Defying Gravity

Zachariah Smith * 20 years old I like to walk on walls, it's fun Physics is what I study Just please don't ask me about apples.

[gravitysmith]

Awakenings

[erikasmirage]

At the mention of food, Erika’s stomach let out a betraying growl and she looked up at Zach sheepishly, “Breakfast sounds like an excellent idea.” She gathered herself up in the blanket, wrapping it around her like a cloak, as she followed him into the kitchen. 

She plopped herself down at one of the barstools in the kitchen, knowing better than to try her hand at cooking. Even through Zach’s coaching, she was still managing to burn food more often than not. Besides, he was the best by far at cooking anything he tried his hand at, and she knew that if he wanted her help he would get her involved somehow.

“You should make pancakes. Or eggs! And bacon. Definitely bacon,” she grinned at Zach as he moved around the kitchen, gathering the necessary cooking utensils. “I guess you could say I’m not picky,” she laughed a little, “Like you said, it feels like I haven’t eaten in ages, I could probably eat a horse if you cooked it!” She was surprised by the hunger she could feel building in her stomach, although to be fair, she had never eaten as well as she did now before she met Zach.

Grabbing her phone off the charger, she swiped across it, the screen coming to life as she searched for any missed calls or messages. Nothing from work….strange. “Things have been really quiet lately, I wonder what’s up with that. I haven’t heard from anyone in a while,” she lamented internally at not keeping in good contact with the few friends she had made.

As she continued to flip through a few apps on her phone, the day’s date caught her attention. It was the Monday before Thanksgiving! How on earth had it gotten so late in the year?! “Zach do you realize what day it is?” Though she’d never really had a real Thanksgiving, she knew many people loved the holiday, and remembered the craziness that could ensue. The only good memories she had of Thanksgiving were of sneaking around the city the night before to watch all the giant Macy’s balloons get blown up. A faint smile crossed her face at the memory.

[gravitysmith]

"Pancakes. Eggs. Bacon." Zach echoed as he opened the fridge. "Eggs. Milk. Bacon. Blueberries." He narrated as he pulled the ingredients out and headed to the pantry for the flour and sugar. "Mix this up for me" He put the half-mixed pancake batter in beside Erika, who was on her phone, and pulled out the skillet for the eggs and bacon.

He looked up sharply at Erika when she spoke. "It's what?" Surprise laced his voice. He could have sworn it was at least still... August maybe? Then he shook his head. He remembered suddenly being just as surprised when he found it was September, and then October, and the beginning of November. He blinked a few times. He always knew when it was Thanksgiving. That was always the time of infinite food. Most people celebrated just a day of binge eating, but his family did it 12 days of Christmas style. He had to start cooking.

In a slight panic, he threw the fridge back open. "I'm not prepared for this!" He turned around and flung open the pantry doors. "I don't even have cornmeal!" He turned back to Erika, desperation etched across his face. "We don't even have a Turkey! We have 3 days to Thanksgiving, and we don't have any food!" He turned back to the pantry and fridge, and glanced over the contents. In reality, they had no shortage of food. "We don't have any food." He whispered, feeling defeated.

"We have to invite some people over. We need people to celebrate with. And to cook for." He turned in another circle, spinning to meet Erika's face again.

"And I still have to finish breakfast." He sighed. "I'm not going to live through this Erika, I'm just not." 

-gif-

[gravitysmith]

Awakenings

[erikasmirage]

Erika rolled her eyes with a slight smirk on her face at Zach’s cheesy-ness. While none of that was her style at all, it was oddly enough, one of the things that endeared him to her the most. “You are such a dork, you know that, right?” She shook her head with a small smile, as she took another long drag of coffee, savoring the flavor and the warmth.

Chills ran through her spine as Zach played with her hair, and subconsciously, she leaned into his hand, eyes closed in contentment. 

His next words caused her eyes to open quickly however, wondering, not for the first time, how and why the two of them could be so in sync sometimes. “I know exactly what you mean,” she paused, mulling over the strange feeling in her mind, “it’s really hard to describe, but that’s definitely there. How did you know? Also is it creepy to you that we apparently happen to be on the same wavelength? But definitely the asleep thing,” she paused and sat upright in bed now, “like I feel like I slept for a year, but I’m also still tired…” She made a face, like she was concentrating on some particular spot on the bed, zoning out for a moment, before coming back to reality and looking back up at Zach. 

