

Dorian smirked, locking eyes with Percy as he answered. ”It's a good t'ing words aren't exactly needed for t'is sort of t'ing. Just actions.” It was cute seeing his boyfriend all flustered like this. He hardly ever got to see him like this. Without much thought, Dorian's eyes traced down Percy's shirt, slowly taking him in, as one by one the buttons on Percy's shirt began to come undone. His right hand grabbed Percy by the tie, pulling him closer as he straddled him and his left hand began to phase and took Percy's shirt with it. He tossed it off to the side, catching it with his telekinesis as it gently folded itself while it flew down onto the desk nearby before Dorian went in for a kiss.

Something inside of Percy simultaneously tightened and melted at Dorian’s remark, his boyfriend smoother with language in that moment than Percy could ever help to be. He’d never really quivered before, but his body was trembling wherever Dorian’s gaze fell - as the buttons of his shirt were neatly undone with just a look, a look that he knew he’d never be able to get out of his head - as Dorian pulled him in by his tie, before trapping him beneath him, his shirt carefully set aside and Dorian’s lips dove down onto his like a prayer. This must be what nectar tastes like, Percy thought dimly - the only coherent thought that afforded itself to him, as he did his best to match Dorian’s lips, his tongue expressing what his mind could not.

Dorians hand held tight onto the tie as his other began to run down Percy's chest, stopping just above the waist of his pants as he hooked a finger underneath it. He was about to ask if he could remove them when he heard a grating voice behind him. Somehow Diana had managed to get into his room, and what's worse was his hand was now about midway beneath the fabric as they were making out atop his bed.

Percy jumped in surprise at hearing his sister’s voice - not a physical jump however, but one of displacement. He was so entangled in Dorian’s limbs and body that as Percy instinctively retreated to the nearest safe location - his dorm room - Dorian was teleported alongside. His heart was pounding and his eyes were wide, startled at the abrupt change of… well, everything. “...Diana? Could you knock next time?” Percy said, his tone dazed, but the language he was reaching to switched back to English once more.

A blue light wrapped around Dorian, disorienting him for a moment as he instantly knew he wasn't in his own dorm room again. The scent of coffee they kept on tabular now replaced with that of old books that littered the shelves. It was Percy's room, which meant no roommates to interrupt either. ”Or just don't come in at all next time.” Dorian chimed in before he went into it again. His powers entangling with his movements as they moved from the bed to a wall, pressed against it and held up by his telekinesis.

Percy couldn’t help but be flustered at first, from his sister’s interruption to Dorian’s immediate continuation - and yet, it was still too easy to fall back into the rhythm they had quickly found, his body yearning for more, wanting Dorian to be closer, impossibly close. He felt his back up against the wall, felt himself held up by Dorian’s strength, and gods, Percy could barely help himself. Every inch of him felt like it had been set on fire, and the only salvation could be found in Dorian - every breath of air felt like an eternity, another desperate gasp before his lips could fall upon his again, as Percy clutched Dorian’s bareback, his fingers twitching out patterns like sigils.

Dorian hardly knew what he was doing, it wasn't like he got around at all at school, but whatever it was he was doing Percy had seemed to be enjoying it. So like most of the things he did in life, he tried not to think too hard on it and just go with the motions. His hand had finally found it's way underneath Percy's pants, grabbing purchase to what lay beneath. He began to make his way down, kissing down his neck, then chest, until finally he'd made it down to Percy's waist and removed his pants. As for what happened next, Well Dorian Gray can tie a cherry stem with only his tongue.

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Andy's face lit up when Zari came in. Mads quickly filled Zari in on what she had missed. There had been a lot of yelling, and it was enough that Andy gripped her coffee tighter. Coulson had done a good job of defusing the situation enough and shooed everyone out of the small office. She wondered why Vicky was to stay behind, but she didn't worry about it too much. Vicky didn't seem to accept the 'it's not your fault,' but that was for her to figure out.

In the hall, she waited for Zari. There was going to be a lot of group restructuring and she wanted to be included in that conversation. She may not see the merit of the contest but she figured at this point she might as well still participate. "I'd like to be there for that conversation." Andy told Mads. She wasn't filled with a sudden need to be in the contest, more the desire to see it through.

"Zari," Andy said when Zari joined them in the hall. She was smiling again. She wanted to make sure Zari was okay and felt she needed to talk to her about how much she could say to the therapist. She could go through it without fully opening up but she doubted that would help her. "Can we talk? My room?"

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Sabine had listened, though as the conversation went on it was sort of a static noise that played in her mind. Mandated therapy was one thing (don't think about it, don't think about it) but it was another to hear that she had been killed and, through a use of time travel shenanigans on par with Back To The Future, was here again. She would have done so well without that knowledge.

She knew of other timelines, of course. You didn't have Ser Nemo as your mentor without having such information thrusted upon you, but to talk so...nonchalantly about it as if it were just another Tuesday was...cold. Sabine imagined Nemo had to think this way or his mind would crumble around him, literally and figuratively.

Sabine closed her eyes and tuned everyone out. Her mind raced to the many thoughts going in her mind. The fact she was dead and here, the fact her mother had communicated with her, somehow, that her father was not really her father, that the contest was up in arms, that people in her life closest to her were starting to be at odds, well...

