[Tate reaches out and catches the rock almost leisurely with a swipe of his hand, looking it over before watching Michael pull apart the package with a weird sense of reservation. He doesn't really care what people get up to, especially when it's funding his pockets via Kavinsky but there's something strange about the set up. This kid getting a pocketful of shit but not even knowing what it is?
He takes a moment, rolling his shoulder before throwing the rock - mimicking Michael in aiming for the swing, the clang of his rock hitting the post making him smile just slightly. Okay, it's cool to throw rocks at shit. He's kinda into this. He then gestures to the package.]
Why go hard, then? Should've started with easy shit - do you want me to show you what's what?
Weed's not exactly going to make me feel better about being here.
[ Not that harder shit's going to calm him down either, but - seems like an easy angle to spin, right? Innocent sixteen year old kid in over his head, trying to go hard and fuck himself up so he doesn't have to think about the situation he's in. If Tate finds out about the party - finds out that Michael wants to see people hurt and burn out, finds out that he asked Kavinsky to help him with that - well, he's got plausible deniability. He's just a dumb kid. Kav's the one providing everything.
Tate smiles a little and Michael smiles, genuinely just - light, and soft, and happy. For all his complicated feelings about him, it's fucking wonderful, seeing Tate smile. Even if it's not for his sake. ]
I don't want you to feel like you have to stick around. I was just gonna... take a handful of whatever and see what happens.
[Said with a sharpness to the chastising but then a hint of amusement, not so much condescending as it is the kind of ribbing you'd give a friend. He nods his head to the side, toward a play structure that's seen far better days. He starts moving toward it, because it looks like a good enough place to crawl into - he hoists himself up under the roof of the structure and looks back to make sure Michael's following.]
I'm Tate, by the way. Okay, let's get this sorted.
[ Michael feels oddly touched about being called dipshit, and there's a bounce in his step as he follows Tate to the shitty little slide-building and climbs on up, avoiding some rusty metal and marvelling at how completely clean of graffiti this place is. He'll fix that.
He passes over a few cases to Tate and fishes around in his bag for a couple cans of spraypaint - red, obviously, to practice his fucking pentagrams without slicing open his arms every time he has to do it. He rattles the can and lifts up his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, quietly nodding at Tate to do the same.
He paints something pretty fucking edgy, just to really ravel in that pathetic teen angst shit he's going through under all the transient highs he gets from Tate's attention, then drops on his ass and tucks his spraypaint away. He nudges Tate's shin, telling him to join him. ]
[Tate watches Michael spray the walls like a total delinquent, only raising the crook of his elbow to cover his mouth when the scent of paint hits him. He's not sure he's into the edgy statement but he tolerates it, sitting down with crossed legs once Michael's done. He opens his backpack and pulls out a book, a worn copy of the Hobbit that he's been reading but for this exercise intends to use as something cleaner than a rusty floor panel to cut lines on.]
Alright, so... Kav usually deals the same shit. MDMA comes in a few forms, powder's usually called molly and the pills ecstasy. Up to you how you wanna take it, but Kavinsky's shit's usually always pure from what I know. Not cut with other shit.
[At least from what he knows, at any rate. Easier to come down off of, too.]
Coke and E both make you more energized, but they've got different vibes. Coke doesn't make you feel all that social, just ready to do whatever. I like it over E but I do both whenever I need to. What do you want to try? Lines and pills are the easiest way to get into it. Don't go for needles, they make you look desperate.
[ Michael's attentive. Everything Tate says gets absorbed the second it leaves him, written down and remembered in Michael's head. Truthfully - none of this really interests him. Despite the order, despite the plans he's been setting up with Kavinsky - drugs aren't really his scene. Nothing in Duplicity is his scene. But - ]
Anything. I don't care. If coke's your favorite, then... coke.
