31/8 Instance: Pink Bedfellows

[puppygirl]

Timeline - After 'Brotherly Trust'

A bright pink circle appeared in the wall of the room and after a few moments a battered and beaten Blink stepped through, her costume a little worse for the wear ... okay, so next time check they don't have back up around the corner with baseball bats! She had two things on her mind, shower and bed ... she'd let the Martin's she'd arrived in the morning. Groaning a little in protest she started to strip as she made her weary way to the bathroom, pretty confident neither of them would be up this time of night ...

There was a lump in the bed, gently humming like a quiet motor or an especially pleased cat under layers of blankets that slightly vibrated. Jean-Paul grumbled into his curled deeper into his bed and pillow, sleeping as well as he could manage.

Clarice froze at the sound, her tabard-dress-top-thing halfway over her head ... there was someone else in the room? A burgaler? She yanked a crystal out of the quiver that she'd dropped to the floor and held it infront of her like a sword ... She was in no mood to tustle however, it was ... comming from the bed? She crept closer, silent as a ninja, and in the pale pink glow she startled when she saw the face on the pillow, "... Jean-Paul!?"

"Huh? Wha? Oh Jesus!" Jean-Paul was up against the wally away from whoever it was creeping up on him, blinking blearily and looking confused as it slowly registered that someone familiar was in his bedroom at home. "Clarice?"

"Jean-Paul!" She forgot herself and jumped at him, wrapping him in a tight hug, then winced as her back cracked, "Argh! Owchies .... How're you? What're you doing here?"

" 'm sleepin' what are you..." He took a moment in the hug, looking her over at the 'owchies'. "You've gotten yourself beaten up pretty bad this time, what happened?"

Clarice grinned as she backed away slightly, still hugging him, "He had friends is what happened, it's okay, nothing a few days rest won't fix ... you should have seen the other guys though."

"I'm sure you gave the a great deal of what-for." He nodded and had a bit of a chuckle, patting her back carefully. "Been a while, huh?"

"Not since New York, Northstar," her grin widened as she let him go, "That's such an awesome name by the way! Did you come up with it?"

"No, I'm afraid not, the school sort of 'assigns' names." He laughed at the memory though. "Yeah, that was a bit messed up...Swear we really weren't doing anything."

"Oh I trust you, I know ... umm ... sorry for like ... attacking your friends though ... adrenaline and stuff ... y'know?" She blushed a deeper pink, "Um ... mind if I sit down, I feel kinda sore?"

"Yeah, yeah, have a seat." He got up enough to make room for Clarice. "Glad you still come here."

"Your aunt and uncle are such nice people," Clarice smiled, "they uh ... let me use your bed while you were gone ... is that okay?" She started to peel off her gloves, revealing the improvised armoured bracer made out of metal rods tied around her arm, "So how come you're here? Just visiting or has school finished early?"

"That's no problem at all." He shook his head, smiling at the question. "Nobody else is using it more often than not, it's yours." He frowned a bit as he looked over Clarice's new gear. "Well...no...school's still going on." Jean-Paul sighed, looking down. "The Brotherhood stuff...it's sort of really messed things up there."

Clarice started to unwrap her improvised armour, catching the frown, "These have saved me from broken arms when people attack me with things like swords and bats," she winced a little as she caught a bruise, but buised was better than broken! "Yeah, I've heard about that ... well duh, who hasn't ... kinda why I've been staying away from New York, I don't wanna get sucked into it ... also I figured that the X-men had it all under control and didn't need the Astounding Blink!"

She dropped the armour on top of her gloves and toed off her boots, curling her feet up onto the bed, "... Though I detect from that big sigh that stuff really is getting messed up," she put her arm around his waist and pulled him into a quick side hug, "Wanna talk about it?"

"We don't know who's in...and we're a really big part of the city's mutant population and part of the few that saw how Sammy was murdered...so people are really suspicious." He sighed, gladly taking the side hug.

"You're smart for staying away. One of the people at school found out about my arrest from our 'first team-up' and, well, lets just say they have enough coincidences with me being at both scenes and with that to assume that I'm part of the Brotherhood."

