There Must Be Some Kind of Way Out of Here
Chapter 16
Author's Note: Stuff in italics are thoughts. Thanks to everyone who told me what A/U means - it's not like they've got a dictionary for these terms anyway (or I don't think so). As someone mentioned in a review about the numerous love twists...I'm doubt any of them will amount to anything, but I think I'm taking a liking to getting John into some of the most whacked out situations ever. Oh, and a big thanks to Post, who went to all the trouble to review much of my story, and provide me with some good insights. Thanks, buddy.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own (I think) the character John Jashback, who has a problem with keeping his left arm attached to his body.
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John Jashback still sat slumped against the wall, minutes after he had apologized to Kitty. He could hear talking from the room she shared with Rogue, but couldn't make out any words.
I'd better move before they come out and accuse me of eavesdropping.
John began to feel an odd tingle in his legs, which grew by the second, until they left numb. As he tried to lift one, it felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, and a million needles were poking it. He let it fall to the floor with a loud thump.
That's it. Bad luck has to be part of my power. Talk about twice the uselessness.
John banged his head against the wall and a cross between a growl and a groan forced it's was from his throat. The door to the room in front of John swung open and slammed into his outstretched feet. Rogue stormed out the room, muttering something angrily, and slammed the door shut, before she even realized John was there. She had managed to change out of her uniform and into the clothes she normally wore during the day. She still looked beautiful to John.
"Ugh. Are you still out here?"
John's face turned red. "Oh, well uh...you know...my legs," he said, pointing at the appendages in question. "My legs fell asleep."
"Uh-huh. Is that wah you're makin' all this noise?"
"Oh that. Well uh... Uh..." John stared at the floor, his face brighter than the sun could ever hope to be. John wished more than ever that he wish he had Kurt's power. Being anywhere but there would have been the greatest gift anyone could give. "Uh...I uh, I gotta go!" His legs still felt like stone, but he stood up. The sensation of a million needles poking into his legs hit every time he put any sort of pressure on the legs. He winced with each step, but headed over towards his room.
Just a few more steps and I'm home free...
With every step, a little of John's already battered pride ebbed away.
"Wait," Rogue's voice called from behind.
John hobbled in a circle until he faced her. "Uh...yes?"
She lowered her eyes and hesitated, as if arguing with herself, before she spoke again. "Do you ah, want to...to go for a walk or do...somethin'?"
John's eyes brightened, and he stood stunned.
Did she just...? Is she asking...? Why would...? John! You idiot! Say something!
Rogue started to drop her head and began to turn away, but John very nearly yelled for her to stop. "Wait...don't go...er, well, I mean...Let's go," he added, smiling.
**********
Strolling down one of the twisting stone paths that led through the garden and all across the grounds of the Institute, John Jashback and Rogue talked. It was dark out, and a cool breeze blew in continuously from the sea, and both spent much of their time shivering. John wished he had a jacket or something he could let Rogue wear. It seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. Her clothes weren't exactly designed to keep in the heat. When he told her that, she laughed. John wasn't sure how long they had been outside but it had to have been at least an hour. In that time, Rogue learned probably more than she ever wanted to know about John, or so John continuously told himself. Rogue didn't talk much about herself. She gave vague details on her past, and told little of her life before joining the X-Men.
I guess I can understand why she isn't very open. Not being able to touch anyone has to be rough.
And then Rogue asked the question John didn't really want to answer: "Just what happened between you and Lance?"
"Oh that," John said. "Well...I was uh...you see, the others weren't so nice to him, and I guess I wanted to fit in, so I said some stupid things and made him mad, and he taught me first-hand that he doesn't like getting angry." He pointed at his eye for proof.
"You're lucky he didn't bring the roof down on yah. But what are you gonna do about...that?" Rogue drawled, 'that' being his eye.
"Nothing, if I have anything to say about it. I'd like to pound in his face, but if I have any hope of living here in relative peace...it can't happen. School will be very interesting tomorrow, I can say that much," a touch of mirth in his voice. "I just hope I can make it through the whole day this time..." he added quietly.
They walked along in silence for moment until John finally got the nerve to ask the question he'd been dying to know all day... "So uh...what does Kitty think of all this?"
