X-Men aren't mine
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It was early in the morning, but that didn't mean the mansion was bustling with activity. Lately the gym and danger room were both getting more use then usual. All of the members of the X-Tremes had thoughts that they needed to work out. Almost everyone had done a training session this morning and was eating breakfast, witht he exception of Jack. He found himself in the gym, working on the benchpress. His sword glistened on the ground next to him; he felt uncomfortable going anywhere without it.
It'd been two weeks since Touch disappeared, but it'd seemed like an eternity, even to Jack. Especially to Jack. It had been his fault that Touch had ran away, and though the rest of the team acted like they understood the situation, he was sure that they still held a resentment towards him. And there was always something that reminded him of Touch, every minute of every day. Even Dinah could bring up other conversation, but Jack always had some thought clogging his consciousness, even moreso when he was on his own. Today wasn't any different.
Pip had been in here earlier, doing his own exercises and spotting Jack whenever it was necessary, but the desire to eat overcame him. He hated to leave Jack alone... Jack always seemed to be troubled when he was alone, and he hated letting anyone endanger themself by doing the bench without a spotter. However, Jack urged him off to breakfast, so he took off (pausing for a few moments to hold Jack in place while he took some weights off; just in case) and left Jack to do his workout. It wasn't working alone that made Jack worried though - it was being alone itself.
He finished his reps and walked over to the pull up bar when something amazing happened to him. It'd seemed like an eternity since it last happened, but it was certainly happening.
The thought of Touch ceased.
Now, Jack couldn't do anything but think of Touch and how the feeling of him pounding in his brain disappeared, but these thoughts were all his. He swept up his sword and bolted out of the gym.
* * *
Liz and Dinah wanted to go for a walk before the sun got too high, so Dinah and Rebecca were left to take care of the mess from the morning's meal themselves. Rebecca was just finishing washing a dish and handed it to Pip as Jack burst through the door.
"I think he's back!" Jack exclaimed, completely catching the two of them offguard. Pip barely caught the plate before it hit the ground, and Rebecca continued to stare back at Jack.
"Wh.. how do you know?" she stammered. She was already tossing the dishtowel to the side and heading towards the door. Pip snatched up the plate and went right after her. Jack ran towards the professor's office. It had to be; he was so certain.
They didn't even have time to get half way to the office before Professor X met them half way down the hallway.
"Professor, we-" they all began talking at once, but were quickly hushed by the professor.
"I have a psychic link with all of you, and even if I didn't, you're making enough noise to let every telepath in New York in on what's happening," the professor said with a smile. He headed for the front door, and the rest followed closeby.
"I did a few scans, but I wasn't able to picking anything up... then again, Touch has always been a difficult one to find," Xavier began, gathering his thoughts as he spoke. "However, I do believe that when Touch lept inside of Jack before he left, he left a trace of himself behind. The only way for that to be reversed is for Touch to essentially absorb it back." Jack smiled as the professor confirmed what he thought. As they opened the front door, Dinah came rushing at them.
"Liz thinks that she smells Tou-" she began, before she was interupted with the excited chatter of her three team mates. They all followed her back into the woods to find Liz again, with Xavier massaging his temples.
"So headstrong," he thought to himself... though, he remembered, they all were at this age.
"Can't disagree with that," a voice calmly said, taking a step out of the shadows.
Xavier quickly snapped a round and readied a psychic blast when the light from the sun glistened off of the leather trenchcoat.
"Could you be a bit more considerate in coming back home!" the professor exclaimed. Touch smiled - he always enjoyed getting a startled reaction out of Professor X. The world's most powerful psychic, and he was able to sneak up on him. Xavier was delighted to see that Touch was safe, though slightly disturbed - Touch had always been able to slip past his scans; but this was the first time Xavier had his mind read without his knowledge. He dismissed the thought for the moment, however, and began to talk to Touch about what happened to the boy over the past few weeks.
* * *
It was now two weeks later after his return. Besides to the professor, Touch said nothing of his exploits to the other team members. Jack quickly went back to resenting Touch, though they now respected each other... most of the time. Touch spent most of his time alone still, but Dinah would still take him out and sit by the pond, and that's what they did today. He spent most of his time listening to her; she was a constant, a source of comfort, though she was still a resource to him - he lacked the belief that he would be capable of seeing few people in a way more then that.
It was later than they usually let it get, and darkness filled the sky. A tiny stick of dynamite stuck out in the night as they walked back to the mansion to lead the way back.
They reached the door and Touch began to walk back outside for another walk by himself, but Dinah grabbed his wrist.
"I know you don't see me as a friend, but I am. You can always come to me." Touch stared back at her and nodded, feeling her grip go limp against his arm. She walked inside and closed the door, leaning against it and holding her head. A voice suddenly spoke in her mind. It was so quiet that she barely heard it, but it was certainly spoken.
