[Weirdo. Why would he feel like having a cold in the first place? He's trying to wrap a mutation around it but nothing's coming to mind. And he's studied the records of known mutations from classes about them, one thing he actually studies avidly and without being told.]
What do I do? What the hell kind of question is that for someone in a boarding school. I drag ass around here and try not to die of boredom. [A little smile quirks his lips.] And make sure no one else gets bored either. Or complacent.
[A brief pause.]
Unless you meant my actual mutation, but that was way more coy than you needed to be if you did. [He's wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and a Zippo lighter with the open, blood-red mouth of a shark emblazoned across the lid comes out of its front pocket. He opens and strikes it, just watching the flame flicker for awhile, then makes it swell in such tiny increments that it might take awhile for Harry to notice any change.
Lulling him. He'll get more flashy once he's been declared weak or boring. He likes showing off even more with the element of deception.]
[ though he's interested in both versions of that question. what do you do for fun? what can you do? he intentionally left it open for interpretation. john's replies say an awful lot about himself. he doesn't let people get bored. it's a fascinating thing. he prefers fun to boring any day.
and the mutation. the zippo comes out and harry's eyes light up like john had a gift for him instead of something he was going to show off with. the flame flicks on and he's rubbing his hands together, biting his lip. apparently thrilled enough just to see him pull it out.
and then he slides down so he's close to john again, puts a hand out as if he wants to touch it. like a moth drawn in. something in his eyes like this wild need. fire. fire. fire. one of his favorite things. all energy. quick fix. another addiction. he can never keep a flame going around himself. just drains it. poof. ]
What do you do with it? [ not weak. not boring. but there's obviously something more to it than being able to turn a lighter on.
Whether Harry follows it or not, he'll hold his hand over the flame - not burning him at all, see? - then, with a sudden sweeping motion, raise his arm in a massive arc with the flame trailing along as though it were attached to his palm. And it is, as he proves when he holds his hand upright and it's still settled there. Tame and harmless as a heeling dog.
Just as suddenly, a tongue of it rushes toward Harry's face, stopping just below his chin. Close enough for the heat to be uncomfortable, but not to burn or even discolour.]
[ he doesn't want to back up. he wants to put his hands over the flames and feel the heat and take it. he doesn't listen but he's watching - eyes following the flame very carefully. drawn right into it like it's the most important thing in the room.
john controls it. john makes it bigger. john's got an endless supply of power at his fingertips and harry's excited and his heart's racing. he jerks his head back a little at the rush towards his face - involuntary reaction. two for flinching. the heat is uncomfortable but he likes it. heat. power. energy. give it give it. he inhales a breath, smile far too wide and thrilled for someone having fire shoved towards their face threatening to burn him alive if john loses control. maybe it dims a bit - maybe not. but harry's taking it in. ]
I think you have my favorite one so far! [ oh god. too loud. too excited. heavy breaths. his legs are bouncing up and down in his seat. wringing his hands around. he makes a wide gesture. you're his favorite. ]
[He has literally never seen someone else as excited about fire as he gets. It's not just in the exclamation - he recognises the unnatural brightness in Harry's eyes even before the flame illuminates his face from below (an attractive angle for him, which is unusual with light), the jittery movements, the involuntary pull inward even as he appears to know on some level that fire should be driving him back. This isn't a love born from DNA, the constant pulsing of information in his mind and bloodstream, but a completely pure one.
(So he thinks. The energy is just as vital to Harry as the fire itself is to John, but from outside, he just looks like a gleeful pyromaniac. And that is appealing.)
Slowly, John wets his lips, now giving Harry just as close scrutiny. The flame withdraws back into his palm after a moment, and he snuffs it out with his fingers - can't give a child candy whenever they want or they won't appreciate it anymore. Lighter back into his pocket. The show's over.]
You've got good taste. [He smirks lazily, as though it were a compliment about anything he'd been able to control or cultivate himself, not a fluke of genetics.] Weird, now that I think of it - a pyrokinetic who's never met a firebug.
