InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "fandom rules"

Syd(ney) Barrett (_donttouch) wrote,
@ 2017-05-17 21:08:00

And, as they had discussed, the next day was back to work. She had gone to Cary first, the intention to find Kerry, but with a pleasant sidetrack of talking with the scientist. He did, in fact, have some poking and testing that he wanted to do --something about more theories that the journal brought up -- so Syd forced herself to stay still for the prodding. It worked, for the most part, particularly after Cary saw her trying and eased the tension with a little talk. Simple stuff, how he thought she could continue harnessing her ability and an unknown echo of
what Hank had said about part of it being psychological. The conversation also turned toward the light saber, with questions about whether she felt any after effects and if she'd like to continue working with that. Knowing all too well the stability that came with knowing the person you cared about could take care of herself, Cary saw nothing wrong in giving both Sydney and David that peace of mind. Just in case. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worse.

Syd, naturally, was pleased to continue being his guinea pig in that respect.

Afterward, it was Ptonomy she found next, which was actually perfect because she needed to bribe him into a favor soon. And what could she possibly offer the memory man? Pancakes. He loved them but couldn't cook them. Baking was apparently more his bag. So favor was exchanged for favor, and she couldn't quite help herself in innocently asking about yesterday afternoon, which had him looking at her suspiciously before she flitted away.

It all led her to Kerry, who had been heading over to Cary and her punching bag. But sparring was so much more fun. So that was exactly what they did, an hour and a half of moving and trying to best one another, moves and tips given from the younger girl as Sydney tried to get one over her. Still didn't work; the student still had much to learn from the master. They were about to switch when Kerry brought up a good point; had she tried with someone else? Other than David, because Kerry liked not having an explosion to worry about, thanks. Syd snorted, giving a shrug, but then she got to thinking about it. Maybe she should change it up. "I should find Rudy or Ptonomy and ask."

"Yeah, you should." Kerry thought that could possibly be interesting, grinning. "You get a hold on telekinesis and could toss things at me." Rudy wouldn't.

With that thought in mind, Syd wandered over to David's bedroom, figuring he wasn't there yet but would pop his head in relatively soon. She debated telling him about the newest plan, or letting him suss it out. Mostly because she was curious whether people were the same to him when they were switched. Humming, she plopped on the bed and sat cross-legged, going over various ideas in her head as she waited.

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xgene
2017-05-24 11:29 pm UTC (link)

David shrugged about anything being worse for him. It was all subjective, they were all dealing with some pretty shitty stuff, one way or another. Did anyone here truly have it worse than the other? Really? In plenty of ways he was incredibly lucky, after all -- he'd had loving parents, still had an incredible sister. It all balanced out, at least in his case.

"I'm learning," he confirmed, knowing there was still plenty more to learn even now. He had absolutely zero mastery of anything time related Rudy was still way better at him concerning anything with telekinesis, and pyrokenesis just wasn't a thing he was dealing with right now. "The only circle I keep dealing with is in my own head." The personas, the hot/cold of arguments or consensus, the noise of himself, the threat of it happening again (because it was a very real threat). David wasn't sure what would be worse than the last persona, but who knew at this point?

But yes, the accidental time travel did help. The poke to the side had him squirming with a sad, pathetic sound of discontent. "And you don't think Oliver's having an amazing time remembering everything? And Melanie might be enthusiastic about it, but talk about gaining some perspective..." Also, they could touch right now, something else gained from the moment, something he reminded with a return poke, touch that, through clothes, didn't make the fire ants come. "We'll be all right through everything." Period.

The 'amazing' comment had him laughing softly. "Hey, you can surprise me with one of those any time. Let's just count this run as practice, yeah?" The tickling Syd experienced had David looking back up curiously. "That confirms it's not the beard coming in, because that's less tickly and more annoying as hell." Another poke for good measure, this time to the cheek before smirking. "Pillows and sheets, I'm on it."

At that, there was one more kiss to the cheek. "Anything else I should raid? Kitchen, for example? Summerland obviously needs a taste of Syd-with-teleportation abilities, so I'm happy to hit up all the stops." He'd be back armed with pillows, sheets, everything and anything.

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_donttouch
2017-05-25 01:31 am UTC (link)

"That’ll be figured out in time too.” Him and his poor head. How, or what the outcome would be, she was unsure, but it had to come to a head (haha) sometime. “And whatever you need for it or because of it, you’ve got it.” Another gentle poke because the discontented noise was cute, sorry. She had never heard herself make a sound like that. “You’re right. Still hard to fully accept right now.” She’d work on it though. And laughed quietly with the retaliatory poke, squirming a little as well. “Yeah, we will.” That, at least, she knew to be an unchanging truth.