She felt her nail dig into her skin. She opened her eyes and glanced down, seeing a small trickle of blood. She covered it quickly, hoping no one else caught it. Leah had stormed out with Danni close behind her and THAT was a recipe for disaster, but she needed to take care of this first. "I think discussing it at a later time, at lunch like Maddie suggested, would be the best. And April, it'll be okay. People's emotions are running high and I think after everything we just need to take a breather. I'm gonna head to my room real quick but let's meet up with Leah after and hope Danni isn't crushed under some rubble, okay?" She gave April a quick peck on the cheek before making her way out of the office and towards her room.

Meanwhile, she felt her heart rate increase with every step.

Mary Sue was still shaking, a part of her couldn't believe she just spoke that way to the headmaster of all people, but then again, was he even technically her headmaster? Was she, legally, Mary Sue Sullivan? Somehow she doubted this had gone to court before, but given that old her was apparently murdered by the evil time fascists, she somehow doubted that anybody would mind her taking her place. She flinched, for a moment, realizing her parents were dead now. That hurt, and almost made her feel better about her dad. Almost. She stood up. She needed to get out of here.

She stood, unbalanced. "I'll do the contest. Sure." She muttered out, trying not to make eye contact with anybody. She was certain she would throw up if she didn't find a place to hide where nobody could see her. She needed water, she needed quiet, and she needed solitude. She quickly existed the room, and made turn after turn down hallways after hallway until she found a place where she could decompress. Mary Sue practically collapsed to the floor, eyes shut tight, trying desperately to ground herself to a world that ostensibly was not her own.

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"It's not ventriloquism, I'm invisible and kind of stuck," Zelda responded with regards to Dani's comment about it. Personally, it wasn't so bad for her to be invisible. People tended to ignore her anyway, so this was fine with her. Of course everything was going haywire and everyone was freaking out over one thing or another. For instance Mary Sue telling everyone that they for the most part had all died was not a good thing.

Though no one could tell, she was looking at Mary Sue, wondering what she was even really going on about. Telling everyone that they had died was seemingly the worst move possible. Everyone was starting to go off various directions, and she wanted to do nothing more than to get away from the chaos that was everyone else's emotions. She had enough issues controlling her own emotions to have to deal with everyone else's. Though she was glad to be allowed to leave as she stepped out of the room, really wanting to just go find someplace to read or something.

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"Uh... Mary Sue? Most people don't like being told that sort of thing, at all. You kind of get used to that, but that was probably the absolute worst thing you could have said right now..." she said towards her. She knew what the TVA was (vaguely anyway) and had a slight feeling that they might end up doing something. But she didn't really want to think about that and hoped that they'd do nothing. The explanation of what she had missed before entering the room hadn't really helped her at all, so that was fun to think about.

Everyone started to leave more or less, well at least several people chose to walk out. Andy was asking if they could talk in her room, and Zari shrugged a bit. "Sure, why not? That in there was an interesting conversation. Probably was a bit more interesting though since I only caught the tail end of that, though maybe next time if we do time travel, we explain to anyone we drag along what not to do... Cause not sure that made anything better but eh, who knows."

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April's eyes widened, as Vicky directed a comment towards her - saying that she was sticking her head in the sand, her tone filled with spite and derision. What had she ever done to Vicky? She didn't even know her - hell, one of her girlfriends was friends with her! The anger was completely out of nowhere, and already in a fragile mental state, April felt her chin begin to wobble, as what little control she had remaining to her evaporated away - and she burst into tears. "What the fuck is your problem, Vicky?! I get that you're having a rough time of things, but that doesn't mean you get to take it out on everyone else! Not that the Headmaster and the school deserves it more, but what have I ever done to you? What has Dani ever done to you? You don't have to be so mean a-a-and hurtful! I don't know you, you don't know me, you don't know my life or wh-what I'm thinking or what anyone here is thinking!"

April took a shaky breath, knowing that she should stop talking - but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The words just kept on spilling out of her mouth. "I'm sorry if I ever did anything to offend you, but like - like talk to me about it and don't - don't do whatever this is! And Dani, I know he hasn't done anything but be nice to you - so just - just stop being a bitch for two seconds and realize we're all in this together, okay?!"

She then leaned over, holding her head in her hands as the last few sobs wrecked her body, her hair a messy curtain. She'd wanted to leave the office when Dani did, but she'd felt frozen in place. Maybe her head was in the sand.

Unlike April, Lady Nimue offered no response to Vicky's baited words - instead, her face as impassive and collected as ever. Ser Nemo's face had taken on an almost red tinge not too long after Diana's exit, and he seemed somewhat lost in a memory once more - an embarrassing one, anyone who caught his gaze would figure.

One by one, the rest filed on out - with Sabine telling April that everyone's emotions were just high, that things were going to be okay. She appreciated her girlfriend's words, but it didn't fix her. Not really. But April wanted her to think that it did. So she forced a smile on her face and nodded. "I-I'll see you there! I'm going to..." where? Dani was outside with Leah. All April really wanted was to curl up into a ball with the friends that were like brothers to her, so.... Dorian was probably just at his room. "go by my room, too." Mads had already left.

April left the office, quickly making her way back through the halls to the dorms - and instead of going into her and Mads' room, she went to the one across the hall, and knocked on the door. "Dori? It's April - can I come in?"

