(no subject)
I need to go out and.. do something. I can't do this anymore. I can't take this anymore. What happened to him? All I want is to forget. That's all. Why does it have to be so much more?
Nevaeh and Mark run into each other and what's supposed to be a nice dinner with each other turns into a fight.
The evening sky was shining brilliant oranges and pinks as the sun set across to the west. The buildings catch the color and reflect it down to the streets, casting almost everything in a golden hue. From the Greenwich Village side of the east village, a young man is strolling down the streets, his eyes peering hard at the concrete below. He looks worse for wear, though most of the burns and scares are covered up by a light jacket. His face is still bruised with a rather nasty looking gash down his neck. Mark isn't in any mood to be cheered by the warm setting sun. Instead he stomps down the street, a grim jaw line set in frustration.
Nevaeh wasn't much for colors herself lately, which is ironic due to the nature of her powers. Even those bright cheerful clothes she's known for have faded into simple blacks, the semi-bohemian look she always had replaced by quieter, more normal looking attire. Her hair is simply brown, pulled back into a tight ponytail, and dark glasses cover her eyes despite the setting sun. She holds one hand tightly around her purse strap, the other swaying at her side as she walks. Her own look is unreadable, on her way to find out exactly what was so important that Mark forgot to call her to tell her when dinner was.
The boy is set to match. His wardrobe of cool greys and blacks have yet to subside, and today he's wearing a semi-shiny grey shirt with black pants and shoes. This is all, of course, topped off with a black mop of spiky hair. He tucks his hands down into the pockets of the jacket, despite the warm weather that keeps most everyone around him in shorter sleeves. He weaves through the crowd, finally getting the rhythm of the city after the two and a half years spent here. He barely looks up as he runs smack dab into a similarly drab clad women.
Nevaeh is paying no attention whatsoever to the people around her beyond the normal dodging it takes to ever move around in the city. It isn't until someone slams into her that she's shaken out of her thoughts with a quick curse, reaching down to grip her knee. "UGH!" she growls in frustration. It's hard enough trying to walk in heels without limping that she doesn't need people banging into her bad knee. She straightens, eyes flaring behind her glasses as she prepares to tell the person off, but stopping as she sees who it is. "Mark?" It's a few seconds before her eyes focus on the wounds, eyes widening. "Oh my god Mark! Are you ok? What happened?"
Mark pulls himself back, very ready and willing to rush past the person without so much as an 'excuse me'. What does he care? Humans are clumsy animals, and it was probably their fault that he... the boy's mind screeches to a halt as the face and voice register in him mind. "N-Nevaeh?" He asks suddenly, looking rather surprised. His eyes do a quick vertical scan and he steps back, tucking his elbows protectively into his sides. "Ah... yes, well..." He stammers, looking away from her. "Nozing... nozing! I'm fine." Mark insists and looks away. "What are you doing on zis side of town, hmm?" He wonders aloud, pulling a hand from his pocket to scratch at his neck. Of course, it's only a ploy to hide the gash there. What Mark forgets is that most of his hand is scared from the burns.
Nevaeh frowns suddenly as he asks her what's she's doing around here, frustration not being hidden very well. "I was coming to see you. I was wondering why you never called me about dinner." she states then hisses in a breath. This isn't the time to try and pick a fight. Now is the time for concern. Her eyes are widening even further now, brows arched above the glasses as she sees his hand. "Holy crap Mark! What happened?" she asks, itching to reach out for him, but forcing her hands to stay where they are. Maybe he doesn't want to be touched.
Mark shrugs slightly, a small sigh ushering out between his lips. "Nev..." He starts, scooting out of the walk way and leaning up on the building. He looks slightly annoyed, but he lets this look fade into more of a concerned face. "I've been... busy." The boy mumbles lamely. He pulls the hand back down as she reaches for it, stuffing it into his pocket again. "Nozing happened. Just a fight... a small fight." Mark explains with a bored look up at the sky. "I forget about dinner... I am sorry. Please... how about tomorrow? Or tonight, I guess?" Mark tries once more to avoid the questions.
Nevaeh follows him slightly, just enough so that she can still see him and not get trampled by people wanting to get by. "Busy getting yourself hurt." She states, her annoyance forcing a twitch in one eye. It's probably a good thing those sunglasses are dark, what with Mark's fear of the color red. The frown deepens as he avoids her question yet again. "Fine Mark. You don't wanna talk about it. I'm done forcing you to do things you don't want to. How about you give me a call when you really want me back in your life then?" And she turns on her heels and starts to storm off. He won't even let her be concerned about him, the nerve!
Mark glances down automatically at his burned arms... which aren't visible through the dark jacket. "Well, not on purpose." He protests, fidgeting uncomfortably. He looks up and feels the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Not good! Danger, danger Mark Tompkins! "Nev... Nev!" He says, gulping gently. "You're not... I mean... Nevy!" He exclaims, starting after her a split second after she storms away. "I was in jail, all right? I got in a fight... I couldn't... Nev!" The boy seems very flustered, a hand darting out to grasp at her turned shoulder.
Nevaeh stiffens at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, but allows it, actually pausing in her steps. He can feel the tension trembling under her surface, as if the tiniest of missteps might force her to shatter on the spot. "You don't owe me any sort of explanation." She murmurs through tight lips, her tone even tighter as she turns. Her face is still blank, and not being able to see her eyes really takes away of lot of people's ability to read her at all. "Are you really ok?" She sounds doubtful.
Mark pulls his hand away, trying not to bump up the burnt areas on her. He leaves the hand hanging in mid air and clicks his teeth. "No... I should tell you! Yes, because zat's what boyfriends do, yes?" He asks hopefully, offering her a half smile. "Come. We'll have dinner now, yes? I can explain... just a misunderstanding. I got on ze news. Exciting, no?" Oh course, what he fails to mention is that almost all of New York saw him on the news as what he is... a mutant. Not exactly a smart move. "I'm fine. Just a little beaten up."
Nevaeh's chin tilts slightly at him calling himself her boyfriend. "Ah, so you and I /are/ still dating. Nice to know." she states, unable to keep herself from saying it. But it really isn't the right time and she needs to put a damper on all of these resentful emotions. He's had a rough week it seems and she should be supportive. "Yes. I'll make dinner, you'll relax and tell me what happened." She agrees with a nod, still frowning. "I'm not sure getting on the news for fighting is such a good thing."
Mark looks crestfallen. As if the burns on his arms aren't enough, must she rip out his heart, too? The boy pushes himself up to her and practically whimpers. "Yes! Of course... I know, I know I have been /distant/ of late..." The boy goes to embrace her. "But I have... /we/ have... been zrough a lot, yes?" The boy glances around. "Where? At your place?" He asks curiously. "I'm not sure if I have food... I was just cleared out of my meat today. But... ah, I have some rice, or somezing..." He wonders to himself. Mark perks up to look at her. "I didn't meant to. Was a mutant... err, I will explain in private, yes?"
"Not distance, love, non-existent." Nevaeh argues, still frowning, though she goes quite willingly into his arms, gently and careful in case he's wounded anywhere else. But the need is still there despite how tender she's trying to be. "We have been. I know. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch. I just.. I've needed someone so much the past month.. and nobody has been there." And it hurts like hell to feel like you aren't wanted. "Yes, upstairs. I'll figure something out."
Mark bends his neck down slowly, pressing his lips up against her pulled back hair. "I know. Yes, I know." He admits sadly, closing his eyes. "You haven't! It's zose damned humans zat did zis to you." The boy adds in a dull murmur. "I'm here... right here for you. I was going to... but I was in jail ze day I was going to invite you." He glances up and around the street. "Yes... but going upstairs takes me /forever/." He complains softly. "We shall go slow, yes?"