[ - he's trying to acclimate to this place, trying to figure out his purpose, and if a part of him still wants to be like Tate, well. A part of him still wants to be like Tate. He leans over Tate's shoulder, peering down at the Hobbit. ]
[Tate's - not angry, just minorly put off for a second at the comment because he's not sure how to take it. But he resumes what he's doing, taking a razorblade out of his wallet's leather pocket and using it to start making a set of lines. They're not really set up in any way that lends to more than a hit each, and he doesn't know what this kid's like on a high. So this'll do.]
Here, pull out a bill. Roll it.
[He offers Michael his wallet while he cuts the lines, gesturing to the few bills inside. Minor denominations, but he figures this is a step he can at least let the kid get a little hands on with. He nods, gesturing again until Michael's doing as instructed.]
[ He shouldn't have said anything. It was a kneejerk reaction, more than anything else - the Tate in his head is all black rubber suits, harsh, cutting words and love for Violet. He didn't see his dad as someone who... read. Michael scratches his nose and shrugs his shoulder. You're dealing drugs, drug dealers don't read - he figures that's an appropriately middle class explanation, even if it's one he doesn't mean.
Doesn't matter. He rolls his bill the wrong way, at first, going horizontal instead of vertical, and he quickly adjusts when Tate instructs him to do better. He presses his tongue to his bottom lip in concentration, then moves forward on his knees when he's done. ]
Okay. [ Okay. ] And I just - breathe it in? Am I supposed to do it fast or slow?
Criminals are some of the smartest people out there, y'know.
[He's not going to go into a tirade about it but he does give Michael one last little arch of his brow, before they're focusing more on rolled bills. He shakes his head and reaches to take the bill from him, gesturing with a twitch of his fingers.]
I'll show you.
[And lo and behold, Tate'll lean down after pinching the bill a bit to make sure it's not kinked in the middle and do a line. He's more practiced, almost goes too quick by deliberately slows down. He sits back, sniffing a few times and pinching his nostrils together before offering the bill back.]
[ Tate doesn't seem angry, so. Michael doesn't push. He smiles, pushing himself to look half reassured, half shy. He tilts his head, keeping his hands on his knees, watching Tate take a line, and when it's his turn, he doesn't... really want to do this. But.
He started it. Gonna see it through. He takes his note, makes it smooth and straight, and he ignores the twist in his gut when he snorts his line. It-- fucking sucks, honestly, making his eyes water and his nose feel all weirdly blocked when it isn't, and he coughs when he's done, sniffling and blowing his nose on his hand like he's trying to dislodge any unsettled powder. All he gets is a knuckle full of mucus, which he wipes off on his shirt, shaking his head. He does his best to look like he's handling this, but - ]
[Tate - laughs? Yeah, he fucking laughs. There's something about Michael that's off a bit, but just also oddly naive. Like maybe he should feel guilty about getting this kid hooked on something and into this shit - but if he didn't, someone else would. Kavinsky'd be more handsy and... well, he doesn't know why it feels like this but he likes to think he's doing the kid a service. A non-skeevy helping hand.]
Yeah, that feeling sucks. You get used to it - I mean, the high makes it worth it?
[And it should start kicking in within a minute or two, like Tate's euphoria settles in like a heady mist. He smiles easier, acts more loosely and slaps his hand lightly against Michael's shoulder. Playful, it makes him playful too.]
[ It takes a second for Michael to process Tate's laugh, but - when he does, there's this warm, excited feeling bursting in his chest. Maybe it's the coke, but he doesn't think it is, it's just-- Tate's fucking laughing with him? Tate's laughing, shoving him a little, treating him like a friend. Michael needs to take advantage of this. ]
Yeah.
[ He sniffs against his hand a few times, shaking his head and scrunching his eyes shut tight. He's smiling, though, all shy and pleased with himself, that kind of boyish, self-congratulatory happiness that comes after doing something big when you're an insecure teenager still figuring out what you're good at. He thinks he can feel his high building, this rush of disorienting endorphins that's almost sickening in how fast it's coming, and... he sort of wants more already. Coke is very more-ish. ]
Yeah. It makes you... a lot of things. I don't know, it just makes me feel good.