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@Forsythe Once everyone had left the room, only Vicky, Ser Nemo, Lady Nimue, and Headmaster Coulson remained. Coulson motioned for Vicky to take the seat in front of the desk, weariness clear on his face. This wasn't a part of his job that he loved doing. He loved working here at the academy, helping kids learn and grow and become the heroes they want to - but this? This was one of the worst parts of his job - and the most necessary.

Sometimes, his students need help - more help than he can give them.

"Ms. van Dyne - I asked you to stay behind because I'm concerned about something you said earlier, just now. You said that you can't stop thinking about how you would want to kill yourself, should a situation like this happen again," he said gently. "Are you having thoughts of suicide?"

He paused. "We're mandated by the state to take action when a student expresses thoughts like this to us," Coulson explained. "There is a facility that we have a relationship with, with the very best of doctors and care - doctors who specialize on working with people like you, people with powers. They can help you there, more than we can - give you the support, tools, and resources that you need. How does that sound?"

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“An open invitation ta bot'er you? T'e world must be endin’!” Danni gasped, fanning his face. “Doncha worry too much. I'll only abuse it a little bit. Can't keep me away once you open t'e door t'ough so look out!” Danni laughed as they settled in the dirt, spreading out and watching Leah fiddle with her little stones.

“‘onestly, I'm not sure why deat’ is such a big deal for people. It's not like it's t'e end, ya know? Benji was a ghost for… over a decade, maybe? But t'en Papa, Pops, and Maxie regenerated ‘is corpse and body slammed ‘im back in and now we're a big ‘appy family. It's not like it ‘as ta be permanent. Or ya can just vibe a a cool ghosty.” Danni scrambled to sit up as the sunflower grew, eyes wide as saucers. He looked between Leah and the plant a few times before gently brushing his fingers across the petals. His chest felt heavy looking at the flower.

“Tellement joli. Je suis un peu jaloux.” Danni whispered before he beamed at Leah. “T'ats so cool! I t'ought you only did stuff wit’ rocks, t'ough. You ‘oldin’ back ta keep t'e ot'er teams from knowin’ all your tricks? But ya said you don't care, so why would ya ‘ide stuff if ya didn't care? Or maybe you said t'at so t'at nobody would t'ink ta look further past what ya told everyone! No, no you're confused ‘bout t'is too so I guess you really didn't, don't care about it. Yeesh, t'e team is not gunna like t'at. Do you really only care ‘bout t'e contest for Princess and Beanie? Not ‘bout showin’ t'e world ‘ow great ya are?”

”Slow down like, a lot for a second, damn.” Leah stared at the flower and then at her runes. ”Agatha gave me these the day before she packed up. Haven’t had many chances to think about them, and I barely understand how they work.” I’m barely understanding a few things.

”I looked stuff up on my phone over the break. Can’t really get them to do much, and usually when I do, they don’t do anything for a long while after. I didn’t know that would work.”

“Oh, Aggie gave t'em ta you! She musta known ya ‘ad at least a little spark of magic in ya. Makes sense, makes sense.” Danni nodded thoughtfully. “T'en t'ey probably ‘ave a long cooldown ‘cause you aren't trained in magic. ‘Ave you talked ta Mads? She ‘elped me wit’ my dragon egg from Aggie and knows a whole ton ‘bout magic! She'll get ya all started up!” Danni offered.

”I told her, yeah. But everyone else is busy too. Including her..”

“Pssssh, nah we'll grab ‘er right after we all talk ‘bout t'e teams ‘cause she won't ‘ave any plans yet. I gotcha, no worries! We'll go on a little library adventure together today.” Danni decided. “So ‘ow you plannin’ ta talk ta Princess and Beaniab'bout not carin’ ‘bout t'e contest? Bot’ of t'em are pretty intense abou’bout it ya know.”

”If they’re doing it, I’m doing it,” Leah answered. ”That simple. I’ve given it everything I’ve got so far, it’s no big deal to keep doing that.”

“Oooookay! T'at sounds good!” Danni said after a long pause. He popped to his feet again, dusting himself off. “Well, ya wanna go grab Mads? Idk if Vicky's comin’ out right away ‘cause Couls asked ‘er ta stay behind but we don’t wanna get left out of discussions and if we box ‘er in right off t'e bat, we got ‘er all ta ourselves!”

”Sure, I guess. If she’s not busy.”

Danni stared at Leah like she'd grown a third head. “Okay, okay. What is wit’ t'is…” Danni waved all of Leah. “I don't know ‘ow ta put t'is but like, smallness? Timidness? T'at t'in’ you do when ot'er people ‘ave ta be involved in stuff. It feels like you're trying not ta take up space or somet'in’. T'is whole “if she's not busy” stuff is wierd AF. So sure, let's say she is busy when we got find ‘er. Are you just gunna leave?”

”Leave and do what?” She asked. "People have stuff to do, Danni. I mean, shit, it’s not that important.”

“Leah, you know like you can make plans for the future right? Like, let's say Mads ‘as a super awesome magic ritual t'in'y she ‘as ta do. People, and you are included in t'at, can t'en ask if she ‘as some time tomorrow or like, set a date and time ta meet up about it, but it kinda sounds like you don't do that? Like if someone is busy, t’ats all t’ere is ta it.” Danni put out there. “Like yeah physically, you're big and strong and stuff. But like, you kinda seem ta go outta your way ta be smaller t’an t’at? You know people will make time for your interests right? Like, people enjoy your presence and are ‘appy ta do stuff wit’ you if you ask. You know t’at, right?”

