[ the professor had once hypothesized once that omega level mutants were born for the express purpose of ensuring the species would continue on with only the best genes. josh hadn't been paying much attention in that lecture - he'd been sixteen, irritated by a heat, and wholly unaware of what an omega was. what he got was that while not all omegas were omega level, all omega level were omegas. he'd barely started understanding what mutants were.
hadn't stopped him from noticing how good julian had smelled in the seat next to him. how he'd pull his eyes from the window to his friend - his only real friend here - and just stare at the smug line of his lip with a sudden, inexplicable want.
the professor had called him out of class. mercifully letting him get away with the excuse of a headache. he'd caught quentin's eye and hadn't quite understood the look, only decided he hadn't liked it and stomped away in his tripp jeans and a ripped band shirt.
he'd stayed in dani's suite for the rest of that week with a 'cold'. about a week later he and david were friends and he and julian were on the outs, and he - ever the fool - was busy chasing rahne. then laurie. and then m-day had hit so suddenly and so traumatically that his body had automatically shut his cycle down.
all that was more than a lifetime ago. krakoa is now.
and krakoa is in danger.
the five don't travel together. lose one or two and you can temporarily replace them until they get online. lose all of them and the system falls apart. he's got two guards, both of them powerful and both of them skilled, and even that's not enough. josh feels the shrapnel of one of the sentinels cut through him and drops to his knee with a hiss, feels the edges of it dig through his senses as they spear through quentin, and -
and the fucking power dampener is kicking in, draining his power and -
and then they're stumbling through the gate. the air is instantly hot and the forest around them ancient beyond imagination and -
and he's hitting the ground, a hand coming up to grab for the wound before he thinks better of it. instead he stretches out his senses, trying to find anything that thrives in the dark and cool. he can take the hit - quentin he's not so sure about. he's put that body back together enough times to know it comes apart easy.
it'll be a while before the power dampening beam wears off. ]
H-Help me move him, Keller. There's a cave - that way.
[ even at his most careful, quentin's always been reckless-- with himself, at least. they all deal with trauma their own ways, and quentin's has historically been by being the biggest asshole he could be, not so much pushing people away as shoving them away as hard as possible. and as an omega-level telepath/telekinetic, he can shove really hard. once he'd resolved to change himself, however, he'd found other ways to manage all that ugly shit inside him, flinging himself headfirst into danger as part of x-force alongside such famously self-destructive people as wolverine.
it probably also has something to do with being not just omega-level, but a capital-O omega, and the next destined host of the phoenix. people watch him, remembering who he'd been, waiting for him to fuck up and prove them right about him.
so it's probably no surprise that he's still standing when they hit krakoan soil, slim little shape upright by sheer force of will, blood slicking his uniform and the grass beneath his feet, smeared under his nose from the strain his powers can put on his physical body when forcing them in too many directions at once. ] I'm fine, [ he lies faintly, vision spotting at the edges, shaking hands pressed against his abdomen as if it could possibly hope to stem the bleeding. dizzy, he staggers, dropping to a knee with a breath that's almost a sigh. after dying so often, being injured so often, he recognizes shock for what it is.
still, he can't catch himself as he crumples to the side, gasping as the pain sets in around the shock, mind flirting with the idea of unconsciousness. ]
( julian doesn't give two shits about quentin. he's an asshole, a loudmouth, opinionated and powerful in a way that, had their relationship not been as strained as it was, they probably would have been the absolute worst pair of mutants xavier's had ever witnessed. but quentin is an asshole, and julian's tolerance for literally anything that comes out of his mouth is abysmal. he'd liked josh, once. he's alright with him now, on most days. josh is an idiot who adjusts himself to whatever crowd he's currently trying to throw in with, a people-pleaser, but he could be worse off.
and julian may not be an omega level mutant by any means; he's powerful, capable enough, he's seen the notes on how high his own threat level has been judged at. but he's no fucking push over either, and being an alpha definitely helped his pull. fucked him over when it came to handling scott summers, but scott's a dick and julian doesn't get why the hell anyone lets him do jack shit.
