Too Late
Title: Too Late
Universe: That Damn Mpreg
Rating: R
Summary: Sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s already too late.
Zeke Starsmore sat down in the hallway of the girl’s dorm, right in front of the door. He knew he just had to wait, and his target would come right to him. She had to come back to her room some time, even if she was avoiding him.
“You. You’ve been following me.”
She was all freckles, long legs, and red hair, and she made no effort not to broadcast her annoyance at Zeke. “Stop it. I want to be left alone.”
“You’re hurting,” Zeke said, looking up at her. “I can feel you hurting, and if you don’t get some control over your broadcasting, everyone’s going to feel it.”
The girl smiled a nasty smile, which contrasted sharply with her sweet and innocent looks. “Good. They deserve it. Now get out of my way.”
Zeke climbed to his feet, still blocking the girl’s way. “Nobody deserves that,” he informed her, reaching out to grasp the girl’s arm. She jerked back quickly, her hands shaking and her eyes wide.
“Don’t touch me!” Alarm/fear/rage/longing/sorrow/pain
Zeke let his hand drop. “Jaysis, are you powers really that out of control?” He stood aside, letting the girl dart into her room and slam the door shut.
***
Annoyance/boredom/protectiveness
Zeke wasn’t overly surprised when the Ford brothers sat down on either side of him, both giving him the ‘Are we going to have to hurt you?’ look.
“Zeke.”
“Buddy.”
“Pal.”
“Why are you bothering our sister?”
Zeke finished his cola. “Am I?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“You know what we’re talking about.”
“Just leave Rose alone.”
“She’s hurting. I can’t just leave it.” The last of Zeke’s French fries disappeared into his stomach.
“She’s new to her powers.”
“She needs time to learn.”
“Her advisor’s working on it.”
Zeke got up, taking his tray with him. “Give my regards to Angel when you see her. I’ve got things to do.”
***
“How do you do it? How do you keep them out?” Frustration/anger/pain
Zeke closed his book. “I build a wall between me and everyone else in my mind. Someone should have taught you how to do this by now.”
Rose gritted her teeth and groaned. “I’ve tried. God, I’ve tried, but everyone’s so loud.”
Zeke could feel the younger girl was about ready to burst into tears… or possibly fly apart in rage. “It’s okay,” he said, projecting soothing calm as he reached out for both her hand and her mind. “It took me a while to get it too.”
“I can’t take it. I can’t live like this. Half the time, I don’t even know if what I’m feeling is coming from me or them.”
***
In spite of everything the teachers tried, Zeke could tell that Rose was getting worse. Her receptive range was increasing by leaps and bounds, and while she could stop herself from broadcasting to the students around her, she couldn’t keep everyone else from getting in.
And that, Zeke knew, was the hardest part to deal with. He’d been fairly lucky; the projective part of his power had manifested first, and he wasn’t that powerful when it came to reception. But he’d suffered the joys and pains of everyone around him until he’d worked out shielding his mind. He’d thought for sure that his power would drive him mad.
He knew it would do that to Rose if something didn’t change.
Zeke made Rose his personal project. Empathy was an unusual mutation, and they were the only two straight empaths in the student body. As the older and better trained of the pair, he felt an obligation to help her.
But in spite of everything, she was getting worse.
***
“I shouldn’t have gone,” Zeke whispered, clinging to Angel. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”
Mum and Dad had come for one of their all too rare visits, and they’d all gone to dinner in New York. It’d seemed like a good ideal; what could happen in a few hours?
He hadn’t panicked when he couldn’t pick up on Rose’s mind when he’d first gotten back. She’d started taking pills to help her sleep, and they put her so far under that she couldn’t ‘hear’ anyone, and no one could ‘hear’ her.
It wasn’t until the next morning that he realized that something was wrong, when he went by Rose’s room to check on her and found the door sealed shut. She wasn’t supposed to even have a lock.
There was blood everywhere, when the teachers finally got the door open. It looked like she’d gone at her arms with a lawn mower.