Well, that felt fucking weird to hear.

”It’s not that important,” She said, again. ”I’ll ask.” She didn’t see what the big deal was. Leah and Madalyne didn’t talk much, she had other shit to do besides being around Leah. But… Okay.

Another long pause.“Oooookay, we'll we're gunna go ask right now!” Danni went to lock arms with Leah, like he did with any of gaining friends, and found her already a solid step away. “No touchy, gotcha, gotcha. Just follow me t'en!”

”Yeah. Sure. And don’t do that again.”

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Madalyne decided to go to her dorm for a little bit and burry her nose into a book or something to kind of relax, she started to wonder how everyone else was still doing after the whole meeting with Coulson and what their thoughts were about having to go to therapy. Madalyne stuffed her hands into her pockets making sure that she had the key to her dorm. All of the other students were still in class as well to, she thought about going to the gym as well later in the day to.

She made her way back towards Stark Hall and into the dorm building itself, going up the stairs until she was at the floor her dorm was at. Madalyne quickly spotted April knocking on Dorian and Danni's dorm and approached her giving her best friend and roommate a smile. "Hey April are you doing okay?" She asked her shortly after she knocked on the door.
 

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"I am really going to have to clean out my eyes with bleach." Diana said mostly to herself as she shuddered slightly she was going to be scared seeing her brother and his boyfriend nearly naked. Diana tossed Dorian's shoe over her shoulder or was it Danni's shoe, she didn't really know or care. It's going to be a really weird conversation with Percy later whenever she did see him again, Diana wasn't sure where Percy and Dorian teleported off to either.

Diana heard a knock on Dorian's door and heard that it was April as Diana made her way to the door and opened it seeing both April and Mads there. "You just missed Dorian, my brother and Dorian they teleported somewhere else." Diana said, she really wasn't going to go into detail of what she saw the two of them doing and didn't want to scar the two of them either really. "So whats up April?" Diana asked as she leaned on the side of the door and closed it behind her.

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Victoria could not help but smile as Danni refused to give up on the bracelet. She rolled her eyes theatricaly and slipped the bracelet on her wrist.

If she was to be honest, she expected April to respond the way she did. And, Victoria could also admit she probably deserved to get yelled at in return for her delivery. And yet, Vicky didn't find it in herself to regret her choice one bit. Truth stings, doesn't it? Now do something about it, perhaps. she thought, choosing not to put out the fire with gasoline, which is what would happen if she opened her mouth right now.

She took the seat as voluntold to by the motion of the headmaster's arm, wondering what would happen next. She expected maybe an attempt to placate her some more, without witnesses, but the conversation took a very different turn. And one that was not unwelcome at all in her situation.

She spent a few seconds processing the offer, a small eternity for her. Finally, she spoke. "I wasn't entirely honest. I didn't think about deactivating myself. I tried." She laid out on the table. "It was the optimum action with the knowledge I had at the time. I am... Easier to bring back from the dead than most. As it turns out, Ms. Drummond is an exception, but both of the Flynns were also in equal danger."

"What you have to understand is that I was built to protect people, and yet, my oh so wise creator chose to use an omnicidal AI as as my system's core. I am basically an Ultron in a cage. And I will use every tool, any action at my disposal, to ensure that cage stays closed. It was not even the first time it happened. In the haunted house created by theirs truly," Victoria nodded towards Nimue, "I had to resort to what you may call self harm to stop it, and I didn't want to allow it in the framework, either. Only there, that option was taken from me by circumstances, even though I tried to enact it." She explained.

"That said... There is one, fundamental flaw in that security scheme. The whole measure hangs on my state of mind. Were I ever to come to the conclusion that Ultron was right, or even stop caring what happens..." She let the silence hang in the air.

"And lately, I have been plagued by this experience, and other issues. Things that make me hate some people. And I am worried what would happen if that hate became more generalized. So... As you probably gathered, I am not interested in the contest, not unless our team stays as it is, and from what was said earlier, the chances of that are practically zero. If your offer still stands, I would like to take it, if for different reasons than you thought them necessary." She confided, "Because my attempts at removing that threat are so far not working."

Coulson's face was pinched, as he nodded - somewhat of a tear beginning to form in his eyes. "Of course. The offer still stands, Ms. van Dyne. Help will always be here for you when you need it, you have my word," he said, before removing his phone from his pocket. "I will make the call now. I will also tell you, we have to notify your mother about this and where you are, of course. But it is your choice whether or not to tell your classmates - your privacy is important. I can also make some calls and speak to some of the world's best robotic experts, and ask if they could give a consult, if you would like?"

A dark look crossed Victoria's face at the mention of her. "Hope van Dyne does not deserve to be refered to as such. Not in relation to me. Creator is more appropriate. Owner if you ask legal dept." she grunted. "Do what you must. And please, no roboics experts. I don't think more people knowing how to build one of me is a good thing for the world." she thanked him and left the office, heading to the reception desk. She had messages to send, and one of them most likely required the use of good old pen and paper.

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The next few moments had been experienced over a span of time that only Percy's watch would know about. Jewelry would happen to stay on, after all. Adrenaline has been known to factor into many miraculous acts, and that of two teenage hormonal boys was no different. With a vast display of powers and prowess mixing together in both controlled, and uncontrolled, ways. By the end of it all they both lay exhausted and elated, side by side halfway beneath the covers. ”How's that for a Time Space Entanglement.” Dorian said with a wink before kissing Percy on the lips. The moment cut short by an alarm goes off on Percy's side table. ”What alarm could you possibly have going off right now?” Dorian asked as he hit the snooze button on the clock before reading it said 8:10 AM.

