Petra's gonna rock your world (geopetra) wrote in marvel_prep, @ 2013-09-25 19:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | avalanche, petra |
Log: I've come to talk with you again
Characters: Dominikos Petrakis & Christy Nord
NPCs: n/a
Location: Callisto’s secret hideout
Timeline: 22 September 2013, very early morning [Backdated]
Description: Insomnia, it’s a bitch.
Rating: PG?
Petra unrolled the sleeping bag that had been provided for her to curl up in at night, wishing that she wasn’t jumping at the slightest of sounds. She hadn’t really seen Dominik for hours now, she figured he would want his space and as such she’d sort of just let him despite her own desperate need for the reassurance that he was still there. It was no comfort to her that they’d escaped together because she knew well enough that if he wanted to, he could leave with Remy and they’d probably evade capture for ever. She wouldn’t blame him if he wanted to live somewhere other than here, hide out somewhere in the sun. And she was sort of worried that he’d left her.
She’d been trying to think about sleep since her conversation with Pietro but it wasn’t working. This place was too big, too dark, too empty. The sounds it was making were all wrong and the lack of one tall, Greek teenager was still making her antsy. She wasn’t going to be able to sleep any time soon and she knew it, it was just a matter of fact and perhaps if she just stayed awake long enough, she’d eventually sleep. The human body always succumbed eventually.
But after four hours of pretty much nothing happening other than her freaking herself out, Petra eventually gave up on the idea of sleep and pulled the notebook that Pietro had packed for her out and chewed on the end of the pen as she thought about trying to put her thoughts down on paper. In the flickering light of the room that was hers - for now, she was sure later on down the line it would be crammed full of runaways and people evading arrest - it was difficult, and as she wrote, most of it was complete nonsense but it was helping just to do something, something to stop her thinking, to stop her panicking, to stop her just-
Just to stop.
It was quiet, as quiet as it could be anyway, and Petra hated that she didn’t know how she felt about the whole situation, how she felt right now and she felt disgusted with herself for being angry that she was free, that she wasn’t there anymore. With a sound that was as much frustrated as it was pained, the notebook was launched across the small space and hit the opposite wall with a very unsatisfactory sound before she buried her fingers into her hair.
Two seconds later, her shoulders started to shake as she cried.
Truth be told Dominik had been giving Petra space as well as stretching his legs because he was known for the long walks he took late at night, but mostly he had figured Petra could do with some breathing space. He was trying not to be too overbearing, especially as they were both adjusting to being free. The sewers weren't ideal, but they represented something neither him or Petra had had in recent weeks. They could pick and choose what they did, when they did it and best of all they were surrounded by people they knew and cared about.
It sure as hell beat the MDC guards.
He'd taken to setting up home against a wall which wasn't far from Petra and perfectly positioned so he could see around all the nooks and crannies, just in case. Whilst Petra attempted sleep Dominik wandered until his legs could no longer carry him and he had no other option but to collapse onto his sleeping bag, head tipping back and skull making contact with brick.
It didn't take him long to hear the sounds of distress coming from Petra's makeshift home and he frowned, rising to his feet and moving in that direction just in time to watch as the notebook collided with the nearby wall.
And she was crying.
Shit.
Dominik closed the distance and sunk down beside her, wrapping strong arms around her shaking form and pulling her against his chest as his fingers slipped into her hair. "Hey," he murmured softly. "It's alright, I got you."
Petra stiffened as Dominik pulled her into his arms, reminiscent of when they’d first met and first started hanging out at the quarry to better understand and control his powers. She thought about pushing him away, after all she had to get used to him not being around all the time, right? But then it had been less than twenty four hours since their escape and him not being in her pocket just felt wrong. Would that feeling ever go away? She didn’t know if she wanted it to, but then that level of dependence was probably completely unattractive and it was definitely pathetic.
Everything just seemed to have shifted ever so slightly. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it all felt like it was going too fast for her even though things had barely changed at all.
She curled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt - his shirt, not his jumpsuit - and hid her face against his neck for a few moments, just soaking up the comfort he was offering before she sniffled and shook her head at herself. She really was pathetic. She hated herself in that instant more than she hated a lot of things.