[gravitysmith]

"That's exactly how I'm feeling right now." Zach didn't know whether to be relieved or worried that Erika mirrored his feeling. He noticed her zone out, and suddenly he was fighting the urge to do the same. He shook his head roughly, trying to keep his senses from slipping back into slumber. He wasn't going to let it happen, not this time. He just wished he knew what the feeling was from.

"I'm just kind of worried. What if..." he let his thoughts trail off, not wanting to go where what if was taking him. He sighed, shaking his head again. "I guess it doesn't matter now. What matters is that I've finished my coffee already, and I'm really hungry. Talk more over breakfast?" He suggested. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a year, either."

-gif-

[gravitysmith]

Awakenings

[erikasmirage]

The first thing Erika knew was the very distinct smell of coffee assaulting her senses. As her brain continued to wake up to the mere smell of caffeine, she groaned softly to herself. She had never, ever, been a morning person, despite all of Zach’s efforts.

She stretched her body out slowly, still laying in bed with her eyes closed, and when her left hand closed around nothing but sheets, she knew her boyfriend was responsible for the smell waking her up. Curling back up into a ball, she tried to lull herself back into sleep, but to no avail. Crunching her eyes shut in frustration, she embraced the inevitability that sleep was gone for the time being, and awaited the wake up call that was surely forthcoming.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, she felt Zach nudge her, and her hands shot out for the warm cup of coffee before her eyes blinked open and stared up at him, a playful glare on her face.

"Not enough, never enough," she grumbled before taking a sip of the wonderful coffee Zach had concocted that morning. Feeling the jolt of energy surge through her entire body, she propped herself up on one elbow and gave him a small smile. It felt like ages since they’d been this peaceful, she was always worried about one thing or another, but something abou this morning was different. They were connecting again. "Okay I still don’t understand how you can actually drag yourself out of bed in the morning, even if it is to make the most amazing coffee I’ve ever tasted," she grinned a little, taking another large gulp of the liquid.

[gravitysmith]

Zach grinned back at her. "Well the trick is that you don't drag. You just get up. It's a strange concept, I know." He winked at her. "But then I also have the joy of waking up the most beautiful girl in the world with a steaming mug of coffee, which also makes it a little easier."

He sat down on the bed next to her and sipped on his own coffee, moaning a little as the warm liquid trickled down his throat. He ran a hand through Erika's hair, wondering how she kept it so soft. He gently massaged the back of her head, and couldn't keep a soft smile from stretching across his face.

His smile faltered a little, and he couldn't help but wonder, "Do you feel weird? Like, I don't know, kind of like you've been asleep for months? I don't know how to describe it, it's a weird feeling."

-gif-

[gravitysmith]

-dazed blinking-

[erikasmirage]

[gravitysmith]

THE LIKE HEART EXPLODS WHEN YOU CLICK ITTTTT

[gravitysmith]

Awakenings

His eyes shot open, blinking into the darkness.He drew in a deep breath, his lungs filling as if for the first time. As he exhaled he imagined expelling layers of dust, and after a moment felt it settle back on his face and chest like another blanket. He blinked a few times, wiggled his fingers. Breathed again. He looked over to his side where Erika lay still in slumber. He thought back to his dreams, brief glimpses of light and sunshine, followed by an explosion that covered him in ash. He wiggled his toes. Erika sighed in her sleep, and rolled over. Deep in is subconscious he remembered her stirring a couple of times during the night, but now she lay still, but facing him, her left arm draped languidly across his chest.

He rolled out from underneath it, and from underneath the sheets. He sat on the edge of the bed, dizzy. He felt as though he had been asleep for years, remembering only Erika's voice accompanied by her guitar, and the distant smell of apple pie. He smiled, but remained confused. Had he been drinking? No, it wasn't that. Something had happened, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He padded down the hall to his familiar kitchen, but even that felt distant. He wrapped his fingers around a mug sitting on the counter and poured the contents out into the sink. The satisfactory sound of gurgling water came to his ears. He grabbed the soap and a rag and cleaned it out, then began preparing the coffee. The smell awakened his nose, and he stretched his arms about his head, yawning quietly. He slowly became aware of the soft fabric of the sweatpants he wore, a gift from Erika, and then of the cold under his feet. He shivered, wishing that he had grabbed a shirt. But outside it looked cheery and warm, so he cracked a window. It was a terrible idea. He yelped as frigid air hit him in the chest and quickly slid the window shut.