scott's also the reason why julian's was out here in the first place. but that's blame he can throw around later, yell and bitch at them for not thinking this shit through well enough, because julian's dropping down to his knees after josh and shoving an prosthetic hand against the hand josh has pressed to his wound. holding that pressure, forcing josh to keep it because as long as josh is able to get himself up and running again, he can fix whatever damage quentin managed to get. )
He's fine. ( with a glance up to quentin moment's after, to make sure he is, in fact, actually fine. bleeding, but still standing. until he's not standing anymore, and julian's cursing under his breath and crawling forward on his knees a few feet to grab onto quentin. ) Come on, asshole. You're not dying today.
Lift him with your powers. We gotta get out of the open. [ josh says, his voice edged with the authority that comes with being one of the five. the title is ill-fitting. but a few years of living in krakoa, being one of the ruling bodies of krakoa, has allowed him just a little more confidence.
they're on krakoa. but most everyone else isn't. this is far away from the places they've settled, into the thick and untamed wild of their mutant homeland. josh grits his teeth and pulls himself to his feet.
he tastes blood. feels his heart hammering in his chest, blood slowly dripping down his side. it's fine. it's fine. it's fine. ]
( josh may have learned the tone, but julian's not one who likes to listen to it regardless of who it's coming from. he grabs hold of quentin, wraps a forearm around where the blood is spilling out fastest. lifts him up, and uses his telekinesis to gentle the hold so it doesn't put so much pressure against quentin's wounds.
tilts his head back once he's gotten him to look for--somewhere else for them to go. )
You got a place in mind? This isn't an area I've been to.
[ he doesn't have it in him to argue - because he knows that it's not going to make a difference. julian would spit in the face of god himself if he thought his authority was being threatened. ]
Cave. This way.
[ he winces and starts to move. ]
There's nothing around for miles... so long as the fighting doesn't come this way, we'll be okay.
( this is where he'd usually insert in some line about someone has to remind you where you came from, but they're all in shit shape, julian decides to hold himself back from letting those comments fly for now. instead, he hums low under his breath and keeps pushing through the foliage until they reach the cave. keeps a grip on both of his shit passengers and drops down to his knees instead of just dropping them, which is about as much consideration as julian keller has ever shown anyone, so.
[ flesh knits, scars, smooths over, but something's wrong, and quentin knows it as he swims back to consciousness, wincing at the feeling of blood still wet on his skin, mossy rock beneath him. he feels.. weird, but he doesn't have the time right now to examine the thought.
instead, he hisses faintly as he drags his eyelids open, touching fingertips to the tear in his uniform that had been an open wound, then getting his elbow beneath himself to push upright. he feels dizzy and too warm, but it has to be from blood loss, from the jungle outside this cave, doesn't it? even if it feels like something considerably more alarming, which he knows for a fact should be well-controlled by his suppressants. ]
Where--? [ he rubs the back of his hand over the blood beneath his nose again, turning his flushed face first on julian, then josh, before his mouth flattens to a thin line. ] You can heal yourself, right?
He's always been shit at pulling himself back together.
( with a roll of his eyes, but josh isn't dying yet, he's got quentin back up, so julian refocuses his attention on josh instead. stays down on his knees, as he reaches a hand out to steady him. to push him back and away from quentin once he's up and in one piece. )
I'm less hurt than I look. [ it's a lie, reflexive and smooth, said as he leans against the wall and
lifts the shredded part of his uniform up to get a look at the damage. it's not pretty. all that gold skin is ripped and torn, and the shrapnel embedded in him isn't something he can heal around. whatever they hit him with drained his reserves.
josh is nervous. ]
It's fine. We're gonna be screwed if something else happens and I don't have the energy to fix you guys.
Dumbass, [ quentin shoots back, and turns his head toward the opening of the cave, creating a shield over the entrance that starts out shaky, but firms as he finds his control again. ] Have you ever been able to lie to a telepath?
