Swimming It Off

[François Laffont]

Sometimes, Franck wished he cared less about people. The drama he got himself involved into because of this... Not that he would ever complain, considering most of it was not happening to him but to his friends. Still, he had his share of drama as well and could seriously have a break of it. He thought he might have that with the Spring Break. He was obviously not counting any of Frank's crazy moment amongst the drama as it generally was just a bit of fun. The end of it promised to be great until Casper got hurt because of Artemis. He didn't blame the guy, he was certain it was an accident. But it was still some drama he got himself involved with by association.

Franck had nothing to do right now. His work was done, his father was not expecting him home and no friend or vague acquaintance came over to discuss how their lives were about to end. He finally had some ‘me’ time, a rare treat for the boy who intended to take advantage of this. There were just so many things going on around him, some of which affected him directly, and he wanted to stop thinking about it. The best way he found to stop thinking was to train so he headed towards the pool. Franck was good with water. He could have been a fish in another life. The activity will help get his mind off all the things happening.

He was still there, doing laps, when he noticed a dark spot above the water, indicating that someone, or people, showed up to the pool as well. He decided to ignore them however. He figured they were more likely here to swim or, at the very least, not here for him. Even if they were, Franck was determined to swim a certain amount of laps and would focus on them only after. Unless they tried to talk to him first, he supposed.

[Artemis James]

Swimming had never been Artemis's strongest attribute; It simply was something he wasn't really interested in. It did, however, generally include warm water, which was something he often found himself using to calm the ache in his shoulders and back. Being able to fly wasn't all it was cracked up to be... After a few days training, his muscles killed something awful.
This was one of those days; Demi was training him pretty hard... But there was improvement. His speed in flight had picked up, as well as his maneuverability. It was a small improvement, but one none the less.

He could barely bend over however currently without pain pulling at his poor back, gritting his teeth as he pulled a gym bag further up his shoulder from where it had slipped down. He had on his hoodie, the one he'd edited the back off to allow access to his wings if the need called, a shirt and jeans; His swimming attire was in the bag he carried.
Artemis opened the door to the pool area, blinking a moment as he looked over the clear water, spotting that he wasn't going to be alone. He recognised the guy as Franck, the Frenchman who had helped raise his heavy heart during the cruise; The poor guy who was dating Jasper Emory. He appeared to be quite content swimming by himself, but none the less Artemis felt as though he needed to at least make himself known to the guy with a greeting. With a bright smile, he walked his way alongside the pool, putting his hands into his hoodie's front pocket as he did so. "... Mind if I join you?" Artemis spoke up when he was closer to the Frenchman; The pool was public access for the staff and students, but he felt as though if would be polite to ask the guy, since he looked so content by himself.

[François Laffont]

Franck had ambiguous feelings regarding Artemis. No doubt he still considered the boy as a friend, but the clear tension there was between him and his boyfriend Jasper made it pretty hard sometimes. The fact Artemis and him had similar personalities had him certain the boy never tried to intentionally hurt and nearly kill Casper. Still, Franck was caught between all of them and it was not a comfortable position. He liked Artemis and had no intention of stopping to see any of his friends just because two of them didn’t like each other but it hurt Franck to see them hate each other so much. Artemis was being more considerate whenever he spoke but that did not make it any easier. Franck always wished everyone could get along well, even though he knew it to be impossible.

Of course, when he recognized Artemis as the one who came here, he was both happy and apprehensive. As much as he knew the boy to be a good guy, he better not hope for Franck to plead in his favour because it was to fall in deaf ears. He’d rather avoid the topic of the twins at all if he could. He was hoping this was not something that would turn up but, at the same time, was pretty sure he would not be that lucky. “Of course. The pool is not mine and it is big enough,” he assured Artemis in his French accent, a smile showing up to greet the boy with.

“How have you been?” Franck asked as he swam closer to the edge of the pool, resting his arms on it as he looked up at the boy. He didn’t seem as much in a bad mood as he had been during the Spring Break but Franck started to think Artemis’ neutral emotion included a lot of sadness and pain.