The sound of the coffee maker ceased and he looked over at it. The clock was blinking at 03:52. He frowned. So the power had gone out last night. Shrugging, he poured two mugs of coffee, inhaling the steam, and mixed them with varying amounts of milk, sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon. He took the two mugs in his hands and carried them down the hall to where Erika was still sleeping, though not as deeply. He nudged her, smiling as her eyelids fluttered open to reveal his favorite color, sleepy but bright, and pressed a mug into her hands.

"Good morning love." He smiled at her, feeling happy, as though he had just come home from a long trip."Did you sleep well?"

[gravitysmith]

-dazed blinking-

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika’s face scrunched up as Zach rubbed the sauce back on her. In all reality she should have seen it coming, and probably did a little bit, but she was finally having fun again, and it didn’t bother her really. Nodding with a laugh, she conceded, “yes alright I suppose that is pretty great sauce." 

"You know a food fight doesn’t sound all that bad, rather delicious in fact. I think you’re just afraid of losing to a girl. Again." Her trademark smirk crossed her face as he turned to start putting things away. Not one to give up easily, she gently threw one of the cheese bags at him, and laughed at his reaction. “Now there’s a way to go. Death by cheese. So tragic," she said drily.

Although the food fighting was fun, she also figured that with flammable objects being baked, it might be a bit too much of a distraction, so she conceded to helping Zach in putting away most of the ingredients. It wasn’t her fault some of the cheese ended up in his shirt somehow, or on top of his head. Really. 

The oven timer finally went off and Zach pulled out the pizza, it smelled wonderful. “Well I guess this is the moment of truth oh great one," she teased, though fully realizing the nickname was going to get her in trouble later. He’d never let it go.

[gravitysmith]

"Oh Great One. That is me, yes, I do think this description is apt." He grabbed the pizza cutter, slicing into the steaming parcel of deliciousness with ease. He grabbed two plates, putting a slice on each and setting one in front of Erika, facing her with a serious expression. "Are you ready to give your taste buds the best pizza bath they've ever had? Are you prepared to face heaven and swear to never again return to the world of other pizza?" He asked solemnly, before his stony visage cracked and he grinned.

He coincided his bite of pizza with Erika's, and after the initial eye closing, moan inducing bite they enjoyed their pizza together. Somehow they managed to put away most of the pizza, making light chat as they finished it. 

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika snorted, “yeah that’s probably true. Though I’m not sure you could pay me enough to eat either." She stuck her tongue out in disgust. She had to admit, the pizza they’d created looked pretty damn good. Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes with a laugh, “yeah okay. As much of a badass as you can be at baking maybe," she smirked at him. “And I think you’d better save your high praise until we actually try the stuff, I mean how many things have you tried that look great and taste like absolute crap?" Not that she doubted his skills really, but it was fun to tease him about it.

The air of mischief was still in her eyes and demeanor as she looked around the kitchen, trying to figure out what she could do. Zach had basically challenged her that she couldn’t beat him in his own kitchen and that simply couldn’t stand. Eyeing up the sauce ladle on the stove, she got an idea. “Hey, that sauce smells really good by the way," she smiled sweetly at him before picking up the spoon. “You should probably test it though just to make sure that we didn’t screw up the most important part." With that, she lifted the spoon to his mouth, and at the last second, smeared it all over, failing to hid a grin and a laugh in the process.

[gravitysmith]

"Just you wait, it's going to be the best damn pizza you've ever had." He stuck his tongue out at her. He watched carefully as she walked innocently over to the sauce, his suspicion rising. "What, you don't just have faith in my sauce making skills?" He pouted, knowing what was coming before it happened, helpless to stop it. He frowned comically, sauce covering his face. With a laugh, he stepped over to Erika and nuzzled against her cheek, sharing the sauce.

"I figured you could use a taste too." He shrugged. "As it turns out, it was really good." He held out his hands in an innocent gesture, as if to invite another try. "We can either have another food fight, or put things away so we have space to eat." He suggested. "Not that I mind eating on top of flour and cheese packages." He grinned, grabbing one and stepping over to the fridge. He tossed it in its place and was rewarded with a light smack on his back, and he turned around to find that Erika was lobbing bags at him, her smile half sweet sarcasm, and half pure evil. Well, as evil as throwing cheese gets you. "I've been shot!" He joked, and slumped against the fridge, clutching at his back. "The cheese. It got me!"