[ they'll have to get the shrapnel out, foley's going to have to heal himself, and they're going to have to stay put for a while until he's recovered his reserves.
not good. the warmth is getting worse, fast-tracked, the drugs probably wiped out of his system with the healing. he's admittedly kind of terrified.
his glance flicks to julian, then to josh's injuries, then back again. ] Your fine control's better than mine. [ quentin might be able to pull a planet out of orbit, but keller uses his telekinesis in delicate ways every day of his life. he could probably perform surgery with it at this point. ] I'm going to keep an eye out. [ .. and get a little distance between them and fucking pray he can shut enough of his stupid instinctive omega brain off to keep a full-blown heat from happening.
he pushes unsteadily to his feet, crossing toward the mouth of the cave and then settling uneasily by the psionic shield. ]
( he'll take the compliment even if it was more a compliment disguised as a hey, you do this. because quentin's right and he fucking knows it. julian's not an omega level mutant, but he's mastered using his telekinesis in every damn which way possible. so he rolls his eyes.
turns his attention back to josh's wound. )
Take a breath in.
( not that he waits. because julian's immediately taking a breath in himself then pulling all the shrapnel that's evident from the surface before he's digging in deeper, one hand moving to shove against josh's shoulder to keep him steady. )
his fine control isn't quite good enough right now to numh the pain. Josh's head rolls back against the wall, his golden hands clenching to fists before he's able to raise them and force himself to heal.
he's exhausted, else he'd have noticed the change in quentins body.
He's exhausted, else he'd have the sense to alter his own cycle.
There's a sizable pile of metal beside then when he's done. Josh is panting and largely powerless from the effort, but alive. ]
[ by the time they're finished and josh is healed and resting, quentin knows it's too damn late to do anything about his oncoming heat. he's shut down what he can, but there's only so much he can do without putting himself in actual danger. so instead, he turns his efforts to trying to manage it. he's the stronger brute-force telekinetic here, which means that his shields are stronger if they're attacked, but--
he pushes to his feet again, swaying, and as sensitive as his skin feels, he knows it would have been ten times worse if he hadn't dulled that area of the brain already. it's happening so fast, the need already like burning coals in the pit of his belly. ]
More bad news, [ he manages, breathless, trying hard not to focus on either of them. especially keller, a fucking alpha. ] This would normally be about mid-way through my cycle and I'm pretty sure Foley stripped my suppressants out when he healed me.
[ he fidgets, arms folded across his ribs, hands opening and closing around his opposite elbows. ] I can-- I can partition off part of my brain to run the shield, but I'll be here. Or I can find.. somewhere else to ride this out, but-- [ but keller will have to be solely responsible for keeping foley safe and out of sentinel hands until they can move. ]
( he hadn't noticed, before. couldn't smell it. was busy trying to make sure both the assholes he was stuck with didn't off and fucking die like idiots, because that sure would be a lot to explain up the line. yes, sorry, i'm fine but both the omega level mutants i was with have kicked it.
except they do manage to prevent that. and everything is fine. and josh is healing up okay, and quentin steps back in and it hits julian like a fucking train. his head jerks up, nose flaring and jaw clenching tight. because fuck.
he's spent a fair amount of time around omegas, but they usually hunker down when it gets like this. they go somewhere else. avoid contact with the general populace, which. quentin can't really do when he's held up here.
so julian shifts his attention over to josh; whips his head around and away from quentin. as if he could just pretend there was not an omega jumping headfirst straight into heat two feet away. )
Elixir, fix him. ( title, not a name. they know how this is going to go if josh can't figure out a way to turn it off. )
[ this isnt the first time they've experienced a near death. or a death, in his and quentin's case. they got lucky. damn lucky, and josh is about ready to clock out and consider it a job well done. the cave is hot and whatever hit him has him achey and overtired.
he's about to curl up and sleep when quentin speaks up. one pale eye cracks open, and then he's sitting bolt upright as the scent hits him.
quentin's in heat.
he wasn't paying attention to what he was burning up when he was removing any potential for infection. ]
Uh... [ he reaches out a golden hand. ] L-Let me try.
