These Broken Wings

[Lucy James]

Simply because she knew there would be few people around this time - and maybe because she'd forgotten her keys and locked herself out of her own dorm, Lucy had settled into the student lounge. She couldn't exactly go to the dorm monitor in this kind of state and ask them to unlock the door for her, after all. She'd gotten into yet another fight, which seemed to be normal these days, but surely, it was far from her fault that some people were too damn touchy.

Naturally, her chipped lip and the cut above her eyebrow didn't agree with her. She'd managed to find some paper towels and some water, and some kind of makeshift mirror. She'd situated herself in one of the chairs, her legs crossed as she rubbed against the wound above her eyebrow, but to no avail. All it really did was make it worse, it seemed.

One would think she'd become a natural after all this time, but oh no, it didn't seem to work quite that way. She was frustrated, pissed off and quite frankly, right about now, it felt as if nothing went the right way. She was pissed off enough that she wanted to punch a hole through the wall, but also frustrated enough that crying seemed more like the better option.

And her face hurt like a mother fucker too. Clearly, crying salty tears was the last thing she needed. With a frustrated growl, the brunette tossed the makeshift mirror away. It slid across the floor towards the door and she could hear the faint noise of the glass shattering, but what did it matter anyways. It wasn't like the paper towels did much to clean that damned wound, now did it?

Tag: Taylor McCarthy

[Taylor McCarthy]

It was a moment when Taylor actually sought out Lucy. Before they were this 'something that wasn't anything' they'd agreed upon, Taylor just happened to find himself stumbling upon the girl on numerous occasions. It was as if someone up on high was the strings of fate, manipulating them like one would a marionette. When he hadn't heard from the girl in over a week, however, Taylor did what had gotten him into this whole mess to begin with. He began to feel things. Driven by these feelings which most people not named Lucy James would call 'concern' and 'worry', Taylor did, in fact, set out to track down the blue eyed girl.

After getting directed toward the student lounge by some kid he probably should know the name of, Taylor hurried his way over. He had to keep himself from breaking stride and jogging or running down the hall toward the lounge. It may have been paranoia, or me simply could have just known the girl who'd captured his attention better than he thought, but Taylor had a bad feeling. Something in his gut just wouldn't settle and it had him out of sorts and uneasy.

"Geezus christ, luv." He sighed with a shake of his head. It didn't take long for Taylor to see the results of Lucy's latest altercation. His power kicked in and he was able to take in every tiny detail of her injuries that he could lay eyes on from his vantage point. She was a fighter, he'd give her that. Hell, that had probably been one of the biggest reasons he was here right now. "What the hell happened?" He asked, figuring he already knew the answer, as he crossed the room toward Lucy.

[Lucy James]

Lifting her scowling gaze, Lucy's eyes focused in on the familiar face and she issued a low groan. Fuck, just what she needed. Not. Out of all the moments she'd rather be left alone, he had to show up? Fucking great. This was the last thing she needed, and one would think he'd take the hint when she hadn't approached him. After her conversation with the twins, the brunette had spent far too much time away from the school, and now that summer vacation had kicked in, and she wasn't allowed to leave the state, she sincerely doubted she'd spend much time at the school.

Why would she?

"What does it look like?" she asked, averting her gaze as she leaned further back in her seat. She'd rather him leave her alone and walk away, but of course, even she understood that that was too much to ask for. If it hadn't been for her incredibly fowl mood, she might have been a little more accepting to his presence, but right now? Right now she'd rather be alone and lick her wounds and forget this ever happened.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Okay, so Lucy was in one of her moods. This was good for Taylor to know going forward. He only offered a nod in return as he made his way across the room to get a better look at Lucy's face. It was obvious what had caused her injuries, Taylor had seen his share of street fights, he was just beginning to wonder why it tended to happen so often to Lucy. It was getting to the point where he was debating asking whether or not, at the end of the day, all this fighting she did was really worth it.