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

"You like me for more than just my cheese preferences, don’t even try to deny it." Erika laughed, nudging his hip a little with her own. She weighed her options carefully before deciding on cutting up the peppers. Way less difficult to screw up. She set to work still plotting in her mind, happy to have something to do for a change, instead of sitting around and moping. That was so not her style anyway.

She was grateful when Zach started talking again. Although the near-silence had been comfortable, it left way too much room for her to retreat into her head again, and that was something she didn’t want to do. The question, however, amused her, and she turned to give him a skeptical look, complete with one arched brow. “Okay I see we’re going the weird route today," she teased with a laugh. “Definitely go to the store in just my socks. Have you ever worn sopping wet shoes? SO uncomfortable!"

She paused in her chopping, wanting to make sure she was doing alright before continuing. “These look okay?" She stepped back for Zach to take a look. “Hmmm, would you rather eat a handful of the spiciest peppers on earth, or a pound of anchovies?" She grinned up at him, the mischievous glint starting to come back in her eyes.

[gravitysmith]

Zach nodded, deciding her reasoning was sound. "That's true, definitely true. Until you step in a puddle of unknown substance. In your socks." He made a face, taking the sausage off of the heat and setting it aside. He looked at Erika's face and frowned at it. "That's an awful choice. I think I'd go with the anchovies though. At least that's just gross, and not deadly. Peppers do some awful things to people." He pointed out.

They continued with the would you rathers through the pizza making process, until there was a masterfully crafted fare waiting to be cooked. "That is beautiful." He looked admiringly at it. "We are good at this. We should go professional." He joked. "We'd put Pizza Hut out of business." He looked over at Erika, wondering what they would do now. He caught a glint of mischief in her eyes and narrowed his, preparing for whatever was about to happen next.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika listened as Zach listed off what kinds of toppings she could find in the fridge and pantry, making a mental note of what sounded appealing. Her eyes narrowed as he continued, practically issuing her a challenge right there. He knew better than that! She grinned to herself, “Oh is that right, Zach? We’ll just have to see about that won’t we?" Wheels were already turning in her head. She was looking forward to the pizza as well, so she’d have to wait and lull him into a false sense of security. Once the pizza was safely in the oven, she could start something.

Wandering toward the fridge, she pulled out every bit of cheese she could find. You could never have too much cheese on a pizza, that was a fact. She also pulled out the peppers, mushrooms, ham, olives, and sausage. Scooping it all up, she set it down on the counter next to Zach for his approval. “What do you think? The works sound good?"

[gravitysmith]

Zach turned to find all of the ingredients laid out and smiled. "So much cheese. I knew there was a reason I liked you." He winked at her and began pulling out some bowls, and a cutting board. "How handy are you with a knife? Can I trust you with not butchering these poor measly vegetables?" He asked her, pointing to the bell peppers. "I can brown the sausage. Or you can brown the sausage and I can cut the peppers. Pick a job, any job." 

Once she chose, Zach grabbed the sausage and threw it into a skillet. The kitchen was quiet except the sound of sizzling meat, and a knife hitting the counter repeatedly. He leaned against the counter next to the stovetop, watching Erika as she worked. He realized that despite their closeness, there was a lot they didn't know about each other. He tried to think of a question he could ask that wouldn't spark some downward spiral into bad memories. "Would you rather," He began, deciding that the game was a good place to start, "Wear shoes in the swimming pool, or go to the store in just your socks?"

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika watched as Zach started prepping ingredients and such, and was reluctantly pulled into the kitchen once again to help out. Thankfully he didn’t leave her completely to her own devices or she may have completely screwed the whole thing up entirely. 

It turned out that doing something with her hands was a really great way for her to keep her mind distracted, and working in such proximity to Zach was a plus as well. She smiled a little when their arms brushed against each other, and subsequently berated herself mentally for feeling like a school girl. 

As they left the dough to rise, she leaned her back against the counter, contemplating the toppings question. “Cheese. All the cheese. Cheese is good," she grinned, “and pepperoni. Peppers. Anything, and everything. Except anchovies those are gross," she pulled a face. “You know, I’m surprised you trust me in the kitchen again, given what happened the last time we tried cooking together." She sent a sly grin his way, as she continued to watch him work.

[gravitysmith]

"I don't think I even have anchovies. I'm not a fan. I have," Zach thought back to what he had laying around. "Given that I went on a shopping binge the other day, I now have at least 6 kinds of cheese, pepperoni, ham, pineapples, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, and sausage among other things." He grinned. 

