Nico and Felix| Backdated to February 20, Post- Stryker

[om_hades]

After the whole Stryker fiasco, Nico is surprised by the number of people that seem to care. Felix meanwhile is trying to come up with a plan.



Something very bad had happened. Worse, that bad thing had happened to one of Felix's regular people, and that was much too close to everything Felix had feared in that first tenuous year at the school. Someone was after them, someone was always looking for them, someone would be coming to hurt them soon -- that had been his constant worry.

Now that those fears were rising even closer to the surface than ever before, Felix had a new obligation: to gather as much information as possible for Shinobi and the others at the Club to use in order to keep mutants safe. None of the others could do it. Felix wasn't even sure that he could; Nico was his friend, but had never really opened up to him. It was going to be a challenge.

Once he thought Nico would be alone again in his room, Felix slipped down the hall, and knocked lightly. "It's Felix," he said, just loud enough to be heard on the other side. "Are you okay, Nico?"

And the mutant parade just kept coming. "Yeah, you can come in," Nico called out. He had left the door unlocked the last time someone had come to his pity party.

The door crept open slowly to reveal Felix peeking in. A quick glance confirmed what he thought: Caius wasn't around. He was probably off doing something he thought was helpful, though goodness only knew what that would be. "It's been like Grand Central in here, hasn't it?" Felix asked, sliding into the room and trying his best to sound sympathetic.
"Yeah...it's kind of funny how that happens," Nico commented with a shake of his head. It wasn't Felix's fault he was in such a foul mood.

Felix went to perch on Caius' bed, because he knew that would be all right. "People are concerned about you, that's all. It's supposed to be a good thing."

"I guess," Nico mumbled, because was it really? Although he supposed it was probably better than if no one was checking on him.

With a small sound of agreement, Felix sat quietly for a moment, before smoothing his hand over Caius' bed spread. He didn't want Nico to think he was being interrogated, for sure. "I hope Caius has been... well, as reasonable as Caius ever is. He's inclined to blame everything on Illyana, I'm afraid."

"He shouldn't," Nico mumbled with a sigh. "Caius has been...Caius."

"Mm," Felix agreed, his mind working faster than his mouth. What would Shinobi do? Shinobi would show Nico that they were on the same side, to get him talking.

"He can get... very focused on an idea." Felix hoped his best friend would forgive him for a little excessive honesty in the pursuit of getting Nico to open up. "I can try to get him to calm down, if it would help. It's not like Illyana meant for anything bad to happen."

"That--yeah, that would be cool, thanks," Nico acknowledged with a nod. After all, Yana was beating herself up about it enough without others adding on.

"It... would be easier to talk to him if I knew what happened." Felix spoke slowly, with an apologetic tone. Immediately afterward, he bit his lower lip. Was he pressing too hard?

Nico could practically feel himself bristle at the sentence. "Religious freaks meet mutant kids, decide to teach them a lesson. End of story."

Felix lifted both brows, though his expression remained calm and serious. Clearly, he doubted that was really the end of the story. "Aren't the headmasters going to do something? There's lots of laws about kidnapping and harming children."

"Well it's not like he can tell the cops 'Yeah, these kids got kidnapped and beaten for raising the dead several states away, but don't worry our secret mutant team got them out and healed them'," Nico commented with a scowl and a shrug. "So I dunno."

"Why not?" Felix asked, sitting up straighter with a frown. "They can't just go grabbing people and harming them because they feel like it. What if they get someone who doesn't have a bunch of friends to come and get them out?"

Nico just shook his head, because Felix was just not getting it. No one would care that a couple of mutant kids, without parents who cared, got nabbed. Hell, if even if the cops did, that would be outing so many people. Hells no. "I'm just thinking that's a no go Felix."

The furrow in his brow and the set of his jaw indicated that Felix was feeling stubborn. He knew that the headmasters had done such a thing before. They'd done it for him. He just couldn't tell Nico how he knew that Xavier and Lensherr had made sure that Lorenzo and his people were found and arrested for what they had done.

"There should still be consequences," Felix said quietly. "They can't just do whatever they want."

"But they did, Felix," Nico muttered, pulling his pillow into his arms to clutch at. He felt pathetic.

"What if you could pay them back? Just... dream out loud." Felix's weird eyes had grown intense and focused, more than usual. Religious freaks sounded like just the sort of person that he, Shinobi, Lydia and Damon could actually do something about. "What would you want to do to them?"