[ no. come back. he swallows, hard. what a rush. there's a hand on his chest because it's pounding and he can hear it. thump thump. he thinks his hand is shaking. he's never had fire in his face before like that. it's like taking a hit out of his favorite drug. he's on his feet, idly pacing now. too much fuel. can't sit still.
he always liked fire. harry could definitely be considered a legitimate pyromaniac, if only because of what fire gives him. a rush. lights him up the same time it gets lit up. it's wild. uncontrollable (until now) and makes him want to bounce off the damn walls. ]
Thank you.
[ he does have good taste. he thinks he has good taste in everything. ]
Never? You've been missing out. I could be your first. [ take that as you will. ]
[He's so used to come-ons from that face that it almost flies right past him, but this is someone different. The voice isn't right. The hair isn't right. He thinks Harry is a bit shorter now that he's standing, maybe even smaller than John himself. Similar, but not an exact replica.
And he doesn't really mind how it sounds coming from Harry.
Watching him is hilarious, though. He really did get a rush from that, didn't he? God, he'll be fun to have around. Always encouraging, never dissuading - real fuel for John's fire. He's made another connection, different from his war with Petre, his delicate friendship with Ryan, his mentor role with Neku; it's one he can't yet figure out how to label, but knows he wants to keep alive.]
They say the first one's free, right? [His hand settles lightly over that front pocket.] I'm not a trained monkey. You've gotta keep me entertained, too.
[ he walks to one side of the couch, turns. walks to the other. hands flexing at his sides like he's not sure what to do with them. hyper. his brain is active. a rush indeed. when he stops walking once john speaks. he's swinging his arms at his sides, rocking on his heels.
there's a smile that hasn't left his face since john took the lighter out. he likes him. john didn't roll his eyes or bat an eye at remark that could so easily be taken as an innuendo. he just gives it back to him. first one's free. he laughs a little at it. ]
How would you like to be entertained? [ is he talking fast? maybe he's talking fast. but the worsts are meant, even if it's phrased like he's working some kind of sex hotline. give and take. harry believes in fairness. how does john like to be entertained? ]
[His eyebrows go up at that before he bursts out laughing, some of that drained energy beginning to replenish itself. The fire was good for him, too, invigorating; there's no odd sluggishness to his thoughts anymore. Harry will also come to discover that he's got a core of bitter anger equivalent to a nuclear reactor when it comes to clean but volatile sources of endless energy.]
Not throwing up any limits, huh? Anything at all? You can't expect an answer to an offer like that right away. [Still chuckling, he slides a hand over his hair and scratches idly at the back of his neck.] I'll get back to you on that one. As a general rule, though? Don't get in the way of my fun.
[ john bounces right back too. harry noticed. fire is good for all. he moves to stand closer to him again - not too close that he's invading personal space but definitely hovering around him. like a bug on a lightbulb. a satellite stuck in a gravitational pull. ]
The sky's the limit! [ want him to suck your dick? he'll do it. don't even joke. ...not that he's throwing himself at john's mercy, not at all he still wants all the control, but he's making it quite clear he's open for any sort of shenanigans. fun in harry world is quite broad. ]
I'd never dream of it. [ he points a finger at john, wiggling it ] No fun is boring.
[Just a little test. He's not really planning on making a fool of Harry - wondering how he could use him against Petre, mostly, too bad he's not really a metamorph - but statements that broad need clarifying.
His eyes are constantly on Harry, watching the way he jitters around, and the fact that he eventually settles so close is funny rather than off-putting. He knows it's something of a magnet-pull, except this time it's not being manipulated. If Harry is playing games, he's much more subtle than Petre, and an Oscar-worthy actor to boot.]
You know how much you look like you really wanna sit in my lap right now? Take a breath, man.
Depends. It depends on how funny it is. I might go along. Might not.
