InsaneJournal

Log: Alek & Yohann
Who? Alek & Yohann
What? Studying! In which they never really name the subject of the class.
Where? Quiet coffee shop corner, evening.
When? Sunday 4/19 (backdated)
Rating? PG-13 for language and innuendo
Status? Complete

Tapping the end of his mechanical pencil on the edge of the table, Alek caught it out of the corner of his eye. He bent down to rummage in his bag, notes and the class book spread across half the table in a half-hearted attempt to get organized. Finding what he wanted, Alek put on the reserve eraser and clicked out more lead. He usually preferred pens, but when he was making mistakes or finding more information, sometimes he just had to erase! His hot chocolate was sitting in its own little corner. The barista had given him a weird look when he sat down - the hot beverage in a to-go cup. He wanted to minimize spills, and in the rare occasion that he lost control of his motor functions and the cup spilled, a lot less would spill thanks to the lid.

He hummed quietly to himself, his music on low volume. He was waiting for Yo, but Alek had gotten there early, just to make sure they got a table. No way would they be able to properly study standing up. The Russian Jew brought the erase up to his mouth, tapping it against his lip as he looked at a whole column of text that had been highlight. Some in yellow, some in pink - a little section in blue. What the hell did the colors mean again? He began to rummage around for his makeshift Legend when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Turning, he smiled and popped out the buds from his ears. "If this test murders me, you gotta swear vengeance, yeah?"

He had to study. He had to study. Yohann knew this, but kept having to remind himself of it nonetheless. He'd had a plan of attack in his mind about how to prepare for this next exam, which was a critical one as it was the last test they would have before finals. He'd decided that he would get up early and go through all his notes at least once before meeting with Alek, trying to get the main ideas stuck in his head. Then he would look through the prep questions that Alek had gotten from their teacher on the day Yo had decided to sleep in and miss class.

None of that happened.

Yohann lost track of time the night before, and it had been sometime after two before he'd made it back home with his roommates. He collapsed on a heap on his bed, not budging until the sun had been up for several hours. When he did finally get up, he was slow moving and groggy for a few more hours. By the time his body was feeling human again and he'd managed to eat something, he realized that over half the day was over and he was soon due to meet with Alek to study. There were still a few hours left with which to study, but he'd set an appointment to do target practice, and that ended up winning out over studying. Even after that and after a light dinner, Yo still couldn't bring himself to look at his notes, though he did gather together everything he would need. He was feeling pretty good about making it to their appointed study time together on time.

Yo walked through the shop, seeing that Alek had found them a nice spot in the corner to sit. He couldn't resist letting ihs fingers drum against Alek's shoulder blade as he stopped beside him, tugging at his backpack strap with his other arm. "If this test murders you, it's gonna dismember me." He moved past the other, letting his hand slide along his shoulder and off as he took his seat opposite him. Yohann pulled the backpack off, setting it in his lap as he unzipped it and started pulling out papers and folders. "Christ, Alek, tell me this isn't gonna be as bad as I think it's gonna be."

Yohann's need to be tactile was a guilty pleasure of Alek's. He didn't mind being touched across the shoulders or on the hands or arms. Yo seemed to have his own set of boundaries and they'd never not met up with Alek's own. Plus, the guy was just fun. Maybe a bit more of a partier than Alek was, but that didn't say much since Alek preferred the ring to any bar. He didn't have the confidence of some of the other people his age, to just strut into a bar and own it with his presence. He drank at home, when he just wanted a drink, but out in public, it was usually virgin this or hot chocolate that. It suited him and kept the beer gut at bay. With genes like his father's, if Alek didn't keep working out he'd end up a round half-russian, and nobody would like that. He didn't want to be the obvious choice for Santa-hood.

Sighing, Alek rubbed the back of his neck and reached with his other hand to the cup. He blew into the small hole and then took a sip. He understood the concept of hot beverages, but he hadn't ordered lava. Ten minutes later and the stuff was barely drinkable. He looked Yohann dead in the eye and pulled on his Serious Tone. "This isn't going to be as bad as you think it's going to be." After a moment, he chuckled and set the cup down. "So now that I'm done lying to you, which part do you feel the worst on?" Alek began to rummage through the small pile of papers, looking for the prep work he'd done on the questions that had been given out in Yo's absence. "Here's what was given. I think I answered them right, as practice, but there's always room for improvemnt." Alek rolled his eyes. How many times had that been the exact statement he'd gotten from the professor when he'd gone to argue a grade? Several! "Did you get any studying done before you left to come here?" Alek asked, a little hopeful for someone else's insight as he handed over what he'd done.

Yo was actually reassured by Alek's words for half a moment until he realized that Alek had simply repeated verbatim what Yo had asked him to say. "Ugh", he said dramatically, doing a facepalm. "Smartass." But when he removed the hand from his face, he was smiling.

