#ryanbailey

[ryanbaileyjock]

[ryanbaileyjock]

[jasonbrennerold]

❛     𝐢𝐥𝐥     𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞.     𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐰     𝐢     𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬     𝐝𝐨.     ❜

𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝     𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚜     :     accepting     :     @ryanbailey

the experiments weren’t allowed to socialize much. as kids they could, but as they grew older the opportunities got fewer and fewer. the two of them, while often restricted by their positions as favorites, were lucky for once. still allowed to see each other, the countless times the lab wanted to test their abilities against each other paying off in some way. it was a lonely life here, even when he had a friend, but they at least could see each other, could spend time together even when the experiment was done. it had been a particularly rough day, he’s not even sure which one of them was getting punished. maybe both. usually their powers being used against each other was subtle, didn’t cause any harm. but this had been different. pushed and pushed further and further, knowing he was risking damage, more fire than he’d wanted, enough smoke that even he felt like he was choking. the room had been dry, they’d made sure of it, wanted her to try to put the fire out without any nearby water source. it had been torturous, but they’d had no choice. 

still, he felt guilty. even now, everything over, given time to relax. he knows that wasn’t just some ordinary day, knows that it’s the kind of day that’d linger in their memories for a long time. he’s not sure if he did anything to step out of line to bring that on, but he knows that he’ll be on better behavior for a while, follow every command, never so much as breathing without knowing that he’d been given permission. that was what they did, took their fears and used it against them. he’s studying her, searching for any signs that he hurt her, that she could’ve been burned. there’s not much he can do about it if she was, they’re not gonna give them any medical attention for something like that. but still he’s worried, knows that if she’s hurt it’s on him. he can’t see any burns, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. it takes him a moment to realize that this has been going on a while, staring at her, searching in silence for some kind of injuries. so finally he’ll just sit next to her, though not too close, not wanting to risk it. he’s still running pretty hot, even if touch wouldn’t burn her it could hurt. even as he sits there he can’t get the thought out of his mind, glancing out the corner of his eye, as if from this angle he’d be better at knowing if she was hurt. eventually he just has to give in, just has to ask. ❝ burned? ❞ single word feels like more than enough, not in the most talkative state. he just needs to know.

[jasonbrennerold]

“     𝐢𝐦     𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝     𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭     𝐲𝐨𝐮.     ”

𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚝     𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊     𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜     :     accepting     :     @ryanbailey

she’s always known him better than anyone else, powers may be opposites but there had been a certain draw between them, two of the favorite test subjects, at least for a while, they’d grown to know each other pretty well, even without all that much actual conversation. it was nice, having a friend, but it also meant that she knew all his tells. could see when he was overwhelmed, could tell when he was holding back on using his powers. she knew when things were too much, sometimes even before he did. and really, she has every reason to worry. he’s pretty much in a constant state of being overwhelmed, every second of every day bringing new challenges. she’d gotten out long before he had, she’d managed to adjust to the world a little before he got out. but he’s just been thrown in to it all, forced to deal with the intensity of the real world without any time to adjust, expected to be a normal kid, expected to love and trust his birth parents, expected to thrive. no one knows what went down in that place except her, no one realizes just how much he’s going through.

he’s breaking. no one can tell except her, no one notices the signs he’s putting out. these people are all so used to verbal communication that they can’t pick up on little tells; though it doesn’t surprise him all that much, they’d been the ones with the brilliant idea to put him into a school with teenagers, not caring at all for the fact that he’d only had the schooling of a first grader. all the school work mixed with bullying he’d gotten for being different, it was starting to take its toll. her words register, and they’re apt all things considered, but he gives little in terms of reaction. if she got close enough she’d notice the way heat radiates off of him, the way fingers twitch, aching to burn something. it’s all too much, all this pressure building up within him, emotions desperate for a way out. his gaze moves to meet hers, the expression on her face backing up her statement. but what was there to say to that? there was no doubting that he wasn’t fine, no doubting that she had every reason to worry. ❝ i’m okay. ❞ he’s not sure he expects her to believe it, but it seems to be what everyone wants him to say lately. ❝ not hurt. ❞

[sketchpartympls]

Ryan Bailey