[ he's got a sense of humor but if john's going to be mean, he won't bother going along with it. there's some limits after all though he's not explicitly saying what any of them are exactly. maybe he doesn't even know.
harry's shrugging his shoulders up, laughing a little and looking away then back at him ]
[ he does take a breath. doesn't get him to calm down though. ] You got me all fired up. [ get it? he means that quite literally though. he's on a high. he's practically bouncing on his feet ]
[That's a fair answer. It sounds like being mean won't be a dealbreaker, anyway, so they're good to go.
Almost.]
Okay, rule two: no fire puns. Also ever.
[He stands up and stretches languidly, just shaking off the last of that strange exhaustion.] Depends on what you wanna do. You're entertaining me, so gimme a suggestion.
It is not that kind of complicated. Not in any way. [It's close, honestly, but John will deny it until he's blue in the face. It's not getting that kind of complicated, so that's all that matters to him.] And don't believe him if he says it is, he's fucking delusional.
[That distracts him too much for him to realize that he's basically left himself open to "the first thing that popped into Harry's head."]
Existing here gets me in trouble, Harry. When you're already guilty, you might as well make the best of it.
[ harry is not complicated with a lot of things. this is one of them. incredibly upfront. hey. john left it open. harry's not going to shy away from it. he has issues and he's so ridiculously energized.
the next part has a mischievous edge slipping into that smile that hasn't gone away yet. a little look in his eye that obviously likes trouble ]
The cool, arrogant certainty that's marked his features since Harry became so enraptured with his fire starts to slip. He's attracted to Harry, yes. He's come far enough to admit that. But even after his clarifying talk with Ryan, he's still not totally comfortable with this kind of attraction, and his experience amounts to a few semi-frantic kisses while he he was being thoroughly manipulated by Petre. And yes, as Harry pointed out:]
We - literally just met. Not a dealbreaker, but you move really fucking fast, don't you?
[He's stalling. The agony of being at the stage in this whole process where he's never certain about anything, but what he has to do to find certainty makes him even more uncertain.]
[ harry's eyebrows go up and he stops moving for a split second. too fast? that's what he's used to. quick. meaningless. a pick-me-up. nobody's ever complained. nobody's tried to hold on (unless they wanted money). nobody's been a friend. party. sex. next.
he could probably get a friend right now. possibly. first one in however many years. and his first thought is to take their clothes off and fuck on a teacher's desk.
[It's a lot closer to what he was used to as well, before he came to Xavier's. The big, problematic difference is that since he arrived at Xavier's, it's been all guys who have come at him with such offers. And there's so much processing still going on about that.
But in a way, he feels like he's backed down from a challenge now. Like Harry is making allowances for his fear, and that's fucking condescending. Nothing scares him - certainly not some guy with Petre's face making advances at him. It's not Petre. Harry is nothing like Petre aside from the interest. And jesus, it really has been himself and his hand for a long time now, so why not?]
I didn't say no. [He moves in closer now, still too apprehensive to be truly alluring - unless that kind of thing turns Harry on.]
[ it's not alluring. it doesn't really turn him on. john seems apprehensive. far too nervous. and like he's taking it like some sort of challenge. the energy is off in a funny way he can't place. not quite right.
he tilts his head, finally letting that smile fade out. all that's left is a corner of his lip curved in a smirk - a curious sort of one. his eyes analyzing. well.
fuck it. ]
Hm. [ first thought. he grabs the front of john's shirt and pulls him in forcefully, stronger than he looks. moving forward to press their lips together. energetic. fiery. too quick to give permission to breathe but nothing bruising. it's him taking over john's mouth greedily. ]
[He lets out a thoroughly embarrassing noise of surprise when their mouths collide, but the fierce energy behind it makes him shiver, open his mouth to Harry without even pausing to think about it; he feels claimed, which is precisely the opposite of what he wants to feel, but it elicits a strange sort of excitement.