[Artemis James]

When it came to how Artemis felt about Franck... Well, he felt he was a decent guy, a kind hearted soul who tried to lift his emotional burden despite it including his boyfriend. He was a rare one, and Artemis may have had little time to bond with him overall, and he still considered him a friend; He certainly held a high respect for him, and this was is central reasoning for not bringing up the twins in his presence. Artemis had no idea if Franck knew about the incident with Casper, but it was a fair assumption that Jasper had told him. Artemis... Truly hoped that Franck wouldn't want to discuss it. He'd apologised, granted it had been met with animosity and hate, but he'd apologised none the less, and he needed to just forget it as best he could and move on with his life. He had no intention of confronting the twins again, and certainly no intention of dealing with them at all if he could help it; Something he was certain they were perfectly happy with.
That however didn't mean he had to avoid Jasper's boyfriend, and he frankly didn't want to; There was no reason why he couldn't avoid the twins and still be friends with Franck.

Artemis gave the guy a polite nod, matching his smile with one of his own. "Just thought I'd make sure," He responded, before blinking as the guy swam closer, leaning against the pool's edge, asking him a further question; Artemis knew no matter how he responded, Franck would see past any falsity by sensing his emotions, and this made him a touch nervous... He didn't want to have to lie, especially when it would be pointless. With a slightly weak smile, Artemis dumped his gym bag on the floor, and with some effort due to his aching back settled himself down so he could better talk to the Frenchman. "... I'm okay," He spoke, bitting his bottom lip sadly as he averted his gaze from the other boy. "... As okay as I can be. But honestly, I don't want to drag you into all of my emotional baggage." He slowly looked back to Franck, offering him a warmer smile. "How about we just swim together and... Discuss happier topics then me?"

Artemis didn't want to ruin his day all over again; He must get it quite a lot, others coming to him with problems... Artemis didn't want to be another weight on the Frenchman's shoulders.

[François Laffont]

Franck knew that Jasper might not like for him to socialize with Artemis, but honestly, he didn’t care. He refused to believe the boy attacked Casper on purpose. He did not mean that Casper asked for it or anything but he liked to believe the boy was a lot like him and he knew he never would do this on purpose. Besides, Artemis did not hurt him personally. Sure, his lover and lover’s brother might not like him but he was not asking for them to love all of his friends. He saw no reason to erase Artemis of his life.

Asking how someone was, coming from Franck, might be pointless, but he liked to act as if he was just a regular guy and regular guys didn’t know right on the spot how one felt. Plus it was more polite to ask than simply state that he knew. And Franck was the polite kind. Still, Artemis looked in pain and he frowned slightly as he watched him settle down to talk to him. He could tell the boy felt bad s he said he was okay, making him almost miss the fact that he just talked to him. He did focus as he added more and gave him a soft smile as he nearly begged him not to discuss his case. “Sure. But are you alright? I mean physically, not emotionally,” he asked him. He noticed how it seemed painful to sit down and that certainly had nothing to do with any emotion weighing too much on him. He was fine with not mentioning anything of Artemis’ emotions but this was not it so he thought he could ask. Not to add that Franck was a little scared it might be the result of a beating from his boyfriend because of what happened with Casper. He was not naive to the point of thinking Jasper could not do that.

[Artemis James]

Artemis truly wanted to move on from what had happened. He wouldn't be surprised if Casper has spun some tale to Franck to make it seem as though he'd done it on purpose, or at least tried to portray him in a poorer light. Artemis however though didn't care much if he had or not; He was done with the Emorys, and had no intention of aggravating the situation between them any further... Lucy had been Artemis's catalyst for the confrontation in the first place, and she had since made it perfectly clear she wouldn't care less if he dropped dead tomorrow... Well, perhaps that was an extreme viewpoint, and deep down he still franticly believed that his sister was still in there somewhere; Perhaps he always would, no matter how many times she shoved him violently away.
Regardless, she had Taylor now. Artemis was still a little unsure about him, but at the very least he'd shown he intended to look after her, and Lucy was far more willing to allow the Irishman into her life then him.