Nevaeh shivers at the gentle kiss and bites down on her bottom lip to keep the tears from spilling. All the walls she's been working on so very hard to build up around her are quickly beginning to crumble and that's not good. She needs her walls. They're her protection. "I don't want to think about them right now." Nev whispers not wanting to get into yet another argument. "Yes, we'll go up slowly. Isn't there an elevator?" They could always take that?
Mark hunkers down slightly and presses a kiss to her forehead. He looks rather sheepishly at the girl in front of him. "No... we wont..." He lied. The truth is that they're /always/ on his mind... consuming him with thoughts of revenge. "Food... yes, food sounds good." He breaks away from her and glances down the street. "Zis way, zen. We can be cripples togezer, yes?" The boy laughs weakly and tries to catch her hand in his as gently as possible.
Nevaeh holds onto his hand, gently as well, and allows him to lead. As much as she says she doesn't want to think about them, it's hard not to. They turned her world on it's back and scared the hell out of her, that's not something you can just forget. Which is obvious in the changes in her. "Quite the pair we make." Nevaeh agrees and leans forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
Mark beams slightly, though there is still that odd flash of hardness in his eyes that hasn't gone away since he found out who had hurt Nevaeh. "No elevator, sadly. Ze building is older zan such zings. We'll be fine." He figures and leads the way down the block, right up to his own stoop. He looks up with a slight amount of annoyance. "Maybe I should have taken up her offer of healing." He mumbles sadly. "But you... you are feeling better, yes? Just your knee?" Mark's eyes turn down expectedly.
Nevaeh tilts her head curiously at that second to last comment. "Her?" But then again, he mentioned an offer of healing. "Sabella?" she asks with an odd rise in her voice. The woman saved her life and for that she'll be forever grateful, but Mark sees the woman more often than Nevaeh does and that worries her some. A quick glance around reveals that nobody is looking and Nev rises just a teeny tiny bit from the ground, using her flight to help her up the stairs. "I'll be ok. Will you?"
Mark bobs his head. "Yes, my /boss/." He replies, putting a good amount of strain on the title of Sabella. She's nothing more than her title. This might not be the case if Sabella decided so. But what is Mark to know? He smiles reassuringly and slowly climbs up the steps. "Fine fine. No worrying about me, all right?" He commands with a shrug. "Brought it on myself..."
"Whether you brought it on yourself or not, I'm still going to be concerned." Nevaeh states and crosses her arms over her chest once she reaches the top step, looking down to follow his approach with her gaze. The emphasis on 'boss' earns Mark a very faint smile. It seems sincere enough for her to believe it, though she'll still be somewhat jealous. It happens to all girls.
Mark slowly staggers up a few steps. He glances back down the stair well and then up to her. The boy straightens up slightly and closes his eyes. Within a few seconds the stair under him pushes up, easily sliding him onto the nest step. The next one does the same, and so-forth and so-forth. "Aw, zat is better!" He exclaims happily, walking gently onto the landing. "I know you will. I just don't zink you need to waste worry on me." Mark fishes for his key, tearing his eyes away from her.
Nevaeh watches with a growing smile as he uses his powers to help him up. "Wow." She states, impressed, and pleased at the lack of shame he had doing it. "That was amazing." she whispers and leans in to give him another soft kiss on the cheek. He deserves it. "And nothing is wasted when used on you, Mark, least of all my worry."
Mark plucks the key from his pocket and smiles. "Of course. I'm a mutant. Powers are a gift, as I've found zem to be!" He brushes himself off and grins at the smile. "You are too kind to zis Frenchman, cherie." The boy comments and heads to the door, unlocking it quickly. "But I use zem when I need." Because, obviously, who needs a key when you have his power? He steps in to a rather large, and barking, Roger. Mark walks right by him, not really paying attention to the dog out of habit.
Nevaeh blinks when she hears him say that, and for the first time in a very long time a true smile lights her face, and a sudden glisten of gold can be seen shining behind her sunglasses. "I'm glad that you feel that way." She whispers, about to say more before she lays eyes on Roger. "Holy..!" And down she goes, moving gently to sit on the ground and lavish the puppy in attention. "Look at how big you've gotten!" she murmurs and grabs Roger's face, ruffling it gently. "Oooh, look at how big my baby's gotten. Who's a good boy? You are!" And here we go with the baby talk.
Mark tosses his key up on the hall tree next to the door, his eyes turning to the kitchen. He steps over Roger as the dog bounds to Nevaeh, soaking up every bit of attention he can get from her. It's not as if Mark has been showering him with it. "Oh course. Sabella convinced me so." He scoots around the edge of the counter and sighs. "I should have listened to you all zat time ago, hmm?" The boy starts to rummage through the cabinets, pulling down boxes and some pots. He looks over and rolls his eyes. "Watch it... he might be hungry. Might bite."
Nevaeh winces slightly but doesn't glance up at the mention of Sabella being the one to convince him. "Yeah. Guess you should have." she states dully, shrugging half-heartedly before turning her attention to Roger again. "Awww, Roger would never do such a thing! Would you baby? Of course not! He's just being silly!" she coos as Roger yips his agreement, her arms linking around his neck. "Ohhh, I've missed you." she tells the bog, ruffling behind one ear, eyes drifting towards Mark. "If you want to sit I can start working on food?"
Mark pries open the fridge, bending down painfully to peer into it. He withdraws a few things and sets them up on the counter. "Well... if you say so." He mumbles, sending her a concerned look. He hisses as his back straightens, a hand going back to rest on it. "Yes, you can start. I'll feed Roger." He offers. "So. I am to guess you are wanting to hear what happened?" He wonders out loud, heading over to grab the back of dog food from the closet.
Nevaeh ignores the concerned look and is on her feet in seconds, racing towards him despite the pain in her own knee. "Mark! C'mon, you should be sitting down. Please! Let me do everything. I'll be able to manage. I promise." She doesn't wait for an answer and starts to guide him towards the couch, making sure he's sitting before she moves to feed Roger, turning away from him and finally lifting her glasses to rest on the top of her head. "Yes, I would like to hear it please."
Mark tries to protest as he's moved to the couch. "Really... I can..." But it's an attempt in vain. He finds himself on the couch, and the feeling of just sitting there is too strong to detour him away. "Yes! Of course... all right." Mark says, stretching out on the length of the couch. "I was at a bar, yes? Zere was zis man... wiz sunglasses. Should have zought about him being a mutant, yes? Dark club... wiz sunglasses!" He pauses in thought and continues. "He was pestering zis lady. I told him to stop... he zreatened me. I.. I punched him." Mark admits with a sigh. "We fought. You know his power? Charging zings up in zis reddish sort of light and making zem explode on contact." He raises an arm and tugs down a sleeve to show her the serious burns. "Zat is from a simple shot glass. Scary, no?"
Nevaeh moves to open the bag of dog food and pours it into a bowl, trying to manage with Roger yipping excitedly around her legs. She finishes pouring and puts the bag back before staring at the contents of the kitchen to see what she can make into a meal. "You should have forced that shot glass down his throat." Nevaeh states darkly as she turns to look back at the arm, her eyes are settled into a very deep red. Which they've been for days now. Such a nasty thought for a girl who's generally so sweet. But there have been a few devastating changes in her lately. "I don't like the fact that you fought, but atleast you did it for the right reasons."