Yo started to file through his notes to find the most useful bits. "What part don't I feel the worst on?" he lamented. He sighed, pulling a few pieces of paper to the top of his stack. "I feel okay about the first few chapters we were lectured on after the last test. But the more recent stuff, especially the last couple weeks is all a blur to me." Yes, he left himself wide open for teasing with that comment, and anything that could be said would probably be at least partly true.

"Oh, thanks", he said, taking the offered prep questions. At Alek's question, his eyes looked up sheepishly at him from the paper. "Do you want the answer you want to hear, or the real answer?" Not giving Alek a chance to unleash his wrath, Yo quickly added, "No, I didn't get a chance to yet today, but I'm solid on the older stuff. Promise. Pinkie swear", he said, reaching over to hook Alek's pinky with his own. "We could look over that older stuff first if you want, review your answers, then look at the newer stuff. There's a lotta memorization for this, but I came up with some of those, what do you call them? Pneumatics? So I think we'll be able to remember this stuff pretty good."

The right side of Alek's lip drew closer to his eye in a smirk. "Hey, someone's gotta give you hope around here, even if it's false, right?" He glanced down at his notes, trying to pick a place to start as Yohann got more settled. Alek took another sip of his drink and glanced to t eh side, making sure he sat it down in a bare spot so it didn't topple over onto his notes. That would be horrible, and he would have just thrown his arms up into the air. Yes, this test was a big deal and he needed a good grade on this one. "That's cool," Alek said, shifting through his notes to get to the first few pages filled with notes and a fair share of doodles. Aleksander snickered a bit, rolling his eyes playfully. "You've just been busy," Alek offered, giving Yo an out. Busy with what was probably none of Alek's business.

He chuckled slightly as his littlest finger was grabbed, tugging back on it gently for a second. "Hey, at least you're honest. And it's not like we're doing group work." Which inferred that Yo's grade didn't have any bearing on Alek's own, and the dark-haired guy may be Yohann's only means to salvaging this test, if not the class. "I'm pretty squared away on the older stuff too. At least some of that had been interesting." Alek tapped the newly-donned eraser against his temple for a moment, brow furrowed when he realized his pages were out of order. "You can do Pneumatics? I can barely do Ebonics as it is." His eyes flicked to Yo and then back down. "Any word on the final? I hope it's not cumulative." He had been thinking out loud but quickly shook his head. "Eh, we'll get there when we get there. This's the thing we gotta worry about now. Alright, you ask me first." Alek was competitive and he wanted to get the answers right. Maybe him speaking them (or screwing them up, whatever the case) would help them both out.

The playful laughter from Alek was expected given Yo's lame excuse about the past few weeks. "Yeah, busy", he tried to agree, though the grin on his face gave him away too easy as well as the small snicker that he let out. It was true enough he'd been busy, but not with stuff that he should be doing rather than studying. "It'll be so much easier once school's out", he said. "No summer classes for me. More time for everything else." It was a good dream to look forward to.

The study session not being group work was probably the main thing keeping Alek's temper as even as it was. Though Yo was pretty sure he'd be more diligent with his work if other's grades were on the line, too. At least that's what he told himself.

"Yeah, pneumatics, that's what I meant", Yo said, going along with it, not really sure which word it was, but knowing that Alek knew what he meant. He looked over the concepts that the first question was asking for. "See? This is what I mean", he said, pointing to what Alek had written in response to the first question. From what Yo had read, the Russian's answer had been right on. "You got a lot of info here, and it can all be summed up real easy like. You need to remember these six words, first letters are A, D, H, W, L. So..." Yohann tapped his pen against his cheek as he thought a moment. "All Dead Hookers Wear Leather!", he blurted out, starting to laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm doing any summer work, either." Though Alek doubted that he would be getting into half the stuff that Yo was planning. Alek would like to get into some fun situations that didn't end up with a bloody lip or a few stitched along his brow. Maybe he'd find out some time what other sort of rushes were out there that didn't cause him physical harm. Psoriasis of the liver? Not really physical - and at least it wouldn't be evident for years. But then there was the age thing working against him, and that pesky little voice of reason his parents had cultivated over the years.

Alek leaned over the table, looking at what Yohann was showing him. Alek's brow furrowed at the letters, trying to see which words exactly Yo was referring. At the phrase, Alex laughed - a bit surprised (as were the patrons close to their table). He blinked and slumped back into his chair. "Dude!" Alek admonished in the most non-admonishing tone he'd ever used, you just want me to crack up in the middle of the test and get me thrown out." He pouted for a second before snatching the paper back. He wrote the phrase beside the answer and then looked at the second one. "Hmm," he said, trying to come up with one of his own. The key words started with P, W, G and H. "People With Gonorrhea Hurt." He slid the paper across the table to Yohann, to see if he could figure out the answer from the pneumatic.