You can't, [ he points out, struggling to stay upright, an instinctive part of him wanting to respond to the authority in keller's voice, wanting to just give in to his base nature. but the last time something like this happened, the last time he was off his suppressants during a heat, he'd wound up fucked by 75% of his teammates and then had to deal with that afterward. ] He can't, [ he adds to keller a moment later, but edges uncertainly forward anyway, unable to help himself.
his glance flicks between them, blue eyes glassy, face nearly as pink as his hair with the heat and need (and humiliation). ] I've already gone through the scenarios. He doesn't have the reserves left. [ his glance sharpens briefly on josh. ] You don't, don't pretend you do. [ not after the inhibitor and then healing quentin and his own injury.
he rubs his palms, sweating faintly, over the tops of his thighs, jaw clenching briefly at the distracting sensation. ] And it's.. happening too fast.
( he can't help it. dominating asshole is an essential part of the julian keller package, and he doesn't know how to turn it off. hell, generally wouldn't want to at all but this is--an entirely different situation. quentin's keeping it together better than he is, which is. a surprise all on it's own but not really because it's quentin, who's also a giant asshole. julian takes a breath in, regrets it damn near immediately because he can smell the heat in the air. taste it on his tongue. feel his body responding in turn even as he stays on the ground and tries not to.
bites on the inside of his cheek until he tastes blood while he--takes a moment to consider their options here. another breath, another moment where he has to sit and check himself. )
I'm gonna be honest, and if I hear shit about it later, I'm going to strangle you in your sleep. ( to quentin, not josh. josh isn't stupid. ) I've got about four seconds before I jump you, I haven't handled an omega before, and my self control is shit as it is already.
( so. he doesn't know how this is going to turn out. julian's -- loud, objectively so. bossy, dominating, but he's spent the majority of his teen years and early twenties trying not to get killed off and he hasn't had the time for crap like this. )
quentin smells good. stirring want in him like he'd never actually known before. he exhales shakily and focuses on sitting up straight, letting out a shaky breath through his teeth. ]
I, uh... [ am useless. caused this. am so sorry. ] I don't think I've got the strength to keep you two apart. [ and then, apologetically. ] I can try to give you two privacy. I just, uh... once I've... I'll step in and stop it, y'know?
[ and he doesn't factor in his own heat. doesn't even think to. it's been such a non-factor in his life. he doesn't need suppressants because - because he just doesn't. and if he had them they wouldn't do any good, his powers would burn them up upon entry to his system. ]
[ jesus, how is he the only one here who has any practical experience with this aspect of their biology? because he's pretty sure foley has never been through a heat with someone like this before, either. he remembers how uncomfortable the other omega had been back then, and soon after, he'd no longer needed to endure it at all, given his mutation. he can just.. turn his cycle off if he wants, at least temporarily.
well, fuck, he certainly wasn't expecting to shepherd an inexperienced alpha (and possibly another omega) through dealing with his heat today.
not entirely trusting keller's self-control, he anchors the other man telekinetically where he sits for the moment. it's not going to be enough to keep him there if he really fights it, but it might help curb any impulses while quentin explains things and prepares. ] Okay, [ he says, and takes a careful breath, focusing through his own near desperate desire. god, he's already a mess, already wet. ] .. Look.
[ he rolls small shoulders in his uniform, then brings his fingers to the closures, beginning to unzip and unsnap them. ]
This isn't my first time by a long shot, but I don't know what's going to happen with Foley here. [ a glance toward the other man as he slides the well-worn leather off his shoulders. his hands are shaking. he's shaking. ] Omega-level omegas, our biological imperative to-- to breed is.. stronger than other omegas, and that's not just theory, okay? I'm sure you've seen it in others. You need to-- I might trigger your cycle, and you need to prepare yourself for that.