Universe: That Damn Mpreg
Rating: R
Summary: Sometimes, no matter what you do, it’s already too late.
Zeke Starsmore sat down in the hallway of the girl’s dorm, right in front of the door. He knew he just had to wait, and his target would come right to him. She had to come back to her room some time, even if she was avoiding him.
“You. You’ve been following me.”
She was all freckles, long legs, and red hair, and she made no effort not to broadcast her annoyance at Zeke. “Stop it. I want to be left alone.”
“You’re hurting,” Zeke said, looking up at her. “I can feel you hurting, and if you don’t get some control over your broadcasting, everyone’s going to feel it.”
The girl smiled a nasty smile, which contrasted sharply with her sweet and innocent looks. “Good. They deserve it. Now get out of my way.”
Zeke climbed to his feet, still blocking the girl’s way. “Nobody deserves that,” he informed her, reaching out to grasp the girl’s arm. She jerked back quickly, her hands shaking and her eyes wide.
“Don’t touch me!” Alarm/fear/rage/longing/sorrow/pain
Zeke let his hand drop. “Jaysis, are you powers really that out of control?” He stood aside, letting the girl dart into her room and slam the door shut.
***
Annoyance/boredom/protectiveness
Zeke wasn’t overly surprised when the Ford brothers sat down on either side of him, both giving him the ‘Are we going to have to hurt you?’ look.
“Zeke.”
“Buddy.”
“Pal.”
“Why are you bothering our sister?”
Zeke finished his cola. “Am I?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“You know what we’re talking about.”
“Just leave Rose alone.”
“She’s hurting. I can’t just leave it.” The last of Zeke’s French fries disappeared into his stomach.
“She’s new to her powers.”
“She needs time to learn.”
“Her advisor’s working on it.”
Zeke got up, taking his tray with him. “Give my regards to Angel when you see her. I’ve got things to do.”
***
“How do you do it? How do you keep them out?” Frustration/anger/pain
Zeke closed his book. “I build a wall between me and everyone else in my mind. Someone should have taught you how to do this by now.”
Rose gritted her teeth and groaned. “I’ve tried. God, I’ve tried, but everyone’s so loud.”
Zeke could feel the younger girl was about ready to burst into tears… or possibly fly apart in rage. “It’s okay,” he said, projecting soothing calm as he reached out for both her hand and her mind. “It took me a while to get it too.”
“I can’t take it. I can’t live like this. Half the time, I don’t even know if what I’m feeling is coming from me or them.”
***
In spite of everything the teachers tried, Zeke could tell that Rose was getting worse. Her receptive range was increasing by leaps and bounds, and while she could stop herself from broadcasting to the students around her, she couldn’t keep everyone else from getting in.
And that, Zeke knew, was the hardest part to deal with. He’d been fairly lucky; the projective part of his power had manifested first, and he wasn’t that powerful when it came to reception. But he’d suffered the joys and pains of everyone around him until he’d worked out shielding his mind. He’d thought for sure that his power would drive him mad.
He knew it would do that to Rose if something didn’t change.
Zeke made Rose his personal project. Empathy was an unusual mutation, and they were the only two straight empaths in the student body. As the older and better trained of the pair, he felt an obligation to help her.
But in spite of everything, she was getting worse.
***
“I shouldn’t have gone,” Zeke whispered, clinging to Angel. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”
Mum and Dad had come for one of their all too rare visits, and they’d all gone to dinner in New York. It’d seemed like a good ideal; what could happen in a few hours?
He hadn’t panicked when he couldn’t pick up on Rose’s mind when he’d first gotten back. She’d started taking pills to help her sleep, and they put her so far under that she couldn’t ‘hear’ anyone, and no one could ‘hear’ her.
It wasn’t until the next morning that he realized that something was wrong, when he went by Rose’s room to check on her and found the door sealed shut. She wasn’t supposed to even have a lock.
There was blood everywhere, when the teachers finally got the door open. It looked like she’d gone at her arms with a lawn mower.