Yo didn't necessarily say no work, as he was still going to be working at the studio, and hoping to up his hours some there. But he was definitely looking forward to the extra free time, and especially to getting to sleep in and not have to get up for morning classes.

He laughed along with Alek, seeing that he got what he was trying to do. "What? It works, don't it? Thinking about hookers is a lot easier than thinking about this crap." Sure he was being a little crude, but he didn't think anything of it. And if people at the next tables over didn't like it, they could leave.

He let Alek have the paper, pleased that the other guy was joining in on the fun. As silly as the wordplay was, it really did help Yo to remember things. And if it could help, especially for the stuff that he didn't know as well, then he'd gladly use it. Once Alek was done and said his, Yo laughed again and crinkled up his face. "Ewww. Dude. That's a visual I don't want stuck in my head during the test, some gunked up junk." He tried to focus, remembering the letters from Alek's phrase. "P... W... G... H..." He thought on it a moment, then flashed Alek a wide smile. "Got it!" He shook his head, still laughing quietly to himself. "That's really fucking sick."

He looked back at the paper, saying, "Now you said you're good on knowing the first part of all this, right? So'm I. Maybe we should skip down..." He scanned the page some, his finger moving across the paper and stopping about two-thirds the way down the first page. "to here? This I... I kinda remember it, but not that good."

"Hey!" Alek said, glancing around and lowering his voice, leaning across the table to keep their conversation quiet. "You're the one who mentioned hookers - dead ones, too. How d/you think they got dead? Gonorrhea...probably. It really is all your fault." Alek winked and took a sip of his drink. Which reminded him. "If you want anything, I mean, you should go on and get it." Even though they were making short work of the older chapters, Alek was a little fearful of the later material getting in the way and clogging up their mental pipes. Aleksander flicked his eyes to the side, watching people watch them. It wasn't a big deal, but he reminded himself to keep down. "And I bet if you got a mad case of Gonorrhea, you wouldn't forget it quickly," he whispered, smirking at Yohann and then shifting through his papers.

"Yeah, we can focus on the later stuff if you want. I'm pretty solid on everything before your..hiatus." Another grin. Alek was lucky to have ended up in class with someone who had so much..normalcy. He wasn't trying to be the hoity toity type or overly polar to that. He was just a cool guy. "Alright, so you want to start on on chapter...eighteen?" The test was chapters 15-22, so they still had a good bit to go, but hopefully Alek would remember the little phrases instead of writing about hookers and VD on his test.

"All my fault they're dead?", he teased. "I'm not the one with a crapped up cock." It took Yo a moment to decide what Alek had meant when he said he should get something if he wanted it. His mind was still on hookers and STD's, but quickly enough realized he meant coffee. "That's... uh, that's probably a good idea, yeah. I think my stomach's cool enough now to handle some coffee." Not that he'd mentioned his late night clubbing the night before that had made his stomach and head feel a wreck for much of the day today. At the other's last comment about the crude memory phrase, Yo said, "Man, I ain't getting that shit. Wrap it every time. Might start wrapping it twice after talking about this shit", he teased.

"Yeah, starting at 18 would be perfect." He laughed sheepishly at mention of his absenses. "Yeah, I know, man. Class is so fuckin' early. And had some... well, some fuckin' crazy nights too." His grin only hinted at what all he might be meaning by that. "I gotta get your ass out with me sometime", he said, slapping playfully at Alek's shoulder. It was a thought that he hadn't considered until that moment, and it was out of his mouth as quickly as it had entered his mind. "After finals", he added, having a feeling that Alek probably didn't get out as much as he did. Not that Yo considered it his fault. He just had friends who liked to party a lot, and he didn't have the willpower (or desire if he were really honest about it) to say 'no'.

"Okay", he said, hopping off of his chair. "Coffee first, then the dreaded chapter eighteen." He moved past Alek, playfully checking his shoulder as he went by. He found himself behind another patron, but was able to get his order in and his mocha without too long a wait. He sipped on his drink as he walked back to the table. As he approached, he saw that Alek was looking over the notes some more. He leaned in close behind him, his chest settling up against the back of his shoulder as he peered over his shoulder. "Got any more dirty sayings for me?", he teased, moving past him and back to his seat.

Alek's jaw dropped a little bit. He hadn't realized how foul Yo's mouth could be. He blinked again and ducked his head, trying to will the people around them to just leave instead of throwing scowled looks their way. "Wrappin' it twice causes friction, more liable to break that way," he added with a small smile, shaking his head in befuddlement. Was he seriously having a talk about condom usage and dicks - Yohann's in particular - in the middle of a study session at a coffee shop? Luckily, Alek figured Yo was always joking, so he didn't think anything too serious was being discussed.