"I'm going to guess suggesting you sit tight while I grab the first aid kit out of the supply closet down the hall so we can get you patched up is probably going to be met with some form of rejection followed by, or beginning with, a sarcastic insult, probably either about my mental capacity or the fact that my home country is known for potatoes." Taylor said, his tone even and flat. It was, after all, merely an observation not an accusation. "So, I'm just going to go get it." And with that he turned and headed on back out toward the aforementioned closet. "If you want a hand, give me a second."

[Lucy James]

Opening her mouth to speak, Lucy quickly shut it again as Taylor started speaking. Her eyes narrowed further and further as he continued, and once he finished, he was met with nothing but a heavy sigh and a roll to her eyes. She saw little point in arguing, but if he seriously thought she was simply going to sit here like a good little girl while he ran around playing the damned superhero, he was sadly mistaken. Once he went out the door, the brunette pushed herself up from the chair and started moving in the same direction, only to turn to the opposite side once she passed the doorway.

She was in no mood to deal with this shit tonight and as usual, the brunette was better left alone when in a sour mood, and this was no different. She was locked out of her room, which meant she couldn't go there, but the school had plenty of other rooms she could go to. Now, if only she could get there before Taylor even noticed she was gone...

[Taylor McCarthy]

"Oh, for fuck's sake." Taylor exclaimed as he returned to an empty student lounge. He had only been gone a few moments, though he'd just gotten a lesson in how slippery Lucy could be when she wanted to be. His head shook as he turned, looking for the possible directions she could have gone. This was getting ridiculous. What the hell did she think he was trying to do at this point? How much more did they have to go through before she finally realized there was nothing wrong with letting someone else do something as small as putting a goddamn band aid on her stupid head?

Regardless, Taylor was steeled. Just as he'd been throughout the entire ordeal with the blue eyed girl, her continued pulling away only succeeded in fueling his will to press forward. tucking the small first aid kit under his arm, Taylor stepped out of the lounge and looked around. He had no idea where she had gone, though there were only so many places available. With a sigh and another shake of his head, Taylor started forward. Much like he had many times before, Taylor would find Lucy again. Of that he was sure.

[Lucy James]

As it seemed as if the brunette had finally gotten away, she finally allowed herself to relax. It wasn't as much who she ran away from, as she wanted to be alone to lick her wounds and sulk. Sure, there had been a long week of feeling the need to be alone, but surely, Taylor would understand... Oh, who was she kidding. She knew too well by now that the more she pushed, the more he'd pull. It had been a stupid and incredibly childish move, she knew that.

Sadly, it seemed as if most of the rooms around the school had been locked up for the night. It wasn't surprising, she supposed, but it would have been nice if at least one of the rooms could have been open, so she didn't have to wander around the halls all night long. Going back to the student lounge was out of the question. She couldn't wander around the dorms for too long either, lest she wanted to be caught by one of the dorm monitors... and then have to explain why she looked the way she did.

So, then where was she supposed to go?

Trying the door to the gymnasium, a pleased smile spread across the brunette's lips as she moved through the door, wincing slightly as it slammed against the frame. Sighing, she cursed at herself before continuing further into the room and taking a seat on the upper part of the bleachers. Lying down, she moved her arms to cover up her face, groaning slightly at the pain as her hands brushed against the wounds.

[Taylor McCarthy]

No one would ever mistake Taylor Brennan for an intellectual giant. He was often too distracted to study or even pay much attention in class. While he hardly struggled to make his grades and pass well enough to not be a terrible headache to his professors, Taylor was far from valedictorian territory. He was, however, incredibly shrewd. He often couldn't apply logic or reason to his gut instincts, though they rarely led him astray. This was more than likely how he'd ended up wandering through the gymnasium before Lucy had arrived. It was either that or the simple fact that the girl had precious few places to go so late at night that wouldn't attract attention.