Artemis looked at Franck after he spoke, and was thankful that he didn't seem interested in discussing what had happened on the cruise ship. He did however question the boy's physical wellbeing, and with that Artemis gave a sheepish smile. "I'm training with Demi, the girl who can move earth," He explained, not sure if Franck knew her, rolling his shoulders back and flinching a little from the ache it caused his muscles. He grinned at the Frenchman. "She's.. Kind of extreme with it, but I'm really enjoying myself. I'm improving my flight." He then paused a moment in thought, trying to remember if he'd ever told Franck what his mutation was; Since his could be hidden, it was one of the more subtle physical mutations. "Oh... I have wings, you see, so flying pretty much takes it out of my back." Franck would soon see when Artemis got changed for the pool, anyway... Even with his wings at rest, laid over the skin of his back and down the back of his legs, their veined membrane could clearly be seen.

[François Laffont]

Franck wished for as little details as possible about what happened. He knew it was mostly Artemis’ fault and what he did, hurting another student, even as an accident, was unacceptable. But he refused to think the boy did it on purpose. He was too much like him and Franck would never do that. In the end, Casper recovered. It was all Franck needed to know. Whatever that needed to be settled was not with him and he preferred not to be in the middle of this. He doubted the twins would understand that however so he preferred not to talk to them about Artemis. It was not like he was lying to them. He never said he would not see him anymore.

Franck nodded to Artemis’ explanation. He knew Demi. He was certain the girl hated him. She tended to bring the worst out of him. He did manage to find a softer spot of hers when they talked religion during the holidays but she remained one person in this girl he’d rather avoid. He did seem content with the training, despite how physically straining it appeared to be. He had no idea however that the boy could fly. He explained he had wings. Franck could take mutations easily but it was a little harder when it altered someone’s body. Wings, it was not natural. Not human. It just reminded him how he might not be entirely human as well. He really wished he didn’t have to deal with that but of course would never tell Artemis anything of the like. The boy was nice and it only made Franck feel guiltier than ever to judge him based on his power, one he never asked for. “I see... Well, training’s good and it’s nice that you are improving. You think the water will soothe your muscle pain? Maybe a massage would be more effective? They should think about that for those with physical abilities,” Franck told him, doing his best to chase any discomfort he might have had. The boy could not have noticed, right?

Franck wouldn’t have been against giving the boy a massage if he asked but he was not telling him he could give him one. He merely pointed out it might do him some good. Anyway, he was not professional, he doubted his massages would be as relaxing as one could get from a real masseuse.

[Artemis James]

Franck seemed to know Demi, but offered little in a way of elaboration on that fact; He either didn't know her that well, or didn't much like her; With Franck's kind heart, Artemis knew he opt to remain silent then openly judge someone he didn't wish to keep company with. Artemis himself had spent little time with the girl bar their training, but he liked her; She was strong, steadfast, determined and could handle her powers with relative ease. She was a hard but good teacher... And had pushed him to improve in a faster time then his own formal staff trainers. He'd like to think of her as a friend, although he was unsure if the privilege extended to him on her end yet.
Artemis was completely in the dark in regards to Franck's slight awkwardness at knowing about his mutation; He noted the boy's fleeting expression of discomfort, but he assumed it to be in regards to how in pain Artemis's back was. He hadn't had to suffer with many judging opinions of his mutation before, mostly since he could easily hide it; That, and most seemed quite forgiving when it came to physical mutations at the academy. Well, save for Demi basically calling him a fairy when they first met, but he'd gotten over that.

Artemis nodded in response to the Frenchman's question, reaching a hand up to rub at his shoulder with a slight pained expression. "... Yeah... It's worked before, the warm water is pretty soothing," He spoke. He then blinked a moment, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "... A massage?" He questioned, before pouting a little in thought; He'd never thought along those lines before, but by all accounts a massage usually helped with back pain, and despite it's cause being a little unusual at it's core the issue was still muscle strain. "... You think that would work?" He attempted to roll his shoulders back again, the ache worse now as he'd been sat still for some moments; He at least needed to get into the water. He tossed Franck a sheepish smile, considering if he should ask him... Well, it had kind of sounded like an offer...?
"Would you... Mind trying that? I mean, if you think it's a bit weird you don't have to, but if it works I can suggest it to my trainer to see if there's someone I can go to," Artemis explained, giving a small aching shrug. "... How do you feel about wasps?" After all, not many people would willingly go near his wings, he was certain.

