Re-Evolution: Episode 2: In the Blood

Emma Frost had let the two of them out of the front gate without a word, and Todd leaned toward her as they walked in the dusk light, the sun having just set.

Morgan put her arm around him, half supporting him in case her...feeding...had left him weak. 

She'd met Emma Frost's eyes just before she left, but only for a moment. As the gate slammed behind her, she felt hot, angry tears well up in her eyes as she walked down the street.

 "...Why did I go there, Todd?" she muttered angrily "I should have known I wouldn't have fit in. That I wouldn't belong there. The whole thing was a big, terrible nightmare of a mess.'

Still a little woozy indeed, Todd didn't pass up the chance to lean on her with her arm around him. 

"Hey, hey hey yo," he shook his head and then regretted it when he felt dizzy. "It was a nightmare but it like, weren't your fault, yo. Tryin' new things is good and that shit. But like, I mean, I wouldn't exactly wanna fit in with that bunch either, ya know?"

"Yeah..." Morgan laughed weakly , looking at Greg's car as they passed it before turning her eyes to the long road ahead. "Trying new things is...it's worthwhile."

She attempted to wipe the drying blood from her face with her free arm. "and it sounded so good on paper. But...It wasn't somewhere either of us belonged. They weren't...our crowd. Not like the others ...not like last night."

"Yo I had way more fun last night with you and the guys," Todd agreed, as they walked down the road toward the bus stop. "But like, uh, I mean, yo, it wasn't all bad today. You *were* pretty damn badass in there."

Morgan flushed, her cheeks darkening as she glanced over at him. 

"You weren't half bad yourself, leapfrog. you watched my back. I watched yours. And we did pretty good in their fucking Death Room." She pat his shoulder, hesitating for a moment. ‘Do I mention the blood thing?’ she wondered. ‘He probably thinks it's awkward. Like an invasion of space. I can't believe I actually did that…’

"Yeah, we make a pretty good team, yo…. I uh, probably need a bandaid at some point though. Some fangs you got there."

"Y-yeah, we sure do," Morgan murmured, looking over at his neck.. "...but ah...yeah, we should probably get you patched up, huh? I...guess I do. Sorry about that, Toddy. I just sort of...lost control."

She smiled weakly. "On the upside, I uh...feel a lot better. I don't feel dizzy at all anymore. Or sick."

"Hey, yo, that's great, right?" he said, still smiling back. He rubbed his neck again. "You don't gotta apologize, yo, I was just a little caught off guard. Shoulda guessed tho, I mean you did say you were like a vampire."

Morgan licked her fingers, before brushing them over the wound on his neck. She'd read once that a vampire's spit could seal wounds. Maybe...her mutation could do the same thing. If not, there was always shadow magic...and the sun *was* setting.

Morgan turned a little darker as she flushed deeper. 

"...I did huh. Maybe I really do need blood to survive...maybe I just...pushed myself too far last night and needed to..." She waved her hand. "you know...feed. On you…....It was amazing, though. Like, the best thing I've ever tasted kind of amazing."

Todd shivered as she touched his neck, and he leaned into her fingers. 

"Damn, yo, it was that good huh? Wasn't too bad from my end, neither."

Morgan pulled her fingers away and--nope. The wounds were still bleeding. She licked her fingers with a sigh, tasting his blood once more before she manifested a patch of darkness from a streetlamp's shadow, and pressed it to his neck, making an impromptu, solid bandage. 

"It was really good," she murmured. "It felt good for you too, huh? g-good."

"Yeah, uh... y-yeah," he chuckled, embarrassedly, not meeting her gaze. "If you ever like, needed to do it again sometime, I wouldn't like, get mad or nothin," 

Morgan smiled at him, showing her still bloodied fangs 

"...It's a plan, Todd." She punched his shoulde.r "consider yourself my first blood donor." She looked over her shoulder at the mansion as it started to fade from sight. ".....Greg was so enamored with that place."

Todd looked back over his shoulder too. 

"Yeah he was kinda sallivatin' over it the whole time, wasn't he?"

"He sure was." Morgan nodded, frowning. "He seemed to really think they could help us and it'd be a place we both could fit in. But it's pretty clear that it's only his place. Not mine. ....plus, I'm not so sure about it. I don't trust anything that touts itself as a school for children and *clearly* trains them for war. It's backhanded. Like they're preparing to use them."