His head turned as Yo got up from the table, following him with his eyes. Alek shrugged after the slap. "Well, I'm not really of age to go anywhere you probably go. I'd probably need rubbers for my feet." He joked back. But, the idea wasn't a bad one. "Maybe I could be your voice of reason some time." While Yo got his drink, Alek tried to find his notes and open the book to the chapter they were going to discuss. He'd just found the notes when he felt Yohann's chest against his shoulder. Alek took a steady breath, grinning despite himself. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Aleksander managed, rolling his eyes and waited for Yo to sit back down. "Dirty's one thing. Nasty's something else entirely." He moved his book so they could both see it, leaning in and flipping through the pages to the bolded words. "If you think Chapter eighteen is bad, we still have six more after four more to go after that," he reminded the blond, in his best doomsday voice.

The response from Alek was probably just as surprising to Yo as Yo's comment had been to the Russian. "What, you've actually tried that?" The look on his face was a mixture of surprise and amusement. Sure Alek seemed to be pretty conscientious, but double-wrapping was pretty extreme. Besides, Yo'd been joking about that. Not that he imagined getting laid again any time soon anyway. There was wishful thinking, of course. Though he'd gotten very lucky the weekend before, he'd completely struck out this weekend.

"I'm not of age to go anywhere I go", Yo argued back to Alek with a grin. "You should come sometime, it'd be a blast." Yo didn't know about having a voice of reason with him. He'd much rather be the devil on Alek's shoulder than have Alek try and be the angel on his.

As Alek tried his best to discourage Yo with how much they still had to study, Yo buried his face in his arms for a moment. "Nooooooo...", he moaned into his arm. He looked up at the dark-haired guy. "Okay, this won't be too bad", he said, trying to psych himself out. "It's not like I didn't read any of this. Well... I skimmed it, but same difference, right?" He glanced at the words that Alek had highlighted. "Yeah, see? I remember that", he said, pointing to one of the words. "I remember that one too." He shoved at Alek's hand to see the rest of the page. "And I... I don't know what the fuck that is." He looked more critically at the paragraph where the unfamiliar event was highlighted. "Shit. I.. I don't remember none of this at all..." He read a little more. "But look!" His finger moved to where a date was for the events in the paragraph he was reading. "1669! That'll be easy to remember." He was clearly grasping for straws here.

"No. No no no," Alek said, realizing he was losing the battle. "Just somethin' they went over in health class...eight grade," he amended after a moment, having to think about it. "Don't worry, no little awesome Russians running around any time soon." Or ever, he thought. "I think one is enough of me. Most people can't even handle that. It'd blow their minds if there was more mes." He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. Alek just knew better than to go to places that he wasn't allowed in to. Not that it stopped him from doing things where age hardly mattered.

"Well, then, let's make a deal. I go somewhere with you if...you go somewhere with me." He held Yo's gaze for a second before continuing. "And if you can keep a secret." A part of him wanted to see Yo's expression when Aleksander was called up into the ring. Win or not, since Alek had caught Luke watching him and afterward hanging out with him, the brunette realized that knowing people in the crowd had a certain excitement to it. Of course, he would need to make Yo swear allegiance or something to his secret. Upon contemplation, Alek figured whatever Yo might do couldn't be any worse than what Alek did in his spare time. Hopefully.

When his hand was shoved, Alek shoved his Yo's hand back, rolling his eyes and finally refraining. "1669" Yeah, I think I recall you doing that number horizontally in a video online. 'Shut Yo Mouth' or something." Alek snorted and flipped the page, eyes working over the text. "Okay, this, this and this," he ticked at the bolded parts with his fingernail, "All relate to your favorite number. But backwards. Third paragraph happened first, second still in the middle, first happened last. Boom, boom, boom," he added with a little emphasis both to get the point across and a little innuendo was usually hard to forget."

"In health class, right", Yohann teased, sometimes not knowing when to stop. He had to laugh at the comment about little awesome Russians. "I know, dude. I couldn't imagine having more me's around. It'd be too weird." Though said lightly, it was something that was very true for Yohann. As messed up as his family of origin was, he was pretty sure he didn't want to be adding to the gene pool, ever.

Alek certainly caught Yo's attention when he voiced his deal. The Russian had secrets?! Yo was very interested and Alek had suddenly become about a hundred times more interesting to him. Yo, being a risk-taker, certainly couldn't say no to this, even though he had no idea what his friend might be getting him into. "Hell yeah", Yo said quietly, which in itself was pretty amazing as Yo usually didn't do quiet well. "I'm game. Just say when and where."

Yo laughed when Alek joked about him being online. "Hell yeah, you saw that one?", he played along. Yo leaned his head back and let his tongue flick in and out of his mouth quickly for a moment in a tmi mockery of what was being suggested. He made himself calm for a moment as his eyes followed what Alek was trying to show him on the page. "Shit yeah, okay, I dig that", Yo said, catching on to what Alek was saying. And he was pretty sure he could remember that. "Make it all go back to the pole getting smoked, and I'll remember it", he joked. Sadly, there was probably some truth to that.