Upon hearing the click from the door echo through the gymnasium, Taylor quickly scrambled for a place to hide. If it was a teacher or member of the security staff he didn't want to be found walking about in the wee hours of the morning. If his gut was right and it was Lucy making her way into the gym, he would also wish to avoid being detected as at first sight she would certainly take off in the opposite direction. Thankfully, the physical side of his power was perfectly suited for just such an occasion. He darted up the bleachers, his footsteps nearly silent as he bounded up the stairs two or three at a time. Just as the door opened, Taylor vaulted off the wall at the top of the bleachers and launched himself up into the rafters where the heavy lights hung.

Peering through the dim light Taylor watched as Lucy walked in and started for the bleachers. He remained stock still, clutching onto the small first aid kit with on hand, and the rafters with the other. When she finally settled onto one of the bleacher seats, Taylor moved. With nary a sound he shifted, slipping off the rafter and falling to the bleachers below. He landed silently, a by-product of his mutant power, and took up a spot on the seat, a few feet away from where Lucy had laid down. "You're going to hurt my feelings if you keep running away, luv." He said playfully, his Irish accented voice cutting through the silence. His expression grew serious then as he still looked straight ahead, not turning his gaze toward Lucy. "Here." He slid the first aid kit across the bench seat toward Lucy. He wasn't going to push. Not anymore. They'd come too far for him to have to. "Thought you could use this." And with that he got to his feet in preparation to leave Lucy to her own devices.

[Lucy James]

An audible groan escaped the brunette's lips; had she paid more attention, she probably would have sensed the overly familiar power being in the same room as her. But for whatever reason, she hadn't. She was tempted to get up and leave again, but saw little reason. Instead, she remained perfectly still with her arm still covering most of her face. "You'll live," she muttered. Even as he continued and slid something over the bench, she didn't move. Clearly, this guy didn't get it when people clearly wanted to be left alone. She wasn't overly surprised though. He was stubborn, she'd give him that.

Still, she didn't move. She heard the movements, but couldn't make up any indication whether or not he was drawing closer, or leaving. She was hoping for the latter, and whatever it was he was here to give her, most likely what he'd left to get in the first place, she didn't want it. She didn't need nor want his help. It was nothing she wasn't used to already.

[Taylor McCarthy]

Taylor was through being the driving force behind whatever it was they were (or weren't). Confessions of true feelings had already been made. Barriers had been brought down on both sides and they had found themselves in a situation neither had ever experienced or really wanted before. Through it all he had been the one pushing. Again and again he'd come to Lucy. He wasn't ready to give up on whatever it was they may have, but he also was well aware that the volatile girl he'd unceremoniously fallen in love with wasn't your typical love-struck teenager. He wasn't about to sit here and subject himself to her insults and sarcasm even as she continued looking like she'd just gone five rounds with the UFC heavyweight champion and come out on the losing end.

Without a word or a moment's hesitation Taylor started down the bleachers. He didn't descend nearly as fast as he had scaled them but he was in no state of mind to linger. He wasn't welcome, Lucy had made that painfully obvious from the beginning. If she wanted him around she'd find some way to make it happen. With a light hop he sailed passed the last few rows of seats and landed on the hardwood floor. He landed without breaking stride and began to cross the gymnasium, heading for the double doors that led outside.

[Lucy James]

She heard the low thump, and finally, the brunette lowered her arm, removing from her face as she pushed herself up. Leaning her head against the wall behind her, the brunette's eyes went up towards the ceiling, staring at nothing in particular. She knew it was childish, and that she shouldn't have taken it out on him, but he knew exactly what he was dealing with when she was in this kind of mood. She'd sought refuge in the empty student lounge for a reason, and she'd ran away for a reason. She wasn't about to feel guilty or justify herself for wanting to be alone to lick her wounds.

Tossing a short glance towards the first aid kit, the brunette's head shook as she pushed herself up and started moving in the opposite direction of the one Taylor was headed. There had to be another exit here somewhere, right? Even if that meant going through the locker rooms. And for one, she was thankful he'd left it at that and avoided pushing.