The Babel Fish

Leeland Williams // Half Mutant, Half Technarch, Full of sugar. // Marvel OC RP blog. OC and multiverse friendly... // Read rules and about before interacting!!! Current Arc: Black Womb

[healingtheassassins]

“It’s one you’ve never actually used, It’s as good a new one.” He reached out to pat Leelocke’s knees but pulled back. “You’ll split to Lee and Locke again then. If you’re happier that way.” And if they couldn’t do it own their own, well an Omega level healer, even a failure of one like he was could help with that.

He wanted to protest that it wasn’t the same, what Lee had down was better somehow. But it wasn’t, and they both knew it. “I’m glad you protected each other. i’m glad you had each other.” He couldn’t imagine going through what they had, never mind alone.

He put his gloved hand over his cheek, blocking Leelocke’s finger. “Did what? Show you the kind of monster I really am? I’m glad they’re dead. They hurt you. They killed countless kids like us. And now they can’t hurt anyone.”

[thebabelfishboy]

Leelocke huffed, puffing his cheeks out before scowling. “You’re not a monster!” he practically vibrated in his seat, tucking his knee’s underneath himself as he leaned into Josh. “And you’re not gonna say it anymore.” If Warlock was banned from saying it around him, then so was Josh. 

“Don’t you get tired of being so…so awful to yourself?” He asked. “Punishing yourself for taking out actual monsters?” 

“You’re so smart, but you’re so stupid.” Leelocke had no filter, nothing telling him that maybe Josh didn’t want to hear this. “You-” He pointed a finger at him. “Are going to be amazing. But you’re only gonna be that if you stop thinking you’re a monster.”

[healingtheassassins]

“You don’t know everything I’ve done!” He protested as he leaned back over the arm of the couch. “But if you want, I won’t say it anymore.” It wouldn’t be any less true, even if he didn’t say it.

Josh gave Leelocke a sad smile, why shouldn’t he be punished for the things he had done. “No one else will.”

“I’m not smart.” The words came out of his mouth automatically. He wasn’t, not really. Not like David had been. His eyes watched that the finger didn’t get too close. “And I’m not… I’d just fuck things up. I always do.”

[thebabelfishboy]

“You’re infuriating.” He huffed finally. “Even worse, you’re going to agree with me-us.” Leelocke frowned. “Just me.” He added under his breath as he glanced at his own knee’s. 

Finally he gave up and leaned against him, forgetting about Josh’s need for space. The room filled with silence that seem to stretch as the minutes ticked on. 

“...Rusty’s avoiding me.” He said, staring down at his knee’s before poking at a loose thread. “He was busy with classes when I-we came out of the medbay. Hasn’t spoken to me since I got here.”

[thebabelfishboy]

[ @fireinmyfists ]

He hasn’t seen Rusty since he got out of the hospital wing of the Jean Grey School. Even then he was mostly unconscious, body trying to recover and becoming used to his new shape. 

This new shape was currently trying to wear a hole in his Nana’s carpet as he paced back and forth. 

Leeland loved Rusty. Leelocke didn’t. Or at least, he didn’t love him in the way that he did when he was two separate people. And that hurt. What would happen when he was two separate people again? Would he still love him or was it lost?

Fretting, he stared out of the front window hoping he would turn up soon. 

[firefisting-deactivated20181228]

Rusty would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been avoiding the apartment all day. Today was the day that Lee–Leelocke–was coming home. He had been in his classroom when Leelocke was let out of the medbay, and had been very conspicuously busy when he walked past the room. 

He probably wasn’t going to be winning boyfriend of the year anytime soon. 

Taking a deep breath, Rusty pushed the door to the apartment open. Leelocke was pacing in the center of the room. He swallowed heavily. “Hey.”

[thebabelfishboy]

Leelocke hadn’t expected his stomach to lurch the way it had when the apartment door was opened. His foot paused mid step in his pacing, only to land with a soft thud that seemed louder than anticipated. 

“...Hi.” He said, surprised that his voice hadn’t caught in his throat but after that he couldn’t find any other words to say. ‘i missed you’ seemed hollow and almost a little like guilt tripping. Rusty had been busy with his class and his squad and it wasn’t as if it was Leeland unconscious in the medbay. It wasn’t Rusty’s fault and yet...

“I-we didn’t know when you’d be back.” One of the many cats in the apartment bumped into Rusty’s leg, purring as she wound around.

[peetamellarkthebaker]

I chose to love you in silence, for in silence I found no rejection. I chose to love you in my dreams, for in my dreams you were only mine.

[thebabelfishboy]

Ports

[esperanzaling]

Lo siento, Leeland…but I promised to keep you alive.