"Ah, but Erika. We're in my kitchen this time." He grinned. "This is my territory. I know this kitchen. I feel safe from any flour you may fling my way. But I think flour flinging would but a serious damper on this pizza thing. And I'm really looking forward to this pizza thing. Feel free to rummage through the fridge and pantry, and pull out any and all of the toppings you find suitable." He pulled out a pan, grabbing some generic tomato sauce and putting it on a low heat. He added some spices, let it boil together, and set it aside to cool.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

As she sat in the safe, warm circle of Zach’s arms, Erika tried to just relax into them, and convince herself that she was safe here. Nothing bad could happen to her here, and Zach was going to be here for her no matter what. She closed her eyes and just tried to focus on breathing, steadying herself and her thoughts for at least the time being. 

After a while, the silence was starting to get to her, and she could feel her thoughts slipping back towards things she really, really didn’t want to think about. And almost as if he could just sense her oncoming distress, he suggested a distraction. It made Erika smile inwardly, she couldn’t believe how quickly they had just clicked with each other, how he just knew if she needed something. 

"Homemade pizza sounds great. But only if you promise not to char that up too," she giggled a little, the sound being a bit foreign to her. There hadn’t been much to laugh about recently. Winking at him slightly, she tried to extract herself from the tangle of their limbs without hurting herself.

[gravitysmith]

Zach walked behind Erika as they headed to the kitchen, having paused to pick the blanket up where it had fallen on the floor, and to turn off the television. They wouldn't be needing it. He found Erika standing expectantly. "Okay so the first thing we'll need is to make the crust." He smiled. "Which is great fun." He pulled out the flour and the other ingredients, as well as measuring cups and his notebook that had the pizza recipe in it.

He had Erika help him measure things out, then he pulled out a large bowl. They mixed the dough, and kneaded it together. "And then roll that out and let it set. It's got to take some time to rise, so we can make the sauce while that's going on." He smiled, entirely in his element. He hoped his ease and comfort in the kitchen would rub off on Erika. "What kind of cheese and toppings do you want?"

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika continued to stare at her hands in her lap in a sort of numbness. She could feel Zach’s arms around her, and for the moment it seemed to keep the demons at bay, she felt an odd sense of calmness and safety. That lasted until Zach told her how strong he thought she was, which oddly enough, was what caused her numbness to fade away as she bit her lip. Hot tears were forming quickly in her eyes again, and she could feel them start to spill down her face. 

For some reason, his belief in her strength caused her to fall apart. But unlike she usually would have, she didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed or upset to have lost it the way she did in front of him. She simply sat quietly as the drops of salty water slid down her cheeks, clutching one of his arms tightly as she burrowed into his side.

Only his words brought her out of her reverie of memories of pain and torture and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Using her sleeve to wipe away some of the tears from her eyes, she twisted slowly, albeit slightly painfully, to look up at him in confusion. He wasn’t sure she cared? She knew she’d taken a lot of measures to ensure most people couldn’t get close to her anymore, but she’d thought Zach had understood that he was different. She would have to do better at showing him, she resolved silently. 

"You really didn’t think I cared about you?" It wasn’t meant to sound angry, but there was a little bit of an edge of hurt that crept into her broken voice. “God, of course I care Zach. Of course I do! You are the sole good thing in my life right now, and I know I screwed up a lot but I thought when I told you…when I apologized for everything…I thought you knew…" She had never been good at articulating her thoughts, and now was no exception. 

Instead, she hesitated momentarily before leaning up to press a small kiss to his lips before leaning her forehead on his chest. “I need you Zach, I wouldn’t be here without you…" The admission was quiet, and it felt strange on Erika’s tongue, but not in a bad way. Zach had become an integral part of her life now, and she didn’t really want to think about where she’d be without him.

[gravitysmith]

The hurt in Erika's voice made Zach cringe internally. He hadn't meant exactly that. He just, he wished she would say it more often, something that he couldn't help despite knowing her nature, and her difficulty in trusting people, in communicating her feelings freely. But if she didn't, he told himself, it wouldn't matter. Because he knew that she cared about him, and he needed her just as much as she needed him. It could go unspoken and he wouldn't mind.