[François Laffont]

Franck preferred not to talk of Demi. When you had no nice things to say about someone, it was best not to say anything. He could certainly find something nice to say about the girl if he had to but he knew his attitude might show he was not entirely sure to like the girl. He knew it was normal not to love everybody but it was still weird for him. He just had to. Just like he had to have them love him. Demi proved that was not going to happen. Plus she tended to bring out the worst in him without even trying to. He didn’t like that. He wanted to keep whatever dark side he might have to himself, far deep down inside of himself.

Franck did feel sorry for Artemis’ power to cause so much physical pain. He could also take to see the wings if he chose to show them to him. But it would still be somewhat weird for him. That would never have him change his opinion about Artemis, of course. He’d still rather avoid it, just like he would prefer to avoid talking of the Emory twins.

He nodded, glad to know he had simple solutions to soothe the pain. Franck would understand if he had to take painkillers but he was glad something less strong and addictive was enough, at least for now. Franck feared Artemis might be embarrassed that he brought up a massage. If he was uncomfortable, he would point out he did not suggest he had one straight away with him. This might be too much touching for the boy. But he didn’t seem all that unnerved by it and even appeared to be thinking about the idea. “I figured that, with all the powers here that can cause physical pain, they should consider something like that,” he explained. He was still eyeing him, ready to assure the boy he was not trying to hit on him.

“Why not? Your muscles are sore no? And that’s what it is for,” he told him as Artemis asked if he thought it might work. Surely it would. He didn’t see why not. Franck could have suggested to rub Artemis’ shoulders and back but he feared it might be too much. The shoulders, maybe he would agree to, but the back? Besides, Franck was no professional. He didn’t want him to have ideas. So when it came directly from the boy, Franck was slightly surprised. He was already saying it might be too weird for him which was ironic considering what he just thought of. “No, it’s alright,” he let out. Too quickly? He wasn’t sure but he did become slightly embarrassed at it for a moment. “You prefer to do it in the pool? For the warmth too?” Franck asked him. He didn’t know where it would be best to do that, in here or the locker room. Or maybe it was best to head straight to his room instead. Either way, he had a feeling this might sound like more than it really was to others.

Artemis surprised him again with his other question. “Wasps? You mean, like bees?” He couldn’t see why Artemis was asking.

[Artemis James]

Artemis was relatively comfortable with most physical touching, as long as it was welcomed and did not stray into unfamiliar territory; However, Franck suggesting the massage didn't come across as an sexual or romantic invitation in the slightest to him. Franck was in a relationship, and had never struck Artemis as someone who would seek out other sexual encounters while
within a relationship, regardless of said relationship's status; That, and the Frenchman was, in Artemis's view, an honestly decent guy... Someone who would openly suggest a massage merely to help quell the muscle strain of another, with no ulterior motive. He explained that he felt with the amount of physical mutations at the school that such a service should be being looked into, and Artemis gave a small nod in response.

"You're right. This school needs some kind of physiotherapist," He smiled in response. "You know, you really should look into being something like that here, or a councillor at least. You'd be really good at that." It was true, despite Artemis's grey mood, Franck had already succeeded in uplifting him to some small degree. Franck then continued, confirming Artemis's thoughts that a massage would indeed be of benefit to someone in his state, before agreeing to help him. Perhaps Artemis was a touch more naive then he thought, as the idea did not seem at all suggestive to the boy; He was more relieved that he might have found a method that would ease the strain at a quicker rate then his usual hot water cure.
His smile however wavered as Franck questioned him, averting his eyeline away from the other boy and biting his bottom lip. "Um. Well, my wings are wasp wings," He opted to just come out and say it, rather then potentially freak Franck out by showing him once he was dressed for swimming. "If that's okay with you, I'll go and get ready and come back to the pool." He then drew his gaze back to Franck, giving him a warm smile. "I mean, I'll keep them folded down. They look kind of like tattoos I guess when they're down, so hopefully that's not too bad?"