“Sorry,” she managed finally. “I thought maybe you’d left.” She was quick to add, “Which is not why I was crying, by the way. Not that I was even crying.”
Dominik sensed the hesitation and frowned, knowing right there and then that they’d gotten out of the jail just in time because that place had been seriously affecting Petra. It had been getting to him as well, but in a different way. The sewers weren’t ideal, but they beat the MDC and the effect it had been having on him and most obviously, Petra.
“Left?” He asked, confusion furrowing his brow as his hand passed through her hair and his fingertips moving in slow massaging circles as he did his best to help her weather the emotional storm. “And I hate to break it to you, Petra, but you totally were. Crying that is.” He offered a smirk then tipped his head, seeking out eye contact because second to touch Dominik thought it important.
“What’s going on?”
“Ssh,” Petra muttered with a frown, trying to avoid the eye contact that Dominik was trying to achieve but with his hand in her hair, fingers buried in the strands it was difficult to not do as he was asking since he was sort of controlling the movements of her head. She lifted her shoulders and rolled her eyes a little, sleeve of her hooded sweater being rubbed under her eyes to try and wipe away the tears. “I so wasn’t. You’re seeing things.”
She bit the inside of her cheek and shrugged before she just leaned up, kissed his cheek and then settled herself against him again, head resting in the curve of his shoulder. He did dwarf her, his larger form and arms wrapping around her easily.
“You doing okay?”
“Uh huh,” Dominik drawled before he dropped a kiss atop of her head, figuring he’d let this one go. Until next time. Sometimes people needed the time to think things through before saying everything aloud, he knew that better than anyone.
He shifted ever so slightly so Petra was better enveloped by his arms, breath escaping him in a slow movement of his chest.
“Adjusting,” he admitted with a shrug. “I’m glad that we’re out, but at the same time it’s all about finding a rhythm again.”
“I still feel like we’ll be woken up in a few hours,” she pointed out quietly, just letting Dominik shift and then settling where she was, pretty much in his arms on his lap, a comforting touch that she was soaking up even though she knew she shouldn’t be. They weren’t in the prison anymore, Dominik had better things to be doing than taking care of her. She shouldn’t need it - or him - she shouldn’t. But just because she knew that didn’t mean it was true.
She reached up and fussed with the collar of Dominik’s t-shirt, just twisting the material gently between her fingers. “I feel like we’ve been thrown out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
“Yeah,” Dominik said with a nod of his head. “I know the feeling. It’s weird, not having that routine.” Which admittedly had been driving him to the brink of insanity, but now they were let loose and free it was odd trying to find your own way of being again. He didn’t know how the other people who had been released from the MDC felt, but to him whilst being out felt fucking amazing it also felt surreal. Like he was just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
He felt her fingers twisting the material of his t-shirt and he reached out, covering her smaller hand with his own and squeezing softly.
“That may well be the case, but we’re not alone in this.”
For Petra, the feeling wasn’t quite so fucking amazing, but then maybe that was because there was something in her that was fundamentally wrong. Broken, maybe. She didn’t know how to put her finger on it, didn’t even know how to begin dissecting what the hell was wrong with her or why she felt so totally unworthy of the time and risk these people had invested and taken in freeing them. Dominik she understood. And whilst it had only been a short amount of time, she felt like she still belonged in the MDC.
And now they were out? Maybe they didn’t have that routine any longer, but they were just as trapped now as they were before.
“I guess not,” she offered with another shrug of her shoulders. “I’m sure you’re glad to be out so you can see your friends again.”
“I’m not the only one with friends,” Dominik pointed out with a smirk. “I mean, John and Pietro, they did what they did because they wanted to see you out of there. Must be kind of good to see them again.”
Speaking of the speedster he had presented them both with what he and others called burner phones, to keep in touch and maybe let a few people know what’s going on. The people who could be trusted that was. Dominik knew some but not all the numbers of the people he wanted to get in touch with.
“I know it’s not great right now, but better here where we’re in control of our fate instead of having it dictated to us every hour of every day.”
“Nothing’s the same with my friends,” Petra pointed out before she just shrugged her shoulders again. “And stop smirking at me.” She might not be looking, but she recognised the tone in his voice as he spoke, the slight lilt that always accompanied that upcurl of his lips.
