my play pen

Logan’s brow raised in curiosity as he noticed the obvious flirty nature of the other’s smirk. He gave his own flirtatious grin that was laced with obvious deviance. “Hell itself would be more fun than this and it’s supposed to a treacherous existence down there. My kind of vibe but still this place is bleak and that’s coming from me.” He leaned up against the railing, giving the other a once over before icy blue hues matched his. “Logan,” he stated, the man been deemed worth his time. 

.

Someone was, believe it or not, speaking his language. He felt like a little school girl all revved up. Fighting the urge to bat his eyelashes, he took a small step closer. “August.” He held out his hand to shake. “And I have to say, Logan, it feels like you’re reading my mind.” It made him a bit inquisitive to think how long he’d spent here without getting to bump into this gem. Something about him felt familiar, though...he just couldn’t put his finger on it. 

—-

Charles kept climbing the stairs trying to pay no mind to the guy he had left behind. But the smell of the cigarette found him quickly, it hit him a needle popping his heart that was so full of positivity and love. He was reminded of the one person who’s support was missing, his father. A tall solid man, quite the opposite of what he was, who focused the majority of his time on his work and the “legacy” he’d leave behind for his children, and yet no one had heard from him in months since he’d found out about Charles’ ability. They weren’t quite close, but that didn’t keep his heart from hurting.

“I’m heading to the fourth floor, try not to set the building on fire while I’m gone,” he spoke out clearly making sure to add a little bit of emphasis on the latter statement. He started walking up the stairs a little faster trying to get away from it; the smell itself didn’t bother him or that people were so dumb to self-sabotage their bodies, it was the reminder and the pain that it triggered.

He set his boxes down in front of his door and reached for his keys, hoping that sharing living quarters with other people wouldn’t continue to be this intrusive. He pushed the boxes in with his foot and took a deep breath in to compose himself, he then headed back down trying not to make contact with anyone. 

There was a hum in August’s throat as the man disappeared, his voice slowly echoing out of reach. Being as bored as he was, when he realized his prey was headed to the fourth floor, he couldn’t just sit there waiting. Curiosity got the better of him and he began to peer out the window, staring down at the man’s truck. Either he was disgustingly spoiled or simply compensating for something. Both of those ideas amused August deeply.

Without anything better to do and with a cheerful skip in his step, he headed towards the truck. Cigarette still in hand, he didn’t bother closing the school’s window. Pleasure came in little chaotic actions like that. Outside, he circled the truck, examining it up and down, even daring to take a peek into the closed windows. 

“Hmmm...” he whispered in a slimy tone. “Now what is this?” A masterful grin appeared on his lips at the sight of 'Charlie' written across the sides of the boxes in the back. “How adorable,” August sneered.

Checking back to the school doors, he scanned until the coast was clear. His eyes honed in on a box and he couldn’t help but rip off the tape holding the top together...after stuffing the tape in his pocket, he carefully placed the box upside down. Disaster was ready. 

—

Stanley sat there in silence for as long as he could, eating his ramen and looking at Dinah every few minutes to make sure she was still there. Her presence was comforting, it was everything he needed, in all those months they’d been apart and now. He felt at home even just sitting with her having a late-night snack, it was so familiar and normal, he just couldn’t help himself but smile. These kinds of moments were all that had kept Stanley sane while they were apart, those everyday moments that people usually paid no attention to. That was all that Stanley had been wanting. 

He pulled down his hoodie and scratched his head for some ideas on how to start a conversation. Usually, he was better than small talk, but there was nothing better that he could come up with at that moment. 

“Lovely weather we’ve been having right…?” He chuckled realizing he hadn’t been outside since he’d gotten there and there he was talking about the weather.

.

When she saw Stanley smile, she knew things would be alright. Something calmed her...maybe it was just the milk...but she actually felt sleepy for the first time since she’d been here. Maybe it was just the relief slapping her in the face. Ever since that fight...it had been a question of if she’d ever even see him again. Now, with all this reassurance, she felt protected and blessed. Dinah could rest.

Giving him a bit of a laugh, she nodded. “Oh yes, very lovely...”

A beat passed them by awkwardly, her sipping and him slurping.

*

Up until this point, people weren’t exactly thrilled that Terk was shoving papers in their faces and demanding their presence at her impromptu party that, she was sure, would be chaos. Tarzan was already getting booze, Tantor was already complaining, and Terk was - well - doing this. And if anyone asked, she was succeeding. Even though there was a giant chance that she was not.

Imagine going through all this trouble only for no one to come.

Nah, that wouldn’t happen.

When she (way too aggressively) shoved the flyer into this man’s chest, she stumbled back a little, laughing as she went, “My bad. Overshot that a little.” Now - in all honesty - she didn’t exactly mind running into attractive men. But, falling in front of one? Not ideal.