Rogue snorted. "Miss Kitty? She spends all night talking on the phone to Mr. Oh-Mah-God-He's-So-Cute-Lance-Alvers," she said, in a voice mocking Kitty's, "But today, she didn't say anythang about him...or you," she added, seeing John's questioning look.
"Well...I don't know if I should be scared or relieved. Like the old saying goes: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." John looked over at Rogue, who looked so beautiful in the moonlight. "But I don't think you want to listen to me talk about that... I just can't handle the idea that someone just a few doors down from me hates my guts. It isn't a pleasant feeling."
She laughed. "Nah, it's ahlright. I totally understand what ya mean."
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, when a strong gust of wind blew by, causing both of the young mutants to shiver more than before.
"It's getting awfully chilly. Shall we go back inside?" John asked, even if he wanted to stay outside with Rogue all night, if he could.
"Ah guess so."
Just as they had walked in from outside, Scott stormed out of a room across the way and shouted, "FINE! I hope you two enjoy yourselves!"
"Er...what's with him?" John asked.
Rogue's eyes burned with amusement. "Oh. Miss Perfect Jean must be going on a date with Duncan again. It eats Scott when she does." Her voice took a sympathetic tone with that last sentence.
"Uh...yeah. I think it's better if I stay out of that can of worms."
She nodded and they left the room, and headed upstairs.
"Well, that was fun," John said, when they had reached Rogue's room.
"Yah, it was..."
That sat in an uncomfortable silence, looking around, not really wanting to make the next room.
"Well uh...that was fun. We should uh...do it again sometime," John said uneasily.
"Yah...ok, sure."
"Ok, yeah, well...goodnight," John said. He waved and hurriedly went down the hallway. Opening the door, John looked back to see Rogue already gone, so he went inside and banged his head on the door. The clock by his bed read 8:30.
"It's 8:30...and I said 'goodnight.' Jesus Christ, I'm an idiot." He punctuated his remark by banging his head on the door.
John kicked off his shoes as he sat down on the bed, drooping his head.
Man, what's that smell...?
"Kurt, is that you?" John asked, not looking up.
There was no reply. John looked around, but saw no blue furred Germans in his room. But...
Man, I can still smell it.
John embarked on a quest, searching his room, sniffing, looking for the suspicious odor. And then realization hit. He pulled his shirt collar up over his nose and inhaled.
Oh God. That's it.
He tentatively held up an arm and smelled the underneath of it.
Oh yes. Go for a walk with a girl when you smell like gym socks.
"THE BAD LUCK STRIKES AGAIN!!!" he yelled.
I don't care if anyone heard me.
John's cheek twitched involuntarily.
Well, maybe I'm making a big deal of this. She didn't mention the smell, and didn't act like it bothered her. Yeah...I'm just making a big deal out of this...
He shook his head and stretched out across the bed. He reached over to turn on his alarm clock, but his arm didn't quite reach.
Man, I'm laying down already. I don't want to get up again. Well, when in Rome...
John took a tight grip on his left shoulder, and pulled off the limb. He idly twitched the arm around in his hand, watching the hand flip back and forth. He reached across and flipped the switch, turning on the alarm.
Scratch those hard to reach places and reach far away things... This thing aint so bad after all.
He smiled and tossed the arm in the random direction. It hit something, but he wasn't sure what. There was no glass breaking, so everything must have been alright. John sighed.
Maybe I'm thinking too hard into this. My arm comes off...sure, I can deal with that fine. Throw a girl into the mix...the whole machine breaks down. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this. Besides, I've got more to worry about right now, much more important things to worry about than girls. Anyway, Rogue is a friend. Just a friend. Nothing could ever come from a relationship with her if we can't touch. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this.
John nodded to himself. "Yeah, yeah. Everything good's..." he said, content with his mental thoughts. Now all that mattered was sleep. Sleep meant an end to this day and the beginning to a whole new day, something John welcomed with arms wide open.
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Sorry if this chapter felt kind of weak. It's hard to get the creative juices pumping sometimes. But don't worry, come the next chapter or two, we get to see more Brotherhood, so hang in there. Please? Did I mention I loved you guys?
Oh, and accents are hard to write sometimes. I may end up stop writing them out, since you know what the character talks like.
