American Girl and Magnet Man - Train In Vain

[Banner Laverick]

She was starting to regret egging him on.

Banner Laverick, the super heroine known to the populace at large as American Girl, had just barely managed to dodge the flying car that was aimed at her head, only to get squished by two others. She let out a shriek, unable to dodge them in time, getting pinned tightly between them.

She shoved them apart with a grunt (They were practically GLUED together now), and with a flying tackle, shoved her assailant to the ground. They tumbled over each other, ending up in a heap a few feet from the now mangled cars.

This had all started because of her - he hadn't wanted any part in this, but after much poking, pinching and teasing, Felix Fletcher, aka Magnet Man, had finally gotten the hint. She'd only seen a little bit of what he was capable of doing with his mutant powers; training with her would be good for both of them. She would get a harder work-out, and he could freely use his gift without worry. Banner pinned his arms at his side, grinning down as she sat on top of him.

"Give up, Magnet Man. I've got you right where I want you!"

[Flux]

Felix Fletcher, trying to get used to the idea of actually saying "Magnet Man" when referring to himself, had spent about week and a half enduring Banner Laverick's adorable torment. On the phone, on AIM, in person, never ceasing.

"Come ON! We need the practice!" PINCH. "Please? For me?" POKE. "I promise it'll be fun!" At last, Felix had relented.

"Okay, okay! Jeez. Just find us a spot and let's go."

She had done it more readily than he'd expected, and so late this afternoon he'd found himself in this lot, face hidden in a shirt-ninja mask (just in case) throwing cars for her to dodge and smash. At first he hadn't been much help, but with a few hours of practice he had the cars going at a pretty damn good speed. He'd gotten her a few times, and even though she had endurance up to here, he couldn't stop apologizing. He's quite sure that's why she's pinned him down just now.

"Give up, Magnet Man. I've got you right where I want you!"

"I surrender. I'm exactly where I want me to be, too."

[Banner Laverick]

"You goober."

His shirt-ninja disguise gets pulled down, and she plants a kiss on his smiling lips. Banner had dressed in comfortable clothes - t-shirt, track pants, sneakers. She had worn her old AG mask, at his suggestion; she didn't think that anyone would catch them out here in the middle of the junk-yard.

She plunked her butt down in the dirt beside him, letting him sit up. "What if I was some evil super villianess? Would you be saying that to me then?"

[Flux]

"Probably," he admitted. "You'd be the Black Cat to my Spidey." He leaned in as he sat up and kissed her back. It was getting easier to do; he was getting acquainted with this whole "being attractive" thing. It was doing wonders for him at school; just having Banner be nice to him has made a huge difference in his personality. He resolved to toss it all up on the blog later. "What else do we wanna do?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Hrmmm."

She leaned back, reaching for her backpack. She pulled out two bottles of water, some fruit and a worn looking notebook. Written on the front cover in sharpie marker was "POWAHS!", complete with too many exclamation points and thunder bolts. Taking a pen from the front pocket, she opened it to a page filled with possible things Felix could do with his powers (mostly taking cues from Magneto, but mneh.) She put a huge check next to "Smash cars at Banner" (lol).

"So, maybe we should try flying? Or jumping? What did you want to do?" She grabbed a pear and took a big bite out of it. She hoped he picked flying, so she could do it too.

[Flux]

"Well, I can do jumping pretty good," he said, standing up and re-adjusting his mask. "We can try flying, but I don't think I can do it. I'm not even sure how I would. I don't think I can like...alter my own magnetism or whatever."

[Banner Laverick]

"Yeah, but we all have metal stuff inside us. You should be able to make yourself the opposite polarization, maybe."

She put a question mark beside "levitation/flight" on the list. She took another bite of her pear, thinking and chewing. She set the core down, wiping her hand on her pants.

"Wanna try to liquefy some metal? Or we could go back to throwing things at each other?"

[Flux]

He snatched an apple out of the bag and took a bite. "You can use magnetism to liquify metal?" he asked incredulously. "Since when?" He leaned over her, shading her from the sun as he read the entries under his theoretical power list. Half of it was stuff he hadn't even considered, and more than three-quarters were things he simply didn't have confidence he could do. But...time would tell. After all, during his power spike he'd done some awesome stuff.

[Banner Laverick]

"Well, on Wikipedia, it said Magneto could liquefy and reshape metal. You already know how to move it, so why not this?" She smiled at him as he leaned over her, eating his apple. "I guess we could use you to hang children's art work to the fridge instead."

[Flux]

Felix had zoned out a little as he thought over everything he'd done so far. They'd checked off all the following: Attract Metal, Repel Metal, Huge Jumps, and Erase Magnetic Storage. Felix had wiped this jock guy's laptop at school on purpose after the dude had tried shoving him in a locker. He had told Banner that he'd wiped an old floppy disc of his own at home; he didn't want her to think horribly of him. He now thought further back than these most recent weeks, to when his powers had manifested.