"So, that, that, and that, all in '69", he said, thinking aloud as he was still working on remembering it. He grabbed for his mocha, taking a big swig of it as he looked at the next prep question. "Man, this is so much to try and remember." He read what was next to answer, another list of things. "Shit, times like this I wish I would've gotten the total recall mutant power or something like that." He didn't know if he'd ever mentioned being a mutant to Alek or not. Not that mutants were uncommon anymore. Either way, he had let it be said now.

In the few times that Aleksander had been sexually active, it wasn't he that needed to worry about wrapping, but that was a little much to be telling a school class chum. "My dad would be a good grandpa, and Mom would run them ragged, but I'm too young - selfish, I guess. But I like being selfish. Besides, I don't get many girls lookin' to date the dopey son of...a dance school instructor." His last name should have given away his heritage, but Alek didn't like to be knows as Shadowcat and Colossus's kid. He was his own person, with his own merits.

Thankfully, the conversation veered when Yohann decided to give Alek a visual. His face screwed up, leaning back in his chair and laughing. His legs spread out under the table and he nudged To's leg. "Dude! We're in public." The horror and disgust were all for show, Alek thankful when that slippery tongue slipped back between Yo's lips. Alek cleared his throat and almost choked. With Yo's action and then a pole getting smoked." Alex blinked his eyes, swallowing and reaching for his drink. He took a sip of the thick, cold cocoa now. Quirking his mouth to the side, Alek was nodding and offering an amiable, sympathetic nod.

"Yeah, I know what you mean..." His sentence faded as his words registered. Oh well, it didn't matter that people knew he was a mutant, but he looked curiously over at Yohann. "So you're one too?" He chuckled and tapped on his book page. It could have easily turned into a show me yours, show you mine game, but Alek was trying to be studious! When had Yo gotten so interesting? "Uh...so now we're in '84. Where did those fifteen years go?" Alek wondered aloud, trying to look busy, trying not to creep Yohann out. Another sip as he looked for the dates that were missing, mainly referring to his notes, and Alek finally set the drink down. "Too hot to drink at first then gets nasty when it's cold," he muttered, tugging at a sheet of paper stuck between others.

"Doesn't look like anything interested happened between '69 and '84. Good for us, huh?"

Yo was sure that Alek was downplaying things with that interpretation of himself, but didn't say anything. To his shame, as much as Yo followed the gossip mags, he hadn't made the connection of what Alek was related to. Which might have been for the best, given Yo's tendency to geek out about those kind of things. He did file away the 'son of a dance school instructor' comment though, sure that meant that Alek could easily hold his own on the dance floor. Maybe a club trip was in order for them.

Yo, to either his credit or detriment, wasn't all that aware if Alek were genuinely shocked by his shenanigans or just amused by him. But he knew that he should be concentrating, not goofing, so he did try to make an effort. He already felt a little bad that he wasn't more prepared for their study session, even though Alek seemed to be rolling with it. He hadn't meant to start a tangent by mentioning his mutation, but apparently he had. His eyes looked up from the page to Alek when the guy mentioned the same. He silently wondered at what Alex could do, thinking at first it had to be something physical. The guy was very fit looking, a little too much. These kinds of thoughts came naturally to Yo and he didn't think much about them. It was best for him not to, or else he'd be reminded of things like his father being a woman or his crossdressing nephew (or whatever relation the blue guy would be ot him) and would again find himself wondering about his own curiosities that he'd never really dwelt on before, content not to.

"Eighty-four, uh, yeah", Yo added unhelpfully, trying to stay on task as well. It was difficult when there were so many more interesting things to talk about! "Twelve years of nothing. I wonder if we have to know that?" Probably not. "So what happened after that?" He looked down at the notes. "Oh! Okay, this is shit I actually remember! That shouldn't be hard to remember, don't you think?" He did some more scanning of the notes. "Just need to remember all these names of everyone involved, I'm sure she'll want us to know that." Yo looked over the names. "Butterfield, Johnson, Harden, Gordon, Burns. Um...", he thought to himself, trying to think if he could manage to translate that into another kind of memory trigger.

Alek didn't want to study anymore, truth be known. He wanted to learn to more about Yohann. He figured there'd be time for that later. Maybe a study break, after just starting. "So yeah, maybe it'll be the bonus question. Something like 'What happened between the years of '69 and '84 that was significant?' The answer would be 'Absolutely nothing', so it probably doesn't hurt to remember, right? Might save us some sweating on the test, too. Knocks out a decade and a half from having to maybe be an answer." Alek listened to the names that Yo ticked off, giving it some thought himself.