Still, everything about his reaction reeks of indecision: his hands don't move to touch Harry at all, arms hanging limply at his sides; he follows the kiss rather than ever making a move to lead it, which goes against every part of his nature that he's shown so far; every now and then he pulls back just a little, as though wondering if it should be over, and that makes it obvious that he's not fully into it. Excited, yes, and very curious, but not fully out of his own head.]
harry lets go of his shirt - pulls back. and then quietly runs his hands down john's front to smooth out the shirt where his grip wrinkled it. his mind thinking over it, eyes noting everything about how john's reading. the kiss was all give and hardly any take back from him. going with the motions, really. the pull back was enough to give him a hint on how it was. he just wanted to see - get a read on him. he gets it.
he takes a step back, not wanting to further suck anything out of the guy for no good reason. a hand moves up and he delicately runs a finger over his own lips in thought. there wasn't any ...spark. it's complicated. he doesn't do complicated. he pauses then looks off, talking in that oh-so-casual tone again ]
Changed my mind. We're not doing that. Let's do something else.
All the anger drains out of him, leaving behind a sullen sort of irritation. None of this is a personal strike against Harry, but John suddenly wants to be out of his company, because the balance of power has shifted sharply and he doesn't like it. Even with Harry being totally reasonable about it, he still feels condescended to. All in his own mind, but his mind has been a busy and deeply complicated place lately.]
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What do I do? What the hell kind of question is that for someone in a boarding school. I drag ass around here and try not to die of boredom. [A little smile quirks his lips.] And make sure no one else gets bored either. Or complacent.
[A brief pause.]
Unless you meant my actual mutation, but that was way more coy than you needed to be if you did. [He's wearing a hooded sweatshirt, and a Zippo lighter with the open, blood-red mouth of a shark emblazoned across the lid comes out of its front pocket. He opens and strikes it, just watching the flame flicker for awhile, then makes it swell in such tiny increments that it might take awhile for Harry to notice any change.
Lulling him. He'll get more flashy once he's been declared weak or boring. He likes showing off even more with the element of deception.]
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[ though he's interested in both versions of that question. what do you do for fun? what can you do? he intentionally left it open for interpretation. john's replies say an awful lot about himself. he doesn't let people get bored. it's a fascinating thing. he prefers fun to boring any day.
and the mutation. the zippo comes out and harry's eyes light up like john had a gift for him instead of something he was going to show off with. the flame flicks on and he's rubbing his hands together, biting his lip. apparently thrilled enough just to see him pull it out.
and then he slides down so he's close to john again, puts a hand out as if he wants to touch it. like a moth drawn in. something in his eyes like this wild need. fire. fire. fire. one of his favorite things. all energy. quick fix. another addiction. he can never keep a flame going around himself. just drains it. poof. ]
What do you do with it? [ not weak. not boring. but there's obviously something more to it than being able to turn a lighter on.
can he have it? he wants it. needs it. ]
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Whether Harry follows it or not, he'll hold his hand over the flame - not burning him at all, see? - then, with a sudden sweeping motion, raise his arm in a massive arc with the flame trailing along as though it were attached to his palm. And it is, as he proves when he holds his hand upright and it's still settled there. Tame and harmless as a heeling dog.
Just as suddenly, a tongue of it rushes toward Harry's face, stopping just below his chin. Close enough for the heat to be uncomfortable, but not to burn or even discolour.]
Whatever I want.
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john controls it. john makes it bigger. john's got an endless supply of power at his fingertips and harry's excited and his heart's racing. he jerks his head back a little at the rush towards his face - involuntary reaction. two for flinching. the heat is uncomfortable but he likes it. heat. power. energy. give it give it. he inhales a breath, smile far too wide and thrilled for someone having fire shoved towards their face threatening to burn him alive if john loses control. maybe it dims a bit - maybe not. but harry's taking it in. ]
I think you have my favorite one so far! [ oh god. too loud. too excited. heavy breaths. his legs are bouncing up and down in his seat. wringing his hands around. he makes a wide gesture. you're his favorite. ]
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(So he thinks. The energy is just as vital to Harry as the fire itself is to John, but from outside, he just looks like a gleeful pyromaniac. And that is appealing.)