When it had happened, his powers had hit some huge level (he kept calling it a "spike", and was sure Banner'd be tired of it in a few days). The metal frame of a nearby bus stop had been drawn to him and warped horribly out of shape by his powers, but the only metal Felix had been carrying that day were his keys. He didn't think that the bus stop would've been drawn so powerfully to such a tiny object, but he hadn't ruled it out either. It was this conundrum that made him uncertain about flying. Felix took a few more bites of apple.

"Well...we can try to warp some metal, or if you really want, we can try flying. What do you say?"

[Banner Laverick]

She sighed, setting the book down and leaning back on her arms. "I guess we can do warping metal."

Even though she'd really prefer flying, because she'd have to sit warping metal out. Yes, she could "warp" metal, as in, twist the poo-doo out of it with her bare hands. She was in the middle of a drink of water when she remembered something.

"MMm! I have something for you, it's not done yet. Been too busy to really sew anything, but it's started and I need to know what you think."

Another search of the backpack, and Banner pulled out a small scrunched up piece of fabric and plastic that didn't really look like anything untill she held it up. "Ta-da! Magnet Man mask!"

[Flux]

Felix took it and held it out. It was a deep gray, with lenses that indicated the front. He undid his shirt-ninja mask and tried it on; it was a bit loose, but comfortable, and he could see out of the lenses without any trouble. His breathing didn't fog them up, which was all Felix really had concern over.

"This rules," he said eagerly, wishing for something he could see himself in. "Should I wear it the rest of the time, or go back to my nerdmask?"

[Banner Laverick]

"It's up to you. I figured you should have a real hero mask since, well, you know." She sounded a teeny bit flustered, and he could see her cheeks becoming a bit red. "You'll have to come by my house sometime, so I can measure you and finish the rest of it. Sorry if it's a bit too "Spider-man"-y..."

She clamped her mouth shut, biting her tongue to keep from rambling. "..Ow."

[Flux]

"We can do that after we're done here, then," he tells her, kissing her forehead before standing up and stretching. "You're cute when you blush." Felix finishes off the apple and pitches the core, watching it bounce off a broken car door Banner had removed in a show strength. "I'll start with that."

Felix walked over the car door and put his foot on it, then focused his powers on the door. He wanted to bend the metal around his foot, into a V-shape. He polarized each end, trying to force the result with a movement of his arms, but the door instead began to crush in on itself.

"Hrm. I might need something else to magnetize to. I thought I was gonna be able to just bend it." He scratched his head and stepped back from the door. "I had thought of strapping metal to my wrists, to create something I could magnetize stuff to anytime I wanted. What do you think?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Maybe put some kind of metal in some gloves or something? I'll have to look into it."

She put her head on her knees, watching him manipulate the door. By "look into it", she meant "go to the hardware store and see what she could make work".

"Maybe sew washers or something into the finger parts? Would you need something bigger than that? We need to make some friends who actually enjoy shop class...or..." Banner looked pensive for a minute. That mutie school, they could probably whip up a pair of special gloves for Felix in like, half the time she could. "Or I could go talk to these people I met the other day. They might be able to help."

[Flux]

Felix considered both Banner's suggestions and the ruined door.

"Well, I don't know about stuff in the fingers, especially if it's gonna keep me from closing my fist. I had thought of something in the palm, but that would probably hinder movement, too." He kicked the door and wandered back in her direction, past her to a pile of metal pipes. Felix crouched next to it and started to look for the shortest ones he could find. "I don't know about those guys at the Institute or whatever you said it was. They sound like the kind of people whose arrogant switches don't have an off setting."

[Banner Laverick]

"Yeah, but they could probably help with the whole costume thing, goofy."

She watched him over her shoulder as he drug through the pile of pipes. "They're a special school for us freaks, they would have the special stuff to make a really great costume for you, one that would help you with your powers. Just because they're snooty, doesn't mean we can't...well, use them for help."

[Flux]

Felix's back stiffened as he set aside a pipe of suitable length.

"We are not freaks!" he said, a little louder and sterner than he meant to be. He sighed, shut his eyes for a brief moment to help him calm down (it didn't work very well), then went back to rummaging for a pipe that wasn't as long as his arm. "Look, I don't wanna deal with them, okay? I'm not getting talked down to by a bunch of mutant preps and jocks. I get enough of that with the humans at regular school, thanks very much."

[Banner Laverick]

"Fine."

She turned away from him, resting her head on her knees and sighed. Banner could see his point - being picked on by anyone sucked, but somehow she thought being "amongst their own kind" would make a difference. Maybe Felix was right; either way, she didn't like the tone of his voice.