Distant voices could be heard from the hall, Danni loudly proclaiming that they needed to work on Percy's uniform, and Percy replying back with one hell of a deja vu. Dorian quickly glanced down at Percy's watch and noticed it was almost 9 am. ”Merde, I t'ink we may ‘ave jumped a bit too far back t'ere mon chère.” He said with a bit of a laugh.

Percy was completely spent, his body and his mind both dazed. He had barely registered the alarm on his nightstand flashing - everything else felt far away, strangely distant, like sounds echoing through water. He had curled up against Dorian’s chest, somehow not as bothered by the physical contact as he usually was - he liked it even, well, more than liked it.

”Hm?” Percy tilted his head slightly, before noticing what the alarm clock was reading - it was ten past eight - and his watch, miraculously given to him by the sorceress Agatha Harkness, had so far always told perfect time. He frowned slightly, considering how many jumps he must have made - he usually would only jump for a few seconds at a time, anything more than that and he would recall lectures from his mothers, about how dangerous it was to jump through time without training, that it was like diving into freezing water and emerging as an acorn, etc etc. No wonder he felt completely exhausted. ”I see. You’re far too distracting.” And then he shifted slightly, closing his eyes. Meetings be damned. He was too content to just remain here. The odds of them having substantial harm from paradox psychosis was low, too.

”Oh I'm t'e distractin’ one? Moi?” Dorian chuckled as he pulled Percy in closer, tighter, as he started up at the ceiling. ”Well we definitely ‘ave more time before t'at meetin’ now. T'ough probably best we don't leave t'is room…unless it's to t’e cafetería for a snack and coffee.” He hardly had time to have breakfast the first go around, and now with all the exerted energy he definitely needed something within his system.

It didn’t occur to Percy that the meeting was at eight o’clock, and that even having time traveled back, they still would have been late. However, he had no intention of leaving this room at all. For one of the first times in his life, he felt entirely content - peaceful, even. [color=ed1c24]”[i]Si, c’est toi,”[/color] Percy murmured. He didn’t notice the French slip out from his lips - when he wasn’t concentrating, most languages sounded the same to him, coming out in some mixture of Russian and English. It was an odd effect of his mutant power, forcing him to have to really focus and think to know what language was being used, and what he was replying in. ”I have coffee here. It isn’t as nice as yours, but… It’ll do. I enjoy it.” He then paused, shifting slightly. He hadn’t told this to Dorian before - hadn’t really told it to anyone before. ”I also have bourbon.” He then waited, somewhat apprehensive. Not many fourteen year olds drank.

”Didn't know you were Irish.” Dorian quipped. [Color=CC99FF]”But I t'ink if we show up late [i]and]/i] wit’ alchy on our breat’ t'en we are just askin’ for trouble. So for now t'e coffee will ‘ave to do.”[/color] Dorian didn't bother to question why Percy had a bottle of bourbon stashed away. His house was fairly dry for the most part. Casper was a bit of an addict to…well anything so it was easiest to keep the house clean of temptations. So there was never really a chance to sneak a drink back home unless they snuck out and headed to Bourbon Street. Even then, their fresh faces would get carded too quickly.

”... My surname is Novikov,” Percy tilted his head, confused by Dorian’s statement. ”You’ve met my mothers. We’re Russian and Jewish.” Of course, it was a bit of a stereotype that Russians enjoyed alcohol more than most, but Percy wasn’t going to raise that. However, as much as he wanted the coffee, he also had no intention of moving from his spot in bed. He was vaguely aware of people wanting ‘princess treatment’ from time to time. In this moment, Percy was perhaps guilty of that. ”Would you make the coffee? This position is rather… comfortable.”

Dorian sighed, whispering Novikova under his breath as he shook his head. ”I know all about your lineage. I meant to say I didn't take you to drink irish coffee, which is to have a bourbon or whiskey in t’e cup along wit’ it.” He had to admit however, he was rather comfortable as well. So he tilted his head upwards and spied the machine from across the room. With his free hand he attempted to extend his reach with his powers and press it on, though at first it only managed to gently nudge the machine one way, and then the other, until at his third attempt the button pressed and the coffee began to be made. ”Coffee is bein’ started, and without ‘avin’ to compromise our position…t'ough we could always…change positions…if you've t'e energy for it.” Dorian teased.

Percy raised an eyebrow. ”You know all about my lineage?” In his opinion, there wasn’t much to know. All the interesting people in his ancestry began and ended with his mothers. From what he knew of Dorian’s life, his own family was far more interesting - and overly complex. Percy still wasn’t quite certain how Dorian and Dani were related, if at all. But at Dorian’s offer of a change in position… Percy’s heart skipped a beat. Somehow, the haze of exhaustion seemed to lift for a moment, his body beginning to stir once more. As strange and terrifying and unfamiliar as it was, he couldn’t help but want to lean into the sensation. ”Hm. What are you suggesting?”

”Obviously. You just told me about it Perce.” Dorian hadnt expected Percy to be willing for another round, but at the thought of the possibility, it was as if Dorian had the energy to do it all again. ”Well, I was t'inkin’ maybe t'is time try to keep us until just before t'e coffee is done brewin’. T'at way when we finish we ‘ave t'e pot waitin’ for us at t'e end.” Dorian said as he repositioned himself and was now over Percy. ”What do you say?”