“Practice run it is.” Agreed with a nod, but then she stared at him for a moment, not even thinking that – duh – David had to shave. “I've never even thought of you having a beard.” She brushed her cheek with her hand, humming idly and stroking an imaginary beard while now trying to imagine just that. “Have you ever grown one?” He always seemed so baby-faced in memories and current times. "Or wanted to?"

She wrinkled her nose again at the poke, laughing, and smirked back. Then it was thoughts of kitchen raiding that Syd turned to. "Hot chocolate?" If it must be winter, there must also be hot chocolate. It was one of the season's perks. "And popcorn?"

Sending off the teleporting Syd-alike with a kiss and her thanks, general and meaningful both, the David-alike stared at the room in survey. First, the bed. It was stripped of sheets and blankets then moved to lean against the wall, cushioned side out. Boom. One wall down. The bed frame was moved out of the room next to give them space, both things way easier with the height to handle mattresses!

By the time David returned fully, she had the basis of the fort set up. Her favourite blanket was on the floor, as was another for bottom cushioning, and two chairs were placed at the edge of that with sheets spread first from chair to chair for wall number two, and then from one chair to the mattress for the last wall, everything either tightly tucked in and underneath or held together by hairties.

"We need a roof," obviously. "Can you grab that big sheet and help me spread it on top?" After that, it was time to make the fort dark and cozy. "And blankets get draped over the sheets for maximum cave dwelling."

Once that was done, Syd grabbed one last sheet and placed it over the opening, long arms making it stick with a hair clip that she had but never used. She found one of her ribbons and tied it back so they could climb in and out, then motioned for him to crawl on in. "After you, babe."

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xgene
2017-05-25 01:48 am UTC (link)

They both had stuff and things to figure out. Lots of stuff, plenty of things. Much of it unfair garbage that had them full of anxiety and stress. All of it was a tough pill to swallow, but that as exactly why they were going to work now to relax, breathe, and process a little in a way that would isolate them from the world in the most childish manner ever. Blanket fort -- hell yeah.

Chuckling a little at Syd's comment, watching her touch her face, his face, and talk about beards. "Never had one, no. Gets too itchy and annoying. Maybe one day, for grins." When he thought he could handle the itchiness and was bored enough to give it a go. It'd never really been his style, and even at his laziest, he still shaved. He hadn't needed to look even more homeless than he actually was once upon a time.

List in mind: pillows, blankets, hot chocolate, and popcorn, David was off. Pillows were dropped off quickly, along with blankets and sheets, then he disappeared again to grab the much-needed snacks. By the time everything was ready and he was back, the fort was well along and David was amazed at how intricate it was. And roomy. "Wow!" Was the first chime on it, setting the snacks down to help with the last bit of assembly, fumbling a bit at stretching a sheet up and over on top, trying desperately to keep balance. The blankets set over he cheated with, using light tugs of invisible force, good ol' telekinesis, to make sure it was done well without him falling into it.

Roof done, door made, David snatched up their hot chocolate and popcorn and smirked at the invitation. "Why thank you." A kiss to the cheek was offered before he ducked in, getting tucked into a corner, popcorn set in the center, hot chocolate handed over once Syd was inside too. "I had no idea these could be so intricate. Very nice." Understatement. The closeness of it, a soft and comfortable claustrophobia, was actually quite comforting in a way he'd never expected or experienced.

"To cozy isolation," he said softly, happily, holding up his hot chocolate to cheers it.

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_donttouch
2017-05-25 02:31 am UTC (link)

She had been laughing while they worked on the roof. "I usually have an extra chair for this part." Since she had no cheats to use. "I fell through a lot of them though. Sometimes even still."

Smiling at the kiss, she crawled in after him, grabbing a pillow and using it to lean on. Hot chocolate was taken, held carefully for a minute as she looked around and nodded her approval as well. "Strangely enough, I've my mother to thank. We would sometimes build blanket forts and read quietly together." There were good moments from time to time, when Sydney wasn't so sad or angry nor her mother the same. No guys, worries set aside, just two bookworms and the worlds they got to visit.

"To cozy isolation." She clinked her cup with his, smiling happily in return. Taking a sip, Syd settled in with a wiggle. "When I wasn't reading, I'd color in here. Or kind of do whatever I wanted, away from the rest of the world." Her own little corner of the world.

"We should have a permanent blanket fort when we have our own place. Or a room for it, so that we can change it when we want." Half the fun was creating different shapes and structures.

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xgene
2017-05-25 02:54 am UTC (link)

"I can only imagine," David said with a cheeky smirk. "Even with all your grace, this isn't easy." 5'2 and going up against mattresses and sheets and blankets many times her size. Even in his own body he'd likely be tripping over everything. Thankfully this had been avoided for the first test run and there was no need for shame -- just enjoying of Syd's hard work, popcorn, and hot chocolate.

