3/12 Instance: Moral Gay Areas

[tears~fall~like~glass]

Timeline: After Unexplained



<Paige> The fight with Rachel had not gone very well. Once Rachel had left, Paige had fallen getting out of the bathtub, cutting her hand on the broken wineglass she landed on. After dressing herself in her bathrobe and wrapping her hand in a towel, Paige carefully made her way toward the medlab, still crying.

<Mayday> Mayday Parker skipped down the corridor, happy as could possibly be - and such was clear on her smiling face - as she was on her way back up to her room from her late afternoon studying. The sound of someone crying got her attention, making her wander after the source.

<Mayday> "P-Professor Guthrie?", she stammered, jogging over to the woman on her way in the opposite direction. The sight of blood made Mayday gasp, "What happened!? A-are you alright!?"

<Paige> Mayday was not the last person Paige wanted to see, but she had hoped to make it to the medlab on her own. The sight of the little redhead's face would have sent her to tears if she hadn't already been crying. She just shook her head no, only able to answer the final question asked of her.

<Paige> She tried to calm herself down enough to explain. "H-h-h-ad a fight."

<Mayday> The words sent a million possible scenarios through Mayday's head - rumors about Kraven was scratched off instantly: no way would Paige be standing here if that was true. Not without an arrow sticking out and an angry Darren Kent shooting lasers through the window (the thought made her smirk a little). Which left....not many other possibilities. Unless...

<Mayday> "D-did Rachel do this?", Mayday looked completely stunned, snapping to attention and going to Paige's side, "I can carry you, come on...", she didn't wait to lift her teacher up into her arms, "...that augmented strength...", she managed in a breath.

<Paige> Once in the air, Paige forgot about her hand. She latched onto Mayday, wrapping her arms around her and shutting her eyes tight. Nope she wouldn't look down at the floor, nope! "I...I... fell..." she protested the accusation.

<Mayday> Mayday carried her to the stairwell, sighing at her response, "...you know, one time in high school we watched a video documentary about domestic abuse and the most commonly used excuse is 'I fell down'.", she grimaced - surely Rachel hadn't seriously attacked her? Asking felt wrong, but if that was the reaction, "....Profe-...Paige, seriously.", she started walking down the stairs, careful with her injured rescuee.

<Paige> She physically winced at those words of domestic abuse. "I know far too much about the subject. Rachel left. I fell," she told Mayday softly. She kept her eyes closed firmly, hoping they'd arrive soon.

<Mayday> Humming a reply, Mayday couldn't help but feel like she'd kicked a landmine into a nun there, "I-I'm sorry, I j-....", biting her tongue, she decided to remain quiet. If she'd learned one thing from the disaster with Sue and Cassie, it was that she was no wordsmith.

<Mayday> Moments passed in silence until they made it down to the basement level, Mayday quietly carrying Paige into the medlab, casting an unconscious glance over to where Jason stayed before carting her own wounded party to a spare bed, "I guess Dr. McCoy's out for the moment.", she commented, resting Paige gently down.

<Paige> She nodded a bit, daring to peek her eyes open when she felt the softness of the bed beneath her. "He shouldn't be long... I hope." Paige glanced over to Mayday, then carefully went to peek at her bloody hand under the towel. She wined and closed the towel again, pressing down on it. "Or I can do this... Can you bring me some alcohol, a needle and thread, and some tweezers."

<Mayday> "Oh...oh God no.", Mayday shuddered, with a wry little smile on her face, "I'll take care of it, ok? You need to take a moment to lie back and compose yourself.", she slipped her backpack off and rested it beside the bed before hopping away, returning with a first aid kit,

<Paige> Paige flailed at that idea, scooting back a bit. "I... was a field medic. And in another life, training to be a pediatrician. I'll be fine." She was Mayday's sewing teacher... where was Hank!?

<Mayday> Sighing, Mayday shook her head, "I'm not gonna stitch your hand, Paige...", she assured her, "I'm gonna clean the wound and bind it until I can find the Doctor.", she gave Paige a blank look, "I know I'm not exactly gonna be weaving any gold, 'Rumplestiltskin' style, but you're in no position to stitch your own hand."

<Paige> Well she couldn't argue that. Relenting, Paige sighed and nodded, sniffling a bit. "Thank you... sorry."

<Mayday> Mayday shrugged it off, opening the box and laying it beside the bed, "It's not a problem at all.", she assured Paige with a smile, removing some wipes from their packaging and gently reaching for her hand, "I'll be gentle, ok?"

<Paige> "Okay." Paige sniffled again, but let Mayday take her hand. "We had a stupid fight."