"But Jacob Hadn't Gotten Bit," Alek offered. It was much cleaner than the first one he'd made up, but maybe that would save him some ridicule and the mention of cottage cheese dick. "Maybe..." He gave it a moment's thought, knowing Yo would have no ill feelings about abutting in. "Big Jugs Happy Guys Bounce." There, that one seemed to have the right sort of perve tilt to it that anyone would be able to remember. Aleksander preferred the first one, though. But whatever worked. "Butterfiled, Johnson, Harden, Gordon and Burns," he repeated to himself, placing the new words in the spots after the first letters.

He scribbled some notes and turned the page again. They were nearing the end of Chapter 19. More than halfway through, Alek leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms behind his chair. Something popped and he sighed gratefully. "Whaddaya say we take a break? Let our brains chill out for a while? I'm gonna go get a coffee, I think. You up for sharing some dessert?" He quirked a brow and turned away, taking his cup with him. He asked the barista t o just pour some coffee into the cold hot chocolate, waving away the need for another g lass. He pointed to something in the display case and paid. Balancing two forks on a plate next to a rather large black and white cookie. Alek sat back down, the plate going on top of the book so they couldn't actually study any more.

"Now the key," he said, picking up and fork and twirling it around his finger, is to get a little of each side in every bite." The proper way to eat a pastry trumped Chapter 20.

Yo certainly didn't feel like doing this either, but he knew that it was a needed thing. Besides, he felt he owed it to Alek somehow to actually put effort into this and not feel like he was wasting both their time.

He smirked at Alek's musing about the decade and a half in which nothing happened. He idly wondered if the other'd been at this studying for long before he came along, or if maybe he'd had too much caffeine (or not enough).

"Jacob hadn't gotten bit? Bit by what?" Yohann was too curious for his own good sometimes. He heard the other idea, laughing at that one, though it didn't really make much sense and he didn't see it sticking in his memory well. He was still thinking on the list to give his own spin on it. As Alek read the names out again, Yo couldn't help smiling. "Are the first two letters in that list really BJ?" He caught the other's look, quickly adding, "What? It is! I swear, I don't have a one-track mind, really! Well, maybe a little bit, but who doesn't?" He took another look at the list, his eyes widening, he blinked a few times to make sure he was reading that right. "And that third word..." He didn't catch it the way Alek had read it, but he swore he just read 'hardon'.

Yo looked up at Alek, seeing the guy stretching. "Time for a break, innit?" He didn't feel bad agreeing with the suggestion, he was beginning to feel like this was going nowhere. He needed a moment to drink his mocha and think about something else. "I'll do some dessert, yeah", Yohann said as it was offered to him. He watched Alek quickly bound up out of his seat, thinking the guy was probably thankful for the chance to stretch out his long limbs. After watching him get over to the counter, Yo took a moment to nurse his mocha, trying to get a real feel for the flavor of the drink.

Alek was back soon enough, a huge cookie on a plate in one hand. "Now that's what I'm talking about", he said, eyeing it appreciatively. "Bro, I owe you!" He sat back into his chair, watching Alek fool with his fork. "Go for it, man. You're the beast with the feast."

Alek was glad to see that Yo seemed as receptive to the break as Aleksander was. Sometimes people just needed to let the brain gestate. Of course, the thing that slipping and sliding its way around Alek's mind was the way Yohann had made the first two names into a sexual....appetizer? Alek shook his head a little bit, clearing it as he brought the cookie piece to his mouth. He turned the plate so that the extra fork was right in front of Yo. "Pwease," Alek said, between his bite, "Dig in." No way did he need a whole cookie. But it went really well with his hot chocolate/coffee mix.

Once the cookie-cake had dissolved in his mouth, Alek leaned in his chair, free hand going to grab at the back of his neck. "So...you said you wanted to have the power of recall. What's your power instead?" He raised an eyebrow before letting the two front legs of the chair clunk down on the floor again, making his way toward the cookie for another bite. "I mean, if you want to keep it a secret, that's cool. Just...curious. You'd be surprised how many mutants that're out there that I don't know. You'd think there's be some kind of club or something on campus, but I guess that's too much like some sort of registration act, but still."

Shifting a set of papers off to his right, Alek set his elbows on the table, letting his fork hand between his forearms like a pendulum. Well, there was the big question, which was as personal to some as other things. Yo seemed like a pretty laid back guy, and he had been the one to bring it up, so Aleksander figured that it couldn't hurt to ask. "And then we'll call it even, even though I don't in usually call in debts for something so simple. You're lucky I'm just getting to know you." He smirked and wiped a crumb off the edge of his lip, slipping the tip of the digit between his lips. Alek looked at it afterward to make sure he'd gotten it all. He was a patience sort. Thanks, Dad.

Yo leaned forward in his seat, reaching for the offered fork. He chopped off a piece of the cookie, stabbing it with his fork and bringing it to his mouth. "Thanks, man", he said, after chewing and swallowing. "Good shit." He set down his fork for a moment, reaching for his mocha to help wash it down.