Listening to how the blanket forts came to be, he smiled a little, glad to hear that it wasn't all distance between her and her mother. It sounded like a nice experience, building something with a parent, enjoying the shared space and solitude both that could come from reading in that shared space. It was a shame it couldn't always be that way. But at least now they could enjoy it with one another -- their own cozy isolation. David knew he wouldn't be spending much time reading in one of these, but spending time? Zoning out? Hell, even just hiding and sleeping... perfection itself.

"A room dedicated to one sounds perfect." A room they could eventually expand upon, make elaborate blanket forts, filling the entire room with pillows, blankets, and the like. A blanket castle. Of course, thinking about it had David all starry-eyed. Their own place. Their own house A home that belonged solely to them, to add to the home that they made for each other.

Smiling brightly, he rested his head on Syd's shoulder again, sipping on the hot chocolate happily. "I love you so much." Voice soft, a little daydreamy, David drank it all in -- this little fort Syd had made, their junk food, everything hiding them away from the world and the cold outside. It was incredible. "You're incredible; the greatest gift this world could ever offer." To even the best of people, she was the greatest gift -- he didn't deserve her, not even remotely. But he was selfishly accepting her and all her wonder because without Syd? He was nothing.

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_donttouch
2017-05-25 03:13 am UTC (link)

He could do whatever he wanted. That was the beauty of it, building it together or for one another and then sharing the created space. Something she was so happy to share with him, the space itself and the action of creating the spaces. It wasn't as elaborate, but it was her offering of a White Room, and she was more happy and pleased (even more than she imagined she would be) that he seemed to like it so much.

"Good. Because otherwise I'd have to just commandeer a room and drag you in." Said with a grin, content and happy to think of their own house, a physical home together to go with the emotional one shared.

"I love you too." Very much. Both conversations quiet and warm with all the fuzzy emotions he made her feel. Like the best blanket ever. She laughed then, head tilting down and close to his. "I'm not sure about all that, but I'm glad that you're happy being with me. You deserve it." Free hand pushed through longer and blonder hair, taking another sip of hot chocolate and just observing everything in their hobbit hole.

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xgene
2017-05-25 03:34 am UTC (link)

That anyone would do anything for him, that anyone would ever offer such a gesture for a person like him, was absolutely incredible. Astounding. It gave him a hot case of the warm fuzzies unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. The warm fuzzies, a sense of love and belonging, everything he'd told Amy he'd never have, everything he'd called stupid because it wasn't for sick people like him.

"No commandeering necessary," he said with a smirk. "That's what a home's for, right? Mutual comforts and individual ones too." A beat. "In case any of ours didn't match up, which they seem to do anyway, so lucky us. Our home will be a hell of a place to be." A place to retreat to, a larger space just for them to hide away from the world. David was so ready for it, whether it be on that island Irene had talked about in Georgia (Genosha? something like that), or if it was somewhere else. Didn't matter. As long as it was theirs.

Both comments in both places had him smiling happily, eyes closing to let it soak in. "We both deserve it." It was the closest he'd ever be to not disrespecting himself as he felt he truly deserved. Neither of them had been saints in their lives, but they belonged together. There was no denying it, no matter how they felt about themselves. "You'll always make me happy, and I'll always work to make sure you're happy too." Simple as that.

Snatching up the popcorn then, David happily curled up and they enjoyed their hot drinks and snack with the same chatter that had filled the car on their roadtrip. Conversations that were easy and comfortable, that had no drastic importance and didn't reflect upon the here and the now. Allowing their minds to wander, allowing their spirits to ease up a little from the bizarrity of the day and accept it as completely as possible in the moment. Time passed, they finished their junk food treat that struck away any thought of snow and winter outside, and the blanket fort was filled with warmth and softness that was all squishy comfort that made David actually almost feel like a kid again -- simpler, easier. No denying the weirder of the now, but eh, he was cool with that.

"How are you feeling?" He asked after a few moments of companionable silence, taking up Syd's hand and linking their fingers together.

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_donttouch
2017-05-25 03:50 am UTC (link)

She could concede that, that they both deserved happiness and love. Because, whether the point was conceded or not, it was true. They each made it true for one another.

Conversations and quiet moments were mixed with sillier things like having David toss popcorn as she tried to catch it in her mouth, and tossing it at him whether he could catch it or not. The ability to switch back and forth from serious to childish (lingering perhaps longer in the childish than not) was greatly appreciated as well; not just because that was ultimately how she was, but also because she had been lucky enough to find (or be found by) someone who walked the same line more often than not too.

"Better." She brought his hand up and kissed his knuckles. Then Syd leaned in and kissed David gently, a last kiss for now since she was ready to try to switch back. "Any last thing you want to do as a munchkin blonde before I give you your body back?" She asked wryly, amused smile crinkling up the corners of bright eyes.