"What!?" Clarice squeaked, completly forgetting about sleeping parental figures, "b-but that wasn't your fault! You didn't know what you were doing and when you did you stopped it! doesn't the fact that we saved the city from the crazy guy with the bomb count for anything!?" She didn't believe Jean-Paul would ever get involved with that sort of thing, "You were just ... misguided, those people are evil! You're not evil!"

"People at the school are scared. Pretty much nobody is being given a full benefit of doubt." He paused, listening to see if the rest of the house had heard that squeak but apparently they were too used to the noises of him being around to register the squeak. "Nobody's really interested in the explanation. The fact it happened is sort of enough for some."

"But some of us were down after the Registration Headquarters bombing cleaning up and people just wouldn't stop. I walked off of the site."

More side hugs, "That sounds so horrible," she gave him a sad look, "So you ... walked off and just didn't go back?"

"Well, I run down to the city. I run in to check on Jeanne-Marie but I make sure I don't see anyone, try to go see Reed at his work but I'd been avoiding most everyone else. I met up with Jay tonight though because we have a sort of hero-humanitarian thing we do together, very secretive...and there were a bunch of fires being set where we were supposed to do this."

"One of my other friends found us while he was looking for the arsonist and thought it was Brotherhood and thought we were the ones doing it."

The names (apart from Jeanne-Marie) meant nothing to her but that didn't really effect her horror at the story, "Your friend thought that it was you!?" She gaped, green eyes wide, "Just 'cos you were in the neighbourhood!?" Privately she figured they couldn't be much of a friend if they did that, this called for an upgrade from hugs to cuddles! "Oh that sucks so hard, I'm so sorry Jean-Paul ..."

Cuddles, as it turned out, were quite all right. Jean-Paul let his eyes go closed and did his best to relax. "Practically everyone thinks someone is doing something. I know I look damned suspicious though so I can't really blame the people assuming I'm in."

"They should know better if they're your friends though .... I mean, I know I assumed the worst when we met but you were actually doing something illegal," as cuddles were well recieved she contined, trying not to drift off into happy pink cloud day-dream land, "... Though if you've like ... run away I guess that would just make you look bad?" she fretted.

"I all ready looked bad. At least this way when things come out I can go back with people still relatively my friends instead of having huge fights with them and people getting hurt because of them. Makes more sense this way."

"... I guess that kinda makes sense ... I guess you're still friendly with Jay and ... Reed?" She wasn't too sure of the names, "They believe that you're innocent, right?"

He nodded. "Jay's my roommate, good guy, Reed's my boyfriend. He does a lot to keep me calm but I just had to get out of there for now."

"... Boyfriend?" The happy pink clouds of day-dream land were blown away by a sudden gust of Yay, "You have a boyfriend!? Awesome! And he can keep you calm, so sounds like a good boyfriend to me ... at least you have three ... five people who know you're innocent then for sure, huh?"

"Yeah, have a boyfriend, a good boyfriend." He grinned, quite happy and now distracted with thoughts of Reed, a quick twinge of guilt for not being down there. "Yeah, I do have people who know me well enough that it's not everyone giving me bad side-eye."

"It's just the people who are that's making you not want to be there," Clarice nodded, "Yeah, I can see why you'd feel like that was tarnishing your karma ... but anyways, tell me about Reed, that's kinda a funny name, don't normally see boys with plant names."

"He is brilliant." Jean-Paul grinned wider. "You've no idea how brilliant, absolutely the smartest person I know." He slumped against Clarice, carefully but still definitely a slump. "He's a bit...sheltered about some things but that must means he gets to learn all sorts of things I've taken for granted growing up."

"All the wonderful things you get to show him first hand, huh?" She giggled, letting him slump against her without a complaint, "Does he make confused face a lot?"

"Yeah, the confused face comes up once in a while, definitely." That earned a laugh actually. "He's really good, you'd like him."

"I'd like to meet him," she laughed as well, "Mostly so I can check he's good enough for you, that's what best friends do right?"