"Yeeeeah, uh, also I didn't wanna ask while there was so much arguin' goin on but did you say that guy read your *mind*?"

"...Yeah. Or at least read Greg's mind....and kind of half threatened to like 'help me calm down' if I kept being angry." Her gaze darkened further.  "....I don't like people poking around inside my head without permission."

"Yeeeah, uh, that shit is not right yo," he agreed, shaking his head. "Don't nobody belong up there but you, ya know? But man, seriously, there was a lot lof military shit there. And the said there was kids younger than us around?"

"Agreed." Morgan said with a frown. "On both counts. Because yeah, they said that..."

"Man yo I always got a weird vibe off them guys," he shook his head. "Like some of 'em alright ya know? but whenever the institute comes up it's like, uhhh, children of the corn, yo."

"yeah...Like Piotr seemed really nice, and the other kids all seem like decent people. And even some of the teachers," she murmured. "But as a whole...it seems...sketchy."

"Sketch as hell, yo," he nodded, as they reached the bus shelter at the bottom of the hill. "Hard to get over nearly gettin' blasted on my way in."

"Yeah." Morgan snorted "That was bullshit, Toddy. I'm sorry."

"Weren't your fault, doll," he said, shaking his head. He hopped up on the bench under the shelter and patted the spot next to him.

Morgan settled in next to him, leaning her head back against the glass of the bus shelter's wall. 

"What a day...I'm not looking forward to tomorrow."

"Talkin' to your bro about it?"

"He's going to try to convince me to join them, then get *upset* when I tell him off. I know it." She muttered. "but  I'm not going to bow to what he wants."

"Hey, good for you, doll," he nodded. "Ya shouldn't have to do whatever he wants just cause he turns into a big monster man when he gets upset."

Morgan snorted softly. 

"That's the first time I saw him do that, actually... before it was just the smoke...shadow...whatever trailing off him and those exploding balls of shadow."

"Yo okay but like, also metaphorically," Todd clarified. "Cause I've been sensin' some uh, anger issues, since our first run in yesterday yo."

Morgan winced, nodding slowly.

 "...Yeah he's got some problems with anger. Even before our mutations. He's always been aggressive, overprotective...and explosive with his anger." She looked up at the roof of the bus shelter. "He never directed it at me...but he's chased off friends of mine he didn't like before. Or threatened people who he thought were 'bothering' me."

"Shit, yo that sucks. Guess that explains why I'm in the line of fire."

"You're exactly the type of guy he doesn't want hanging around me." Morgan muttered . "A 'punk who'll only hurt my reputation.'." Her fingers clenched on her lap. "A 'creep', he says."

"I mean, I am kinda a punk, yo," he shrugged.

"Well, not that he's ever noticed but so am I," Morgan countered. "And I deserve the chance to-- to determine for myself what kind of company I want to keep. "

"Yeeeah, I was gonna ask if he was like, ya know blind given your personal style, yo. ...So... whatcha gonna do about him?"

Morgan crossed her arms. 

"He can go and stay with 'Xavier's School For Gifted Dorks'. I'm taking the house, and I'm going to tell him *no* every single time he tries to bully me into attending with him. I'm going to live my life exactly the way I want to."

"Good! You stick to your guns, doll! You gonna have any problems with your parents stickin their nose in that shit?"

"Not a single one" Morgan brushed her hair over her ears, not even bothering to hide them right now.  "Mom's hardly ever home, you know? She's off working her big important job somewhere and usually just wires us the money we need when we need it. It's been that way since we were like, 6. And the babysitters kind of stopped showing up around , like, 12...13.."

"Damn yo, so you got the place to yourself huh?" He bit his lip, pausing. "Hey listen, yo, I know ya said he don't get violent with you or nothin', but if he comes back an' you'd feel better with some backup, you got me an' the guys number. Most of us don't got nowhere to be even if it's like, 2 am or some shit."

"you got it, Todd...You guys are cool. If he tries to start anything, I'll give you a call, alright? Mostly I think he'll just show up for his stuff, and try to needle me to come with him."

She gave him a fistbump,, which he returned with a smile.

"Here's hopin, yo. An' hey-- upside-- he clears out, you can like, throw a party or somethin."

"Maybe I will." Morgan smirked. "and you and all the guys are invited."