<Mayday> Removing the blood-stained covering, Mayday set it to one side, wiping the blood clean from her hand, "Yeah...parents are not easy to deal with, hm?", she didn't think twice about omitting the details about meeting the Storms, "Sorry, that's....assuming it was because of meeting parents....was it?"

<Paige> "No... She and Rogue came in while I was in the music room. And Rogue was saying something that was hard to follow, but basically I think the gist was a threat if I was mean to Rachel. And she made a comment about how she was happy for us once she got used to the idea. So she wasn't at first. And I'm supposed to be all happy that she's come around? I just don't understand. And Rachel just stood there and didn't say anything."

<Mayday> "....huh.", Mayday finished cleaning the injury and reached for a compress, placing it over it, "Hold that down a second.", she instructed, going into the box to find some bandages and placing the bloodied wipes into a bin, "So er....basically she was awkward about you two being gay together.", she nodded, "W-well....y'came across pretty weird with me a month or so back yourself, to be honest..."

<Paige> Blinking in confusion, Paige looked up at Mayday's face. "I did? I'm really sorry for that, May... Never want to make you feel weird."

<Mayday> Mayday shook her head, "It's ok, really.", she smiled, "I....guess I can see that it'd be strange for you, given your...you know, how you've probably lived so religiously.", she shrugged, "It's kind of a grey area for people I guess, but....I know you probably didn't mean it.", she nodded.

<Mayday> "As for Rogue....", she shrugged, "...well, she...can have a way of coming across kinda badly. From what you said that....sounds kinda accurate."

<Paige> "I'm not even sure what I said, but I'm really sorry. My family is very religious.. and this is all... I don't even know. I'm still processing it, if that makes sense... but I'm tired of our friends thinking we need their approval to be happy." She made a face in frustration as she tried to think. "And I don't mean you, since all you've done is be helpful and wonderful. So thank you."

<Mayday> Wrapping up her hand, Mayday giggled a little at her, "I-It's fine, really! But I agree with you, your 'friends' need to step off.", she frowned a little - one thing she could say is that her own friends had been fantastic when she'd 'come out', as it were - with a little hum of approval, she finished a small knot in the bandage, "There we go, all fixed for now. How's your head?"

<Paige> "It hurts a little... I think I may have bumped it? Do I look bad?! How is my hair?!" Paige frantically moved her uninjured hand to her hair.

<Mayday> Mayday raised her hands to intercept the possible flailing, "It's fine! Everything's fine, calm down!", she laughed, "You have bath hair, but it's no big - once you've been checked over you can go and have another relax, hm?", she offered as a suggestion, "Where does it hurt?"

<Paige> Catching her breath, Paige nodded a bit, then touched her temple. "Here..."

<Mayday> Inspecting the area, Mayday smiled and shook her head, "It's just a little bruising, d'you want some ice for it? You're not dizzy or anything, right? Tired or...?"

<@Paige> "I was tired before I fell, so I think I'm ok... some ice would be really great though." She tried a smile for Mayday's sake.

<Mayday> With a little thumbs-up, the younger redhead poked into the medical box again, cracking the solution inside the ice pack and shaking it a little bit. She placed it in Paige's good hand, "You apply this, and I will fetch the doctor. Oh! And....is it worth me talking to Rach? Like, to let her know you're down here?"

<@Paige> The smile fell immediately. "I... don't really know." She pressed the ice pack to her head and stared at the floor.

<Mayday> "Wanna leave it to me? I have a way with the ladies, after all.", Mayday joked, resting a hand on Paige's shoulder, "She'll be worried about you."

<@Paige> "She called me a bitch. I don't think she'll care right now.... but thank you, May." She was still unable to make eye contact with the little redhead.

<Mayday> Mayday shook her, "Hey...people say things when they're upset that they don't mean, but that doesn't mean that they don't love each other.", her expression became more gentle, "I...thought I'd lost Sue forever, but all it took was a few kind words and we're back together. And I thought I was in love with another girl - trust me, a grilling from her bros? No way does she hate you."

<@Paige> "She didn't even really say anything... I don't know what to think now. But you are welcome to try." Please try.

<Mayday> "I got it.", Mayday affirmed, patting her shoulder and stepping away towards the medbay door, "I'll send McCoy and be right back, ok?", she waved.

<@Paige> Paige smiled softly at her, finally looking up. "Thank you, Mayday."

<Mayday> Shrugging, Mayday rested her hands behind her head, "Aaah, there's no need, really. Just don't poke through my bag, ok?", she winked, before skipping off on her merry way.

<@Paige> Paige eyed that bag. She wondered what could be in it that she wouldn't want to see... but then she realized she didn't want to see it. She shuddered and laid back on the bed.