[Flux]

It was a few minutes more before Felix finally settled on a second pipe. He wandered back over to Banner with the two pieces, each roughly a foot and a half long, and crouched beside her to hug her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I shouldn't have gotten so snappy with you. It's just...I hate the way they acted towards your heroing, and you. It isn't right of them to be that way."He kissed and nuzzled her cheek. "I guess...I guess I just hate being bullied. That's all anyone ever does."

[Banner Laverick]

She kissed his cheek back, smiling in spite of the fact that she should be MAD at him. "I know, but, not everyone bullies you. I don't, do I?"

Banner suddenly realised, maybe she shouldn't have poked and prodded him into training - maybe he took that as bullying. She didn't mean it; he'd told her about the other kids at school, teasing him and treating him terribly. She would've offered to kick all their butts, but she didn't think that would help much...

[Flux]

"No, you don't," he reassured her, putting his foot back on the car door. He pressed hard, polarizing his pipes one way and the door another. He grunted as he held the door down, watching the flimsier outer metal bend up toward him as it tore free from the sturdier metal that made the door's frame. Once he was satisfied with the result, he stopped and stepped back, polarizing each end of the door so it woud snap together. The result was a small "o" shape. "Ta-da!" he said with grand gesture.

[Banner Laverick]

"Bravo."

Banner applauded, laughing. "You've got so much more...finesse, when it comes to smashing things up. Normally I just use these," she held up two fists. "Smashy smashy! But, you get have such cute accessories. I'm jealous."

[Flux]

"You mean I have such cute handicaps. I can't smash anything without having some metal to do it with. I'll trade this 'finesse' for a straight up smash anyday." He pointed the pipes at the door, applied his magnetism as strongly as he could, and staggered back several steps as the door rocketed away across the yard. "Plus you don't stagger around as much. You look better doing it, too."

[Banner Laverick]

"I think you look super cute," she got to her feet, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Once you get used to your powers, you know you won't stagger around as much either. So, what else are we doing today? More training, or should we take a break?"

He could feel her breath on his neck as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I can think of a couple of things we can do instead."

[Flux]

She could see his neck and face turn red at her suggestion (he'd pulled his mask up to kiss her and hadn't bothered putting it down yet). Not that she was necessarily making a suggestive suggestion, just that, well, they were alone and backseats were everywhere.

"Uh, yeah, uh...sure. Let's...let's do other stuff."

[Banner Laverick]

She giggled, grabbing his hand and slinging her backpack over her shoulder as they started through the scrap yard. Did she really want to have their first make-out session in a scrap yard though? The color was starting to slowly fade from his neck and lower part of his face when she saw it. A newly junked car, in near mint condition (omg, comic book geek speak!).

"How about that one? It would give us lots of privacy."

[Flux]

Privacy. Yes, she did in fact mean it as a suggestive suggestion. His face re-doubled it's efforts to be red and he just nodded, afraid to talk for fear of his voice going into nervous shut-down mode. He held her hand a little tighter as they walked over to it, feeling his heartrate increase and the butterflies going berserk in his stomach.

[Banner Laverick]

Banner glanced around, a little nervous herself. She'd never really had a boyfriend boyfriend before, and that seemed to be what Felix was quickly becoming...Confident the coast was clear, she opened the door to the backseat, scooching over so Felix could sit beside her. Her backpack was tosssed into the front seat as she pulled her masked hero in for a kiss...

[Flux]

He'd only been half in when she'd grabbed his collar and pulled him in. He stumbled and fell into the seat, pushing her onto her back as he tried to catch and balance himself. He laid atop her, supporting himself on knees and elbows, kissing her back in what he hoped was an appropriate fashion. It wasn't as frenzied as the kind of crazy things he'd seen actors do in movies (which he knew better than to try and emulate anyway) but he wasn't being shy about it, either. He broke the kiss to get himself a little more comfortable, helping her to sit up next to him. Next he yanked his mask off so she could see his eyes along with his smile.

[Banner Laverick]

"I'm so lucky."

She could feel her cheeks flare red, feeling silly for saying that. Lacing her fingers at the nape of his neck, Banner played with his hair, snuggling up to him.

"Okay, that sounds really dorky, and silly. But I am really lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend."

[Flux]

"I, uh...I feel lucky, too," he said lamely, so overwhelmed by the situation that he could think of nothing else to say or do but parrot her words back. Then again, he really did feel that way. "Never thought a girl like you would even be just my friend, let alone my girlfriend." He squeezed her hand. "You're amazing."

[Banner Laverick]

"You need to stop talking like that, Felix Fletcher. Any girl would be lucky to be your friend, and even luckier to be your girlfriend. You need to realise how amazing you are."

She kissed him again, holding him tight. "You're sweet, smart, funny. You're on your way to becoming an awesome super hero...Any girl who can't see how great you are isn't worth your time."

[Flux]

Felix kept a lid on the negative reply that wanted out. He knows she's telling the truth; the recent changes at his school were testament to it. He just hadn't seen it, he supposed. It made him feel foolish.