"I know." He murmured into her hair, trying again. "I know." They sat that way for a while, until they both began to get restless. Zach could almost feel her thinking again, and he decided that another distraction was in order. "How do you feel about homemade pizza?" He asked her. "Because I think I may have all the ingredients, and it's pretty fun to make." He poked her cheek, smiling softly.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika stared at her hands as Zach to get slightly angry, biting her lip to try and fight back angry tears from falling. She’d spilt enough of those, and she hated crying. Her head shook back and forth repeatedly, she didn’t know the answer, or how to answer any of his questions. They were things she’d asked herself over and over but she just didn’t know. 

"I have no idea who they were or why they wanted me. Or even why they’re doing what they’re doing to other mutants. Something big is going down, and I don’t like it." She shuddered a little bit, not knowing something like this was unsettling.

She struggled with the next part, not sure if she could tell Zach what they had wanted her to do. It would likely either freak him out or piss him off. Or some combination of both. But as long as she was laying everything out on the table, she figured she might as well get it over and done with. “I think what scared me the most was the threat of becoming like them…so much mindless violence. They would have used me to…" she broke off, admitting this out loud, to Zach’s face, would mean openly admitting how much she needed him, and how much he meant to her. That in itself was scary, how she was letting her guard down, but not nearly as scary as hurting him. “They would have used me to hurt you. I couldn’t do that."

[gravitysmith]

Zach kept his eyes trained on Erika, listening to what she had to say. He didn't know how to take what she was telling him. So many emotions were going through him right now, and all he found himself doing was clutching her more tightly to him. He was angry, angry at the pain they had inflicted on her, but he was also touched. He spent so much time being concerned about everyone else, that he didn't spend a lot of time thinking about them being concerned back. He'd always been that way.

"Shhh." He managed out, trying to calm his own thoughts at the same time as calm Erika. He felt that he couldn't sit idly by while these people were still out there, these people that wanted to turn good people into... not people at all. "And you won't." He promised her, hoping that somehow he would be able to make good on that promise. "I don't believe anyone's capable of just, taking the good out of you. You've managed to survive this long in tact. You're too strong for that." He soothed. His mind returned again to the fact of what she had just confessed to him. She cared about him, enough so that she was afraid of being used to hurt him, as if the thought brought her pain. Erika had never been the vocal type, and so he knew that trusting him with this information was a big step for him.

He couldn't keep the words from escaping him. He hoped that they didn't come out in a way that made Erika feel like he felt as though he was putting more into this than she was, instead he tried to mean it as a way that meant... he wasn't entirely sure. He just wanted to her to know, somehow, that he appreciated her, and how much she trusted him.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika looked up at Zach through her eyelashes, his response not surprising her at all, but making her a bit more anxious. She knew she had to talk about it. There was no way to get around that, unless she wanted to implode or self-destruct, neither of which sounded like pleasant options. But she had gotten so used to being able to skirt around the issue, that tackling it head on was a daunting task. 

This was a stupid idea. She had no freaking clue how to start a conversation like this. Then she thought of Angela, and remembered her inhuman laugh, how she gained so much pleasure from wreaking havoc on Erika’s own body. It made her shiver with dread. 

Staring at her lap, she forced herself to start talking. “These…people. Mutants. They weren’t human…I mean, they were but, you wouldn’t have guessed it from the way they treated me." She bit her lip, trying to will herself to continue. “The one girl…she…tortured," she swallowed heavily, the word upsetting her slightly, “me, for the sheer pleasure of it. For information about me that they already had. She wanted to see me break." The last part was said softly, as Erika started to retreat into her horrific memories. “They were mutants but, it’s like someone flipped a switch in them, getting them to do all this fucked up shit, making them mindless killing machines…and they, they wanted to do it to me…" She closed her eyes briefly, not able to continue at the moment.

[gravitysmith]

Zach felt a sick feeling in his stomach as Erika detailed the events of her kidnapping. He felt angry, and protective, the movie all but forgotten. That someone would find pleasure and amusement at pushing someone to the breaking point was appalling, and he found it cowardly and pathetic. 

He grew slightly confused as Erika went on. "Do it to you? How does someone just reach in, and flip a switch, making you a sadistic," He stopped, realizing his voice was getting heated. He stared back at the screen for a second, jolting at the mind controlling going on. "Why you? Do you think they're after you specifically, or just grabbing mutants as they see them, whoever 'they' is?" He asked, trying to figure out if Erika, and even he, would be in any more danger from these people. He hoped that trying to figure things out, doing something productive with the horror, would help put an ease on Erika's mind.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Feeling Zach’s arm around her, she tried to relax into his embrace, slowly, gently sinking down into a comfortable position, her head on his shoulder. Her compliance with his gesture spoke volumes of how much she trusted Zach. The fact that she could show vulnerability, and allowed him to try and help her, something she had trained herself against for so long, meant that he had become someone so important to her, that she could trust him with her life.