“Oh, for sure - and pillow fights too. Think you can keep up, kid? Gotta tell you - I’m pretty scrappy.” Tucking the stack of flyers under her arm, she put up her fists with an arched brow and a smirk on her face. Joking or not, she could hear her brothers in the back of her mind telling her to stop threatening strangers in the middle of the courtyard - it wasn’t cute.

She liked to think it was a little cute.

 “Smoke weed? Sure you can,” she said with a shrug. “But you’ll have to share. And bring your friends! Otherwise, no deal.” 

Sure, this place was full of interesting people. They all had their stories and tragic tales of ending up here. It was great to be around special people because you finally were normal somewhere. 

Reuben had spent most of his childhood being groomed and praised for his intelligence, treated highly and spoiled rotten to persuade him into allegiance. This was why Ben couldn’t help himself and blurt out whatever random crap his brain was thinking. It made him feel superior to his smarts, as if he could somehow outsmart them just to play dumb. It was as if he was constantly challenging himself to be an idiot.

Sometimes...being an idiot worked out for him.

This was one of those moments...There was something about better than just interesting about this girl...some small fire he kept seeing in her that drew him closer, wanting to continue the amusing conversation. Seriously, who calls themselves scrappy??

Matching her fists, he jokingly moved into a bouncy, wrestling match stance. His eyes locked with hers. The serious moment popped like a balloon, Reuben throwing his head back to laugh while relaxing his posture again.

“You’re cute.” He blabbed. Still, his confidence didn’t seem falter. Being a babbling idiot was just a way of life. 

—-

Shock wondered if she was being too impulsive, inviting a stranger into her home was one thing, but inviting a stranger who was gifted was a bit riskier. She took another look at the guy, tall, handsome, a little rough around the edges… just her type. She knew Lock would have something to say if he was around, how she wasn’t thinking this through. But she decided if she could get away with it, why not.

He seemed interested enough to follow, but she couldn’t fully read him and that had her set to figure him out. 

“I’m right around the corner, not hard to miss. Just one request, if you kill me… don’t get blood on the walls.” She put her cigarette out and started heading inside, almost skipping, excited to unravel her present.

Her sarcasm was becoming and it reminded him of his own. He enjoyed their banter and was wondering why he had been so wrapped up in his mind before when there were live play things waiting to be corrupted. They surrounded the campus, begging for their worst nightmares to be exposed. August licked his lips and followed the sweet girl inside, chaos pleading for release.

“No, no...I’m very clean with what I do. As they say, cleanliness is next to godliness.” His nose scrunched up for a moment as he inspected the room.

“Who do you live here with?”

Charles was exhausted, he had spent all day around all three of his sisters. They had visited different areas of the campus and had toured every corner. As well as asked all the questions on their book to make sure he was really safe. But as soon as Charles was ready to move all the boxes from the truck to his small studio, they all decided it was lunchtime and left him to do all the heavy lifting. He felt silly, walking up to a big silver pickup truck that screamed someone was compensating for something, so he pulled down his cap just a little further down hoping to hide. He grabbed a couple boxes labeled Charlie and stacked them up on top of each other and began walking towards the stairs. He knew he should’ve adjusted his cap before he had started walking, but he was determined to get this done quickly before his sisters got back. Now he was walking slowly down the sidewalk with a couple of blind spots. He cursed at himself a couple of times and then stepped aside when he realized someone was walking behind him. 

“Oh, hey, sorry,” he peeked his head around the boxes getting a glimpse of the guy, “you can go ahead, I might be a while.” He eyed to the boxes in his arms and chuckled. 

August needed to be up to something. It was rattling him the wrong way to be a “student” at this yuppie school...Everywhere he turned there were these self motivation posters and invitations to school activities. It made him sick.

His usual gang were the chefs back at camp. They would hang out late at night, doing mischievous things anywhere they went. Cities after cities lured them into the shadiest of street corners. They’d rob, do petty crimes and gamble their nights away. It was just their way of living. It was what August knew. His nose had the habit of sticking upward, sneering at the campus joy and festivities. Where were the kids doing unsanitary tattoo art in their dorms? Where were the kids sneaking bongs and alcohol? Where were all the fights?

Itching for chaos, he saw a new, pure face ready for corruption. 

Zoning in on the male, he had this golden boy look about him that August wanted to crush. He followed him a little ways, that was until he was heard on the staircase. “Yes, but I’m sure a strapping young man like yourself can handle it.” He lit up a cigarette in the staircase, sitting on the ledge of a window as he wiggled it open. No need for a smoke alarm to go off.

“What floor are you headed to?” He projected, the echo in the staircase sure to reach the blonde even if he had reached the next flight. 