Once she’d looked her fill, she gave a firm nod and closed her eyes. Someone passed her a piece of fabric, the gurney sheet that would be his shroud if he died on the table.They wouldn’t let her build them directly into his skin, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t build them better, build them warm.

It was what made them family – that alien steel, colder than ice but always warming to the touch. She cast the ports in titanium, wisps of metal blossoming from her hands as her powers devoured the fabric sheet. Dark silver from every angle, a color that never suited them, but would make the scientists nod at its utilitarian make. But the inside was a toxic breath of transmode, gold and pulsing at her touch, wrapping itself in that earthly cloak of titanium.

It was all she could do – plant a seed within the torment, that someday she could pull the foreign metal from his skin and knit him back together.

She left them on a tray by Leeland’s gurney and pointedly held out her hands for the cuffs.

[thebabelfishboy]

“...A-aint no s-sorry, Hope.” He muttered quietly, wanting to smile. He wanted-no, needed-He needed to reassure her. It was his fault she was in this mess and it would be his fault if she didn’t get out. 

Andrews motioned for Esperanza to be cuffed again, a smile on his lips as he moved over to examine her work. 

“...Good.” He said, not touching them but his hands twitched like he wanted to. “Very good.”

Leeland’s shoulders had started to shake, arms tight around the gurney. His breathing picked up, knowing what was going to come. This was how his stuttering started. This was how it all started and he couldn’t stop the shaking. All he had before was Locke, but now he didn’t even have him. He had Esperanza and he couldn’t even look at her. 

“...D-Don’t.” His voice felt small, even to him. “P-please d-don’t.”

Andrews demeanour changed, losing the pleased smile. Moving, he came to stand in front of Leeland, close enough to grab his chin. It wasn’t a harsh grab but the boy flinched. 

“Do you want to die, 42?”

There was a pause before Leeland let out a ragged breathe and he tried to shake his head. 

“Then be quiet and behave. I thought you weren’t a child anymore.” 

[thebabelfishboy]

Ports

[thebabelfishboy]

“It was quite handy we stumbled across you when we did.” Andrew smiled and procured a file from his clipboard. “No electronics, you understand.” He said, holding it for her to see. 

Someone came and unlocked the shackles from her wrists and ankles and Andrews held the file out for her. 

“You make them, we’ll insert them. Then we can hopefully get our machine powered up and 42 won’t, hopefully, die.”

[esperanzaling]

Esperanza rubbed at her wrists for a moment before reluctantly reaching out for the blueprint. It was…vaguely comprehensible. She hated herself for having studied enough to actually know what they were asking, the way the pieces would fit.

“…Can you let me see his back?” she asked quietly. It wasn’t a trick. Even if she did touch him, she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do for him. All she could do was make it….painless. “I need a better idea of size. I can’t make it as exact as the blueprint, I go by intuition.”

[thebabelfishboy]

Andrews regarded her for a moment before motioning towards Leeland. The people who had been at his back stepped away, their plastic aprons and gloves smeared with the boys blood. 

Leeland had grown quiet, arms clinging to the upright gurney he was strapped on. The old ports that perforated the middle of his back had been removed, leaving painful scar tissue that would heal tighter than it had done before.  

[nottheteamsociopath]

“Looking for something?” Tommy gave him a grin. “How about we go get some coffee?”

“Yick.” The speedster’s tounge went out, his nose scruching up. “Want me to go explode the place for you? I can tell you from experience that seeing a place like that razed to the ground is very satisfying.”

[thebabelfishboy]

Leeland blew out a breathe. “C-Coffee sounds g-good.” He nodded before glancing down at him, head tilted to the side. After a moment, he shook his head. 

“N-No. It...It’s g-gone. We-They all m-made sure it was gone.” 

[thebabelfishboy]

[ @fireinmyfists ]

He hasn’t seen Rusty since he got out of the hospital wing of the Jean Grey School. Even then he was mostly unconscious, body trying to recover and becoming used to his new shape. 

This new shape was currently trying to wear a hole in his Nana’s carpet as he paced back and forth. 

Leeland loved Rusty. Leelocke didn’t. Or at least, he didn’t love him in the way that he did when he was two separate people. And that hurt. What would happen when he was two separate people again? Would he still love him or was it lost?

Fretting, he stared out of the front window hoping he would turn up soon. 

[doctormadamemcsplode-deactivate]

@thebabelfishboy

“You’re a cute potato, though.”

[thebabelfishboy]

“That’s better. Still haven’t progressed on from potato though...”

[healingtheassassins]

“It’s one you’ve never actually used, It’s as good a new one.” He reached out to pat Leelocke’s knees but pulled back. “You’ll split to Lee and Locke again then. If you’re happier that way.” And if they couldn’t do it own their own, well an Omega level healer, even a failure of one like he was could help with that.