She flicked his chest lightly. “Guarantee when you wake up later from-” she hesitated because she wanted him to stay but knew he wouldn’t want to, “-wherever you go to sleep-” leave it open, that was probably best? “-it’ll be round 5:30am and you’ll be ready for a day of license plate stamping before you catch yourself.” She only knew those routines stayed because of her time in the orphanage before she was fostered. “Those routines don’t just go away. It’ll take a while. Trust me on that.”
“What do you mean?” Dominik asked. “I mean I know the outside world has apparently got batshit crazy during our time behind bars, but aside from that, what’s changed?” He didn#t much like the idea of waking up at 5:30 am with the full expectation of readying for another day of license plate stamping, but she had a point. It would take awhile to shake off the routine.
All in good time, all in good time.
Dominik was taking this whole being free from prison one step at a time.
“It’s hard to explain,” Petra said with a shrug of her shoulders, she seemed to be doing that a lot. “But it’s not important. I think a lot’s happened that we’ve not been a part of and I think-” she cut herself off. “I just think that things change. I’ve changed. They’ve changed. Maybe some things just won’t be the same.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Batshit crazy doesn’t even begin to describe what’s happening in the world right now.”
“It’s impossible to walk away from something like this unchanged,” Dominik admitted. “But I guess we should focus on not letting it define us. Like it happened, but it shouldn’t alter the way we are except of course if like me you’ve decided you should enjoy life a little more.” Which granted wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon, but still, it was the thought that counted.
Dominik tipped his head upwards to regard the ceilings, knowing all too well that the world was still moving forward, in whatever direction it was taking.
“It’s going to take a while,” he finally concluded. “Can’t forget this sort of thing overnight.”
“You definitely should enjoy life a little more,” Petra agreed with a nod of her head. “It won’t hurt.” She wasn’t entirely sure what she was going to do. She couldn’t shake the feeling that her month’s incarceration had changed more than just her, it had affected everything about her and her friendships, her relationships. She just hoped they hadn’t been warped beyond all recognition.
Maybe it was just her. Though it was impossible to deny that her friendship with Dominik hadn’t changed. She worried that prison had just broken something in her that couldn’t be fixed, and that she was weak for that happening.
“If they ever exonerate us, what’s the first thing you’re going to do?”
Dominik worried his lower lip and then pushed a breath out, hand escaping through his hair and closing around the back of his neck. “Good question.” What would he do if ever exonerated? Hell, there were so many options. “Get drunk?” He threw out with a lopsided grin which made him look years younger because Dominik always looked so serious and intense that it was easy to forget that he was a teenager.
“I dunno, honestly. The drunk thing is looking like a really good option because I have not been drunk in a very long time and it totally matches up with my whole having more fun thing.”
He tipped his head to regard her. “You?”
“Who says you have to wait to be exonerated to get drunk?” Petra asked with a soft chuckle. “I mean, it’s not the same, getting drunk in the sewers and all, but I bet someone could get their hands on some alcohol for you to get thoroughly trashed.” The grin was a good look on him; it felt like forever since he’d smiled properly. They hadn’t had much cause to do that in prison after all. “Did you get your cigarette?” That was something she was seriously considering taking up; smoking. Smoking and drinking. That’s what normal teenagers did, right? Ones that hadn’t killed their families and spent a month in jail and had possibly killed a cop?
“If not, I’ll bet you can ask someone down here’s bound to have smokes.” Though when the question was turned around to her, Petra just lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I still need time to come to terms with the fact that I’m not in jail. I wasn’t expecting to ever get out.”
“Fair point,” Dominik remarked with a nod of his head. “But if it’s all the same to you I think I’m going to wait until we’re out of the sewers. Last thing I want to do is fall face first into well… sewer.”
At the mention of a cigarette Dominik’s lips twitched ever so slightly and he produced a pack along with a lighter he had managed to acquire. “Like there was any ever doubt, but I haven’t actually lit one yet.”
Dominik turned the packet over in hand. “You’re not the only one.”