Slowly, John wets his lips, now giving Harry just as close scrutiny. The flame withdraws back into his palm after a moment, and he snuffs it out with his fingers - can't give a child candy whenever they want or they won't appreciate it anymore. Lighter back into his pocket. The show's over.]
You've got good taste. [He smirks lazily, as though it were a compliment about anything he'd been able to control or cultivate himself, not a fluke of genetics.] Weird, now that I think of it - a pyrokinetic who's never met a firebug.
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he always liked fire. harry could definitely be considered a legitimate pyromaniac, if only because of what fire gives him. a rush. lights him up the same time it gets lit up. it's wild. uncontrollable (until now) and makes him want to bounce off the damn walls. ]
Thank you.
[ he does have good taste. he thinks he has good taste in everything. ]
Never? You've been missing out. I could be your first. [ take that as you will. ]
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And he doesn't really mind how it sounds coming from Harry.
Watching him is hilarious, though. He really did get a rush from that, didn't he? God, he'll be fun to have around. Always encouraging, never dissuading - real fuel for John's fire. He's made another connection, different from his war with Petre, his delicate friendship with Ryan, his mentor role with Neku; it's one he can't yet figure out how to label, but knows he wants to keep alive.]
They say the first one's free, right? [His hand settles lightly over that front pocket.] I'm not a trained monkey. You've gotta keep me entertained, too.
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there's a smile that hasn't left his face since john took the lighter out. he likes him. john didn't roll his eyes or bat an eye at remark that could so easily be taken as an innuendo. he just gives it back to him. first one's free. he laughs a little at it. ]
How would you like to be entertained? [ is he talking fast? maybe he's talking fast. but the worsts are meant, even if it's phrased like he's working some kind of sex hotline. give and take. harry believes in fairness. how does john like to be entertained? ]
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Not throwing up any limits, huh? Anything at all? You can't expect an answer to an offer like that right away. [Still chuckling, he slides a hand over his hair and scratches idly at the back of his neck.] I'll get back to you on that one. As a general rule, though? Don't get in the way of my fun.
[A bit more flatly, with threatening gravity.]
Ever.
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The sky's the limit! [ want him to suck your dick? he'll do it. don't even joke. ...not that he's throwing himself at john's mercy, not at all he still wants all the control, but he's making it quite clear he's open for any sort of shenanigans. fun in harry world is quite broad. ]
I'd never dream of it. [ he points a finger at john, wiggling it ] No fun is boring.
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[Just a little test. He's not really planning on making a fool of Harry - wondering how he could use him against Petre, mostly, too bad he's not really a metamorph - but statements that broad need clarifying.
His eyes are constantly on Harry, watching the way he jitters around, and the fact that he eventually settles so close is funny rather than off-putting. He knows it's something of a magnet-pull, except this time it's not being manipulated. If Harry is playing games, he's much more subtle than Petre, and an Oscar-worthy actor to boot.]
You know how much you look like you really wanna sit in my lap right now? Take a breath, man.
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[ he's got a sense of humor but if john's going to be mean, he won't bother going along with it. there's some limits after all though he's not explicitly saying what any of them are exactly. maybe he doesn't even know.
harry's shrugging his shoulders up, laughing a little and looking away then back at him ]
[ he does take a breath. doesn't get him to calm down though. ] You got me all fired up. [ get it? he means that quite literally though. he's on a high. he's practically bouncing on his feet ]
We should do something. You want to do something?
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Almost.]
Okay, rule two: no fire puns. Also ever.
[He stands up and stretches languidly, just shaking off the last of that strange exhaustion.] Depends on what you wanna do. You're entertaining me, so gimme a suggestion.
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he claps his hands together ]
I just met you and you have that complicated Petre thing going so I'm assuming the first thing that popped into my head is out. [ SEX HE MEANS SEX ]
How much trouble are you willing to get in right now?