Mark drops his arm back down and looks up at the ceiling, his head jerking slightly as she mentions violence of any type. "Well... I... you zink?" He wonders aloud, sounding very shocked she would suggest such a thing. Mark sits up as best he can, catching the red eyes. The boy freezes up slightly. "Nevaeh..." He starts, his lips flipping into chewing teeth. "Are you all right?" Mark begins to rise from his spot on the couch, though all this moving is enough to make the process slow. "Yes, I did! Zat is what ze cops said. Doctor Grey, too."
Nevaeh nods her head as she asks her if that's what she thinks. "Of course, then it would have exploded in his throat rather than all over your arm." she states and frowns slightly before shrugging and grabbing a box of pasta, stopping when he asks if she's all right. "As much as I can be." She states, eyebrows arched. "Why?" And with that she pads towards the stove to start preparing to boil water. "Doctor Grey? That's the lady doctor with the red hair right? The one that's on the news a lot?"
Mark hisses a laugh and narrows his eyes. "Would have shown him, yes?" He agrees in a grim voice. He walks back over to the counter, pulling out a bar stool to sit on. "As much as can be? Might I hope zat it is a lot of all right, zen?" The boy shrugs. "You do not seem yourself." Says the hypocrite. "Zat's ze one. Sabella does not very much like her, no no. I can see why. She fights for ze humans. Ze enemy."
Nevaeh rolls her eyes. "Mutant see humans as the enemy, and humans feel the same way about mutants. I say that we're all a bunch of assholes." Nevaeh states bluntly. A little too bluntly to be normal as she pours water into a pan, waiting for it to fill as she glanced back to Mark. "It's not an overly abundant about of all right. But it's enough to get me through the days. And you're one to talk about not being yourself."
Mark leans up against the counters. "But zis is no playground tiff, Nev. Zis is a war... a war zat we must win, or we will be collared and caged." He counters, raising a finger in the air to make his point. "What zey did to you? Ze will do to ozers. Don't you see? You got a taste of ze tip of an iceberg... an iceberg zat Erik Lensherr is striving to bring down. So we may live in peace." He frowns at her comment about himself. "I am changed, yes. Because I see now. Because I am no longer naive."
"No. A playground tiff is exactly what all of this is. We're all trying to find out who's the biggest bully. Everyone is acting like children, and it's pathetic." She grabs the pot and moves it towards the stove, twisting the knob to turn on the heat. "What happened to me was a /crime/, and if people would stop worrying so much about everyone's genetic makeup and concentrate on the bigger picture then it never would have happened."
Mark curls his hands up into fists, a ticking at his jaw line showing in annoyance. "Yes? Is zat all? People are dying over a playground tiff." He spits sarcastically. "No, Nevaeh... they are dying because humans are denying ze fact zat /we/ are ze next step in humanity. /We/ are ze future... zey are not!" He turns his head to the sound of Roger gobbling down his food. "I am working to kill ze men zat hurt you... and you would gladly forgive zem? I'm risking my life for zis cause!"
Nevaeh goes completely still, her eyes closing, breath trapped in her throat as she tries to remain calm. "I forgive nobody. They had no right to try and take my life. And I'd like to see them punished, but at the same time, nobody has the right to take /their/ life either." Nevaeh shakes her head, not really wanting to argue again. "Please, can we not do this tonight?"
Mark slides his hands to the edge of the bar, his thumbs hooking under it. The boy looks almost livid now, his eyes narrowing. "And if zey take mine, Nev? What zen? How will you feel?" He demands, but her pleads knock him momentarily off his high horse. "Yes... all right. Not tonight. What are you making?" He inquires, sniffing gently at the smells.
Nevaeh growls quietly at the mention of his death, the spoon she had in her hand very quickly turning black before she slams it on the counter, gripping the edge herself with both hands as she continues to try and keep herself restrained. "I do not know how I would feel, because I would simply die with you." she states through clenched teeth, using the black spoon to start stirring the noodles. "Three bean pasta.”
Mark cringes as she tenses up and slams the spoon. "Those are a matching set, you know..." He says, trying his best to make a joke. HE leans forward and attempts to catch one of her hands in his own. "Nevaeh... please. I know! Ze same is for you. Because I love you." He announces firmly. "Three bean? Sound good." The boy fumbles with his hands and glances around. "Nev... I do love you." He repeats.
"Then I will turn them all black." Nevaeh mutters darkly. Though the 'I love you' stops the anger cold, turning it into a more tired emotion than anything else. She ignores that flicker of hope and simply clings to his hand, turning her gaze to him quietly. "And I love you Mark. More than anything in this world."
Mark looks rather sheepish at the comment, a rumble emerging from his throat as he cleans it. "Yes... all right." He agrees softly. The boy holds her hand for a moment and sits back, placing both hands flat on the counter top. Mark slips his jacket off, his burns are showing now. "Yes, I know. Not fighting. I know, I know." He remains silent for a moment. "How have you been? Seeing anyone about zat knee?"
Nevaeh watches him remove the jacket, the red seeming to deepen in color in her eyes as she notices the burns there as well. If she ever finds the guy who did this, you'd better bet he's getting a solid smack across the face. Or maybe a kick to his groin. Maybe both. "I'm going to physical therapy, it's helping a bit. Though I had to fib on the date I received the injury because it was already so healed."
Mark draws back slightly, the color red bringing out that sense that he was about to be in big trouble. Of course, thankfully it's not directed at him. He slides his hands away and down to his lap, his fingers fumbling at the zipper of the jacket. "Imagine if Sabella had /not/ come, Nevy. I'd much rather you lie zan not be around to lie at all." The boy says innocently, rocking back in the stool and looking up at her. "But it feels better, yes? Nt so painful?" His tone is rather hopeful, yet the thought that he has to ask such things at all bring a dark flash to his eyes.
Nevaeh watches him fumble for a moment before turning her attention back to what she's working on. Food! "Trust me Mark, I'm with you on that one. I'll be thankful to that woman for the rest of my life." Because she's the one who ensured Nev would /have/ the 'rest of her life'. "Yes. It's beginning to feel much better. I can't dance on it or anything but the swelling has gone down and I can walk with barely a limp. I still have a few pains here and there." She presses a hand against her lower stomach for a moment and shakes her head. "But a couple pain killers generally takes care of it." A forced smile is placed over her lips as she begins to poke at the water.
Mark runs his tongue along the back of his teeth, eyeing her for a moment. Somehow the boy cant quite make out whether to believe her or not.... a emotion that's probably easy to read due to the expression on his face. "Oh." He mumbles softly and slides off the chair. Mark turns his back on her and slings the jacket over the hook by the door. He glances back, his eyes moving to her stomach. Without notice he rough kicks the end of the couch, hurting his toe much more than the article of furniture. Mark hissed and hopped at the pain. "Why'd zey do it?!" He growls, his eyes staring hard at the spot on the couch he had kicked. "You did nozing... I did nozing! Zey took so much away... for no reason!" His fingers curl up into his hand and the fingernail bite painfully at his palm.
Pain killers, and sleeping pills if she can't get to sleep because of it. They really do help. Although there are a few pains that seem to come back quicker and harder than the others. Like the one in her stomach. They must have shot her or something because it aches more than anything other wound. Mark's sudden kick startles her as the spoon drops from her hand and she flies to his side, reaching out for him. "Mark! Are you ok?" she looks down to his toe with a worried expression before glancing back up at him. "They did it because they thought they were right." She reaches down for his hands and gently tries to peel the fingers from the fist so that he's not hurting himself. "I'm still right here Mark. They didn't take anything away." Except maybe her feeling of safety and security and a little of her belief in mankind.
