( #001 ) LOVE MARKED

[chatona]

(inspired by this tumblr post. )

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[ex_outofcontrol435]

Like hell you will. [His shoulders roll a bit, body tightening in on itself even more.] Just force it out or give up, your choice.

[broil]

Is that how you'd rather do it?

[He gets up, walks on over to brush a finger on John's ear. Make him twitch.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[He does twitch, of course, whipping his head around to glare daggers at Petre.]

I don't want to do it at all. That's the whole point. I loved someone and they died, it's not shit you just chat about with your "roomie."

[broil]

Why not? I'm all ears.

[ha, ha. get it.]

Have you told anyone?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[He finally sits up again at that, nearly giving off physical plumes of smoke, he's so furious.]

Because it hurts to lose someone you love Petre. Pain. Imagine getting punched in the face. Then stick that right in your chest and twist it up into a knot. That's emotional pain. I know it's hard, but just try to imagine it.

[And then, more quietly:]

No. Of course not.

[broil]

[He doesn't openly laugh in John's face, but the grin is still there. Watching him like a parent watching children play. It's the natural order of things.]

Good. Pain means you're alive. No matter what kind it is.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

I'm definitely alive right now, then. Thanks for your concern. Don't need a jumpstart.

[Glaring right at him now instead of turning away. Like he could ever win a staredown between them, but he's trying.]

[broil]

[Petre isn't even remotely concerned.]

Yes you do.

[he motions with his hand, mimicking the gesture of clicking a lighter on.]

Consider me it.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[Fury slowly giving way to dangerous calm, he licks his lips and looks away.]

Another homeless mutant. We ended up at the same shelters a lot.

[broil]

[He could just slide back to his bed and sit down, couldn't he? Of course. But he hangs around still.]

Name?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

Siobhan. [Through gritted teeth.] I never knew her last name.

[broil]

And she still left a mark.

[Pretty powerful stuff. Or just was just that weak. He doubts it, though.]

What was her power?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

[A mark. What a cute turn of phrase. It makes the bile rise in his throat.]

Empathy. Broadcasting and receiving.

[broil]

Ah.

[He shifts like he understands it a little better. A lot better, actually.]

That makes a lot of sense.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

What, why?

[He narrows his eyes. What does Petre think he knows so well about John?]

[broil]

What else would mess around with your head like that?

[...because there's no such thing as true love. Only the manipulation of chemicals in your brain.]

[ex_outofcontrol435]

For fu -

[And he glares away again.]

- if you told me right now, under your total control, that I had to be in love with you, nothing'd show up. It doesn't work that way.

[broil]

Because that's not how my power works.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

It's not how broadcasting works, either. Did you think Ryan's thoughts were yours when you hung out with him? [He rolls his eyes, finally regaining some control and stepping back from anger to dismissal.] Don't be a dumbass.

[broil]

That's now how empathy works, either. [a beat. Petre's pretty confident in his words, so much that it doesn't even sound like he's arguing.] Manipulation of the chemicals in your brain to match hers. That's pretty much it, isn't it?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

So you asked about my mark to try and prove it wrong. [His mouth draws into an unimpressed line.] That's a new level of arrogance, even for you.

[broil]

That's not why I asked.

[ex_outofcontrol435]

What are you doing, then? Obviously trying to prove something.

[broil]

Just making sense of things. It makes sense to me. Didn't it make sense to you?

[ex_outofcontrol435]

It's made sense for a long time. She didn't warp my brain, Petre. She -

[His throat closes off, and he looks away again with a shaky breath.]