He rolled his eyes. A month or so ago, Percy would have taken this as further evidence as to how infuriating Dorian was. He still was infuriating, of course. It was one of his qualities that drove Percy insane - alongside other things, such as the way his boyfriend shifted to be above him, preemptive shivers running down his spine. He was very much alert now. His face turned positively crimson at Dorian’s suggestion to keep the time-jumps so that way it matched up with when the coffee would finish. He didn’t have fine control over his temporal teleportations when he was concentrating - and like this, well.. But strangely, the challenge seemed to only amplify the other emotions coursing through him. Percy nodded, swallowing slightly. ”Je peux essayer.”

”Je te fais confiance.” Dorian replied as placed a kiss on his lips. Pulling off for a moment only to set an alarm on his phone for when the coffee would finish and then placed it back to the stand. ”Now? Where were we.”

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As Sabine walked through the halls, passing by faces she knew and did not know, she felt her pulse quicken. She could almost feel every vein within her push through her blood as it raced into her heart. Had she been given a moment she may have processed things quicker. Easier. Instead she was told she would have to go to therapy and that she was, by all accounts, actually dead and was, instead, a clone; albeit one that remembered everything.

She stopped. Remember. Could she, if she tried, remember what happened during her time in Arcade's game system? She didn't know how memory management connected to reality shifting or time travel, but maybe?

Would she want to though? By all accounts it was horrible. There were only a few people who would remember it and she didn't want to go around messing with their heads. But there was one person who would remember it. One who wanted to make amends.

Arcade.

There was no way she would be given access to him though. And she also had the contest. And that was another hurdle. How would the teams be established? They agreed to talk about it later but there was a mix of people who didn't care and who cared too much. Was it fair of them to demand that April, Dorian, and Danni all be on one team just because they had dreamed of it forever? How did that make her feel? Or Leah? Or Percy? Or Zelda? They talked about her without her being there and that made Sabine feel...ick. How flippant Danni was to another person's feelings, even if she truly believed he meant the best. Leah wasn't even a consideration, as much as she commiserated about the contest. Sabine wanted to win, but not at the expense of others she cared about.

And this was, of course, not even tackling the issue of her dream about her mother. And whoever that man was that she felt....some connection to. On top of her father and step-mother.

Sabine entered her room and fell face first into her bed. She wanted to stay there for the rest of the day, but knew she would be needed elsewhere. She was always needed. And now she would be needed in therapy.

She said she would never do it again. But it seemed there would be little choice.

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@Forsythe: As Vicky left the office, she didn't leave alone. Ser Nemo and Lady Nimue followed her on out, an ever present shadow. She had just confessed to the teachers wanting to kill herself. They had a duty of care to her - and allowing her to go off alone, without any supervision, was absolutely not going to happen. Lady Nimue would seem mostly disinterested, lost in her own thoughts without passing much judgment or even revealing emotions over Vicky's situation. Ser Nemo, however, looked visibly uncomfortable - Vicky wouldn't be able to determine if the discomfort was from her situation, or if there was something going on in the elderly man's life that was occupying his thoughts.

At any rate, Vicky would immediately receive a "thumbs up" emoji back from Gideon, in the Uncanny Avengers chat.

And at the bottom of the letter she meant to send to Agatha, cursive script would appear in purple:
I see you have encountered the White Witch's puppets. We will speak in New Orleans, soon.

The Contest of Champions was being hosted by Strange Academy this year, Agatha's current school. And even though she wasn't participating, Avengers Academy does allow students to travel to observe the contest. Vicky would realize that must have been what Agatha intended - for Vicky to still travel to watch the contest, and that they would speak about this in person.

From the window, Vicky would see a non-emergency medical vehicle pull up, with the logo of the California Asylum for the Genetically Enhanced on the side of it. Coulson then stepped out of his office and into the hallway. "Are you ready?" he then asked her.

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By the time April had made it back to the dorms and was knocking on Danni and Dorian's door, Mads was there too, just across the hall. Her friend must have just gotten there a few seconds before she did, despite leaving Coulson's office sooner than she had. And as much as Mads was one of April's closest friends, the thought of crying her eyes out in front of Mads, of breaking down so completely... It was terrifying to her. It was a level of vulnerability she reserved for just Danni and Dorian. She didn't even show that side of herself to her family - to her parents, to her sister.

She took a steadying breath, and forced a smile onto her face. Everything was perfect. Everything was fine. She repeated those two phrases over and over in her mind like a mantra, doing everything she could to will it to be true. She was fine. She wasn't upset. Nothing had gone wrong. She didn't need to cry. She was happy, even. Thrilled. Ecstatic. Why wouldn't she be? What did she have to feel sad about? Everything was perfect and everything was fine.

"Yeah, everything is great!" April told Mads, somehow with a genuine cheerfulness to her tone. "I mean, that meeting with Coulson went really well! We don't have to worry about getting perfect grades anymore, and we get to shuffle around the teams! Like, not that I don't love my team - because I do, you all are the best - but if this means I could be on a team with Danni and Dori too? We've been talking about it since freshmen year, and there's only one more chance after this year - so like I'm really happy!! And think about how much better our chances of winning are going to be, with adding them to our team! And like the people who aren't into the contest, they can go onto another team, so they don't have to deal with us being extra and all, y'know. What about you? How are you doing? Is there anything I can do for you?" she gabbed, her speech quickened.

