damned_institute | Day 47: Sun Room [2nd shift]

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Day 47: Sun Room [2nd shift]

Cloud knew he should be taking the opportunity to check out the rec field during the day. The fresh air would be a welcome change from the crowded stuffiness the Institute usually provided, and he would have a chance to scope out the area when it wasn't all under the cover of darkness. When offered a choice, however, he remained in the sun room. He told himself it was so that he could watch the bulletin, him still being fairly new and needing all the information he could get, but the thought rang hollow.

The real reason he was here, he knew, was because he would be out there. Maybe it was weak of him, but he needed a chance to breathe. Ever since he'd arrived it had been nothing but one shock after another, and seeing Zack standing in the cafeteria that morning talking to Aerith had been the final card that caused his tower to crumble. He needed to just sit back somewhere out of the way and start rebuilding.

Being able to watch the bulletin from here was just a perk. Cloud made himself comfortable on one of the sofas, watching people come and go but not really paying attention to them. He took the time to try and rate this on a scale of the biggest messes he'd ever gotten thrown into.

(for Sheena)

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"Stupid people?" Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Someone had genuinely just called him stupid. Stupid for what? For not running around Bayville blue and fuzzy, just waiting to be pummeled? For not enjoying being chased with farming implements? For letting blatant anger and fear get to him? For feeling like he'd never have a friend who would understand that he wasn't a monster?

"I am not a half-step away from being human," Kurt snapped, hands balling into fists. "I am one gene away from the human genome. That's not even a step, that a gene. And for being human, you sure don't seem to like them very much.

"Why Kon would want to involve himself with someone like you is beyond me," Kurt continued, officially having lost his temper. At this point, he was resorting to taking digs. "He didn't understand why I was so nervous, but he at least never called me stupid."

"Of course I don't like humans!" Scourge snapped back, rising unsteadily to his feet. "I hate being human! My wings are gone, I can barely see even when I'm not blind, I'm small and frail and people can just come up and do horrible things to me whenever they feel like it."

It was the last one that was the worst. Landel's could do anything it wanted to him, with monsters or with needles, at any moments of day or night. The only power Scourge had left to him was the power to run and hide and find bigger people to fight his battles for him. And here Kurt was flaunting that power right in his face, taunting him by telling him how bad off he'd be with the ability to escape through solid walls.

"And you're clinging to it like the best thing in the world. You're beyond stupid, you're right into fragging crazy." Scourge's frayed nails dug into his palms as he glared at the ungrateful organic. His arm swept out, making a blind grab for Kurt that was made even more clumsy by anger.

"Yeah, well, welcome to being human!" Kurt said, throwing out his arms. "People do things to you whenever they feel like it. It doesn't mean they're right or wrong, it's free will! And you've just stopped fighting not because you're human now--but because you feel powerless! Newsflash: everyone does! Humans or non-humans, we're all struggling here!"

Kurt may have been intending to say more, but he was caught off-guard by the wild grab. Part of him was snorting at the futile effort--what blind person could grab him? Especially when they were newly blinded? Matt he had no doubt could turn Kurt inside out without any trouble, but this guy? Who was talking to Kurt's stomach? Not likely. Kurt would just step ba--

Too late. The blind guy had grabbed his upper arm. Probably not the intended target, but he still had a grip on Kurt.

"Hey, let go!" Kurt shouted, thrashing in an effort to get away.

Scourge was almost surprised to find that he'd managed to actually grab Kurt, it had been a symbolic gesture at best. He clung to the human's arm with both hands, fingernails digging into his skin. "Maybe if I claw your optics out you'll get some perspective on the issue."

No, the nurses would find him long before that. He didn't want to spend the rest of the day blind and drugged. Instead, Scourge made a grab for Kurt's wrist, trying to find that bracelet he'd been talking about and tear it off him.

If Kurt was so afraid of people seeing his power, then Scourge was going to spite him and expose it to the whole slagging institution.

"Ow!" Kurt yelped, trying to tug the hand off of his arm. He was starting to get a little panicked--the threat to 'claw his optics out' was not a pleasant one. Even if he hadn't said 'claw your eyes out', Kurt could put two and two together. He'd pissed Scourge off and now he was being threatened and grabbed. Possibly beaten up again.

Kurt tried to pull his arm away, but given that his arm was being gripped tightly already, it wasn't hard for the blind man to find the bracelet (http://www.medicaltags.co.uk/charms/large-medical-bracelet.jpg) that had slipped down to the middle of his forearm.