Sine the subject was brought up earlier, Yo wasn't surprised that it was brought up again. If Alek hadn't said something, Yo probably would have. "No, no, it's cool", he said dismissively. "It's kinda hard to explain", he started, well aware that many a tale about mutation started with those exact words. "I can tense up my skin", he said as he set his forearm down across the table, palm up. He made a fist, tensing the muscles in his arm to demonstrate. "And now watch..." With his other hand, he picked up his fork. He gave a quick, sheepish look around to make sure no one was watching him. He didn't want to freak anyone out, at least not anyone other than Alek. He pointed the prongs of the fork downward, then thrust down hard against his arm. Where the fork should've easily punctured his arm, instead, it slid off, not even leaving a scrape. The gesture did shake the table, making the cups and plate rattle a little. Yo quickly set the fork back down as if nothing'd happened.

"There's more, too", he added, "Though I'm not sure if it's a mutant thing or just luck of the gene pool. But I'm really flexible too, like double jointed in a bunch of places." He was going to pick up his fork again for more cookie, but thought better of it considering what he'd just done. So instead, Yo reached for his mocha for another drink. "You gonna share too?", he asked, still interested in what the other might be able to do.

The corners of Aleksander's mouth pulled down slightly as he listened. Hard to explain? He watched with rapt attention as the prongs were thrust downward, eyes going wide. He almost reached out, to phase Yo and not let the utensil make contact. But, to his credit, Alek didn't move. Yo didn't seem like the type to inflict damage on himself for the sake of attention. When the point metal spokes curved, Alex let out his breath. He hadn't realized it had been hanging suspended in his chest. "Woah," he said, looking at the fork, tapping a point within reach. He wasn't even worried about his drink, but with a look, was glad that it hadn't spilled.

A thought struck him and Alek suppressed a laugh. No, he was suppressing a giggle. It took him a moment to compose himself, but when he did, he kept his voice low. "So it's like your epidermis gets a hardon." Which was entirely too simplistic a means to think about it, but there it was, in his mind, anyway. It didn't help that Yo confessed of his prowess when it came to being bendy. Mimicking the other, Aleksander took a long sip of his concoction and nodded. "Fair's fair," he said, "but let me get you another fork." Alek hopped up and went over to the island, finding a basket full of plastic knives and forks. He brought it back to the table and just continued walking.

Right through the table to the middle of it. Books and pens, a highlighter and the actual cake cookie were directly under his torso. He held the packaged set of utensils out. "I can go intangible. Like my mom. But thanks to dad, I have organic steel in my bloodstream. It creates bands around my joins, so I can phase parts of me individually." When he turned around to walk back to his seat, on the opposite side of the table, Alek made sure that Yo's hand passed through him. Alek didn't feel it, and in his experience, Yo shouldn't feel anything either. But sometimes it was fun to see their reactions. Plopping down into his seat, Alek cut off another piece of the cookie. "We make quite the pair, huh?"

The prongs of the cheap fork had curled some against his skin, and he watched, amused, as Alek tapped at it. "Haven't tried to kill myself too bad yet, but I'm pretty resistant to blades, needles, and fire." And, yes, there were stories behind all of those learning experiences.

He got an incredulous look on his face at Alek's teasing observation. He couldn't believe the guy had said that! Yo's opinion of him just went up a few more points. "Yeah, that's me, the giant walking hardon." He couldn't help but to laugh at that.

He didn't feel like he needed another fork, the one he had was kinda still workable, but Alek was up and away before he had a chance to protest. Maybe he was avoiding the subject of his own mutation? As Alek returned with fork in hand, Yo reached out for it as he neared the table. "Than-" He stopped in mid-word as Alek walked through the table! His hand drew back quickly, having nearly gone through the guy as well. "Motherfuck!", he exclaimed, the visual of Alek severed by the table doing a serious mindfuck to his brain. Yo was comprehending the explanation as Alek was explaining it.

He reached out tentatively for the utensils, seeing Alex's hand go through his. "Goddamn", he said, his voice lower this time. "We sure as hell do", he agreed more soberly, still pretty amazed by what he'd seen. He set the fork down and took another long drink of his mocha. Setting his cup back down, he was ready to ask more questions. "So you can walk through anything then? Can you walk on air too?"

Since Alek was used to the publicity of who he was and who his parents were, he didn't think anything of it. But from Yo's response, Alek figured maybe that hadn't been the best way to explain his power. Once he was sure Yo had recovered, Alek answered his questions. The people sitting beside them the whole time quickly gathered their things and left, though. More quiet for the two of them, Alek figured. "Pretty much anything, yeah. At least, from what we've tried - my folks and me. Best way to get away from the pappz is to phase through the sidewalk and end up somewhere else." A hand came up and scrubbed at the back of his neck, Alek suddenly a little embarrassed. He nodded, though.