[ his boots unlace and unzip, and he kicks out of them, pushing his uniform down his hips and stepping out of it. it leaves him nude, flushed clear down his throat and onto his narrow chest, obviously aroused. ]
If it doesn't, great. Your best chance of shutting my heat down if instinct takes over is making sure this-- [ a tap to his temple. ] --is fully distracted. I'm not like other psions you've dealt with, Foley, so don't assume I will be. I'm-- [ fuck, focus. ignore keller, or try, even though he aches with the wanting, heat trying to haze out his thoughts. ] I'm shutting down what I can to make it easier, and I'm keeping a telepathic eye out for trouble, but.. [ well, he's still an omega-level mutant, and he's still dangerous if some animal part of him feels threatened.
his glance flicks to keller, and he takes a step closer, then a second one, nerves jolting with arousal as he slides fingers lightly over the other man's clothed shoulder, just brushing bare skin above his collar. ] As for you.. it's probably going to be a long fucking day, and once I start begging for your dick, I'm going to be useless for just about anything else. I usually get a break a couple of hours in, so I suggest you take that time to make sure we're all hydrated if possible, and rest if Foley's either just as fucked as I am or not back up to speed.
( julian does not like being held down one bit. there's the instinct as soon as he feels the pressure around him to fight it, to tell quentin to lay off and leave him the fuck alone but he--also realizes why quentin is doing it. that he's one wrong urge away from getting himself up off the ground and throwing quentin down on the cave floor. he feels it in his gut--the urge, the need, growing in response of having an omega in heat so close to him. stripping as he slowly moves closer.
so he doesn't voice the protest. doesn't bitch, not yet. because bitching here isn't going to do shit for them. they're all stuck in this, and julian also realizes that he's the one who isn't going to be--mentally and physically fucked over as much as quentin. bitching now feels like a dick move, he can yell about it later after shit's back to normal. )
Don't tell me what to do. ( jaw flexing, but he tips his head back as he looks to quentin. there's heat behind his gaze, the green telltale spark of julian utilizing his telekinesis shining bright. not pushing against quentin yet, but getting pretty damn close to considering it. shifts into full hellion mode between one breath and the next, even if he's still careful not to push against quentin's boundaries. usually he wouldn't give a shit.
but this is a little different. )
You want my dick? You're gonna have to earn it, Quire.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-04-09 06:37 am (UTC)hadn't stopped him from noticing how good julian had smelled in the seat next to him. how he'd pull his eyes from the window to his friend - his only real friend here - and just stare at the smug line of his lip with a sudden, inexplicable want.
the professor had called him out of class. mercifully letting him get away with the excuse of a headache. he'd caught quentin's eye and hadn't quite understood the look, only decided he hadn't liked it and stomped away in his tripp jeans and a ripped band shirt.
he'd stayed in dani's suite for the rest of that week with a 'cold'. about a week later he and david were friends and he and julian were on the outs, and he - ever the fool - was busy chasing rahne. then laurie. and then m-day had hit so suddenly and so traumatically that his body had automatically shut his cycle down.
all that was more than a lifetime ago. krakoa is now.
and krakoa is in danger.
the five don't travel together. lose one or two and you can temporarily replace them until they get online. lose all of them and the system falls apart. he's got two guards, both of them powerful and both of them skilled, and even that's not enough. josh feels the shrapnel of one of the sentinels cut through him and drops to his knee with a hiss, feels the edges of it dig through his senses as they spear through quentin, and -
and the fucking power dampener is kicking in, draining his power and -
and then they're stumbling through the gate. the air is instantly hot and the forest around them ancient beyond imagination and -
and he's hitting the ground, a hand coming up to grab for the wound before he thinks better of it. instead he stretches out his senses, trying to find anything that thrives in the dark and cool. he can take the hit - quentin he's not so sure about. he's put that body back together enough times to know it comes apart easy.
it'll be a while before the power dampening beam wears off. ]
H-Help me move him, Keller. There's a cave - that way.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-09 02:25 pm (UTC)it probably also has something to do with being not just omega-level, but a capital-O omega, and the next destined host of the phoenix. people watch him, remembering who he'd been, waiting for him to fuck up and prove them right about him.
so it's probably no surprise that he's still standing when they hit krakoan soil, slim little shape upright by sheer force of will, blood slicking his uniform and the grass beneath his feet, smeared under his nose from the strain his powers can put on his physical body when forcing them in too many directions at once. ] I'm fine, [ he lies faintly, vision spotting at the edges, shaking hands pressed against his abdomen as if it could possibly hope to stem the bleeding. dizzy, he staggers, dropping to a knee with a breath that's almost a sigh. after dying so often, being injured so often, he recognizes shock for what it is.