And then the door to Danni and Dori's room swung open, but rather than Dorian being inside, it was... Diana?

April titled her head, immediately confused. Why would Diana be inside of Dorian's room... without Dorian present? That was pretty weird. She didn't think Diana was particularly close with either of the boys anyways. Her brother was dating Dorian, yes, but that was the only connection that immediately came to mind for April.

They'd teleported away and left Diana behind? That was also incredibly weird. Nothing immediately came up to April as to a reasonable explanation for what would have happened - she pulled out her phone, shooting off a quick text in the group chat to the boys.



She then put her phone away, returning her attention to Diana. She was a fast texter, thankfully. "Was just looking for Dorian, needed to chat with him about something," April said - it wasn't really a lie. "I just texted him asking where he is - thanks!"

She was fine.

She was okay.

Everything was perfect.

The smile on her face only hurt slightly, but it was somehow... working. She did feel good. Better. Energized, really. Like she could swim a thousand miles without breaking a sweat. She felt fantastic.

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The beeping of the coffee machine rang through the room as Dorian and Percy laid there for a moment. Dorian had gotten up, making his way over to the coffee pot and grabbing a mug from where Percy usually had them placed. He'd gotten used to his boyfriend's layout, even if they were divided by a whole break. Countless times spent in his room to study for classes, or simply hang out while Percy studied and Dorian played on his handheld. He poured himself a cup, looking over towards Percy with an empty mug. ”Want a cup as well. T'ink you'll be needin' it.” He joked, chuckling as he spoke. His phone buzzed and rang from the other room, a ringtone April would recognize as their group chat tone playing for all to hear from within the bundles of his pants.

”Merde, eit'er April or Danni are tryin' to reach us and I don't ‘ave my phone on me.”

Percy nodded - a cup of coffee was definitely needed. He thought he had been completely exhausted after the first session - after the second? His mind and body both felt like jello. He was completely dazed and content, and the rest of the world felt so very far away - that is, until Dorian’s phone rang through the thin walls.

He had to hide a small smile though at the way Dorian said us - he liked that.

”Allow me,” he offered, stumbling slightly out of bed - he hadn’t realized how sore he felt - and he slipped on the nearest change of clothes that he could find. Then in a small flash of blue light, Percy teleported into Dorian’s room, which was thankfully unoccupied, and he grabbed the offending phone. Another jump and he was back in his own room, standing by Dorian’s side, phone outstretched.

”Oooo what a gentleman. T’ank you mon cœur.” Dorian replied as he took his phone from Percy's hands. He noticed he had several missed messages, between April and also Vicky. Clearly the idea of students going dark was hanging on Vicky. Though the wording was a bit odd. Dorian turned his phone towards Percy for him to see, ”Apparently Vicky also needs my ‘elp? Could be cuz i understand ‘er tech suit but wouldn't Zari be just as good?” He said with a shrug before texting her back.



Percy read the message quickly, before scowling deeply. ”She shouldn’t be saying that about you.” Maybe he needed to make it more known, his attachment to Dorian. He knew that married couples wore rings - what did boyfriends do?

”Its fine. Danni says it all t'e time to. Really freaked our parents out t'e first time. T'ey ended up givin’ us t'e talk. But t'ere's not much of a better way to talk about my powers…unfortunately.”

Percy didn’t like the idea of Danni saying that about Dorian either - in fact, he liked it even less. ”Do people know that you’re my boyfriend?” he pressed, still hung up on this. He’d never really understood jealousy much before, but now, he was beginning to get an idea.

”Duh. I talk about you all t'e time. To everyone. I don't t'ink it could be anymore obvious. Even if we aren't t'e “it” couple like Teddy and Billy. But t'ey’re gonna be old news once we win t'e Contest.”

He relaxed slightly. Maybe he didn’t have to get Dorian a ring, then. But it was still worth consideration. ”Good,” Percy paused. ”I don’t like the idea of you being inside other people.” And he wasn’t talking about Dorian’s powers… not entirely, at least.

”Just you. Or atleast illt'e manner t'at I dont use my powers.” Dorian said with a wink, waving his phone towards Percy. ”Question now is…what do I say to April and Danni.”

”About what?” he asked, before it clicked into place. ”Oh. You’re going to tell them that we had sex.” He hesitated for a moment, uncertain how to feel about that. He liked to keep things private. But at the same time, if everyone knew that he and Dorian had done such things, then maybe people would be less inclined to flirt with his boyfriend. So as much as it felt somewhat uncomfortable, it was probably for the best - if for no other reason than to ward off others, like Vicky. ”You can just tell them. That’s fine.”

Still fully undressed, he began to pace the room trying to think of the best way possible to say this. ”Yeah but I don't know ‘ow t'ey'll react. Besides it's all Diana's fault. April caught ‘er leavin’ my room wit’ no one innit so now shes askin’ why.”

He nodded. ”Of course she did,” Percy said with a slight huff. He was going to have to talk with his sister later about boundaries, and reintroduce her to the concept of knocking first. She wasn’t usually like this - usually she was better about minding her own business, but maybe things were different now, after everything with Arcade. Maybe his moms had put her up to it, since he got a boyfriend.