"I'd beat the shit out of them," Nico told him, immediately, looking up to meet Felix's eyes. "I'd make them feel as much pain as they made Yana feel. I'd raise the dead, just to fuck with their heads." He...well, he wasn't sure just how far he would go.

Felix didn't look shocked, or even surprised. He'd wished terrible things on people who had hurt him. Solemnly, he nodded, holding the eye contact Nico offered. "I'm glad you're mad," Felix said quietly. "I hope you stay mad. I hope you don't ever feel like... like you did something wrong."

Nico frowned and looked down, because he had fucked up. He should've been able to stop them.

Nico couldn't know how difficult it was for Felix to say this, or even think this way, because if it was true for Nico then it was true for him, too. "It's not your fault if somebody else decides to hurt you. Not ever."

"Well don't worry, I'm gonna stay mad too," Nico responded, unsure how to respond to such a seriously spoken sentiment from Felix.

"Good." Felix didn't let his posture relax (not ever), but he didn't look quite so solemn any longer. How he wished he could tell Nico that the school's teams of well-meaning super heroes weren't the only people looking out for mutants! "I suppose it would be too dangerous to go back out there and plague them with nightmares until they all soil their sheets."

"Well...I wouldn't be opposed if you could do it from far away," Nico told him with a shrug.

"Not yet," Felix said regretfully. "But I'm pleased to have your blessing if I figure it out." All right, maybe Nico hadn't exactly said that, but he hadn't argued, and that was good enough.

"Definitely," Nico told him with a nod. Hell, if he ever figured out his distance thing, those fuckers were in for a different kind of surprise.

Determined, now, Felix gave a decisive nod. "Okay. I'm going to talk to Lydia the next time I'm working. She'll know for sure if there's any sort of official response we're undertaking." And she'd be the perfect person to develop an unofficial response, if needed.

"Who's Lydia?" Nico responded, brow furrowed. Maybe Yana was right, maybe he needed to start taking an interest in his classmates.

Felix looked surprised that Nico didn't know her, then he remembered. "Miss Martin, the Math TA, I mean. She runs X-statix, it's a small company that helps mutants with all kind of things out in the rest of the world. One of those things is keeping us safe from people who want to hurt us. And making sure that the world knows the truth about us and what we have to live with."

"Oh," Nico responded. That was why he didn't know her--he pretty much tried to avoid anything that had to do with math. He was actually kind of lucky he was a mutant--otherwise he'd probably be out of schools by now. "So she's cool then?"

"If by 'cool' you mean she's discreet and trustworthy, then yes," Felix answered with confidence. He smiled a little. "But she's pretty cool in a lot of ways, and terribly smart. Besides." His shoulders squared and he sat up straighter, some of that unusual seriousness fading away as he re-adopted his more typically effervescent persona. "She chose me to work for her, so she clearly makes good decisions."

Nico couldn't help but to snort at that one. "Clearly." He did make a mental note to look up this Lydia chick though.

Felix decided just to be glad they were in agreement. "Um, Nico... I know there isn't a lot I can do, but if you need something, you can just... you know, text me. If you think of something."

Nico decided he was going to have to bite the bullet. After all, his nightmares had been bad enough before all of this shit happened. "You, uh, mentioned being able to help with nightmares?"

Felix nodded right away. Other people's nightmares were vastly preferable to his own. "I can help, certainly, if you want me to." He paused, knowing Nico was just as private as Felix himself, then added, "It means I have to see your nightmares, though. I won't go telling anyone."

"I'll, uh, get back to you on that?"

With a little sigh, Felix nodded. "Just tell me if you change your mind." He blew out a soft breath. "Ready for me to leave you alone now?"

Nico felt a little guilty because, well, yeah. "Up to you."

Felix had offered, after all. There were times he didn't want anyone near him, either. He slid up from Caius' bed and angled himself for the door. "Okay. I'll let you know what I hear, if I hear anything."

"Thanks," Nico responded truthfully, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Bye, Nico," Felix offered, letting himself out the door and closing it quietly behind himself. Now he really needed to talk to Lydia.

Comments

[om_cypher]

"I'd beat the shit out of them," Nico told him, immediately, looking up to meet Felix's eyes. "I'd make them feel as much pain as they made Yana feel. I'd raise the dead, just to fuck with their heads."

Illyana: Yes. That.

:D