still, he can't catch himself as he crumples to the side, gasping as the pain sets in around the shock, mind flirting with the idea of unconsciousness. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-11 04:02 am (UTC)and julian may not be an omega level mutant by any means; he's powerful, capable enough, he's seen the notes on how high his own threat level has been judged at. but he's no fucking push over either, and being an alpha definitely helped his pull. fucked him over when it came to handling scott summers, but scott's a dick and julian doesn't get why the hell anyone lets him do jack shit.
scott's also the reason why julian's was out here in the first place. but that's blame he can throw around later, yell and bitch at them for not thinking this shit through well enough, because julian's dropping down to his knees after josh and shoving an prosthetic hand against the hand josh has pressed to his wound. holding that pressure, forcing josh to keep it because as long as josh is able to get himself up and running again, he can fix whatever damage quentin managed to get. )
He's fine. ( with a glance up to quentin moment's after, to make sure he is, in fact, actually fine. bleeding, but still standing. until he's not standing anymore, and julian's cursing under his breath and crawling forward on his knees a few feet to grab onto quentin. ) Come on, asshole. You're not dying today.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-11 04:20 am (UTC)they're on krakoa. but most everyone else isn't. this is far away from the places they've settled, into the thick and untamed wild of their mutant homeland. josh grits his teeth and pulls himself to his feet.
he tastes blood. feels his heart hammering in his chest, blood slowly dripping down his side. it's fine. it's fine. it's fine. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 05:00 pm (UTC)( josh may have learned the tone, but julian's not one who likes to listen to it regardless of who it's coming from. he grabs hold of quentin, wraps a forearm around where the blood is spilling out fastest. lifts him up, and uses his telekinesis to gentle the hold so it doesn't put so much pressure against quentin's wounds.
tilts his head back once he's gotten him to look for--somewhere else for them to go. )
You got a place in mind? This isn't an area I've been to.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 05:04 pm (UTC)Cave. This way.
[ he winces and starts to move. ]
There's nothing around for miles... so long as the fighting doesn't come this way, we'll be okay.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:08 pm (UTC)( stating the obvious, but it's for a reason. julian takes a step towards him, shoves up against his side. )
Wrap your arm around my shoulders. You're both lightweights, you're not going to weigh me down any.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:12 pm (UTC)You're the only one that still calls me that. [ elixir has a more regal and godly edge than Josh or Foley.
But they move. Slowly. The cave isn't far and it provides ample protection from threats. He can send an SOS to Doug, and
And sit a second before he tends to Quentin. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:17 pm (UTC)nobody better bitch at him over it. )
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:19 pm (UTC)Fine.
Josh allows himself a moment to wince and hiss and then he's gently pushing quentin over in his side to heal him.
Quentins died. A lot. Death is practically a friend o him now - but they can't afford to lose a fighter right now. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:37 pm (UTC)instead, he hisses faintly as he drags his eyelids open, touching fingertips to the tear in his uniform that had been an open wound, then getting his elbow beneath himself to push upright. he feels dizzy and too warm, but it has to be from blood loss, from the jungle outside this cave, doesn't it? even if it feels like something considerably more alarming, which he knows for a fact should be well-controlled by his suppressants. ]
Where--? [ he rubs the back of his hand over the blood beneath his nose again, turning his flushed face first on julian, then josh, before his mouth flattens to a thin line. ] You can heal yourself, right?