"Thank you."
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It was early in the morning, but that didn't mean the mansion was bustling with activity. Lately the gym and danger room were both getting more use then usual. All of the members of the X-Tremes had thoughts that they needed to work out. Almost everyone had done a training session this morning and was eating breakfast, witht he exception of Jack. He found himself in the gym, working on the benchpress. His sword glistened on the ground next to him; he felt uncomfortable going anywhere without it.
It'd been two weeks since Touch disappeared, but it'd seemed like an eternity, even to Jack. Especially to Jack. It had been his fault that Touch had ran away, and though the rest of the team acted like they understood the situation, he was sure that they still held a resentment towards him. And there was always something that reminded him of Touch, every minute of every day. Even Dinah could bring up other conversation, but Jack always had some thought clogging his consciousness, even moreso when he was on his own. Today wasn't any different.
Pip had been in here earlier, doing his own exercises and spotting Jack whenever it was necessary, but the desire to eat overcame him. He hated to leave Jack alone... Jack always seemed to be troubled when he was alone, and he hated letting anyone endanger themself by doing the bench without a spotter. However, Jack urged him off to breakfast, so he took off (pausing for a few moments to hold Jack in place while he took some weights off; just in case) and left Jack to do his workout. It wasn't working alone that made Jack worried though - it was being alone itself.
He finished his reps and walked over to the pull up bar when something amazing happened to him. It'd seemed like an eternity since it last happened, but it was certainly happening.
The thought of Touch ceased.
Now, Jack couldn't do anything but think of Touch and how the feeling of him pounding in his brain disappeared, but these thoughts were all his. He swept up his sword and bolted out of the gym.
* * *
Liz and Dinah wanted to go for a walk before the sun got too high, so Dinah and Rebecca were left to take care of the mess from the morning's meal themselves. Rebecca was just finishing washing a dish and handed it to Pip as Jack burst through the door.
"I think he's back!" Jack exclaimed, completely catching the two of them offguard. Pip barely caught the plate before it hit the ground, and Rebecca continued to stare back at Jack.
"Wh.. how do you know?" she stammered. She was already tossing the dishtowel to the side and heading towards the door. Pip snatched up the plate and went right after her. Jack ran towards the professor's office. It had to be; he was so certain.
They didn't even have time to get half way to the office before Professor X met them half way down the hallway.
"Professor, we-" they all began talking at once, but were quickly hushed by the professor.
"I have a psychic link with all of you, and even if I didn't, you're making enough noise to let every telepath in New York in on what's happening," the professor said with a smile. He headed for the front door, and the rest followed closeby.
"I did a few scans, but I wasn't able to picking anything up... then again, Touch has always been a difficult one to find," Xavier began, gathering his thoughts as he spoke. "However, I do believe that when Touch lept inside of Jack before he left, he left a trace of himself behind. The only way for that to be reversed is for Touch to essentially absorb it back." Jack smiled as the professor confirmed what he thought. As they opened the front door, Dinah came rushing at them.
"Liz thinks that she smells Tou-" she began, before she was interupted with the excited chatter of her three team mates. They all followed her back into the woods to find Liz again, with Xavier massaging his temples.
"So headstrong," he thought to himself... though, he remembered, they all were at this age.
"Can't disagree with that," a voice calmly said, taking a step out of the shadows.
Xavier quickly snapped a round and readied a psychic blast when the light from the sun glistened off of the leather trenchcoat.
"Could you be a bit more considerate in coming back home!" the professor exclaimed. Touch smiled - he always enjoyed getting a startled reaction out of Professor X. The world's most powerful psychic, and he was able to sneak up on him. Xavier was delighted to see that Touch was safe, though slightly disturbed - Touch had always been able to slip past his scans; but this was the first time Xavier had his mind read without his knowledge. He dismissed the thought for the moment, however, and began to talk to Touch about what happened to the boy over the past few weeks.
* * *
It was now two weeks later after his return. Besides to the professor, Touch said nothing of his exploits to the other team members. Jack quickly went back to resenting Touch, though they now respected each other... most of the time. Touch spent most of his time alone still, but Dinah would still take him out and sit by the pond, and that's what they did today. He spent most of his time listening to her; she was a constant, a source of comfort, though she was still a resource to him - he lacked the belief that he would be capable of seeing few people in a way more then that.
It was later than they usually let it get, and darkness filled the sky. A tiny stick of dynamite stuck out in the night as they walked back to the mansion to lead the way back.
They reached the door and Touch began to walk back outside for another walk by himself, but Dinah grabbed his wrist.
"I know you don't see me as a friend, but I am. You can always come to me." Touch stared back at her and nodded, feeling her grip go limp against his arm. She walked inside and closed the door, leaning against it and holding her head. A voice suddenly spoke in her mind. It was so quiet that she barely heard it, but it was certainly spoken.
"Thank you."