—

He could tell that his words were hurting her. Tears began to fill her eyes and he fought himself so hard to not reach over and take her into a warm embrace. There was no doubt in his mind that he was still crazy in love with her, but he wasn’t sure if she still felt the same. Even if she forgave him for the way he had treated her, he probably would still hold back. 

He took a look at her hands, so small and delicate, and in an instant, they changed. Stanley smiled slightly and without thinking reached out  his torn up hand and touched hers. His hand was rough, the palm had scars from balled up fists, and his nails were long, thick, with pointy ends. The one thing that always stayed with him, even if he wasn’t transformed. His hands embarrassed him, but he wanted to show her that he was there with her. 

He placed his ramen down at a table close to them and sat down.

“Would you like to sit here with me in silence? If this is a movie, and we make it a boring one… maybe it’ll end and we can wake up…” 

Their hands danced for a bit. They handled each other so delicately that she wondered again if this was real. Still, after running her thumb over his scars, her face changed to that of a worried mother. They both were going through so much with these changes...she didn’t care anymore about answers or what the extent of his powers were. Dinah finally accepted this reality and was determined to be a positive force in Stanley’s life.

Mentally, she was silently vowing him protection, friendship and patience when he began to move. His offer was sweet. And normal. And everything they needed.

“We can be boring, right, Stanley?” There was a gleam in her eye as she moved to sit next to him. The young woman sipped her milk and took in a deep breath. 

—–

Stanley was glad to know that there was someone that was taking care of Dinah when he had left. He would’ve hated to think that she’d gone into this blind and alone. The worst thing about him being transferred from the lab to the academy was the cage, the chains, the assessment of whether he was safe to be let out. He had been terrified during that time and he knew they didn’t mean to make him feel like a liability, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t have anyone by his side during that time, his dad was being questioned and probably arrested. And Ben… he couldn’t tell him. He was scared to reopen that wound. Stanley felt alone.

He had never talked to Dinah about his trauma, he had mentioned a few times that his relationship with his dad was complicated. But what was he supposed to have said then? He didn’t know how to explain his intelligence, strength, or his love for self-destruction. But now she was asking and wanted to be let in. It was late and he was beginning to hurt, he wanted to walk away. 

“I… there’s a lot I never told you… And I want to tell you now… so bad. But I don’t know if I’m ready,” he began to rub the beads on his necklace, but he refused to look away from her, “I never meant to hurt you… Please believe me.”

When he started to speak on it, that’s when her wound was reopened. A gush of emotions washed over her and she knew the corners of her eyes were threatening to overfill. I never meant to hurt you. She held tears in, knowing...she was exhausted and this was just the cherry on top.

She missed him so much the entire time they spent apart, and yet here...now...she couldn’t even pull him in for an embrace. Too much of her wanted this to be Mexico all over again. A quick fight, get everything out in the open and end the night snuggling in one or the other’s bed. Damn, she was naive sometimes.

“I believe you. I knew that wasn’t you...I won’t make you--” The microwaved interrupted and she took out her milk. “I won’t make you talk about it if you can’t. I still can’t even explain...this.”

Dinah showed him her hands. In an instant, claws revealed themselves. She stared over at them as she leaned against the counter to take a sip from a straw, wincing at the heat on her tongue.

“Makes me feel like we’re in a movie and not real anymore, Stanley...”

“Have no fear, the fun is here!”

Apparently, Terk was under the impression that it was 1994 - because she was walking through the courtyard with a stack of flyers (that she printed!), calling to anyone who would listen about this totally rad, really cool party she was throwing with her brothers. It was their first night in their brand new apartment, boxes still scattered around the place, and she was already down to clown. Since she didn’t know anybody….how else was she gonna spread the word?

Strolling through, she managed to shove a flyer into the hands of every single person who walked by. It was a talent of hers, she liked to think - tiny as hell and just as persistent. But, if she knew one thing to be true - it was that this party was about to be lit. This was a pretty big stack of paper and she fully intended on passing out every one.

Tantor was going to flip shit.

Leaving the courtyard, Terk turned the corner and, without a missed beat, shoved a flyer into the chest of the next unsuspecting person who walked by. “Hey, you! Party at mine, 10 o’clock.  Bring your friends.”

Reuben couldn’t stop thinking about what he was going to eat for lunch. He hated that space between breakfast and lunch and the space between lunch and dinner. Mostly, he hated wasting the time of his day when he could be eating. The man couldn’t tell you why he was still so damn skinny when generally his mind existed deep in dinner plans.

He had at least the next few days sorted out.

For today’s lunch, he was going to UberEats Masterpiece Delicatessen, a gourmet sandwich shop he’d researched online. His order was literally on queue for the next hour and a half.

As he was watching its progress on his app, as if it would make time go faster, he almost collided full body with one of the tiniest women he’d ever saw. If it hadn’t have been for her miniature fist shoving a flyer into his chest, she would have been a goner.