“You could just sit on your butt and not move,” Petra pointed out, “There’s no danger in falling face first into sewage if you’re just sat still.” She arched an eyebrow impressed at how quickly he’d moved to get hold of cigarettes. She’d never been one for smoking, but she thought she should probably give it a try. If she was going to embrace being a rebellious teenager she knew she should start drinking and smoking, and to be honest, if she enjoyed it then where was the harm?
Everyone else seemed to do it. She just hadn’t had the most normal teenage years and she knew she wouldn’t become one of the bums on a bench begging for change. Not when she could create diamonds. God, she missed her powers. Her whole body ached for the sensation of the earth around her.
“They wouldn’t have been able to hold you indefinitely, we’ve already had this conversation.” She reached up and poked Dominik’s cheek. “Silly.”
Dominik pushed open the packet with his thumb and regarded the filters hidden beneath metallic looking paper. His once horrible vice which felt entirely strange to him now, but you only lived once so why not embrace your vices? He chuckled at her poke and shrugged his shoulders. “Doesn’t mean I didn’t feel that way.”
He eased the cigarette between his lips then flicked open the lighter, letting it catch the tip and working it to an orange glow until much against all good judgement he took the first inhale, eyes flickering at the hit of nicotine.
Fuck, he’d missed that.
Petra tilted her head, pulling back a little as he lit up the cigarette so as not to get smoke in her eyes, watching him take a drag and blinking slowly as the grey smoke lazily curled out of his nose and mouth and hanging around him like a deathly halo. She waved a hand to disperse the smoke and then looked at him critically.
“What’s it like? Smoking, that is.” She couldn’t deny her own curiosity. Even before jail, it was something that she’d been curious about. “You know what, never mind.”
Before the cigarette hit Dominik’s lips again, Petra grabbed his wrist and gently guided his hand towards herself, lifting her head to close her lips around the edge of the cigarette, taking in a shallow drag of smoke, not deep enough to hit the base of her lungs. Half a second later, she let go of Dominik’s wrist and coughed out smoke as it caught the back of her throat.
Dominik gave a rough chuckle as Petra struggled a bit, but that’s how it was at first, you coughed and hacked before you just sort of fell into a comfortable rhythm with it. He patted Petra’s back and then exhaled smoke to the side, offering her a sympathetic smile. “The first drag is always the hardest, but maybe I shouldn’t be encouraging you in your bad habits?”
He flicked ash before taking another drag, considering the cigarette before fuck it, he passed it over. He wasn’t Petra’s father or anything, if she wanted to smoke then he’d rather she do it with him.
Screw it, they’d just survived jail.
Petra laughed and withdrew from where she was practically sat on Dominik to be sat beside him instead, still underneath one of his arms but pressed against his side instead, allowing them both a little more freedom but without being too restricted. She took the cigarette as it was offered and took another drag, this time fighting the urge to cough, resisting it and just breathing in slowly, almost able to feel the smoke filling her lungs.
She coughed again as she breathed out, but a little less this time.
“You only live once, right?” she asked as she handed it back. “What’re the bets when this is all over you and I completely unravel and go off the deep end a bit.”
“Pretty good, I’d say” Dominik said with a serious expression. “I mean, shit like this, it’s bound to make you go a little crazy.” He wasn’t sure he was the same guy that had gone into the MDC, but maybe it was for the best? Maybe he needed to change? He took a hold of the cigarette and helped himself to a further drag, letting the smoke sit before with a talented display of his mouth directed the smoke outwards in circles. Smoke rings to be exact.
He then rubbed a hand through his hair.
“Not that I think I’d know how to unravel if given the opportunity.”
“I think it would involve drinking a lot,” Petra said, “Drinking a lot and doing stupid things. And possibly having a lot of sex?” She lifted a shoulder, “I’ve never unravelled myself, so I’m not sure what we’d have to do. Maybe we should google it when we get a chance.” She laughed softly, rested her head against his shoulder.
She was quiet for a few moments, watching the smoke rings dissipate as they floated away from them.
“Hey, Nik?”
Mmm… sex. Dominik fixated for a moment until he realised Petra was saying his name, gaze turning to regard her as he exhaled smoke after having taken another drag.
“Yeah, Christy?”