Dorian rolled his eyes. ”Она немного причиняет боль, извините” He said, shaking his head slightly before finally responding to April.



Dorian sighed for a moment as he could hear several voices in the hallway by his door, one of which was Aprils. ”Should probably go t'ere. T'ey might be worried since we missed t'e meetin’...again. I don't want April to freak out.” Dorian grabbed a towel from Percy's stash, throwing on one of his more casual button ups and only doing it halfway as he wrapped the towel around his waist and opened Percy's dorm door. Peaking out slightly. ” ‘ey Uh one minute. Just uh, bad ‘air day tryin’ to fix it.” He said as he looked up and noticed his hair was now more of a mess than before before shutting the bedroom door.

Percy raised an eyebrow at Dorian’s reaction - and how he explicitly didn’t want April Flynn to freak out. He didn’t know her very well, having only really interacted with her because of Dorian or because of the contest, but it seemed to be her usual pattern. It must have been exhausting. ”She freaks out a lot,” Percy mused, as Dorian went over to the door. He had no intention of being seen. Yes, he had put on some clothing - just in case his teleporting was as error prone as it usually was - but his hair was a mess and he knew that the smell of Dorian on him was likely not the only thing left behind. However, as he listened, he realized it wasn’t just April Flynn outside… but his sister was still there.

He cursed under his breath in Russian.

He’d been so swept up in the moment he had almost forgotten about that.

He walked over to the door, and cleared his throat, before speaking quickly in Russian, certain his sister was listening. ”Диана, ты намеренно пренебрегаешь моей личной жизнью сегодня утром или это совпадение?”

Dorian didn't like the lack of question mark at the end of Percy's statement. rummaging through his boyfriend's clothing to find something he liked. He tried hard not to mess up the order within his drawers, but somethings (inevitably) got undone in his search. ”She's goin’ t'rough a lot right now ok? Between t'e contest, girlfriends, ‘er parents, I mean my dad always said ‘er dad must ‘ave some kind of ‘ealin’ factor to be walkin’ around wit’ a stick up ‘is ass all t'e time. I t'ink she just needs time to breat'e and relax outside of school pressure.”

By now Dorian was full dressed. Lightwash denim pants that fit him like Capris, a short sleeved button up, the other one abandoned, only halfway done with a shirt underneath. He made his way to Percy's mirror, trying to fix his hair a bit as he stole some product before running over and kissing his boyfriend on the mouth. ”Don't hide away. Meet me outside? But uh,clean up a bit first maybe.” He said with a cheeky wink.

Percy felt uncomfortable for a moment there, hearing Dorian list off every stressor in the life of a person he just didn’t know. Had he made a misstep by commenting that it seemed like April freaked out a lot? He hadn’t thought he had said anything wrong - it had merely been an observation, a statement. ”You care a lot about your friends,” he said. ”I’m sorry if that was not correct of me to say.”

He blushed slightly, as Dorian ran over to kiss him, and he returned the kiss eagerly. However, at the wink, Percy pulled a face, rolling his eyes. ”And whose fault is that?”

”Of Course i care about my friends. Especially when t’at friend is April, she's like family to me. Aaaaand I'd say your fault…and a bit of mine.”

He raised an eyebrow. ”It tastes like your fault.”

Dorian smirked as his hand was on the doorknob. ”T’en pop a mint before comin’ out. Besides we should really get a bit of food.” He said as he opened the door looking at the trio standing outside his dormroom. ”We ‘avin’ a party I didn't know about or somet'in'?”

Percy rolled his eyes, even as he found this almost rougher(?) side of Dorian to be strangely appealing. It was attractive, really, hearing his boyfriend - usually so sweet and considerate - be almost a little bit abrasive. He’d have to examine that realization later, of course. Instead, he tried to make a teleportation jump to the bathroom, so he could wash himself off properly - but his energy seemed to have been spent, the blue whirls around his hands appearing but not settling. That was also most definitely Dorian’s fault. On the second attempt, though, he managed to muster up the energy - and he flickered into the dorm’s bathroom, about five minutes in the past, where he cleaned himself up quickly, making him as presentable as he could while on a time crunch.

He then stepped out of the bathroom, approaching the group that had gathered in the hallway, and taking his place by Dorian’s side. ”It would seem so.”

”Oh ‘ey Perce. Where ya been? Was waitin’ in your room for a while passin’ time.” Dorian said as he wrapped his arm around Percy's waist.

”…I was… cleaning… my… face.”

”LOVE Tatcha. My favorite cleanser, its like t'is opaque white liquid with exfoliate in it. Somet'in’ about tea oils or somet'in’, don't know I just use it.”

Percy tried to keep his composure.

He really tried.

He really tried.

But he couldn’t help himself - he immediately lost it, laughing as hard as he ever had in his life, unable to catch his breath, even his eyes tearing up. He couldn’t even speak, just completely lost to a seemingly never ending laughing fit. Yes, it was Dorian’s favorite cleanser - he had learned as much - and it was an opaque white liquid… He just couldn’t help himself, couldn’t help but partially collapse into his boyfriend to stay standing, desperately trying to stop laughing but he couldn’t recover, practically wheezing.

Translations:
Она немного причиняет боль, извините = She’s a bit of a pain, sorry
Диана, ты намеренно пренебрегаешь моей личной жизнью сегодня утром или это совпадение? = Diana, are you intentionally disrespecting my privacy this morning or is this a coincidence?