He wanted to protest that it wasn’t the same, what Lee had down was better somehow. But it wasn’t, and they both knew it. “I’m glad you protected each other. i’m glad you had each other.” He couldn’t imagine going through what they had, never mind alone.

He put his gloved hand over his cheek, blocking Leelocke’s finger. “Did what? Show you the kind of monster I really am? I’m glad they’re dead. They hurt you. They killed countless kids like us. And now they can’t hurt anyone.”

[thebabelfishboy]

Leelocke huffed, puffing his cheeks out before scowling. “You’re not a monster!” he practically vibrated in his seat, tucking his knee’s underneath himself as he leaned into Josh. “And you’re not gonna say it anymore.” If Warlock was banned from saying it around him, then so was Josh. 

“Don’t you get tired of being so...so awful to yourself?” He asked. “Punishing yourself for taking out actual monsters?” 

“You’re so smart, but you’re so stupid.” Leelocke had no filter, nothing telling him that maybe Josh didn’t want to hear this. “You-” He pointed a finger at him. “Are going to be amazing. But you’re only gonna be that if you stop thinking you’re a monster.”

[thebabelfishboy]

“They decided they hated me before they even met me.”

“Well that’s their loss then, isn’t it. Want me to teleport them into the sea for you?”

[thebabelfishboy]

“I bet you five dollars she’s going to get tackled before this season ends.”

“Well they’ve been building up to it. Locke says pass the popcorn.”

[thebabelfishboy]

“I didn’t steal your boyfriend, he just came to his senses.” I'M SORRY LMAO

“Well boyfriend stealers don’t get to share in tubs of ice-cream. Because you don’t know how to share!”

// NO YOU’RE NOT

[thebabelfishboy]

“I don’t bet on the lives of my teammates.”

“I still can’t believe they asked you to do that. I mean, do they know you?”

[doctormadamemcsplode-deactivate]

“I look like a rotten potato.”

“No you don’t! Just like a regular potato.”

[thebabelfishboy]

“A regular rotten potato.” 

[ribbonsandbo]

Bo turned her head to follow Leeland. “Mama can do that and she not drive. I like the car because it so much fun to go in. I think Locke like going in car with me, does he like fast too?”

[thebabelfishboy]

“Locke l-loves going f-fast.” He grinned and the little sphere beeped in response before tapping on the steering wheel with an inpatient nodule. “Ok.” Leeland said. “You c-can drive t-to the end of th-the hall and back. I’ll w-wait here.” 

[thebabelfishboy]

“How about ten dollars?”

“One day I’m gonna teach you to steal like a real thief.”

[flockleads]

“THINGS REAL CHEERLEADERS ACTUALLY SAY BUT YOU’LL NEVER HEAR IN THE MOVIES” STARTERS

“I can almost smell the testosterone.”

“I hate this uniform more than I hate frizzy hair.”

“Spray your perfume one more time, I dare you.”

“Fear the spirit.”

“I just want to go home.”

“When I walked in the band hall everyone shrank away from me like I was going to eat them.”

“Does anyone actually shave the backs of their thighs?”

“Is she still engaged?”

“I look like a rotten potato.”

“I got really drunk and invented a new dance move, and now people are doing it and naming it after me.”

“You’re the bane of my perky existence.”

“Get me Starbucks or I gut you.”

“Can punches with pom-poms still give black eyes? You’re about to find out.”

“High school is hell, so we might as well sell our souls to the devil.”

“GOD FUCKING ASSHAT JERKHOLE DOUCHE DAMMIT!”

“They only talk about Naked palettes and Kendra Scott earrings and Lily Pulitzer dresses and other shit no one gives a fuck about.”

“Cheerleaders aren’t really that bad, they’re just living up to you expectations.”

“It takes skill to giggle and smile and shout for a team that loses zero to seventy-two.”

“She’s like the cheerleader Antichrist. The anticheerleader.”

“I’M IN THE WRONG FUCKING LANE!”

“My parents told me I had to take karate lessons or drive a massive truck. Get in, loser, we’re going to the game.”

“I’m going to shove my poms so far up your ass you’ll be shitting glitter for the next two decades.”

“They decided they hated me before they even met me.”

“I didn’t steal your boyfriend, he just came to his senses.”

“We don’t have that much drama, our drama’s just way more entertaining.”

“I bet you five dollars she’s going to get tackled before this season ends.”

“I don’t bet on the lives of my teammates.”

“How about ten dollars?”

“You’ve got a deal.”

“If she’s captain next year, I’m rioting.”

“She’s everything I hate in a cute little giggly package.”