Mark trembles slightly, his gaze still hard-pressed on the foot of the couch. He barely notices Nev right next to him until he feels her unraveling his fists. On each palm are four little crescent moon-shaped cuts. The boy looks up to her, blinking slightly and frowning. "Mm? Fine." He says curtly and takes in a deep breath. "Yes. You are still here." Mark admits reluctantly, his foot sliding back as the throbbing dies down a bit. "But... ah, it does not matter now, does it?" He asks with a grunt. "It is over... for now, at least."
Nevaeh can feel the trembling in his hands and lifts them to gently kiss each palm, careful to avoid the wounds while still trying to kiss away the pain. Her eyes never leave his and for a moment flicker from deep red into a deep blue. "No. It doesn't matter. It's over and we're safe." She tries for another smile and pulls her lips from his palms, letting her hands go as she turns away sadly. "I only wish we could be happy the way we once were."
Mark holds out his hands, his eyes turning down at the almost ticklish kisses. He looks up just in time to catch the blue eyes. "But you are still sad? Even if you zink we are safe?" Mark asks, his eyebrows falls into creases above his eyes. His hands fall about his sides and he takes a step forward towards her back and attempts to snag her into a hug. "We are still in love. Must count for somezing, no?"
Nevaeh frowns faintly and tries to shrug it off. "It's hard not to feel sad when you're afraid that the man you love has lost the innocent joys in life that once made him so happy." She explains quietly and allows herself to be snagged, wrapping her arms around his as they move around her. "It counts for everything darlin'. But I just worry sometimes that maybe you deserve something better than me. Someone that can make you happy again." She closes her eyes to fight the sting of tears. "Someone who isn't broken."
Mark gently drapes his arms around her shoulders, his chin lowering down to tuck just behind her ear. "Zose joys were nozing, and I was naive zen." He adds with a soft snort. He leans back and runs a hand along the cheek. "Why would I want someone else? Seems silly." Mark says with a moment of thought. "And you make me very happy." He says a little more firmly. "Broken? What... what do you mean?" The boy inquires, letting his arms fall away to try and spin the girl around to face him.
Nevaeh feels more safe than she has in awhile as Mark settles himself against her though she still has to bite down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "It's the little joys in life that made you happy. Naive or not you were /happy/. Happier than this." And that's what she hates. The fact that he isn't any more, and it's all her fault no matter what he says. She spins, feet still an inch or so off the ground so that she can stand without pain. Eyes wide, Nevaeh shrugs, looking sheepish. "I can't dance with you, I don't feel like singing. I'm grumpy all the time, suspicious of everyone. And the constant pain.. I'm broken Mark. There's no other way to put it."
Mark stares her almost right in the eye, due to the unfair advantage of flying-height added. "I know better now. I needed to be aware of what life can really be like!" He protests, tucking his chin down just slightly to give her a look. "If I hadn't been so naive, zen maybe all of zis would not have happened." Mark points out, cringing at the very thought. "You are perfect, and I do not care what is different." The boy insists in a almost command-like tone. "You will be fixed. I will see to it. And you are not suspicious of me?" Mark asks, though his tone is slightly held back as the possibility dawns on him.
Nevaeh doesn't like the sound of that and frowns. "You know better than to enjoy life? That is not a good thing Mark. I understand not wanting to be naive. Hell, that's something I'm still working on, but you can't forget to have fun to. Or you're going to lose yourself in the process." The statement proclaiming her perfection gets a snort of disbelief before the girl simply sighs and let's her shoulders slump. "I could never be suspicious of you." she states, the look in her eyes filled with such passion that she could possibly be lying. "You're the only person in this world I can trust right now."
Mark glances off to the side, his bottom jaw jutting out just a small bit as she grinds his teeth in thought. "I can not enjoy it. Not with zem still out zere." He adds with a tight frown. "What fun can be felt without ze guilt of knowing zey might be out zere? Killing again?" Mark says and draws himself up to full height. "As far as I'm concerned, my calling is much more zan being a silly bohemian. What a waste of time an effort, no?" Mark exclaims, tossing a hand in the air for emphasis. "You can trust me, Nevy. Yes, because I love you, and I will make it right. All of it."
"And if you cannot enjoy life, then how can you enjoy what we have?" Nevaeh asks sadly, her eyes remaining a deep, royal blue with dips of a pale grey throughout. "There was nothing silly about who you were." Nevaeh states and drifts back slightly, looking slightly wounded. "I fell in love with who you were and I refuse to let you belittle that." She shakes her head and wraps her arms around herself as she stares at him. "I know I can trust you. But I wonder when you'll realize what it takes to make it right again. Truly right."
Mark squints his eyes slightly, looking slightly crestfallen at the color of her eyes. "Nevy..." He starts, rolling his shoulders and sighing. "It is not like zat. I word my English wrong..." The boy insists, scratching at an ear with some thought. "I love you... but not ze world. Not like I used to." Mark almost steps forward after him, but his foot just idly twitches as he holds himself back. "I am still Mark! Mark Ethan Tompkins. Has not change, not zat!" The boy cried out, his hands spreading out before him. "I am just older... wiser..." He lets his hands swing back down and he grits his teeth. "What will it take, if you would have it?"
The blue deepens further as she watches him, her lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to keep her opinion silenced. "Everything about you has changed. You don't smile any more and when you do it's forced. You went from a loving, doting father to Roger to ignoring him completely. He's just a puppy, he needs you." Her eyes flicker to the puppy who's currently curled up into a ball watching the two with his ears pressed against his head tightly. "What would it take? All I want in this world is to forget what's happened. I want to smile and laugh and be happy. I don't want to fight with you. I don't want you to think you have to kill for me. I just want a few moments in time where I can feel like myself again."
Mark begins to look slightly cross at the words. He now puts effort in a step back, where before it had almost been a step forward. Of course, something in her mini-speech causes the boy to snap. He re-balls his hands and looks more furious than he has been since that night. "Zey took zat away, didn't zey?" Mark shouts, swinging a hand at the rent poster over to his left. He roughly rips it from the wall and begins to tear it to shreds. "We can't forget what happened! This isn't some damned musical! It's real life, Neveah!" The boy says in a much more Americanized accent. Bits of the poster start to litter the floor around his feet. Adam Pascal's face is neatly ripped in two. "Don't you see? I was going to be a... a..." The boy starts to stumble, realizing he can't tell her. His face contorts back up into a livid glare. "My old life died when they hurt you... and it's not coming back! If you can't accept that, then I'm going to have to fix this all /alone/!" Without another word he turns on heel and storms out the front door, slamming it shut.
Nevaeh begins to shrink away from him as soon as he starts to yell. It looks, for a split second as though she's going to protest to him ripping down the poster, but it's cut off as he begins to rip it, and her into pieces. He was going to be a what? A star? No, he could still have gone to the audition, he wouldn't be so upset about that. Then what was it? She watches as he storms out of the apartment, sinking to her knees painfully as it the door slams. Her entire body shakes with thinly concealed sobs as she opens her arms to the trembling puppy across the room. Burying her face in his fur, Nevaeh allows herself a good, long cry. It's only after an hour or so that she finds her way back to her feet and with a cold expression begins to move around the apartment. She cleans up the mess of the poster, finishes making his food and sticks it in the refrigerator, then collects all of Roger's things. She'll just bring Roger with her since she's obviously the only one who cares about him anymore. Attaching the leash, the girl straightens her shoulders and with a tear stained face makes her way out the door with her dog, quietly closing and locking the door behind her.