His question prompted her to consider whether or not she wanted to have this conversation with him right now. Her body was comfortable enough, but her mind was not nearly as at ease. 

Nodding slightly, she continued to stare down at her hands, unsure of what to do or say next. Come on Erika, how do you casually bring up something like that? You can’t just say ‘so let’s talk about this whole torture thing’. First off that sounds absolutely ridiculous, and it’s not smooth at all. What are you going to say?

Turning her head, she looked up at him briefly, “Actually, I did want to talk…about, well," her gaze shifted downward again. She sighed, this whole situation was awkward and uncomfortable but she needed to talk about it sometime or she would drive herself insane. “Can we do that? Can we talk about…everything?" The question made her feel small, childish, but she wasn’t used to having someone to talk to about her problems, and she really needed to talk to Zach.

[gravitysmith]

Zach looked down at Erika, his lips parting slightly as she spoke. He had been wondering whether or not she would be wanting to speak about the subject, given her personality and the whole overwhelming nature of it. He was happy that she did, in fact, want to talk about it. He knew that meant that she trusted him enough, that she counted him as a person she could confide in, and he didn't take that lightly. He gave her a reassuring squeeze and nodded, grabbing the remote and turning the volume down a couple of notches.

"Yeah, we can talk about it. But you know, we have to get over the not being able to address the subject directly. It kind of puts a damper on things." He urged her, knowing she didn't do this often, or probably ever. He didn't know if it would make it any easier for her to say outright 'I was kidnapped and tortured' but he knew from experience that just saying aloud what was weighing on you had the chance to lighten the load.

[erikasmirage]

Trying to Pick Up the Pieces || Zach & Erika

[erikasmirage]

Erika fought hard to surpress a grin as Zach tried to defend himself. It was rather adorable, he got very defensive. But then her eyes narrowed as he challenged her. “Oh really? It’s not refined enough for these so obviously masterful visual effects?" She quirked an eyebrow up at him. Her stubbornness was not one of her better attributes, and because of it, she knew she couldn’t back down from a challenge. And unfortunately for her, Zach had figured it out too.

In a show of her acceptance of his challenge, she lightly tossed the remote onto the table in front of her, settling back into the corner of the couch. As she watched the E. Nygma character slowly devolve into The Riddler, which really, cheesily obvious, she grimaced a bit, “Jim Carey is so creepy. I’ve never liked him." The movie didn’t get any less weird either, soon he was using some machine to control people’s minds. The thought made her shiver slightly, hitting a little close to home.

In a lapse of momentary forgetfulness, Erika tried to shift her body, putting her weight on one arm before taking a sharp breath inward, recoiling in pain. It shot through her arm and her abdomen, as she continued to try and shift, more gingerly this time. Shooting Zach an almost sheepish smile, she looked down at her hands in silence

[gravitysmith]

Zach scoffed at Erika. "Please. Special effects are not needed." He huffed. "Let me enjoy my nerdom in peace." He smiled triumphantly when Erika stubbornly took the challenge, settling down to watch the movie. During one of the commercial breaks he discovered that the soup was finally at the perfect temperature, and urged Erika to eat some. "It's good." He nodded as he swallowed some. He may or may not have flicked some juice at her. During the next he took the mostly empty bowls to the kitchen before settling down for good.

He half watched the screen and half watched Erika, grinning at her commentary. "Jim Carey is great. I especially like him in The Mask. He makes that creepy air work for him."

He had almost become re-absorbed entirely when Erika's gasp of pain caught his attention again. He looked over her, alarmed, as she shifted. He wanted to reach out to her and wrap her in bubble wrap and make everything okay, but part of him warned against too much coddling. This was Erika, and she didn't need to be babied. But he did feel alright in reaching over and pulling her close to him, trying to be a silent comfort. He couldn't just sit still and let her suffer silently, his protective instincts far too strong for that.

He patted her hair, not saying anything. "Are you comfortable?" He asked after a moment, hoping that he wasn't putting her into an even more painful position than she had been before. He looked back up into the mind control rampant streets, frowning a little.