[François Laffont]

The massage was not meant to be suggestive in any way. He was not flirting with the guy or just dying to get his hands all over him. Whether or not he might like to see Artemis shirtless would not influence him to try anything on him. All he thought was to help soothing the pain a friend of his was going through. It might not feel as good as a true masseur might be able to provide but it might help the boy see if that helped or not. If it helped, than he could suggest this to the school as no doubt it would be beneficial to many other students dealing with muscle strain.

It did nothing to Franck. Actually, touching someone, or being touched by someone if he was the one receiving a massage, would actually make it worse on him. He was not thinking about that though, only on helping out his friend. If Artemis was able to relax with this, then Franck would be relaxed too. And if anything came out of the boy that he’d feel he shouldn’t get, he’ll try to focus on something else, have him change his mind or something.

He chuckled as he suggested him to become a councillor or something. “Actually, I’ll be starting college next year in psychology,” he admitted. He didn’t think it was presumptuous of him to say that. He had the grades to graduate and didn’t see why the school wouldn’t allow him to study his class of choice. He wanted to help and he thought he had the perfect power to do that. Psychology would only help him be better at this as he would better understand the reasons behind certain emotions.

Artemis explained that his wings were wasp wings. Wings were not the scariest part of a wasp. If Artemis wanted to make sure Franck would be comfortable with them, something else had Franck concerned about. “It will not be, like, painful if I massage on them if they are tattooed, would it? Or should I just go around them?” This seemed more important. He had seen tattoos before. Maybe not ones that can turn out into wings but he was fine with tattoos. Had he not been, it would make dating Jasper Emory even stranger.

[Artemis James]

It had not occurred to Artemis if Franck's power would mean giving a massage could be potentially uncomfortable for him; Sometimes, he it honestly slipped his mind that the other boy could sense exactly how he felt, and how said emotions could affect him... That, and Franck had agreed without hesitation, so it had not settled on Artemis that it could cause the other boy some level of discomfort.

Artemis was pleased to hear that his friend was moving forward with his education, selecting to go into a field that Artemis felt suited the other boy perfectly; Even without his power, he was sure Franck would have fallen into a career that involved aiding others through the struggles of life... He had always struck Artemis as that kind of man, something who truly cared for other people. Perhaps his ability had drawn him to that field, but his natural caring personality that certainly given him the passion for it. "That sounds pretty awesome," He commented with a small sense of awe, giving the other boy a warm smile. He then tilted his head slightly to one side, his smile fading as he furrowed his brow; He then dropped his gaze to the water of the pool. "... I don't know, no one's ever massaged my back before," He spoke honestly. "I mean, the problem is mainly in my shoulders, but I guess it should be okay, I've never had a problem with them when they're folded before." He then shrugged, which aggravated the muscles a little, giving Franck a pained smile. "I'll go and get ready. If it hurts too much, I'll tell you." He then gently got to his feet, grimacing a little at the ache in his shoulders, before looking to Franck. "... Thanks, by the way." He gave the boy a nod and a smile, bending down with some effort to pick up his bag before heading towards the changing area.

Hopefully, this would work; Artemis hadn't really looked into any other methods of relieving the pain caused by his wings before, he usually just bathed or used a hot water bottle... If this worked well, it might be the answer, and defiantly something for the Academy to look into for those students with a similar mutation to him.

[François Laffont]

Franck was not going to point out his power and how it could be a problem. Not unless Artemis pointed it out. And even if he did, Franck was likely to say that it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. What could he perceived from Artemis right now, really? He was sore from practice, he’ll probably just want to relax. He didn't think one moment he might get him to feel something he would later be embarrassed Franck sensed. He was not going to try to flirt or upset him.