Nevaeh and Mark run into each other and what's supposed to be a nice dinner with each other turns into a fight.
The evening sky was shining brilliant oranges and pinks as the sun set across to the west. The buildings catch the color and reflect it down to the streets, casting almost everything in a golden hue. From the Greenwich Village side of the east village, a young man is strolling down the streets, his eyes peering hard at the concrete below. He looks worse for wear, though most of the burns and scares are covered up by a light jacket. His face is still bruised with a rather nasty looking gash down his neck. Mark isn't in any mood to be cheered by the warm setting sun. Instead he stomps down the street, a grim jaw line set in frustration.
Nevaeh wasn't much for colors herself lately, which is ironic due to the nature of her powers. Even those bright cheerful clothes she's known for have faded into simple blacks, the semi-bohemian look she always had replaced by quieter, more normal looking attire. Her hair is simply brown, pulled back into a tight ponytail, and dark glasses cover her eyes despite the setting sun. She holds one hand tightly around her purse strap, the other swaying at her side as she walks. Her own look is unreadable, on her way to find out exactly what was so important that Mark forgot to call her to tell her when dinner was.
The boy is set to match. His wardrobe of cool greys and blacks have yet to subside, and today he's wearing a semi-shiny grey shirt with black pants and shoes. This is all, of course, topped off with a black mop of spiky hair. He tucks his hands down into the pockets of the jacket, despite the warm weather that keeps most everyone around him in shorter sleeves. He weaves through the crowd, finally getting the rhythm of the city after the two and a half years spent here. He barely looks up as he runs smack dab into a similarly drab clad women.
Nevaeh is paying no attention whatsoever to the people around her beyond the normal dodging it takes to ever move around in the city. It isn't until someone slams into her that she's shaken out of her thoughts with a quick curse, reaching down to grip her knee. "UGH!" she growls in frustration. It's hard enough trying to walk in heels without limping that she doesn't need people banging into her bad knee. She straightens, eyes flaring behind her glasses as she prepares to tell the person off, but stopping as she sees who it is. "Mark?" It's a few seconds before her eyes focus on the wounds, eyes widening. "Oh my god Mark! Are you ok? What happened?"
Mark pulls himself back, very ready and willing to rush past the person without so much as an 'excuse me'. What does he care? Humans are clumsy animals, and it was probably their fault that he... the boy's mind screeches to a halt as the face and voice register in him mind. "N-Nevaeh?" He asks suddenly, looking rather surprised. His eyes do a quick vertical scan and he steps back, tucking his elbows protectively into his sides. "Ah... yes, well..." He stammers, looking away from her. "Nozing... nozing! I'm fine." Mark insists and looks away. "What are you doing on zis side of town, hmm?" He wonders aloud, pulling a hand from his pocket to scratch at his neck. Of course, it's only a ploy to hide the gash there. What Mark forgets is that most of his hand is scared from the burns.
Nevaeh frowns suddenly as he asks her what's she's doing around here, frustration not being hidden very well. "I was coming to see you. I was wondering why you never called me about dinner." she states then hisses in a breath. This isn't the time to try and pick a fight. Now is the time for concern. Her eyes are widening even further now, brows arched above the glasses as she sees his hand. "Holy crap Mark! What happened?" she asks, itching to reach out for him, but forcing her hands to stay where they are. Maybe he doesn't want to be touched.
Mark shrugs slightly, a small sigh ushering out between his lips. "Nev..." He starts, scooting out of the walk way and leaning up on the building. He looks slightly annoyed, but he lets this look fade into more of a concerned face. "I've been... busy." The boy mumbles lamely. He pulls the hand back down as she reaches for it, stuffing it into his pocket again. "Nozing happened. Just a fight... a small fight." Mark explains with a bored look up at the sky. "I forget about dinner... I am sorry. Please... how about tomorrow? Or tonight, I guess?" Mark tries once more to avoid the questions.
Nevaeh follows him slightly, just enough so that she can still see him and not get trampled by people wanting to get by. "Busy getting yourself hurt." She states, her annoyance forcing a twitch in one eye. It's probably a good thing those sunglasses are dark, what with Mark's fear of the color red. The frown deepens as he avoids her question yet again. "Fine Mark. You don't wanna talk about it. I'm done forcing you to do things you don't want to. How about you give me a call when you really want me back in your life then?" And she turns on her heels and starts to storm off. He won't even let her be concerned about him, the nerve!
Mark glances down automatically at his burned arms... which aren't visible through the dark jacket. "Well, not on purpose." He protests, fidgeting uncomfortably. He looks up and feels the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Not good! Danger, danger Mark Tompkins! "Nev... Nev!" He says, gulping gently. "You're not... I mean... Nevy!" He exclaims, starting after her a split second after she storms away. "I was in jail, all right? I got in a fight... I couldn't... Nev!" The boy seems very flustered, a hand darting out to grasp at her turned shoulder.
Nevaeh stiffens at the feeling of a hand on her shoulder, but allows it, actually pausing in her steps. He can feel the tension trembling under her surface, as if the tiniest of missteps might force her to shatter on the spot. "You don't owe me any sort of explanation." She murmurs through tight lips, her tone even tighter as she turns. Her face is still blank, and not being able to see her eyes really takes away of lot of people's ability to read her at all. "Are you really ok?" She sounds doubtful.
Mark pulls his hand away, trying not to bump up the burnt areas on her. He leaves the hand hanging in mid air and clicks his teeth. "No... I should tell you! Yes, because zat's what boyfriends do, yes?" He asks hopefully, offering her a half smile. "Come. We'll have dinner now, yes? I can explain... just a misunderstanding. I got on ze news. Exciting, no?" Oh course, what he fails to mention is that almost all of New York saw him on the news as what he is... a mutant. Not exactly a smart move. "I'm fine. Just a little beaten up."
Nevaeh's chin tilts slightly at him calling himself her boyfriend. "Ah, so you and I /are/ still dating. Nice to know." she states, unable to keep herself from saying it. But it really isn't the right time and she needs to put a damper on all of these resentful emotions. He's had a rough week it seems and she should be supportive. "Yes. I'll make dinner, you'll relax and tell me what happened." She agrees with a nod, still frowning. "I'm not sure getting on the news for fighting is such a good thing."
Mark looks crestfallen. As if the burns on his arms aren't enough, must she rip out his heart, too? The boy pushes himself up to her and practically whimpers. "Yes! Of course... I know, I know I have been /distant/ of late..." The boy goes to embrace her. "But I have... /we/ have... been zrough a lot, yes?" The boy glances around. "Where? At your place?" He asks curiously. "I'm not sure if I have food... I was just cleared out of my meat today. But... ah, I have some rice, or somezing..." He wonders to himself. Mark perks up to look at her. "I didn't meant to. Was a mutant... err, I will explain in private, yes?"
"Not distance, love, non-existent." Nevaeh argues, still frowning, though she goes quite willingly into his arms, gently and careful in case he's wounded anywhere else. But the need is still there despite how tender she's trying to be. "We have been. I know. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch. I just.. I've needed someone so much the past month.. and nobody has been there." And it hurts like hell to feel like you aren't wanted. "Yes, upstairs. I'll figure something out."
Mark bends his neck down slowly, pressing his lips up against her pulled back hair. "I know. Yes, I know." He admits sadly, closing his eyes. "You haven't! It's zose damned humans zat did zis to you." The boy adds in a dull murmur. "I'm here... right here for you. I was going to... but I was in jail ze day I was going to invite you." He glances up and around the street. "Yes... but going upstairs takes me /forever/." He complains softly. "We shall go slow, yes?"