"Well, from now on I'll try to remember that," he answered, kissing her neck as he hugged her tight. "Thanks Banner."

[Banner Laverick]

"You're welcome, Felix. Now, where were we?"

Banner pulled him down into the backseat, lips locking with his, hands roaming over his body. Things were just starting to get hot and heavy, when a familiar little noise came from her bag. The Spider-man Cartoon theme, her ring-tone. With a heavy sigh from both of them, she leaned up over the seat, dragging a tiny pink phone from the front pocket of the backpack.

"Hello? Oh, hi Mum." She made a face at Felix as they sat up, straightening out clothes and fixing rumpled hair. "I'm out with a friend. Yeah, Felix. I already told yo --What?! MUM, chill. What's going on?"

She held up a finger, opening the door of the car and stepping outside where she obviously was having a very heated conversation with her mother on her phone while Felix sat in the car...

[Flux]

Felix clasped his hands very tightly in his lap, feeling embarrassed at being interrupted, but happy at what had already happened anyway. He'd been nervous at first, but his confidence grew with her actions, so he figured he hadn't been too horrible. At least, he didn't feel like she was gonna go complain to her friends that he'd been lame or something.

He smiled a little to himself as he recalled her ringtone. He wished like hell he had a cell phone. His parents had talked about getting him one for his birthday, but it would likely be a cheap one that wouldn't support such a feature as a custom ringtone. He'd have to compliment her on it later, provided she didn't want to immediately swing back into making out. Argh, how did he get so LUCKY!? His old social circle (what an odd thing to think) would be jealous as hell.

Outside, Banner was having a pretty good argument with her mom. Felix looked out at her; she looked mad as hell. It made him feel ashamed that he'd been hoping for a little more action after their conversation, and he looked back at the floor until she returned.

[Banner Laverick]

The car door was nearly ripped from it's hinges as Banner grumped back into the backseat.

"OH MY GOD. My mum is such an -- ARGH!!!" Banner sat down beside him, fists clenched into tight fists. "She FOUND MY COSTUME! SHE READ THE MESSAGE BOARD! Oh my god, she FLIPPED. She doesn't want me to be a hero, and she's already looking into shipping me off to Cullens, of all places. Apparently, one of her co-workers has "heard good things about it"."

She put her head on her knees, trying her damnedest not to start crying. "She said I have one week to say good-bye to my friends, and then I'm going to Cullens. Can you believe this?! She wouldn't even listen to me! At least she's not going to throw my costume out, but she said she was going to give it to the professors at the school or something, so then I wouldn't be able to go out and "cause trouble.""

She was totally failing this whole "not crying" thing, sniffling and pulled Felix into a tight hug. "If I go to stupid Cullens, I won't ever get to see you! This sucks so hard!"

[Flux]

Felix jumped as she dislocated the door, fidgeting through her frustration until she clung to him. He hugged her back, staying quiet, letting her finish her vent before he said anything.

"Westchester, right?" he asked. "I can get bus fare out to there. It won't be a total loss." He was trying to be comforting, but he was probably angrier than she was. Finally, good stuff happening for him, for both of them, really, and it was coming to pieces because Banner's stupid mom couldn't keep her nose out of people's businesses. Plus, there was all the talk he'd recently done with Tron about the place.

"Screw that. She can't stop you from grabbing your stuff and flying off anymore than they can. Maybe we can find you someplace else to go?" He wasn't about to let her stay with Tron, Boomer, and Geryon, but...Andrew. "I know a guy who's got a refuge for mutants. He's a nice guy, real trustworthy, all that. His name's Andrew, and he runs this place called the Haven. Would that work better?"

[Banner Laverick]

Her voice was muffled by his shoulder as she sniffled. "No, my mum will totally disown me if I don't go to Cullens. I know you can get a bus there...but it's too much, it's money you don't have to spend, and it's too far away."

She held him tighter, trying not to squish him too much. "If I fly away, then I lose my mum and my family. If I go to this stupid school, I could lose you. It's not fair."

[Flux]

"But then when is life ever fair," he muttered bitterly. "I'll bet I could wing it with my magnet powers," he said louder, thinking of the trip there. Suit up and hop in something metal with wheels and steer myself using magnetism on the other vehicles. Or...something. I dunno. Just don't give up on us, ok? We only just got started and I won't let Loser University get us down."

[Banner Laverick]

She sniffled again, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Okay, I won't...I'm sure they can't keep me there all the time. I can always fly here and visit you. Well, not here, exactly."

Banner kissed him softly, trying to put on a happy face for him. After all, it wasnt his fault that her mum was a freaking weirdo. "And I do have one last week to be happy...we should make the most of it. If you don't mind making out with me when I'm all weeped out and snotty."