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:50 pm (UTC)( with a roll of his eyes, but josh isn't dying yet, he's got quentin back up, so julian refocuses his attention on josh instead. stays down on his knees, as he reaches a hand out to steady him. to push him back and away from quentin once he's up and in one piece. )
Show me.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 06:54 pm (UTC)lifts the shredded part of his uniform up to get a look at the damage. it's not pretty. all that gold skin is ripped and torn, and the shrapnel embedded in him isn't something he can heal around. whatever they hit him with drained his reserves.
josh is nervous. ]
It's fine. We're gonna be screwed if something else happens and I don't have the energy to fix you guys.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 07:13 pm (UTC)[ they'll have to get the shrapnel out, foley's going to have to heal himself, and they're going to have to stay put for a while until he's recovered his reserves.
not good. the warmth is getting worse, fast-tracked, the drugs probably wiped out of his system with the healing. he's admittedly kind of terrified.
his glance flicks to julian, then to josh's injuries, then back again. ] Your fine control's better than mine. [ quentin might be able to pull a planet out of orbit, but keller uses his telekinesis in delicate ways every day of his life. he could probably perform surgery with it at this point. ] I'm going to keep an eye out. [ .. and get a little distance between them and fucking pray he can shut enough of his stupid instinctive omega brain off to keep a full-blown heat from happening.
he pushes unsteadily to his feet, crossing toward the mouth of the cave and then settling uneasily by the psionic shield. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-12 11:58 pm (UTC)turns his attention back to josh's wound. )
Take a breath in.
( not that he waits. because julian's immediately taking a breath in himself then pulling all the shrapnel that's evident from the surface before he's digging in deeper, one hand moving to shove against josh's shoulder to keep him steady. )
no subject
Date: 2021-04-13 04:23 am (UTC)his fine control isn't quite good enough right now to numh the pain. Josh's head rolls back against the wall, his golden hands clenching to fists before he's able to raise them and force himself to heal.
he's exhausted, else he'd have noticed the change in quentins body.
He's exhausted, else he'd have the sense to alter his own cycle.
There's a sizable pile of metal beside then when he's done. Josh is panting and largely powerless from the effort, but alive. ]
Thanks.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-13 01:57 pm (UTC)he pushes to his feet again, swaying, and as sensitive as his skin feels, he knows it would have been ten times worse if he hadn't dulled that area of the brain already. it's happening so fast, the need already like burning coals in the pit of his belly. ]
More bad news, [ he manages, breathless, trying hard not to focus on either of them. especially keller, a fucking alpha. ] This would normally be about mid-way through my cycle and I'm pretty sure Foley stripped my suppressants out when he healed me.
[ he fidgets, arms folded across his ribs, hands opening and closing around his opposite elbows. ] I can-- I can partition off part of my brain to run the shield, but I'll be here. Or I can find.. somewhere else to ride this out, but-- [ but keller will have to be solely responsible for keeping foley safe and out of sentinel hands until they can move. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-13 11:02 pm (UTC)except they do manage to prevent that. and everything is fine. and josh is healing up okay, and quentin steps back in and it hits julian like a fucking train. his head jerks up, nose flaring and jaw clenching tight. because fuck.
he's spent a fair amount of time around omegas, but they usually hunker down when it gets like this. they go somewhere else. avoid contact with the general populace, which. quentin can't really do when he's held up here.
so julian shifts his attention over to josh; whips his head around and away from quentin. as if he could just pretend there was not an omega jumping headfirst straight into heat two feet away. )
Elixir, fix him. ( title, not a name. they know how this is going to go if josh can't figure out a way to turn it off. )
no subject
Date: 2021-04-13 11:10 pm (UTC)he's about to curl up and sleep when quentin speaks up. one pale eye cracks open, and then he's sitting bolt upright as the scent hits him.
quentin's in heat.
he wasn't paying attention to what he was burning up when he was removing any potential for infection. ]
Uh... [ he reaches out a golden hand. ] L-Let me try.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-13 11:28 pm (UTC)his glance flicks between them, blue eyes glassy, face nearly as pink as his hair with the heat and need (and humiliation). ] I've already gone through the scenarios. He doesn't have the reserves left. [ his glance sharpens briefly on josh. ] You don't, don't pretend you do. [ not after the inhibitor and then healing quentin and his own injury.
he rubs his palms, sweating faintly, over the tops of his thighs, jaw clenching briefly at the distracting sensation. ] And it's.. happening too fast.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-15 04:04 am (UTC)bites on the inside of his cheek until he tastes blood while he--takes a moment to consider their options here. another breath, another moment where he has to sit and check himself. )
I'm gonna be honest, and if I hear shit about it later, I'm going to strangle you in your sleep. ( to quentin, not josh. josh isn't stupid. ) I've got about four seconds before I jump you, I haven't handled an omega before, and my self control is shit as it is already.