Nevaeh shivers at the gentle kiss and bites down on her bottom lip to keep the tears from spilling. All the walls she's been working on so very hard to build up around her are quickly beginning to crumble and that's not good. She needs her walls. They're her protection. "I don't want to think about them right now." Nev whispers not wanting to get into yet another argument. "Yes, we'll go up slowly. Isn't there an elevator?" They could always take that?
Mark hunkers down slightly and presses a kiss to her forehead. He looks rather sheepishly at the girl in front of him. "No... we wont..." He lied. The truth is that they're /always/ on his mind... consuming him with thoughts of revenge. "Food... yes, food sounds good." He breaks away from her and glances down the street. "Zis way, zen. We can be cripples togezer, yes?" The boy laughs weakly and tries to catch her hand in his as gently as possible.
Nevaeh holds onto his hand, gently as well, and allows him to lead. As much as she says she doesn't want to think about them, it's hard not to. They turned her world on it's back and scared the hell out of her, that's not something you can just forget. Which is obvious in the changes in her. "Quite the pair we make." Nevaeh agrees and leans forward to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
Mark beams slightly, though there is still that odd flash of hardness in his eyes that hasn't gone away since he found out who had hurt Nevaeh. "No elevator, sadly. Ze building is older zan such zings. We'll be fine." He figures and leads the way down the block, right up to his own stoop. He looks up with a slight amount of annoyance. "Maybe I should have taken up her offer of healing." He mumbles sadly. "But you... you are feeling better, yes? Just your knee?" Mark's eyes turn down expectedly.
Nevaeh tilts her head curiously at that second to last comment. "Her?" But then again, he mentioned an offer of healing. "Sabella?" she asks with an odd rise in her voice. The woman saved her life and for that she'll be forever grateful, but Mark sees the woman more often than Nevaeh does and that worries her some. A quick glance around reveals that nobody is looking and Nev rises just a teeny tiny bit from the ground, using her flight to help her up the stairs. "I'll be ok. Will you?"
Mark bobs his head. "Yes, my /boss/." He replies, putting a good amount of strain on the title of Sabella. She's nothing more than her title. This might not be the case if Sabella decided so. But what is Mark to know? He smiles reassuringly and slowly climbs up the steps. "Fine fine. No worrying about me, all right?" He commands with a shrug. "Brought it on myself..."
"Whether you brought it on yourself or not, I'm still going to be concerned." Nevaeh states and crosses her arms over her chest once she reaches the top step, looking down to follow his approach with her gaze. The emphasis on 'boss' earns Mark a very faint smile. It seems sincere enough for her to believe it, though she'll still be somewhat jealous. It happens to all girls.
Mark slowly staggers up a few steps. He glances back down the stair well and then up to her. The boy straightens up slightly and closes his eyes. Within a few seconds the stair under him pushes up, easily sliding him onto the nest step. The next one does the same, and so-forth and so-forth. "Aw, zat is better!" He exclaims happily, walking gently onto the landing. "I know you will. I just don't zink you need to waste worry on me." Mark fishes for his key, tearing his eyes away from her.
Nevaeh watches with a growing smile as he uses his powers to help him up. "Wow." She states, impressed, and pleased at the lack of shame he had doing it. "That was amazing." she whispers and leans in to give him another soft kiss on the cheek. He deserves it. "And nothing is wasted when used on you, Mark, least of all my worry."
Mark plucks the key from his pocket and smiles. "Of course. I'm a mutant. Powers are a gift, as I've found zem to be!" He brushes himself off and grins at the smile. "You are too kind to zis Frenchman, cherie." The boy comments and heads to the door, unlocking it quickly. "But I use zem when I need." Because, obviously, who needs a key when you have his power? He steps in to a rather large, and barking, Roger. Mark walks right by him, not really paying attention to the dog out of habit.
Nevaeh blinks when she hears him say that, and for the first time in a very long time a true smile lights her face, and a sudden glisten of gold can be seen shining behind her sunglasses. "I'm glad that you feel that way." She whispers, about to say more before she lays eyes on Roger. "Holy..!" And down she goes, moving gently to sit on the ground and lavish the puppy in attention. "Look at how big you've gotten!" she murmurs and grabs Roger's face, ruffling it gently. "Oooh, look at how big my baby's gotten. Who's a good boy? You are!" And here we go with the baby talk.
Mark tosses his key up on the hall tree next to the door, his eyes turning to the kitchen. He steps over Roger as the dog bounds to Nevaeh, soaking up every bit of attention he can get from her. It's not as if Mark has been showering him with it. "Oh course. Sabella convinced me so." He scoots around the edge of the counter and sighs. "I should have listened to you all zat time ago, hmm?" The boy starts to rummage through the cabinets, pulling down boxes and some pots. He looks over and rolls his eyes. "Watch it... he might be hungry. Might bite."
Nevaeh winces slightly but doesn't glance up at the mention of Sabella being the one to convince him. "Yeah. Guess you should have." she states dully, shrugging half-heartedly before turning her attention to Roger again. "Awww, Roger would never do such a thing! Would you baby? Of course not! He's just being silly!" she coos as Roger yips his agreement, her arms linking around his neck. "Ohhh, I've missed you." she tells the bog, ruffling behind one ear, eyes drifting towards Mark. "If you want to sit I can start working on food?"
Mark pries open the fridge, bending down painfully to peer into it. He withdraws a few things and sets them up on the counter. "Well... if you say so." He mumbles, sending her a concerned look. He hisses as his back straightens, a hand going back to rest on it. "Yes, you can start. I'll feed Roger." He offers. "So. I am to guess you are wanting to hear what happened?" He wonders out loud, heading over to grab the back of dog food from the closet.
Nevaeh ignores the concerned look and is on her feet in seconds, racing towards him despite the pain in her own knee. "Mark! C'mon, you should be sitting down. Please! Let me do everything. I'll be able to manage. I promise." She doesn't wait for an answer and starts to guide him towards the couch, making sure he's sitting before she moves to feed Roger, turning away from him and finally lifting her glasses to rest on the top of her head. "Yes, I would like to hear it please."
Mark tries to protest as he's moved to the couch. "Really... I can..." But it's an attempt in vain. He finds himself on the couch, and the feeling of just sitting there is too strong to detour him away. "Yes! Of course... all right." Mark says, stretching out on the length of the couch. "I was at a bar, yes? Zere was zis man... wiz sunglasses. Should have zought about him being a mutant, yes? Dark club... wiz sunglasses!" He pauses in thought and continues. "He was pestering zis lady. I told him to stop... he zreatened me. I.. I punched him." Mark admits with a sigh. "We fought. You know his power? Charging zings up in zis reddish sort of light and making zem explode on contact." He raises an arm and tugs down a sleeve to show her the serious burns. "Zat is from a simple shot glass. Scary, no?"
Nevaeh moves to open the bag of dog food and pours it into a bowl, trying to manage with Roger yipping excitedly around her legs. She finishes pouring and puts the bag back before staring at the contents of the kitchen to see what she can make into a meal. "You should have forced that shot glass down his throat." Nevaeh states darkly as she turns to look back at the arm, her eyes are settled into a very deep red. Which they've been for days now. Such a nasty thought for a girl who's generally so sweet. But there have been a few devastating changes in her lately. "I don't like the fact that you fought, but atleast you did it for the right reasons."