“What kind of party? Like a spin the bottle, no drinking type thing?...How do you feel about Christian music? Because I’m down with some I’ll Fly Away shit but at least, can I smoke some weed?”

Logan was someone who typically kept to himself. He was an observer at times he liked to believe he was the brains of the operation. Not that he’d explicitly say it aloud but he was the more intelligent of the three leagues. His sister has guts while his brother had brawn leaving Logan to carry the load of brains. It wasn’t an easy job but somebody had to do it. So, interacting with people willingly wasn’t his idea of fun. If he was going to survive this place he might as well make allies here. Never friends _ Logan Teague never made friends. “I’m a fucking hoot. Depends on who the person and what they’re doing. You look stuck in a trance or some shit. Thought I’d help you out a bit from getting your soul sucked into the netherworld.”

August was charmed. Finally, someone with some substance. He smirked in a slightly flirtatious way, the mental stimulation turning him on. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll have to start the spell all over again.’ He pretended to be aggravated before turning it into a smirk, which even he’d admit was flirtatious. 

“The netherworld would probably be more exciting than this hell, don’t you think?” August was bored and any man with a facial structure like that deserved to be given attention.

–

She kept getting closer and he was not backing up, he didn’t want to. All he wanted was to cuddle up with her in a cold room and eat his ramen and tell her everything that had happened to him. But then he remembered what he was.

“No problem,” he whispered as he noticed her hand slightly shaking, “who would’ve thought you know… how many of us are actually out there. That you and I aren’t so different.”

It almost felt normal, them hanging out in a kitchen late at night getting a snack before bedtime. Except it wasn’t. He grabbed his ramen and gave her space. But he wasn’t quite ready to walk away. 

“How long have you been here?”

When Dinah had gotten out of bed...she wasn’t expecting for all this. She didn’t mean to sound careless or light about the situation, but the young woman was a little on edge to be put in this current scenario. Her natural defense mechanism was to joke around...to poke at the situation until it transformed into something else. 

Yet, they were both seemingly paralyzed as silent spaces hung in the room. 

“I just got here a few days ago...my paren--my mom was worried about what they’d do to me if they took me here. She had to reach out to other parents who had students enrolled here before letting them take me.” 

Dinah poured her milk and placed it in the microwave, taking a moment before turning around to look him in the face. 

Moving forward meant that you asked the hard questions sometimes too.

-

There was one good thing that came out of Shock's “gift” and that was that to hurt someone she had to get to know them. And if she wanted to stay safe from all the freaks on-site then she’d definitely need to get to know some of them.

“My friends call me Shock.”

“Well, there are many ways to go about it, but a beautiful night like this can’t be wasted on just anything. So August, if you have nothing better to do you can come over, we can get to know each other better.” Whether he took the offer or not, Shock was sure that she’d keep an eye on him. Not every day she met someone that actually seemed fun.

His eyes expressed a steady focus on her as she told him of her name...He smirked harder, nodding. There was almost nothing shocking about this girl...yes, she seemed a little bit ready to find trouble, but definitely didn’t look too dangerous. No face tattoo or giant nose ring...no glass eye or golden tooth. Not to say August was disappointed...He was intrigued. 

-

All Stanley had ever wanted was to protect Dinah. He had tried to pull himself away to keep her away from the pain that people like him… them, go through. And here they both were. No matter how hard he had tried the universe just wanted them together. That should’ve made him angry, that the love of his life was now also suffering like he was, he wanted to be mad at the world. But how many other people were gifted with a second chance?

His father might’ve really messed him up and caused him to end up in a sort of prison, but had he not… He would’ve never seen Dinah again.

“What kind of milk do you need? There’s only 2% in the fridge…” He grabbed an empty glass and offered it to her, not looking her in eyes. He was terrified that he’d crumble into tears if he did. He was a mess. 

Dinah could tell he was going in circles in his head. It was all over his face. Her mind was spinning too, but her nerves were more like distracting butterflies. They flew around inside her as if this was a happy moment...and maybe Dinah was celebrating a little. She kept thinking she must be sleep deprived and the moment would end any second...That’s why she had to keep focused, appreciate being with Stanley even if it was simply a dream.

Reaching forward carefully, she might have been shaking as she accepted the cup. “Thank you.”

She went to open the fridge to fetch the milk. Inside, the large amount of food made her eyes light up. This was the first time she had been in here unattended...”Holy wow...” she whispered, seeing names and labels of student’s and teacher’s food. There were more people here than she thought.

“Are you still using the microwave?” She ended up next to him at the counter, casually pouring her milk as if everything was fine. Maybe she was avoiding the real confrontation...maybe she was terrified to reopen the wound. Or maybe she just needed to show him first that she wasn’t scared of him.