Chapter 16
Author's Note: Stuff in italics are thoughts. Thanks to everyone who told me what A/U means - it's not like they've got a dictionary for these terms anyway (or I don't think so). As someone mentioned in a review about the numerous love twists...I'm doubt any of them will amount to anything, but I think I'm taking a liking to getting John into some of the most whacked out situations ever. Oh, and a big thanks to Post, who went to all the trouble to review much of my story, and provide me with some good insights. Thanks, buddy.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from X-Men: Evolution - Marvel and Kid's WB do. However, I do own (I think) the character John Jashback, who has a problem with keeping his left arm attached to his body.
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John Jashback still sat slumped against the wall, minutes after he had apologized to Kitty. He could hear talking from the room she shared with Rogue, but couldn't make out any words.
I'd better move before they come out and accuse me of eavesdropping.
John began to feel an odd tingle in his legs, which grew by the second, until they left numb. As he tried to lift one, it felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds, and a million needles were poking it. He let it fall to the floor with a loud thump.
That's it. Bad luck has to be part of my power. Talk about twice the uselessness.
John banged his head against the wall and a cross between a growl and a groan forced it's was from his throat. The door to the room in front of John swung open and slammed into his outstretched feet. Rogue stormed out the room, muttering something angrily, and slammed the door shut, before she even realized John was there. She had managed to change out of her uniform and into the clothes she normally wore during the day. She still looked beautiful to John.
"Ugh. Are you still out here?"
John's face turned red. "Oh, well uh...you know...my legs," he said, pointing at the appendages in question. "My legs fell asleep."
"Uh-huh. Is that wah you're makin' all this noise?"
"Oh that. Well uh... Uh..." John stared at the floor, his face brighter than the sun could ever hope to be. John wished more than ever that he wish he had Kurt's power. Being anywhere but there would have been the greatest gift anyone could give. "Uh...I uh, I gotta go!" His legs still felt like stone, but he stood up. The sensation of a million needles poking into his legs hit every time he put any sort of pressure on the legs. He winced with each step, but headed over towards his room.
Just a few more steps and I'm home free...
With every step, a little of John's already battered pride ebbed away.
"Wait," Rogue's voice called from behind.
John hobbled in a circle until he faced her. "Uh...yes?"
She lowered her eyes and hesitated, as if arguing with herself, before she spoke again. "Do you ah, want to...to go for a walk or do...somethin'?"
John's eyes brightened, and he stood stunned.
Did she just...? Is she asking...? Why would...? John! You idiot! Say something!
Rogue started to drop her head and began to turn away, but John very nearly yelled for her to stop. "Wait...don't go...er, well, I mean...Let's go," he added, smiling.
**********
Strolling down one of the twisting stone paths that led through the garden and all across the grounds of the Institute, John Jashback and Rogue talked. It was dark out, and a cool breeze blew in continuously from the sea, and both spent much of their time shivering. John wished he had a jacket or something he could let Rogue wear. It seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do. Her clothes weren't exactly designed to keep in the heat. When he told her that, she laughed. John wasn't sure how long they had been outside but it had to have been at least an hour. In that time, Rogue learned probably more than she ever wanted to know about John, or so John continuously told himself. Rogue didn't talk much about herself. She gave vague details on her past, and told little of her life before joining the X-Men.
I guess I can understand why she isn't very open. Not being able to touch anyone has to be rough.
And then Rogue asked the question John didn't really want to answer: "Just what happened between you and Lance?"
"Oh that," John said. "Well...I was uh...you see, the others weren't so nice to him, and I guess I wanted to fit in, so I said some stupid things and made him mad, and he taught me first-hand that he doesn't like getting angry." He pointed at his eye for proof.
"You're lucky he didn't bring the roof down on yah. But what are you gonna do about...that?" Rogue drawled, 'that' being his eye.
"Nothing, if I have anything to say about it. I'd like to pound in his face, but if I have any hope of living here in relative peace...it can't happen. School will be very interesting tomorrow, I can say that much," a touch of mirth in his voice. "I just hope I can make it through the whole day this time..." he added quietly.
They walked along in silence for moment until John finally got the nerve to ask the question he'd been dying to know all day... "So uh...what does Kitty think of all this?"