“You’re-” She did have something to say, but a sharp lift of her eyebrow had her catching him out. “You’re thinking about sex, aren’t you.”
Dominik’s eyes widened a little before he coughed around a mouthful of smoke, clearing his throat a second later and feigning a perfectly innocent expression.
“Uh… no?”
A laugh, clear and bright and delighted escaped Petra before she caught herself and she looked as surprised at the sound as anyone else even as she said, “You are such a liar.”
“Oh c’mon,” Dominik said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “You mention sex and you expect me not to get all locked on considering well, it’s been a while.” And by a while it was an understatement.
But he loved that she’d laughed, he hadn’t heard that a lot since the MDC.
“Let’s just say jail was not my friend.”
Petra shook her head, “Then we better look to get you laid. Can’t have you being all… distracted.” She wiggled her fingers demonstratively, stole the cigarette again and took a drag - it was getting easier each time - before she added, “Not seeing the appeal, myself, but I’m sure we could find someone who wouldn’t mind the smell down here…” She winked and settled herself against his side again.
“How long’s it been? I mean, I know since we’ve been in jail unless you finally caved to that red-head that had been eyeing you up since she came in…”
“Now that’s a sexy proposition,” Dominik said as he tipped his head back and rested it against the wall. “Hey, you, me, the sewers. It’ll be magic, promise.” He gave a laugh and just shook his head. As she settled against his side he lifted his arm and draped it around her shoulders, reaching over to steal the cigarette back.
How long had it been?
Jesus.
Dominik’s brow furrowed. “Well I’ve not had any since well he who shall not be named so… it’s been a while. Like months, even.” He rolled his eyes. “That red-head? She was- I mean. Okay so I might have caved if we’d been in there any longer.”
“I’d go with, ‘hey, I’m a wanted fugitive and when I get caught, I might be locked up forever so you’ll be the last person I’ll ever have sex with’ rather than leading with the sewer thing,” she teased with another laugh.
When he frowned at her she almost sobered up until he admitted that he might have ended up caving and sleeping with the red-head and she laughed again, nose wrinkling as she did so.
“You’re still one step ahead of those people who have never had sex. I don’t get the point myself. It sounds messy. And sweaty.”
“It’s a lot of fun,” Dominik affirmed with a nod of his head. “Promise.” He bared his teeth in a slow smile. “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, for real and with somebody you want to do it with, that’s all I’m saying.”
He flicked ash aside and took a further drag. “But for my own sanity let’s stop talking about sex, huh?”
“Gross,” Petra said with another demonstrative nose wrinkle. She didn’t really think that there would ever be anyone out there who would want to do that with her. And she struggled to think of herself in that situation. Alone or with someone else. But more with someone else. Why would someone want to be with her anyway?
She shook her head to dislodge those thoughts before she got to her feet, withdrawing herself from Dominik’s protective embrace for a couple of moments as she got up to pick up the notebook from where she’d flung it earlier. She brushed her fingers along the pages and then closed it.
“You think we’ll be stuck down here for long?” she asked, changing the subject to save Dominik’s sanity as she returned to sit beside him again.
Dominik exhaled smoke and lifted his shoulders. “Honestly? I have no idea. I hope not, but if the word is really as crazy as everybody is saying it is then we may be down here awhile.” He flicked ash aside before just chewing on the scar now present on his lower lip. “Guess it’s a waiting game.”
But he knew one thing for certain, he would need fresh air long before this whole thing blew over if it ever blew over.
Petra lifted her hand to stop Dominik from chewing on his lip. “Let’s give it a few more days to cool down and maybe we can sneak outside for a bit?” she suggested, fingers working his lower lip out from between his teeth with an unimpressed look. He’d already scarred himself; he didn’t need to do any more harm.
“Until then we just gotta sit tight, Nik.”
Yeah. Right. Just sit tight.
“Yeah,” Dominik said with a nod of his head. “I know, just gotta… sit tight and wait.” Like it was that easy, especially after having spent weeks in prison, but better here than stuck in that place. At least here they were surrounded by friends and had space to roam if they wanted to and nobody was watching their every move every second of the day.
He cleared his throat, took a further drag from his cigarette then tipped his head.
“So, whatcha doing?”