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It is not that kind of complicated. Not in any way. [It's close, honestly, but John will deny it until he's blue in the face. It's not getting that kind of complicated, so that's all that matters to him.] And don't believe him if he says it is, he's fucking delusional.
[That distracts him too much for him to realize that he's basically left himself open to "the first thing that popped into Harry's head."]
Existing here gets me in trouble, Harry. When you're already guilty, you might as well make the best of it.
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[ harry is not complicated with a lot of things. this is one of them. incredibly upfront. hey. john left it open. harry's not going to shy away from it. he has issues and he's so ridiculously energized.
the next part has a mischievous edge slipping into that smile that hasn't gone away yet. a little look in his eye that obviously likes trouble ]
Let me think one second.
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The cool, arrogant certainty that's marked his features since Harry became so enraptured with his fire starts to slip. He's attracted to Harry, yes. He's come far enough to admit that. But even after his clarifying talk with Ryan, he's still not totally comfortable with this kind of attraction, and his experience amounts to a few semi-frantic kisses while he he was being thoroughly manipulated by Petre. And yes, as Harry pointed out:]
We - literally just met. Not a dealbreaker, but you move really fucking fast, don't you?
[He's stalling. The agony of being at the stage in this whole process where he's never certain about anything, but what he has to do to find certainty makes him even more uncertain.]
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he could probably get a friend right now. possibly. first one in however many years. and his first thought is to take their clothes off and fuck on a teacher's desk.
he lifts his arms. shruuuuug ]
We could do something else.
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But in a way, he feels like he's backed down from a challenge now. Like Harry is making allowances for his fear, and that's fucking condescending. Nothing scares him - certainly not some guy with Petre's face making advances at him. It's not Petre. Harry is nothing like Petre aside from the interest. And jesus, it really has been himself and his hand for a long time now, so why not?]
I didn't say no. [He moves in closer now, still too apprehensive to be truly alluring - unless that kind of thing turns Harry on.]
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he tilts his head, finally letting that smile fade out. all that's left is a corner of his lip curved in a smirk - a curious sort of one. his eyes analyzing. well.
fuck it. ]
Hm. [ first thought. he grabs the front of john's shirt and pulls him in forcefully, stronger than he looks. moving forward to press their lips together. energetic. fiery. too quick to give permission to breathe but nothing bruising. it's him taking over john's mouth greedily. ]
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Still, everything about his reaction reeks of indecision: his hands don't move to touch Harry at all, arms hanging limply at his sides; he follows the kiss rather than ever making a move to lead it, which goes against every part of his nature that he's shown so far; every now and then he pulls back just a little, as though wondering if it should be over, and that makes it obvious that he's not fully into it. Excited, yes, and very curious, but not fully out of his own head.]
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harry lets go of his shirt - pulls back. and then quietly runs his hands down john's front to smooth out the shirt where his grip wrinkled it. his mind thinking over it, eyes noting everything about how john's reading. the kiss was all give and hardly any take back from him. going with the motions, really. the pull back was enough to give him a hint on how it was. he just wanted to see - get a read on him. he gets it.
he takes a step back, not wanting to further suck anything out of the guy for no good reason. a hand moves up and he delicately runs a finger over his own lips in thought. there wasn't any ...spark. it's complicated. he doesn't do complicated. he pauses then looks off, talking in that oh-so-casual tone again ]
Changed my mind. We're not doing that. Let's do something else.
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What? Did I do something wrong? [Not even making it past the kissing stage is mortifying. He had Petre whimpering, goddamnit, so what's the problem?]
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[ drumming his hands on his sides, lifting his shoulders in another drug ]
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All the anger drains out of him, leaving behind a sullen sort of irritation. None of this is a personal strike against Harry, but John suddenly wants to be out of his company, because the balance of power has shifted sharply and he doesn't like it. Even with Harry being totally reasonable about it, he still feels condescended to. All in his own mind, but his mind has been a busy and deeply complicated place lately.]
So? What's Plan B?
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did you mean: mutants?
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