8/12 Instance: Drugged into Submission

[puppygirl]

Timeline - Before 'Meet The Parents: The Usual Suspects'

The blur that was Adam solidified to a stop in front of Raven's door. He would have preferred to have gone to Jason - Raven scared him a little with her 'ice-queen' outer layer but she was still nice and the only Brotherhood member he trusted at the school. Drawing in a deep breath and wiping his eyes, he knocked at her door, trying not to sniffle.

Raven looked up from her copy of the financial times, someone was comming to see her? "Enter."

The door opened to admit a blur, shut and Adam was leaning against it, shaking a little, gloved hand rubbing his nose. "I-I've got a problem." He swallowed heavily. Damnit, he should have bandaged his arms before coming here, there was still blood smeared down them from the new cuts, the self-harm worse than it had been before he came here.

Raven took in his disheveled appearence, the bloody cuts on his arms and the tear stained face and sighing inwardly snapped her magazine closed, "So I see."

"I-I started the thing with JP..." He swallowed. "Got him angry enough that he th-threw a pan of rice at me and...used that on Eddie, think he believes me...so it's started..." He drew in a half-sob. "I can't do this, Raven! JP is - was - my ex and my best friend, he might end up being...being blamed for the murder!"

Oh dear ... it was time for Jason's magic pill again. She put on a face of mild concern, "Oh dear, that does sound frightful, take a seat," she indicated her room mates bed, "I'll just go and get you a glass of water, you voice sounds strained."

"...Thanks." He did sit, rubbing his hands together. "It's just...I-I can't do this, I keep telling people I'm not an asshole but I keep...I keep making things worse for everyone..."

Ronnie siezed a glass from her bedside table and went into the bathroom, filling the glass and checking that Adam couldn't see her she retrieved the stash of pills from where she'd hidden them behind the cistern and crushed one into the water, tutting as she did so, "I know, I know my dear, it certainly seems that way, but when one if fighting for higher ideals one must try and rise above these feelings," she returned to the room and handed him the water.

"Now then," she returned to her seat and tried to look maternal, "drink your water and tell me all about it."

"I can't. I can't do it this time. Who cares how much bigger than me all this is when I'm watching myself fuck over my friends?" He took a deep drink of the water, barely noticing the chemical taste of it any more. "I can't have JP take my blame for something I did, it's not f-fair..."

"My dear boy, you can't argue with what is in his past," Ronnie shook her head, "if we were able to find it, the police surely will too, and it would all come out in the end."

"Yes, but I didn't have to do it like that! Raven, I've lost my best friend - what's going to happen when he finds out why I did it? Oh god..." Adam finished the water and put his head in his hands, trying desperately hard not to sob in front of her. "An-and getting Eddie to take my side...I've lost them both and...and it's going to fuck everything up..."

He shook his head. "I can't do this any more. I can't be like this. The Brotherhood was...I thought it was for me but it's not, I'm not supposed to be a murderer or manipulating my friends for this! Humans are shits for what they do but doing this to other mutants? To my friends? This wasn't in the contract!"

"They're not going to find out why," Raven soothed, resisting the urge to grit her teeth, "and given the passage of time I'm sure Jean-Paul will come to forgive you for your accusation, things are tense here at the moment, there are many stories circulating," she willed the pills to work quicker, "our intention is not to put others in prision after all," she lied, "just to keep the X-Men too busy with in-fighting to come after us."

"He won't, h-he...he's good at holding grudges...no, I need to come clean, I need to apologise to him and Eddie. This isn't fair, this isn't a game we can play - someone might tell the police, Raven, or decide to play vigilante like the Brotherhood!" He started to feel oddly woozy, like he'd pushed himself too hard.

"I'm sure Mr. Martin is a bigger man than that, no one can blame you for being paranoid after all, give it time, time heals all wounds," she soothed, "no one else knows about us, they only suspect, no one is going to tell the police, we just need to watch out for each other, we are Brotherhood after all, just stay cool and come to myself or Jason when you need to, we're here for you Adam."

He wished she had a scent to back up what she was saying. Drawing in a dry sob, he shook his head. "I-I can't...it's too much, Raven..." But he didn't sound quite so sure of himself. "It's the guilt...I don't want to have to do this to people, not to other mutants...no one suspects me anyway, can't we just leave it?"

"You know we can't," Raven said, feigning sadness, "sometimes we have to do horrid things in order for the greater good, but trust me, in the years to come all your friends will thank you for what you did," she smiled at him.

"So long as they're not all in prison." But the tears had stopped, gloved fingers going over the new cuts. "When's this going to stop? I-I don't want to have to do this again, I won't have any friends left, just the Brotherhood..." He rocked a little, eyes going vague.

"They won't be, no one is going to prison, Jason and I will stop it before it gets that far," she kept up the soothing tone, "and you're being melodramatic, true friends will always forgive you no matter what."

"I-I am?" The drug he'd unknowingly taken was starting to work its magic on the unstable mutant, unfocused blue eyes meeting hers. "I-I just...you promise me, Raven? I don't want anyone suffering for what I did..."

"I promise Adam, you just keep on doing your good work and come back to me if you start to feel panicy again," she gave him a warm smile, "Jason and I will stop it from getting out of hand, you trust us after all, right?"

"O-of course." He smiled, completely open. "So...I shouldn't go to see JP? You'll look after him, right? A-and he won't hate me forever? Everything'll be okay?"

"I will take care of Jean-Paul, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine, right now I think you should go back to your room, spend some time with your rabbit and maybe have a nap, you look worn out."

Adam nodded a little dully. "Maybe you're right, I should. I-I haven't slept for a while...but I feel tired now, and I haven't fed Bit yet..." He stood, swaying gently. "I won't go and see JP yet, then, if you don't think it's a good idea." He rubbed an eye. "I'll see you later, Raven."

"See you Adam, take care," she gave him a friendly wave.

Adam ducked out of the room, not feeling steady enough for his usual speed but feeling a lot better about the whole thing. He even managed a smile as he got back to his room, ducking into the bathroom to clean up before falling into his bed. Yeah...nothing to worry about. Totally.

Ronnie watched him leave, the friendly smile falling from her face once he was out of the room. Picking up her magazine she started to flick through it again, Bloody idiots.