So yes. Here I am, dabbling in Sky High fanfiction with my usual brand of strangeness. So, in the midst of the OCs for Warren and Will...here's a love story featuring the rather adorkable and pitiful Mr. Boy. I'm not saying the kids won't be featured in a few chapters, but this will mostly star the falcuty of Sky High. I'm also using a bit of artistic license, since the world in the movie was so small.
Disclaimer: Don't own it, don't try to say I do.
:::Change:::
It was a given that the school year wasn't be an average one when the email went out, informing everyone that Mrs. Spexs was finally retiring after over fifty years of being Sky High's only nurse. Long enough that the rest of the faculty could remember her being there when they were but freshman. For her to be absent was unsettling not only for the employees of the school, but the heroes and sidekicks whose children were attending.
But what was even more surprising was who was taking over. Best known as Panacea, Pandora Aceso tended to be introverted and a recluse. She was an anti-hero by definition, and anyone able to track her down she would provide her skills to. For a price, of course. There were only two rumors circulating regarding her employment. The first was that she owed Principal Powers a favor, which was doubtful considering nearly everyone owed Panacea a favor, hero or villain. The second theory was a little more believable but only marginally, and it stated that she had submitted an application in a fit of boredom.
Either way, come the middle of September, Spex's office was found to be less clinical, and more fitted for an alternative health clinic, with the scent of herbs and light incense overwhelming the usual scent of astringent.
Which is where Mr. Boy found himself waiting during his lunch break, another paper cut that was quite infected with one of Professor Medulla's sample of something he couldn't quite name but was assured by the mad-but-not-evil scientist it was quite deadly. The lounge chairs were over stuffed and smelled faintly of lavender and lilac, and were admittedly a nice change from the old vinyl straight chairs that once lined the wall of the office. As comforting and relaxing as they were, the change was still disconcerting.
The door opened to the exam room, letting a guilty looking Maia Mercury slink out, followed by the new school nurse. "You'll be fine, and I am not giving you an excuse to skip gym," Miss Aceso crabbed as she watched the young freshman sulk towards the door, "Just be glad the citizen isn't real anymore."
Once Maia was gone, Panacea focused muddy green eyes on him, the annoyed expression not changing in the slightest. Considering this was the first time he had ever come face to face with the anti-hero, Mr. Boy decided that the rumor of her being a bit on the harsh and severe side were probably well earned. While she appeared like a gentle matron figure with slightly graying auburn hair allowed to hang loose to brush her hips and a classic hourglass figure half hidden beneath a muted earth tone dress, it was the annoyed expression on her face the warned she wasn't as benevolent as her appearance hinted at.
"Don't tell me you want out of gym class too," she sighed as she gestured him back into her exam room. Mr. Boy had half a mind to turn and leave, but Medulla's assurances compelled him to follow her nevertheless. The medical table still took prominence in the room, but that was the only thing untouched. The once white and sterile walls were now covered with display posters ranging from the skeletal system to the chi points of the male and female body. Models of organs and bones were scattered across the counter, along with a set of acupuncture needles and a device he was sure was used in electric shock therapy.
Mr. Boy wasn't sure if he was in a nurse's office, a witch doctor's hut, or maybe even a homeopathic clinic.
"So what's your complaint of the day?" She interrupted his distraction, quirking an eyebrow when he looked back towards her, slightly abashed in being caught staring.
He shyly offered the hand with the paper cut, the index finger a bright red with green lines creeping along his veins. Instantly the cross attitude disappeared as surprise and curiosity bloomed across her face. Her hands were cool compared to the inflammation of his own as she studied the paper cut closer. "It was just a simple paper cut, but I had accidently touched one of Medulla's experiments... and well, he said the substance he was experimenting with was usually ninety five percent fatal in his trials."
Her fingers danced across his skin, both refreshingly cool and a bit ticklish as she traced the green lines along his palm, across his wrist and forearm before pausing at the hollow of his elbow. "It feels like it hasn't gotten past the antecubital," she muttered slightly, offering a small smile as she glanced up at him, "I think you'll be the five percent that lives, Mr. Boy. But it's going to be a bit painful."