[Flux]

He smiled at her, rubbing her back and kissing her cheek.

"Hey, I don't mind. I'm glad to just spend time with you, no matter how you are or how you're feeling. We can do anything you like. I have the whole day today to myself, and after school next week I'm more or less in charge of myself until seven. There's plenty of time for us to spend together."

[Banner Laverick]

"Yeah."

She let out a huge sigh, content to sit quietly and be held by him. He really was the sweetest guy ever - letting her cry on his shoulder, in spite of the big wet spot on his shirt. Banner gave him a sheepish grin.

"I got your shirt all wet. I'm sorry."

[Flux]

"Water never hurt anybody," he said. He stared out the windshield as he held her, thinking over all the courses of action he could take to prevent this. He wasn't coming up with anything legal or un-dangerous, and he threw his head back and stared at the ceiling. The silence was good, but it was bothering him all the same. He decided to risk talking.

"So, uh...when they make comics about us, do you think Bendis will drag this part out into an epic 8-issue arc, or do you think he'll settle it in 4?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Goober."

She laughed a little, kissing his chin. "You know they'd totally make it into an entire story arc, and you would have to make a deal to get me back. You'd have to trade your Aunt May for me or something."

She leaned back, laughing more and raising a brow. "You don't really have an Aunt May, do you? Cos that would be way too weird."

[Flux]

Felix barked a laugh.

"No, I have an Aunt Faye," he replied. "And an Aunt Donna, and an Aunt Matha. No Mays of any kind in my family." He thought through his extended family for some more comic-book names, but couldn't think of any. "How about you?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Umm, I don't think so. I really don't think my family is too into the whole crime-fighting-super-hero thing, if they're anything like my mum. I mean, she is awesome, sometimes, but..."

Banner shut her eyes and shook her head. "Let's not talk about her. If we did in fact have a comic made about us, you know I'd get top billing - A comes before M"

[Flux]

"Heh. Yeah. Besides, it's polite, and the crazy fangirls would have fits about misogyny or something. Not that I think all female comic fans are crazy," he amended quickly. "Just that they seem to be the loudest people."

[Banner Laverick]

"What?! I'm not loud at all! You're just thinking of Slash-fic writing LOTR fan-girls, not true connoisseurs like myself. Besides, I'd probably end up magically losing my powers and turning to the world of Super Modelling while you take pictures for the local metropolitan newspaper."

She mimed handing him a bagged lunch. "Oh, here you go, darling. Have a safe night of fighting crime. I'll be here in bed all naked and sexy for you when you get home."

[Flux]

"I did mean just the crazies," he clarified, even though she'd already changed the subject. "And as great as that scenario would be, I'd rather you were out fighting crime with me. I don't really like the idea of being a solo act."

[Banner Laverick]

"Yeah, but you'd be fine if you had to be a hero by yourself. I think so, anyway."

She leaned past him, reaching down under the seat. She returned with his mask, putting on top of his head like a toque. Oh, how she wished she had a camera! He looked so cute!

"We really need to finish your costume. Hopefully they have sewing machines at Cullens; I have a feeling I'm going to stay locked up in my room most of the time that I'm there. Heh, maybe I'll become a big bad bully and get myself kicked out!" She frowned, realising what she had said. "But probably not, you'd end up kicking my butt if I did that..."

[Flux]

"Not likely," he said bitterly. "Not if they deserve it, and according to all sources, they do. I'm with you, though; I hope you can find something worthwhile to do there. Right now it looks like we're going to have to make the best of it until we can get you out." He adjusted the mask on his head so the edges of it would quit tickling his ears. "I hate how they assume people couldn't get along without them. We're doing fine with our powers on our own. Besides, making a separate school just for mutants screams segregation to me. I thought we were supposed to be equal or better compared mundanes."

[Banner Laverick]

"Mundanes?"

She gave him a look, one that said "Uh, hello? what?". "I'm sure SOME lamer mutants couldn't handle their powers, and need help. I mean, you mentioned that Haven place, and we're helping each other. But saying that we're better than normal people...that just seems, I dunno, mean? Just because we have these powers, doesn't make us automatically better. There are bad mutants just like there are bad humans."

Banner couldn't believe what he had said - "mundanes"? What the heck? "I mean, your parents don't have powers - do you think less of them for it?"

[Flux]

Felix could've slapped himself in the forehead. He'd been doing really good about not saying that around anybody but Tron's group, because he really only felt mad enough about it to say it around them.

"I..." he sighed aggravatedly. "No, I don't. And I know there are probably some idiots out there who simply can't hang, but still...Oh, I don't know." He sighed again, trying to formulate his thoughts. "Just nevermind. Sorry I said it."

[Banner Laverick]

"Uhhmm, okay."

She kissed him again, pulling his mask down over his face, laughing and slipping out of the car while he was distracted. "You know, we should spend tonight together - do you think your parents would be okay if you "spent the night" at a friends house?"