Mark drops his arm back down and looks up at the ceiling, his head jerking slightly as she mentions violence of any type. "Well... I... you zink?" He wonders aloud, sounding very shocked she would suggest such a thing. Mark sits up as best he can, catching the red eyes. The boy freezes up slightly. "Nevaeh..." He starts, his lips flipping into chewing teeth. "Are you all right?" Mark begins to rise from his spot on the couch, though all this moving is enough to make the process slow. "Yes, I did! Zat is what ze cops said. Doctor Grey, too."
Nevaeh nods her head as she asks her if that's what she thinks. "Of course, then it would have exploded in his throat rather than all over your arm." she states and frowns slightly before shrugging and grabbing a box of pasta, stopping when he asks if she's all right. "As much as I can be." She states, eyebrows arched. "Why?" And with that she pads towards the stove to start preparing to boil water. "Doctor Grey? That's the lady doctor with the red hair right? The one that's on the news a lot?"
Mark hisses a laugh and narrows his eyes. "Would have shown him, yes?" He agrees in a grim voice. He walks back over to the counter, pulling out a bar stool to sit on. "As much as can be? Might I hope zat it is a lot of all right, zen?" The boy shrugs. "You do not seem yourself." Says the hypocrite. "Zat's ze one. Sabella does not very much like her, no no. I can see why. She fights for ze humans. Ze enemy."
Nevaeh rolls her eyes. "Mutant see humans as the enemy, and humans feel the same way about mutants. I say that we're all a bunch of assholes." Nevaeh states bluntly. A little too bluntly to be normal as she pours water into a pan, waiting for it to fill as she glanced back to Mark. "It's not an overly abundant about of all right. But it's enough to get me through the days. And you're one to talk about not being yourself."
Mark leans up against the counters. "But zis is no playground tiff, Nev. Zis is a war... a war zat we must win, or we will be collared and caged." He counters, raising a finger in the air to make his point. "What zey did to you? Ze will do to ozers. Don't you see? You got a taste of ze tip of an iceberg... an iceberg zat Erik Lensherr is striving to bring down. So we may live in peace." He frowns at her comment about himself. "I am changed, yes. Because I see now. Because I am no longer naive."
"No. A playground tiff is exactly what all of this is. We're all trying to find out who's the biggest bully. Everyone is acting like children, and it's pathetic." She grabs the pot and moves it towards the stove, twisting the knob to turn on the heat. "What happened to me was a /crime/, and if people would stop worrying so much about everyone's genetic makeup and concentrate on the bigger picture then it never would have happened."
Mark curls his hands up into fists, a ticking at his jaw line showing in annoyance. "Yes? Is zat all? People are dying over a playground tiff." He spits sarcastically. "No, Nevaeh... they are dying because humans are denying ze fact zat /we/ are ze next step in humanity. /We/ are ze future... zey are not!" He turns his head to the sound of Roger gobbling down his food. "I am working to kill ze men zat hurt you... and you would gladly forgive zem? I'm risking my life for zis cause!"
Nevaeh goes completely still, her eyes closing, breath trapped in her throat as she tries to remain calm. "I forgive nobody. They had no right to try and take my life. And I'd like to see them punished, but at the same time, nobody has the right to take /their/ life either." Nevaeh shakes her head, not really wanting to argue again. "Please, can we not do this tonight?"
Mark slides his hands to the edge of the bar, his thumbs hooking under it. The boy looks almost livid now, his eyes narrowing. "And if zey take mine, Nev? What zen? How will you feel?" He demands, but her pleads knock him momentarily off his high horse. "Yes... all right. Not tonight. What are you making?" He inquires, sniffing gently at the smells.
Nevaeh growls quietly at the mention of his death, the spoon she had in her hand very quickly turning black before she slams it on the counter, gripping the edge herself with both hands as she continues to try and keep herself restrained. "I do not know how I would feel, because I would simply die with you." she states through clenched teeth, using the black spoon to start stirring the noodles. "Three bean pasta.”
Mark cringes as she tenses up and slams the spoon. "Those are a matching set, you know..." He says, trying his best to make a joke. HE leans forward and attempts to catch one of her hands in his own. "Nevaeh... please. I know! Ze same is for you. Because I love you." He announces firmly. "Three bean? Sound good." The boy fumbles with his hands and glances around. "Nev... I do love you." He repeats.
"Then I will turn them all black." Nevaeh mutters darkly. Though the 'I love you' stops the anger cold, turning it into a more tired emotion than anything else. She ignores that flicker of hope and simply clings to his hand, turning her gaze to him quietly. "And I love you Mark. More than anything in this world."
Mark looks rather sheepish at the comment, a rumble emerging from his throat as he cleans it. "Yes... all right." He agrees softly. The boy holds her hand for a moment and sits back, placing both hands flat on the counter top. Mark slips his jacket off, his burns are showing now. "Yes, I know. Not fighting. I know, I know." He remains silent for a moment. "How have you been? Seeing anyone about zat knee?"
Nevaeh watches him remove the jacket, the red seeming to deepen in color in her eyes as she notices the burns there as well. If she ever finds the guy who did this, you'd better bet he's getting a solid smack across the face. Or maybe a kick to his groin. Maybe both. "I'm going to physical therapy, it's helping a bit. Though I had to fib on the date I received the injury because it was already so healed."
Mark draws back slightly, the color red bringing out that sense that he was about to be in big trouble. Of course, thankfully it's not directed at him. He slides his hands away and down to his lap, his fingers fumbling at the zipper of the jacket. "Imagine if Sabella had /not/ come, Nevy. I'd much rather you lie zan not be around to lie at all." The boy says innocently, rocking back in the stool and looking up at her. "But it feels better, yes? Nt so painful?" His tone is rather hopeful, yet the thought that he has to ask such things at all bring a dark flash to his eyes.
Nevaeh watches him fumble for a moment before turning her attention back to what she's working on. Food! "Trust me Mark, I'm with you on that one. I'll be thankful to that woman for the rest of my life." Because she's the one who ensured Nev would /have/ the 'rest of her life'. "Yes. It's beginning to feel much better. I can't dance on it or anything but the swelling has gone down and I can walk with barely a limp. I still have a few pains here and there." She presses a hand against her lower stomach for a moment and shakes her head. "But a couple pain killers generally takes care of it." A forced smile is placed over her lips as she begins to poke at the water.
Mark runs his tongue along the back of his teeth, eyeing her for a moment. Somehow the boy cant quite make out whether to believe her or not.... a emotion that's probably easy to read due to the expression on his face. "Oh." He mumbles softly and slides off the chair. Mark turns his back on her and slings the jacket over the hook by the door. He glances back, his eyes moving to her stomach. Without notice he rough kicks the end of the couch, hurting his toe much more than the article of furniture. Mark hissed and hopped at the pain. "Why'd zey do it?!" He growls, his eyes staring hard at the spot on the couch he had kicked. "You did nozing... I did nozing! Zey took so much away... for no reason!" His fingers curl up into his hand and the fingernail bite painfully at his palm.
Pain killers, and sleeping pills if she can't get to sleep because of it. They really do help. Although there are a few pains that seem to come back quicker and harder than the others. Like the one in her stomach. They must have shot her or something because it aches more than anything other wound. Mark's sudden kick startles her as the spoon drops from her hand and she flies to his side, reaching out for him. "Mark! Are you ok?" she looks down to his toe with a worried expression before glancing back up at him. "They did it because they thought they were right." She reaches down for his hands and gently tries to peel the fingers from the fist so that he's not hurting himself. "I'm still right here Mark. They didn't take anything away." Except maybe her feeling of safety and security and a little of her belief in mankind.