He had a moment where his breath caught in surprise at her smile, how much her face changed when her eyes became warm. The next moment he felt abashed and forced himself to look at his hand. "I've been Hero Support for over twenty years, Miss. Aceso, I'm sure I can handle a little bit of pain."
There was a slight huff of laughter, causing him to look back and see the quirk of her lips and the almost devious spark in her eyes. "Don't say I didn't warn you. And please, call me Pan. I haven't been called 'miss' since I graduated here." She let his hand drop and turned to gather a few supplies, leaving him rather surprised.
He was not becoming infatuated over the new nurse because of a smile and a laugh. He had resigned himself to being a life time bachelor a long long time ago, he had almost forgotten what it was to have the attention of a woman, as innocent as it was.4
And purely professional.
He coughed slightly at the thought, trying to reign in those ideas as he tried to remember her severe expression only moments ago. "How long ago did you graduate?" he asked to distract himself after she brought a small emesis basin and placed it under his arm. It didn't stop the different kind of shiver that raced over his skin as she placed her cool hands on the flushed skin.
"I was two years behind you." She placed two fingers on his antecubital. There was a rush of warmth that shot through his arm and continued through the rest of his body when the tips of her fingers glowed golden against his skin. She slowly trailed down his arm, the sensation like no other and impossible to describe. On the verge of being painful, but yet not crossing the line of discomfort. "You actually helped me with Secret Identities 101 when you were Mrs. Seraphs teaching assistant."
The green was leaving his veins and collecting around the glow of her fingers, leaving the skin unblemished. However, the building pressure in his arm jumped the line to painful when she was halfway across his forearm and quickly growing more intense as she drew nearer to his wrist, making it hard for him to concentrate. "Oh, I'm sorry...I guess I don't remember."
She glanced up again, still a quirk of a smile on her lips. "Considering you used that talent of yours to help everyone, I'm not surprised. Besides, she shrugged her shoulders lightly before focusing back on his arm, "I was a wallflower until I severed Johanson's wrist my junior year."
"You did what?" He asked before hissing as her fingers brushed his wrist. His forearm was now back to normal, but his hand had turned an ugly mix of red and green. He bit his lip to stop another his as all five of her fingers was placed on his open palm, each one felt like a knife being driven into his skin.
"Severed his hand at the wrist," she continued offhandedly, either ignorant of the pain her touch caused or ignoring it. "My power is telling the human body at the cellular level what to do. Like now I'm telling your white blood cells to trap the invading infection and push it towards the cut. Once the foreign body is out, I'll have the epithelial cells seal the wound. However, I can also tell the skin cells and bone cells to separate, along with other nasty things. But to be fair, his did grope yes, I did reattach it."
The conversations stilled as he continued to hold back a scream. His hand felt like it was both on fire and ready to explode from the pressure as her fingers guided the green into just his index finger. True to her word, however, light green pus started to ooze from his papercut, dropping into the basin below. Like a valve slowly letting off steam, the pain started to slowly ease until vanishing as the last drop of pus fell, followed by a few drops of blood before the skin sealed itself together without the slightest of scars.
"Done," she announced, picking up the steel basin and taking a closer look at the contents. "This is some nasty stuff. By the way, your nerves are going to be a little sensitive. It was starting to attack the peripheral neurons so I went ahead healed them too, but when I deal with those types of cells...well, they come out brand new and extremely sensitive." She walked towards her counter to pick up one of the acupuncture needles and use it to poke at the purulent fluid. "I would recommend resting that arm, and don't wear long sleeves for maybe a week."
Despite her warning, he rubbed his arm, and yelped slightly as the gentle rub felt like someone with super strength squeezing it. "Told ya," Pan said, finally looking away from the basin with a wicked smirk that caused the warmth that had faded to return-mostly to his face.
This year was assured to be the weirdest yet, and that was saying something.