[Flux]

"GAH!" He arranged the mask so he could see out of it as he slid over to the door. "Yeah, they won't care, but will your parents care if I stay at your place? Somehow I don't see her being okay with it." He gave her an appraising look under his mask.

[Banner Laverick]

"Felix Fletcher!"

She placed her hands on her hips, attempting to say this without cracking into a grin. She was failing. Totally.

"Who said anything about going to MY house to stay? Maybe to pick-up a few things I need, but no way. We can use my Mc Job money to get a hotel room or something. There's no way I'd ever, EVER, EVER bring you there."

[Flux]

"A hotel?" he repeated, his voice giving away his feelings since his face was covered. "Well now!" That would be awesome, but what would she expect of him? They've known each other for a week, week and a half, and they've been officially a couple for about 20 minutes. Felix wasn't so sure it was gonna be the best idea to do this kind of thing so early. Then again, if he told her no, she'd probably hate him for not wanting to maximize their time before the inevitable split. His next thought verbalized itself without him meaning it to.

"What would we do?"

[Banner Laverick]

"I dunno, I could bring a console and we could rent movies or something....Felix!" Banner started laughing as she realized exactly what he thought they'd be doing in a hotel room. They weren't even officially a couple - okay, MAYBE they were after saying it in the car...But doing "it", that hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Not that!"

[Flux]

"I'm actually really relieved to hear that," he confessed. "I wasn't sure what you meant, but I wanted to make sure that wasn't it. I mean, not that I thought you meant that, just that...well, I dunno. I agree." He cleared his throat. "Movies and games sounds good. I can leave a note for my parents and then we'll be all set. We wanna get moving on this now or later?"

[Banner Laverick]

She glanced at her watch. "Hrrmmm. Now would be good. I can get into my house without my mum being there; she'll be leaving for work in like, half an hour. Walking or flying?"

She opened the front door of their make-out mobile, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. As much as she hoped he'd say flying, she had a feeling they were going to end up on the bus instead.

[Flux]

"Probably would be best to walk. It won't do to have you spotted flying and make the news between now and when you get shipped off to place. Your mom'll freak out even more than she already did."

He stood and stretched, removing his mask and stuffing it into his pocket. He hadn't brought anything but himself, since Banner had the POWAHS!!! notebook and had volunteered to bring snacks.

"Anyway. Do we wanna split up and then meet somewhere, or do we want to drag each other into our houses?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Ummm."

Hrm - the idea of splitting up hadn't even crossed her mind, but it made sense. Sure, they'd be apart for a little bit. It would give them both time to process what was going on, like, the whole "omg, we're being split up by evil evil parents!" thing (only less emo). Plus, did she really want Felix to see her room full of girliness?

"Okay, let's split up, and meet at your school in an hour?"

[Flux]

"Alrighty," he agreed, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek. "See you out in front of it in a little while." He squeezed her hand and walked across the scrap lot to where he'd left his bike. He kicked the kickstand and rode off towards his house, a few blocks away. Once he got in he shouted into the house with a brief "Honey, I'm home!" just to make sure there hadn't been any deviations in his parents' plans. The lack of reply told him things were running as scheduled.

Felix went into the kitchen and grabbed his mom's memo pad and scribbled a quick note on it: Staying over at Norman's tonight. He ran up to his room, where he tossed his spare mask-making shirt aside and snagged his own backpack. He packed a change of clothes and his travel bathroom kit, packed some DVDs just in case Banner'd be interested, and paused as he tried to think.

[Banner Laverick]

Banner returned his hug and kiss, watching him walk out of sight before taking off. Okay, she probably shouldn't have flown, but why not?! She was in trouble already, a little more flying wouldn't change things.

She didn't bother shouting to anyone when she got home; no-one was there. After writing a note for her mum, she went up to her room. She packed an outfit, pjs, assorted toiletries, her crime-fighting costume, her stuffed panda, her gamecube and a few games she hoped Felix would like (what guy doesn't like Smash Bros?) into a dufflebag. She also took the cords off her computer, shoving them into her backpack along with her purse and journal; there was no way she'd risk her mum snooping online again.

One last check on everything (including making sure she locked her door from the inside and her close her window from the outside), and Banner was ariborne yet again...

[Flux]

Felix had considered bringing his games, but he had (somehow) never owned a Gamecube, and he didn't own much for the Wii (Brawl and Sonic; damn he needed more money), so he decided not to bother. He ran down the steps and out the door, stopping long enough to lock it before he headed up the street to his school. He had plenty of time, and made it to the school's front steps right on time. He sat down and waited, scanning along the sidewalks for Banner.

[Banner Laverick]

She settled down behind the school, thankfully unseen, walking the rest of the way. Felix was sitting on the front step, his back half-turned to her. Tiptoeing up as quietly as she could, she wrapped her arms around him shoulders, stealing a kiss.

