Forge, Rayen, Logan, and Tension

[logan]

Indeed Logan did follow Rayen and Forge to Breakfast, true believers, and with not much protest – externally anyway. He was simply biding his time for Forge to get lost in the high-octane world of technology, so he could get the girl alone for a while. They'd not even so much as talked today.

So he suffered through the walk to the kitchen, all the while listening to Forge prattle on and on whatever the hell it was he was talking about. He seemed to know a lot of really big words, and though Logan was highly intelligent, he wasn't like Forge – who probably had intimate time with his Popular Mechanics magazine.

“... so we'll need to find a way to attach the power coupling to the gyro...” - Logan tuned most of it out.

When they got to the kitchen, Forge had pushed himself like a big boy the entire way. Logan leaned against the counter, looking at Rayen. A part of him wanted not to outright stare, as Bandero was sitting right there, but he was getting more than a little annoyed with the amputee, so he put only half effort into resisting his more basic urges. Well, at least those involved in looking.

[conduit]

Rayen helped her brother with breakfast, getting a few things together for him. She listened to his enthusiastic rambles, and joined in here and there where her own armchair expertise came into play.

"You know, if you could figure out how to hook up the current to your own energy wave- I bet it registers a fluctuation like your heartbeat, your pulse- you might even be able to work out true cyborg stuff."

Handing him a bowl of cereal, she displayed an odd amount of tenderness between two adults. Leaning down and brushing his dark hair away from his forehead, she kissed it and stood back up. It was obvious she thought nothing of it, setting a powdered donut on his knee.

"Hey Bandy, I'm going to go outside for a cigarette. Haven't had one all morning. Will you be cool here? Want to see how well you can get around by your lonesome?" She chuckled, and felt her stomach lurch. Ditching your injured brother so you can share the same- albeit smoky- airspace with a hot guy.

You're a winner alright, Ray.

Clearing her throat, the thought passed visibly over her eyes for a second.

[forge]

Forge nodded thoughtfully at her input, and filed it away as a good idea. Attaching directly to the nerves was something he'd had in mind, but they'd shared a pretty specific bond earlier – perhaps if she was there, she could match the current somehow. Thought is electricity, after all.

Then he got cereal, and delighted. Trix are for Forge, he mused in his child-like glee, which only amplified when he received a donut! How did she know?

He smiled warmly as she kissed his forehead. A tender, sweet touch. There was an infinite amount of love between them, since they'd been reunited – and Forge cherished every minute of it. It was truly awesome...

"Hey Bandy, I'm going to go outside for a cigarette. Haven't had one all morning. Will you be cool here? Want to see how well you can get around by your lonesome?"

He did his best not to wince. Goddammit, Wolverine. He passed a clearly agitated glance up at the hairy bastard, and even managed not to scowl... instead, fortifying all of his will into a ball that could power a city, he smiled a bit at her and nodded. At least even she seemed to think it was a bit much.

“Oh yeah... uhh, I tell ya what. How 'bout I finish my breakfast, and head down to the lab. Maybe you could meet me there later?”

Now why was it when the last thing on Earth he wanted was for her to hang out with Claw-man, that's exactly what he was helping her do? Why you ask? Because he really did care about her, and he could tell it's what she wanted. He, of course, would prefer the Canadian aardvark go back to riding around on motorcycles and smoking cigars somewhere else... but that was likely not to happen.

Inner sigh.

Good call. In fact, why don't you suggest they go to her room and hang out... maybe tell them where the condom machine is?

[conduit]

Rayen felt two inches tall for the second time that day. If she didn't stop, she'd go into negative space. Maybe then the friction between Bandero and Logan would ease up a bit.

"Sounds like a great idea. I'm sure by then you'll have full schematics ready to lay out on blueprint, right?" She winked, then shrugged at his expression. "What, it's what I'd do."

Stepping towards the back door, she looked over her shoulder at Logan before stepping outside. Anything to get away from the laser-sharp looks being shot between the guys.