( so. he doesn't know how this is going to turn out. julian's -- loud, objectively so. bossy, dominating, but he's spent the majority of his teen years and early twenties trying not to get killed off and he hasn't had the time for crap like this. )
no subject
Date: 2021-04-15 04:13 am (UTC)quentin smells good. stirring want in him like he'd never actually known before. he exhales shakily and focuses on sitting up straight, letting out a shaky breath through his teeth. ]
I, uh... [ am useless. caused this. am so sorry. ] I don't think I've got the strength to keep you two apart. [ and then, apologetically. ] I can try to give you two privacy. I just, uh... once I've... I'll step in and stop it, y'know?
[ and he doesn't factor in his own heat. doesn't even think to. it's been such a non-factor in his life. he doesn't need suppressants because - because he just doesn't. and if he had them they wouldn't do any good, his powers would burn them up upon entry to his system. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-04-15 08:06 pm (UTC)well, fuck, he certainly wasn't expecting to shepherd an inexperienced alpha (and possibly another omega) through dealing with his heat today.
not entirely trusting keller's self-control, he anchors the other man telekinetically where he sits for the moment. it's not going to be enough to keep him there if he really fights it, but it might help curb any impulses while quentin explains things and prepares. ] Okay, [ he says, and takes a careful breath, focusing through his own near desperate desire. god, he's already a mess, already wet. ] .. Look.
[ he rolls small shoulders in his uniform, then brings his fingers to the closures, beginning to unzip and unsnap them. ]
This isn't my first time by a long shot, but I don't know what's going to happen with Foley here. [ a glance toward the other man as he slides the well-worn leather off his shoulders. his hands are shaking. he's shaking. ] Omega-level omegas, our biological imperative to-- to breed is.. stronger than other omegas, and that's not just theory, okay? I'm sure you've seen it in others. You need to-- I might trigger your cycle, and you need to prepare yourself for that.
[ his boots unlace and unzip, and he kicks out of them, pushing his uniform down his hips and stepping out of it. it leaves him nude, flushed clear down his throat and onto his narrow chest, obviously aroused. ]
If it doesn't, great. Your best chance of shutting my heat down if instinct takes over is making sure this-- [ a tap to his temple. ] --is fully distracted. I'm not like other psions you've dealt with, Foley, so don't assume I will be. I'm-- [ fuck, focus. ignore keller, or try, even though he aches with the wanting, heat trying to haze out his thoughts. ] I'm shutting down what I can to make it easier, and I'm keeping a telepathic eye out for trouble, but.. [ well, he's still an omega-level mutant, and he's still dangerous if some animal part of him feels threatened.
his glance flicks to keller, and he takes a step closer, then a second one, nerves jolting with arousal as he slides fingers lightly over the other man's clothed shoulder, just brushing bare skin above his collar. ] As for you.. it's probably going to be a long fucking day, and once I start begging for your dick, I'm going to be useless for just about anything else. I usually get a break a couple of hours in, so I suggest you take that time to make sure we're all hydrated if possible, and rest if Foley's either just as fucked as I am or not back up to speed.
no subject
Date: 2021-04-20 06:56 pm (UTC)so he doesn't voice the protest. doesn't bitch, not yet. because bitching here isn't going to do shit for them. they're all stuck in this, and julian also realizes that he's the one who isn't going to be--mentally and physically fucked over as much as quentin. bitching now feels like a dick move, he can yell about it later after shit's back to normal. )
Don't tell me what to do. ( jaw flexing, but he tips his head back as he looks to quentin. there's heat behind his gaze, the green telltale spark of julian utilizing his telekinesis shining bright. not pushing against quentin yet, but getting pretty damn close to considering it. shifts into full hellion mode between one breath and the next, even if he's still careful not to push against quentin's boundaries. usually he wouldn't give a shit.
but this is a little different. )
You want my dick? You're gonna have to earn it, Quire.