"Awww, you were right on time! So cute!"

[Flux]

Felix had zoned out, thinking of the situation and how he'd fix it if his crazy mental fantasy world served for reality. He'd already run out of ideas for what he could really do to help it, and hadn't had any, so he'd gone into his little world to escape for a bit. This meant Banner startled him pretty bad when she enacted her stealth attack, but the feeling quickly faded as he squeezed her hands.

"As if I'd keep you waiting," he retorted. He turned on the steps and hugged her properly. "Ready to go?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Yes."

She hefted her duffle back onto her shoulder, grinning. "Uh, I have no idea where we're ready to go to, but I'm sure we can find something."

[Flux]

"I can't think of anyplace," Felix admitted, feeling silly that they had jumped on this plan in such a haphazard way. He wished they'd had a plan. "Uh...there's a hotel a few miles from here, that I don't remember the name of. It's kinda small; it's not like the giant tower ones across the bridge. Wanna check that place out? It'd be in our budget, probably."

[Banner Laverick]

"Okay, sounds good."

She took his hand, letting him lead the way down the street. She'd never been in this part of the city - Felixs' school was quickly becoming their meet-up place, it seemed, since neither of them had ever gone to the others house.

Banner couldn't help sneaking glances at him, smiling everytime she did. Walking with him, hand in hand, it just felt right. It kept all the bad thoughts about Cullens, her mum, everything, out of her mind. "I wish we could be like this all the time. That would so rule."

[Flux]

He nodded. "Yeah, this is pretty sweet." He squeezed her hand again and smiled at her. "You know you're my first friend outside my little four-man social circle ever? Heh, you're my first for a lot of things, actually." He took a turn, gently tugging her after him.

[Banner Laverick]

"Really?"

She had to resist the natural urge to "Awwww!" and blush; she was surprized. Felix was kind, smart, funny - how could he only have four friends? And he had said she was his first for a lot of thing; something was seriously wrong with all the girls in his school.

"I'm surprized. You're such a great guy, I thought you'd be beating the girls off with a stick."

[Flux]

"Not with the company I keep," he replied. "In elementary school I was the shrimp, so I got picked on along with some other kids. We formed a tiny alliance to get by, and became the life-long group of outcast friends we are today. We're all nice, sweet, funny guys, but we don't often feel like we wanna branch out much and try, just because. Of course, with the right motivation, we occasionally manage to get out there and socialize with extra people with varying degrees of success."

[Banner Laverick]

"Hmmm." She frowned. "I hope you don't neglect your friends because of me. Especially if you've known them forever. I don't want to be your Yoko Ono."

[Flux]

"Our schedules this year are all wonky, so we don't see each other much anyway, except at the start of every schoolday, when they herd us into the cafeteria before classes start. It's like, an hour, and we're cool with that. We get together on weekends sometimes, too, and so far I've managed to co-ordinate time with you and them and other errands and stuff." Felix shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

[Banner Laverick]

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Okay."

The rest of their walk was in silence, untill they got to the hotel. It wasn't fancy, but had a nice, charming feel to it. The older woman behind the desk was nice enough, giving them a tiny shake of her head as they turned to leave. She probably thought they were run-aways or something.


The rooms luckily had dvd players and tvs, all chained firmly to the wall. One big king-sized bed, a little fridge and a clean bathroom. Banner set her bags down beside the bed, quirking a brow at Felix.

"Wow...one bed. I guess that's okay with me if it's okay with you?"

[Flux]

"Yeah, I'm fine if you are. I mean, uh, I didn't pack pajamas or anything, so I guess I'll sleep in my clothes." He laid his own bag down by the fridge and went to flop over onto the bed. It was soft, and the matress hadn't been too badly abused, so he declared it comfortable and resolved not to move unless forced to.

"Wow, this is better than I thought. I've only ever stayed in the big brand-name kind of hotels, so I didn't really know what to expect here. Guess we got lucky, finding a good place on the first try." Felix squirmed a little, bending his neck and rotating his body on the bed a little to look at Banner. "Think luck is a superpower?"

[Banner Laverick]

"Maybe. It would be a really cool one, if it is."

Banner crawled up on the bed, laying beside him and resting her head on his chest.

"I've only stayed in a hotel, like, maybe 5 times in my whole life? And never in one without the family." He could see that familar pink color coming to her cheeks. Maybe someday they wouldn't blush everytime they saw each other. "Uhmm, I guess, if you wanted, you could sleep in your boxers. Unless you don't want to."

[Flux]

"Honey, I'm just worried about you," he answered, rubbing her back and shoulders. "I'm totally comfortable with whatever, so long as you're ok. I don't think there'll be any issue with me sleeping in my boxers at all." He sighed and stared at the ceiling, running one hand through her hair and taking one of her hands in the other.