"Let go!" Kurt shouted again. What was this guy trying to pull?!

Scourge's fingertips brushed cool metal, some kind of chain fastened (welded?) around Kurt's wrist. That had to be the bracelet. He hooked his fingers into it and tried pulling it down the human's arm, catching on his wrist.

It had to come off somehow. Kurt wouldn't leave it on all the time no matter how much he complained about his blue form.

"OW!" Kurt shouted, wondering if this man was not only blind, but deaf. Couldn't he at least realize that he was hurting Kurt?

Of course, he couldn't see that the bracelet didn't have a clasp, and Kurt had tried to get it off before without any results. The links were smooth without any weld-lines, and it wouldn't go over his hand no matter how small he tried to make it. And this man was trying to get it off of him, and hurting him in the process.

"Stop!" Kurt took hold of his own arm and tried to pull it away from Scourge. "It doesn't come off, I've tried to get it off! There's no clasp on it, it doesn't go over my hand!"

Scourge kept running his fingers over the bracelet, looking for some sort of weak point or clasp. When he felt none he finally released Kurt's arm and shoved the human away from him with another disdainful growl.

"So it just doesn't come off," he spat. "So you just stay like that all day, all nice and human and weak. Must be perfect for a pathetic organic like you." He pointed his finger in Kurt's direction, backing away slightly just in case the human decided to attack him, face showing mixed hatred and fear. "If I ever get my body back I'm going to come back and burn this place down to the bedrock."

Sometimes violent fantasies were the only thing that got him through the shift. They were the only place he could feel strong.

"Mr. Cho, an attitude like that will do nothing to help with your recovery." Alerted by the younger man's shouting, the nurse had approached to find out what was going on and put a stop to it, and catching the tail end of the comment left her looking even more displeased than she had been before. She frowned at him a moment longer, then turned her back on the man, leaving him to the impassive stares of the orderlies who had accompanied her over. They didn't have to do anything to make a threat, even during the daytime; just their presence alone was adequate.

"And Kurt, are you all right?" she continued, her expression softening into concern as she glanced at his arm. "Did he hurt you at all?" It looked like the man had been trying to take away the medical bracelet Kurt wore; it didn't make any sense, but a lot of the behaviors of the patients here didn't.

Kurt pulled his arm back to his chest to nurse it, allowing himself to be shoved away. He didn't particularly enjoy being called 'pathetic', but he also didn't want to rile the blind man into attacking again. Next time, he might not get off so easy. A few bruises and a shove were getting off easy, as far as Kurt was concerned.

He was almost glad to see the nurse turn to him and ask if he was alright. Kurt was hurt, but not in a way that could be fixed by a nurse.

"I'm fine..." Kurt said, rubbing his wrist lightly. "It's just a few bruises and scratches."

He didn't want to get Scourge in trouble. Kurt had been angry, to be sure, but that shove and the lashing out... he was more upset than angry with Kurt in specific. Angry at all humans, he suspected.

Scourge whirled and stumbled at the sudden voice. One of the nurses, nobody else called him that disgusting human name. He'd had no idea they were that close.

"We were just messing around," Scourge grumbled, feeling his way back to the chair and standing against it. She was probably fussing over Kurt right now and making sure the blue guy knew he was completely and utterly not at fault.

Funny, though. The last time Scourge had attacked someone they'd played it up to the nurses and whined until they got their own shot of chemicals. Kurt wasn't saying a thing against him, and nor for that matter had he done much fighting back. Scourge chalked it up to more of Kurt's insane self-loathing.

The nurse eyed Kurt a moment longer, as though not quite believing his claim, but finally nodded and moved to pat him on the shoulder lightly. "All right, dear. But if you need anything, let me know, okay? I'm sorry we didn't get here faster to stop him from bothering you."

Since the one who'd instigated the trouble seemed to be calming down, the orderlies began to drift away again, going back to watching the rest of the patients in the room. The nurse turned back to face him again, hands moving to rest on her hips as she sighed. "If you'd try harder to get along with the other patients it might help you as well, Mr. Cho," she replied. "Now try to behave, hmm?"

And with that she followed the orderlies to the other side of the room, leaving the two alone again. She'd be certain to keep an eye on them, though, just to make sure there were no further incidents.

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Day 47: Sun Room [2nd shift]

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