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xgene
2017-05-25 04:03 am UTC (link)

They definitely walked that line together. Happily so. When there was a big, terrifying world out there, one that had gotten exponentially bigger with issues like mutants and wars being thrown at them? David couldn't possibly imagine trying to cope it it all alone -- he also couldn't imagine trying to cope with it all pretending like he was a well-balanced adult who both comprehended and accepted all the cards he'd been dealt with. Even during the calm times it was a big ask.

Weird though it was, seeing himself while receiving affection, David was quick and happy to accept and understand that this was Syd -- this was the bright and amazing soul he loved. This was her power and whatever it took to help her understand it more and master it? He would do. Which meant that this would likely happen again, under more controlled circumstances. Eventually he'd get more used to seeing his mug like this, but hey, if it meant touching Syd? Sharing this? It'd been nice on his own, a form of connection they didn't have at Clockworks. Now? Shared.

The kiss was returned, a smile on the lips at the sweetness of it all. "Apart from feeling up your bod?" David teased, referring to the time when he admitted to doing that once before. He didn't though. This? This was really all he needed. The time shared, time spent, was more than enough. "I'm good for now. Let's give this a go, just you and me." Focused, relaxed, easy.

Shifting so they were properly facing one another, offering hands as a point of contact so, if the switch did work, there would be as little discomfort as possible elsewhere. "Remember," he said after a moment, another smirk on his face. "You got four of us taking care of any extra powers, all of us cheering you on. A legion of support." And love, of course. Always love.

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_donttouch
2017-05-25 04:28 am UTC (link)

It was really weird to give affection to herself, but that was part of the amusement she decided to derive from the experience. But it was definitely nice to stay in the same area throughout all of it.

Chuckling at his answer, she shrugged all nonchalant at the idea of it. "As long as I'm around to watch." She replied with a smirk before shifting as well to face him comfortably. Hand to hand, Syd nodded and laughed. "I genuinely appreciate my cheerleading squad." Even if they'd give her grey hairs, they were all parts of David and as such loved as well. Clueless as to how to deal with sometimes, but loved.

"And I totally took care of.." A pregnant pause as she wiggled her eyebrows, "things earlier. So you're welcome." She did no such thing, but she really really couldn't help saying things like that for his reactions. It was entirely his fault for being so damn cute and expressive.

After that, laughing quietly, she took a breath and focused. Think like a magnet. Syd did just that, imagining herself tugging David back into the body that she currently shared and away from the body that he had been in. Setting things back in their place to make the puzzles complete again. She closed her eyes easily for a moment, imagining it a bit more.

There was no earthquake, nor was there fireworks, but when her eyes opened this time, she found herself sitting in the same spot she had been in...and this time staring at David rather than herself. Waiting to make sure he got all settled in, comfortable back in his own skin, she smiled wryly. "Welcome back to us?"

"And now, for my next trick.." She had to see if that was a catalyst to put everyone else back together, or try it again on a bigger scale. "How's everyone else right now?"

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xgene
2017-05-25 04:50 am UTC (link)

"Of course, any copped feels will only ever be in your presence," he teased with a grin, promising to never take such a liberty again. All in cheeky fun, but would truly be reserved for their White Room or when the physical world didn't cause discomfort -- when or if. Hopefully when, if only for the lack of worry and lack of additional grey hairs from that worry.

Because yes, the cheerleading squad would give them both grey hairs. If David did ever decide to grow a beard, it'd probably already have grey in it from all the special kind of stress his fractured mind laid on him for stupid reasons that were just so him. But they did all support Syd, all loved her, and all would do everything in their power (as four-in-one, or individually) to take care of her and do what they could.

The cheeky comment though, that had brows rising and eyes widening a little, as was his usual response. "Cheeky." So saucy, so ridiculous. But always striking all the same. Striking and amusing, because soon enough he was shaking his head and grinning again.

Grins, laughter, deep breaths. Eyes closed to keep semblance of balance, and maybe kinda do something close to praying (not quite, but enthusiastic hoping? very much yes). Then, eyes opened... there was Syd. Syd-as-Syd. Positions where they were before, but themselves again. The blanket fort suddenly seemed that little bit smaller, not unpleasantly so -- in fact, he found it even more pleasant this way. Because this was more how his brain recognized that it should be based on the body he'd lived in for so long.

"Told you you could do it." It'd almost be a sassy comment were it not for the complete and utter confidence he'd had before, much of that fitting into his tone now. As for the next trick, the minds of those around them, David reached out, looking around as well to match up to where everyone was. Their bodies. Their minds.

"Looks like they might need a helping hand still," he offered, looking back to Syd with a smile, so very glad to see the beautiful woman he loved again. To admire her and get all dopey as he often did looking at her. "Whatever you did? It worked like a charm for us. Give it another go." Maybe it didn't need proximity, maybe, as Cary said, there was more to the mind of this than they thought.

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