"Yeah, I think we'll be ok. We've got trust and respect, so we'll be fine with this set-up. I'm a little surprised by how comfortable I am with all this. I thought I'd be more stuttery and nervous, but I'm really not. I wonder why that is." He almost immediately came forth with some causes: Having decent control of his powers, getting a girlfriend, making friends with the Power Trio, and surviving a wierd attack at the Haven had all made him more confident, and tougher in a lot of ways. He felt like he'd grown up some in that space of time, and couldn't begin to imagine what his problem had been.

[Banner Laverick]

She frowned, pressing her face into his shoulder. "I just wish I could stay here with you all the time. It always feels right; like nothing can go wrong when we're together. What if you meet another super heroine when I'm at Cullens? I know, it's dumb, I trust you, but...you shouldn't have to work at seeing me. Is that dumb?"

[Flux]

"Eh...kinda?" he ventured. "It's dumb to think I'd dump you for someone else on a whim, and over something like this distance thing, which I'm happy to try and work with before we take drastic measures like that. I don't think it's dumb of you to think we shouldn't have to work real hard to get together. I mean, not that you aren't worth the effort, because you are, just...it shouldn't have to be something rough to deal with. It should be just as easy as it can be, just because we deserve that."

[Banner Laverick]

"Yeah..."

She sat up, leaning over him, kissing Felix softly on the lips. As she broke the kiss, she brushed a few stray strands of hair off his forehead, smiling down at him.

"I think, we need to enjoy the time we have together, before I have to go...And I was really enjoying what we were doing back at the scrap-yard in that car. Wanna pick up where we left off?"

[Flux]

Felix pulled her over the top of him so she can straddle him, taking her hands and locking their fingers.

"We can do whatever you like," he said, stretching his arms over his head and pulling her down for a kiss. "Tonight's going to be all about you."

[Banner Laverick]

"Oh really?"

Her fingers ran up his sides, pulling his shirt up and off before letting her mouth trail kisses down his chin, neck, chest and lower...

It was a night filled with firsts for both of them; Felix was sleeping beside her, his face scrunched up in an adorable way as he hugged his pillow. She took her cell from her bag, typing up a mobile blog post (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showpost.php?p=266278&postcount=7) before settling down beside him and falling asleep herself.

[Flux]

Felix woke up that morning, and every morning that week feeling like a million dollars, and went to bed each night feeling lower than the bottom of the sewer pipes running under New York City. He woke up to the knowledge that he was very well loved and appreciated. He floated through his days content in that powerful knowledge, and through it came to find a new strength for each day.

He walked the halls of his school with a new confidence. He moved with purpose, looking ahead of him instead of at the ground, and met the eyes of anyone who looked at him. At home, his parents noticed he was happier, and they definitely approved of him spending so much time outside the house. He spent all of it with Banner, at the mall, the movies, whatever they could think to do. It was over too quickly though, and at night he fell asleep only after he'd depressed himself into it with the thought of her leaving him. At last that time came, and he threw her luggage into the storage container built into her bus.

"Hey," he greeted her, shutting the compartment and walking over to her. "You gonna be okay?"

[Banner Laverick]

"I guess I have to be."

She brushed her hair back behind her ear, pulling him into a big hug and kiss combo. Sighing, she kept her face buried into his shoulder. They had spent as much time together during the past week as they could; it went by in a flash, and now she had to leave him to go to Cullens.

"I don't want to go. I don't really have a choice, you know?"

[Flux]

"I know, but it's gonna be okay. You have your phone, and your computer, and you know you can get a hold of me anytime of night if you need something suddenly. I'll try to get my parents to get moving on getting me a cell phone, so you can call me anytime of day, too." He kissed her cheeks and forehead before giving her one last, big kiss. "Be sweet, be safe, be good, be beautiful. You always do it so naturally." He smiled at her and squeezed her shoulders. "Love you, Banner."

[Banner Laverick]

Banner kissed him back, holding him as tightly as she could (well, as tight as she could without squishing him). She returned the smile, a few tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I'll talk to you every chance I get. And I'll come visit as much as I can. You're the best thing in my life, I'm not gonna let this come between us."

She kissed him one last night, as the driver started letting people onto the bus. She looked back at him as she stepped up onto the bus. "I love you, too, Felix. Be safe, and know that I'll be thinking of you all the time."

[Flux]

Felix smiled and gave her a cocky little salute as she climbed the stairs.

"I'll always be thinking of you, too! Have a great trip!"

He kept eye contact with her as she took her seat at a window on his side of the bus, and waved to her one last time as it drove out of sight. The very second it was gone, his anger manifested itself so suddenly that he actually frightened a nearby toddler with his expression. He kicked over a garbage can in his frustration, plugged himself into his aging CD player, and dialed up the volume as he started to walk home. To hell with Cullen's Institute.