Artemis would have been right had he said this just suited Franck, empath or not. With his nature, it made sense that Franck wished to take on a career that would help others. He simply thought that it gave him an advantage. But he did not pick psychology only because he was an empath. He smiled to Artemis. He was always feeling a little proud when telling people what he wanted to do. He was not afraid with the years of studies, he knew he could take them. That Artemis approved him only made him happier and more proud. “You’ve thought of something yourself? For future career?”

Franck nodded as Artemis admitted never being massaged before. So there was no way to know for sure if it would hurt him should Franck touch his tattooed wings or not. His shoulders might hurt but Franck figured the anchor point where the wings came out of his body must be hurting too and would mean touching the wings. He was about to suggest they tried and he would stop if it hurt but Artemis said it before. He smiled. “My thought exactly.” He smiled again as he thanked him. He had yet done anything but the fact that he could was enough to be thanked for. “Of course.”

Franck waited here for Artemis to come back. If it really hurt too much, he’ll just stop and let him go through his usual routine of warm water. But there was no loss in trying.

[Artemis James]

Artemis found himself blinking at the other guy a moment when he questioned what career avenue Artemis intended to stroll down; Few seemed interested in that aspect of Artemis's life, save for Alex. Artemis smiled a little, before looking down towards the pool water in a thoughtful manner. What did he want to do? ... He wanted to become an international violinist. The instrument he felt was the only true talent he could truly showcase and be proud of, something he actually excelled in. "I want to become a professional violinist," He spoke softly, the gentle tone of his voice hinting to how much such a career would mean to him. "Playing the violin is about the only thing I'm really good at." His smile then widened as he brought his blue eyed gaze back to Franck. "That, and I love playing it. I mean, there's no telling I'm even good enough to become a professional, but I'm going to give it my best shot." He gave a determined nod, before heaving his bag further up his shoulder with a grimace, making his way towards the changing rooms.

Artemis got changed quickly, changing into swimming shorts and dumping the rest of his things in a locker. He paused before he walked back out into the pool area, taking a moment to look at himself in one of the changing room's mirrors. He blinked at himself, this pale skinned, still very much baby faced kid... But by the looks of things, his upper arms and shoulders were gaining some muscle mass... Likely due to the use of his wings. He tilted his aching shoulders and twisted his back a little, trying to see the delicate lines of his wings. There they were, a layer of membrane covering his back and going down the back of his legs, like tattoos... But they were far from mere body art. With a sigh, Artemis left the changing room and returned to the pool area, casting Franck a smile. "Um, well, thanks again for this," He spoke, approaching the water's edge and with some effort due to his poor muscles sat down and slipped his legs into the warm water, before pushing himself into the pool.

[François Laffont]

Franck was really curious if Artemis thought of something he would like to do later. Well, he figured everyone had a dream, it was just not always very likely to happen. He didn't expect to hear him say violinist though. Even if he wanted for Artemis not to see his surprise he wouldn’t have been able to. He had never been really good at hiding his emotions. It was hard to when no poker face was good enough to fool you. “Really? I had no idea you even play. You want to be in an orchestra or you do more.... contemporary music?” Franck asked, the word contemporary said after a hesitation and a big question mark as he was not sure if it was the right way to express what he wanted to say.

Franck was ready to argue that it couldn’t be his only talent but to watch him this happy just at the mention of it, he fell silent. In the end, he only smiled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “I can tell. Good luck then.”

He noticed the grimace but did nothing. He was going to change and then he’ll try to help so there was nothing he could do right now. Helping him with his bag would be nothing more than mothering and for once it was a kind of mothering even Franck could tell it was too much. He waited in the water for Artemis to come out. His skin was probably wrinkling at this point but he couldn’t care less. He liked the water. Plus he agreed to help Artemis and would not back down just because his fingers and toes started to look like those of a ninety something.

He smiled to the boy when he returned. “Sure. I’m curious to see your tattooed-like wings, I must say,” he told him. It was mostly to relax him as he didn't really are for them. He had never been all that interested in tattoos, mostly because he figured it had to hurt a lot to make them. He didn't move, letting Artemis getting used to the water first. “If it hurts, you’ll just have to say and I’ll stop okay? I’m no pro, I warn you.”