Mark trembles slightly, his gaze still hard-pressed on the foot of the couch. He barely notices Nev right next to him until he feels her unraveling his fists. On each palm are four little crescent moon-shaped cuts. The boy looks up to her, blinking slightly and frowning. "Mm? Fine." He says curtly and takes in a deep breath. "Yes. You are still here." Mark admits reluctantly, his foot sliding back as the throbbing dies down a bit. "But... ah, it does not matter now, does it?" He asks with a grunt. "It is over... for now, at least."
Nevaeh can feel the trembling in his hands and lifts them to gently kiss each palm, careful to avoid the wounds while still trying to kiss away the pain. Her eyes never leave his and for a moment flicker from deep red into a deep blue. "No. It doesn't matter. It's over and we're safe." She tries for another smile and pulls her lips from his palms, letting her hands go as she turns away sadly. "I only wish we could be happy the way we once were."
Mark holds out his hands, his eyes turning down at the almost ticklish kisses. He looks up just in time to catch the blue eyes. "But you are still sad? Even if you zink we are safe?" Mark asks, his eyebrows falls into creases above his eyes. His hands fall about his sides and he takes a step forward towards her back and attempts to snag her into a hug. "We are still in love. Must count for somezing, no?"
Nevaeh frowns faintly and tries to shrug it off. "It's hard not to feel sad when you're afraid that the man you love has lost the innocent joys in life that once made him so happy." She explains quietly and allows herself to be snagged, wrapping her arms around his as they move around her. "It counts for everything darlin'. But I just worry sometimes that maybe you deserve something better than me. Someone that can make you happy again." She closes her eyes to fight the sting of tears. "Someone who isn't broken."
Mark gently drapes his arms around her shoulders, his chin lowering down to tuck just behind her ear. "Zose joys were nozing, and I was naive zen." He adds with a soft snort. He leans back and runs a hand along the cheek. "Why would I want someone else? Seems silly." Mark says with a moment of thought. "And you make me very happy." He says a little more firmly. "Broken? What... what do you mean?" The boy inquires, letting his arms fall away to try and spin the girl around to face him.
Nevaeh feels more safe than she has in awhile as Mark settles himself against her though she still has to bite down on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. "It's the little joys in life that made you happy. Naive or not you were /happy/. Happier than this." And that's what she hates. The fact that he isn't any more, and it's all her fault no matter what he says. She spins, feet still an inch or so off the ground so that she can stand without pain. Eyes wide, Nevaeh shrugs, looking sheepish. "I can't dance with you, I don't feel like singing. I'm grumpy all the time, suspicious of everyone. And the constant pain.. I'm broken Mark. There's no other way to put it."
Mark stares her almost right in the eye, due to the unfair advantage of flying-height added. "I know better now. I needed to be aware of what life can really be like!" He protests, tucking his chin down just slightly to give her a look. "If I hadn't been so naive, zen maybe all of zis would not have happened." Mark points out, cringing at the very thought. "You are perfect, and I do not care what is different." The boy insists in a almost command-like tone. "You will be fixed. I will see to it. And you are not suspicious of me?" Mark asks, though his tone is slightly held back as the possibility dawns on him.
Nevaeh doesn't like the sound of that and frowns. "You know better than to enjoy life? That is not a good thing Mark. I understand not wanting to be naive. Hell, that's something I'm still working on, but you can't forget to have fun to. Or you're going to lose yourself in the process." The statement proclaiming her perfection gets a snort of disbelief before the girl simply sighs and let's her shoulders slump. "I could never be suspicious of you." she states, the look in her eyes filled with such passion that she could possibly be lying. "You're the only person in this world I can trust right now."
Mark glances off to the side, his bottom jaw jutting out just a small bit as she grinds his teeth in thought. "I can not enjoy it. Not with zem still out zere." He adds with a tight frown. "What fun can be felt without ze guilt of knowing zey might be out zere? Killing again?" Mark says and draws himself up to full height. "As far as I'm concerned, my calling is much more zan being a silly bohemian. What a waste of time an effort, no?" Mark exclaims, tossing a hand in the air for emphasis. "You can trust me, Nevy. Yes, because I love you, and I will make it right. All of it."
"And if you cannot enjoy life, then how can you enjoy what we have?" Nevaeh asks sadly, her eyes remaining a deep, royal blue with dips of a pale grey throughout. "There was nothing silly about who you were." Nevaeh states and drifts back slightly, looking slightly wounded. "I fell in love with who you were and I refuse to let you belittle that." She shakes her head and wraps her arms around herself as she stares at him. "I know I can trust you. But I wonder when you'll realize what it takes to make it right again. Truly right."
Mark squints his eyes slightly, looking slightly crestfallen at the color of her eyes. "Nevy..." He starts, rolling his shoulders and sighing. "It is not like zat. I word my English wrong..." The boy insists, scratching at an ear with some thought. "I love you... but not ze world. Not like I used to." Mark almost steps forward after him, but his foot just idly twitches as he holds himself back. "I am still Mark! Mark Ethan Tompkins. Has not change, not zat!" The boy cried out, his hands spreading out before him. "I am just older... wiser..." He lets his hands swing back down and he grits his teeth. "What will it take, if you would have it?"
The blue deepens further as she watches him, her lips pressed tightly together in an attempt to keep her opinion silenced. "Everything about you has changed. You don't smile any more and when you do it's forced. You went from a loving, doting father to Roger to ignoring him completely. He's just a puppy, he needs you." Her eyes flicker to the puppy who's currently curled up into a ball watching the two with his ears pressed against his head tightly. "What would it take? All I want in this world is to forget what's happened. I want to smile and laugh and be happy. I don't want to fight with you. I don't want you to think you have to kill for me. I just want a few moments in time where I can feel like myself again."
Mark begins to look slightly cross at the words. He now puts effort in a step back, where before it had almost been a step forward. Of course, something in her mini-speech causes the boy to snap. He re-balls his hands and looks more furious than he has been since that night. "Zey took zat away, didn't zey?" Mark shouts, swinging a hand at the rent poster over to his left. He roughly rips it from the wall and begins to tear it to shreds. "We can't forget what happened! This isn't some damned musical! It's real life, Neveah!" The boy says in a much more Americanized accent. Bits of the poster start to litter the floor around his feet. Adam Pascal's face is neatly ripped in two. "Don't you see? I was going to be a... a..." The boy starts to stumble, realizing he can't tell her. His face contorts back up into a livid glare. "My old life died when they hurt you... and it's not coming back! If you can't accept that, then I'm going to have to fix this all /alone/!" Without another word he turns on heel and storms out the front door, slamming it shut.
Nevaeh begins to shrink away from him as soon as he starts to yell. It looks, for a split second as though she's going to protest to him ripping down the poster, but it's cut off as he begins to rip it, and her into pieces. He was going to be a what? A star? No, he could still have gone to the audition, he wouldn't be so upset about that. Then what was it? She watches as he storms out of the apartment, sinking to her knees painfully as it the door slams. Her entire body shakes with thinly concealed sobs as she opens her arms to the trembling puppy across the room. Burying her face in his fur, Nevaeh allows herself a good, long cry. It's only after an hour or so that she finds her way back to her feet and with a cold expression begins to move around the apartment. She cleans up the mess of the poster, finishes making his food and sticks it in the refrigerator, then collects all of Roger's things. She'll just bring Roger with her since she's obviously the only one who cares about him anymore. Attaching the leash, the girl straightens her shoulders and with a tear stained face makes her way out the door with her dog, quietly closing and locking the door behind her.