"Yeah, that's what you do all right. You should definitely come down and visit when things calm down...actually, when things calm down you should come to the school."

"Well duh, I'll have to come down to see you ..." a few seconds later a light dawned behind her bright eyes, "... Oooh ... you mean to like ... um ... study?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean...yeah, right now I'm not having the best of times but normally? Normally it's fantastic."

"Even with all those people being mean to you and thinking you're a murderer?" Clarice pulled her hair band out and scratched at the back of her head before letting her head flop down to rest on top of Jean-Paul's, "I dunno ..."

"Well, no need in coming now...maybe after summer?"

Clarice blushed a little in embaressment, "I dunno ... with all the moving from home to home school ... didn't really happen when I was a kid, I mean I can do basic reading and math and stuff but college? Won't they all think I'm dumb? I know that super-rude cat girl probably will."

'No, no, you'd do fine...and if she or anyone else is rude you can port them through to somewhere else." Jean-Paul assured her, giving a good laugh. "You'd do fine, I know you would."

"Wouldn't I get in trouble for porting people who arn't criminals though? I remember how un-fun detention was," she fretted slightly.

"It's college, there aren't really detentions." That earned a pat on the head. "And it's not hurting them, just putting them somewhere where they can't bother you."

"... I guess you gotta point," Clarice admitted, looking thoughtful, "I guess I'll think about it, goodness knows that it'd be nice to see you more often!" Another spontainious side hug, "And I can kick the butt of all the people who are being mean too you too! ... Or at least port them up a tree right?" She giggled again, tucking her hair behind an ear, "Though from what I've seen of you on TV you don't need anyone to kick butt for you."

"You've been following me, have you?" Jean-Paul couldn't resist it, he preened. "I do have a bit of a following it turns out. I'm a big fan of me as well."

"Of course! You're my friend, I like seeing my friend on TV, up untill the point they ask me to leave the store anyways," she giggled, "I guess I can't be your biggest fan 'cos you are right? With Reed a close second? The question is do I out rank your aunt and uncle in the fanclub?"

"Oh I never even thought about rankings as far as my fans go...Maybe I should have everyone wrestle for it or something, no idea how to sort you all. I'm sure you're high up the list anyway." He smiled proudly. Yes, he had fans. "Just think, if you did come to the school you can watch you on television uninterrupted."

Clarice blushed hard at that, "Me on the television?" She thought about the Amazing Blink on everyone's TV's across America ... wait a second, "Hey! If I'm on TV then maybe my parents might see it and then they'll know where I am!?" She exclaimed gleefully.

"That's right!" Jean-Paul esclaimed right with her, laughing, then falling silent to listen to make sure they hadn't woken up his aunt and uncle this time. "Yes, it could work. It really could."

"And I'm like ... the right age and everything ... maybe it's karma, huh?" She went to bounce and twinged painfully, so settled for another hug.

"You need to rest if you're going to heal any, you know. I've probably unburdened on you enough, yeah?" She got the hug though.

"Yeah, I know, I was just so happy to see you again!" She climbed back up to her feet, "I'll go grab the pjs I stashed here and hit the couch then ... hey, tomorrow do you wanna like ... do anything, even if it's just hang out here or go for a walk?"

"Couch, pfft, you can stay in here." He waved that suggestion away. "We're definitely going to be hanging out tomorrow, have a nice day and relax."

"With you? Arn't you afraid of catching cooties?" She gave him a humour-filled look, "Or are you being a gentleman and sleeping on the couch yourself?"

"I'm immune, don't worry." He waved the concerns away, smirking.

And here came the happy pink clouds again ... Clarice was content in the knowledge that her little crush would come to nothing, and Jean-Paul was too good a friend for her to get upset about it, but she's take bed snuggles any day! "That's good to know," she giggled, "I promise I won't tell Reed about our night together either," she poked her tounge out at him, "I'll just go get changed then."

[Starfish]

So much for Clarice. Such a fun instance, you two!

[Chaos]

...Clarice is epic-ing up in this mo'fo', fo' sho'.