Rogue snorted. "Miss Kitty? She spends all night talking on the phone to Mr. Oh-Mah-God-He's-So-Cute-Lance-Alvers," she said, in a voice mocking Kitty's, "But today, she didn't say anythang about him...or you," she added, seeing John's questioning look.
"Well...I don't know if I should be scared or relieved. Like the old saying goes: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." John looked over at Rogue, who looked so beautiful in the moonlight. "But I don't think you want to listen to me talk about that... I just can't handle the idea that someone just a few doors down from me hates my guts. It isn't a pleasant feeling."
She laughed. "Nah, it's ahlright. I totally understand what ya mean."
They walked on in silence for a few minutes, when a strong gust of wind blew by, causing both of the young mutants to shiver more than before.
"It's getting awfully chilly. Shall we go back inside?" John asked, even if he wanted to stay outside with Rogue all night, if he could.
"Ah guess so."
Just as they had walked in from outside, Scott stormed out of a room across the way and shouted, "FINE! I hope you two enjoy yourselves!"
"Er...what's with him?" John asked.
Rogue's eyes burned with amusement. "Oh. Miss Perfect Jean must be going on a date with Duncan again. It eats Scott when she does." Her voice took a sympathetic tone with that last sentence.
"Uh...yeah. I think it's better if I stay out of that can of worms."
She nodded and they left the room, and headed upstairs.
"Well, that was fun," John said, when they had reached Rogue's room.
"Yah, it was..."
That sat in an uncomfortable silence, looking around, not really wanting to make the next room.
"Well uh...that was fun. We should uh...do it again sometime," John said uneasily.
"Yah...ok, sure."
"Ok, yeah, well...goodnight," John said. He waved and hurriedly went down the hallway. Opening the door, John looked back to see Rogue already gone, so he went inside and banged his head on the door. The clock by his bed read 8:30.
"It's 8:30...and I said 'goodnight.' Jesus Christ, I'm an idiot." He punctuated his remark by banging his head on the door.
John kicked off his shoes as he sat down on the bed, drooping his head.
Man, what's that smell...?
"Kurt, is that you?" John asked, not looking up.
There was no reply. John looked around, but saw no blue furred Germans in his room. But...
Man, I can still smell it.
John embarked on a quest, searching his room, sniffing, looking for the suspicious odor. And then realization hit. He pulled his shirt collar up over his nose and inhaled.
Oh God. That's it.
He tentatively held up an arm and smelled the underneath of it.
Oh yes. Go for a walk with a girl when you smell like gym socks.
"THE BAD LUCK STRIKES AGAIN!!!" he yelled.
I don't care if anyone heard me.
John's cheek twitched involuntarily.
Well, maybe I'm making a big deal of this. She didn't mention the smell, and didn't act like it bothered her. Yeah...I'm just making a big deal out of this...
He shook his head and stretched out across the bed. He reached over to turn on his alarm clock, but his arm didn't quite reach.
Man, I'm laying down already. I don't want to get up again. Well, when in Rome...
John took a tight grip on his left shoulder, and pulled off the limb. He idly twitched the arm around in his hand, watching the hand flip back and forth. He reached across and flipped the switch, turning on the alarm.
Scratch those hard to reach places and reach far away things... This thing aint so bad after all.
He smiled and tossed the arm in the random direction. It hit something, but he wasn't sure what. There was no glass breaking, so everything must have been alright. John sighed.
Maybe I'm thinking too hard into this. My arm comes off...sure, I can deal with that fine. Throw a girl into the mix...the whole machine breaks down. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this. Besides, I've got more to worry about right now, much more important things to worry about than girls. Anyway, Rogue is a friend. Just a friend. Nothing could ever come from a relationship with her if we can't touch. Yeah...I'm reading too much into this.
John nodded to himself. "Yeah, yeah. Everything good's..." he said, content with his mental thoughts. Now all that mattered was sleep. Sleep meant an end to this day and the beginning to a whole new day, something John welcomed with arms wide open.
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Sorry if this chapter felt kind of weak. It's hard to get the creative juices pumping sometimes. But don't worry, come the next chapter or two, we get to see more Brotherhood, so hang in there. Please? Did I mention I loved you guys?
Oh, and accents are hard to write sometimes. I may end up stop writing them out, since you know what the character talks like.