"I walk on air, but it's a lot trickier than some people make you believe. It's not really flying, but it's not really walking, either. If I want to do that, I usually get a good running start on the ground then just sort of...fling myself up into the air. Really kind of more of a hassle than its worth. I can phase people too. You know, take them along with me. But...not many people want to, so I just slip in and out of walls and stuff by myself. I don't even know where my house key is, come to think of it. It's...pretty much second nature to just walk through a closed door for me." He shrugged his shoulders and tried to steer the conversation back to Yo.

"What about you? Are you the impervious human husk or something? But, it's different. You shouldn't go trying gettin' shot at close range or anything." Aleksander's mouth quirked to the side. "And I'd be interested to see some of that double-jointed action. I can't even pop my knuckles without cringing just a little bit." He was keeping it clean! Apparently the two had way more in common than Alek had ever realized when he'd asked Yo if he wanted a study buddy.

Yo rolled his eyes upward as he saw the people near them start to gather their things and head toward the exit. "Dumbfucks", Yo said, making no question of who he was talking about. Just as well, they wouldn't have to worry about bothering anybody now. Not that Yo was concerned about it in the first place.

It wasn't until Alek mentioned the 'pappz' that Yo started to put the pieces together in his mind. Were his parents famous? Famous mutants? Then he remembered what Alek said about his mother becoming intangible and his father having organic steel. Wait, wait... No, couldn't be... Then he remembered the most obvious bit, Alek's last name.

"Wait, wait, stop the fucking presses. You saying your folks were X-Men? Fuck." He let that reality sink in as he heard the rest about Alek's powers. "That is so sweet Damn, you could get into any club you wanted, no ID. Fuck the bouncer! Why the hell wouldn't someone want to try to walk through walls? That'd be awesome."

He reluctantly let the conversation be steered back toward him. What he could do didn't seem such a big deal now compared to this guy. And he couldn't help wondering now if Alek had ever met any of his family. But that was a subject he still kept mum on. Instead, he fielded the questions asked of him. "I dunno if I could take a bullet or not, never tried", he said nonchalantly. "I think I could, but I'd probably still bruise from it. Kinda like wearing a flack jacket, from what I've heard." He was pretty sure that someday he'd work up the nerve to get somebody to shoot him, just to see what would happen.

"The double jointed stuff ain't nothin'", Yo said, downplaying it. "Helps me be able to pull off some pretty crazy dance moves." It, along with his agility would probably make him not half bad in a fight, but he's never found himself in that kind of situation.

Alek's face got a little red with embarrassment and he looked down at the table for just a second. Gosh, he felt silly. "Uh, yeah. That'd be my folks - Shadowcat and Colossus. Heh," he added, looking back up and biting his lower lip. "See, that's the thing. If a bar knows who I am and they let me in, the cameras are like fucking vultures. The last thing I need is my face showing up in a newspaper, leaving a bar when I'm underaged. Everyone would get in trouble. Me, the bar. It'd just be a big mess." Aleksander's lip twitched though, a little gleam coming into his eye. "But hey, if you ever wanted to meet me behind a bar, in an alley or something, I'm sure we could both get in. No muss, no fuss. If you don't mind walking through a wall with me."

Whatever seeds Yo was planting in Alek's head to get out and have fun were taking root. It wasn't because of his parental noteriaty, but because all the fun he usually had was in private - why not have someone to share it with? "Yeah, I bet you could kick my ass on the dance floor. No dance-offs, okay?" He joked, sipping at his drink and forgoing the fork to just rip off a piece of cookie. With a sigh, Alek looked down at the notes.

"The last thing I want to do is study now," Alek murmured. He took another sip and pushed the cookie toward Yo. "I have a feeling we'll be earning a big reward come summer break. Maybe even before."

Yo was awed. Really, he was. The X-Men were famous! Heroes! And Alek was their kid! He couldn't help the enthusiasm that he showed in his face and voice. Hearing Alek talk about it, he was getting what the guy was saying, the downside of fame. "Dude, yeah, I could see where that would get old after a while. We're always having to chase groupies and stalkers out at the studio. Some of 'em can be real psychos too.

He got what Alek was saying. No bars for him. That is, until, Alek continued on. Yo started to grin. "Yeah, Alek!", he encouraged quietly but enthusiastically. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" And the thought that he'd get to walk through a wall? Most excellent. "It's on, man. We'll do that, for sure. And don't worry about dancin', it's not a competition, it's all about having fun." And that was how Yo saw it. He wasn't one to practice dance moves, he just got out there and made a fool of himself. It just so happened that he usually looked pretty good doing it.

Yo took another fork of cookie as well, popping it into his mouth. "Ugh, dude, you just said the 's'-word", he whined, meaning 'study'. He was making his best miserable face. "I don't wanna.... But... I know we gotta." He wasn't sure what rewards could be awaiting them, but at least there was an outing - no, two! awaiting them once school was done with in a few weeks. That alone was enough motivation to help him survive what was to come.