[Excited, a little agitated sometimes - usually horny, but at least right now he's just riding the smooth buzz as it settles in. He doesn't wanna overwhelm the kid and that's the only reason he's not dumping out another set of lines, even if he wants to. Maybe he'll go get another hit at home after this. He nods his head to Michael, watching him - trying to see how he's doing while simultaneously getting distracted with his own uplift.]
It's easy to do a lot of this shit, so pace it. Otherwise you'll be broke and desperate way faster than you'd think.
[ Michael feels pretty good. He's not-- anything other than good right now. Alert and sharp, like he's moving too fast. He feels kind of nauseous, but it's-- a weird kind of nauseous. Nauseous in a good way. It's difficult to care about things like this, and there's a part of him that finds that kind of blind burst of pleasure to be-- kind of disgusting? Like he's lesser for having done this. Smaller. But. ]
I'm already broke and desperate. I'm a sub without a contract. That's how they want me.
[ He'll care more when he can think clearer. Michael's smiling, but he's impatient and kind of sharp when he speaks. Tate's telling him not to do more, and now he wants to do more just to be combative. ]
C'mon. More. I'm paying for this. You can't hold out on me.
[Greedy little shit, aren't you? Tate cuts him a look, then shakes his head. Raises a finger as if to tell Michael to wait before shifting back, settling onto the play structure's shitty grate floor and putting his back to a plastic and metal wall. He closes his eyes, enjoying a moment of - quiet before he speaks.]
Give it like, at least twenty minutes man. Otherwise you're just burning through it. Just... enjoy the feeling?
[He figures he needs a method of distraction.]
In the meanwhile, tell me something about yourself.
[ Michael-- doesn't like this. He frowns, looking at Tate long and hard, eyes dropping to the drugs still gone untapped. Bonding with Tate is one thing, but - being reprimanded is another. He doesn't want this.
But his mind, always so active and attentive to dozens of things at once, is feeling a little unchained under the influence of the coke. Tate offers him a distraction and Michael latches onto it, because it's something solid he can think about without drifting further and further into a sea of itchy teeth and excited nerves. He rubs at his nose again, long after it's stopped itching, making it sore and red. ]
I don't know what to tell you. Most of my life is defined by my family problems.
[ He doesn't know what he can tell him. Michael folds his arms over his stomach, bouncing his knee. ]
I'm Michael. I attend a boarding academy called Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men. [ His nose is fucking bothering him, and Michael rubs at it again with his palm before grunting and holding his stomach a little tighter. Kind of worried he'll break it if he doesn't leave it alone. ]
It's - I don't know - basically just Hogwarts for wayward homosexuals. Your turn.
[That is what Tate picks up from that exchange, expression an odd mix of - questioningly curious and a bit drug-high and stupid. He can relate to the idea of family problems, and he has no idea how intricately his and Michael's intertwine. He raises his brows and really has no problem grilling Michael about his sexuality right now. At least he doesn't sound openly disgusted - it's been a long six months of learning to adjust to his own bullshit, piece by piece. And here they are. A potential coming out to a parent and only one of them knows it.
Tate blinks a few too many times, looking up to the ceiling of the shitty little structure.]
Can't say my life's as fucking exceptional as that. Gay Hogwarts... whatever that means?
[ Tate might not sound disgusted, but the question is enough to give Michael pause and second guess himself. That just kind of-- slipped out, and now that it's out there, he's not really sure what to do. Tate's approval means the world to him, and if this is something that might ruin that, he's...
Well, he's not sure how he feels about that. He's not even sure why he cares about Tate's approval in the first place. He threw him the fuck out. Called him evil and monstrous. Michael scratches at his cheek and just... dodges confirmation, even though he probably doesn't need to. ]
Everyone on the council is, at least. You can kind of tell.
[ The capes, the attitude. John Henry calling Behold a bitch every three seconds. Michael wants more coke. His hands are getting kinda sweaty. Mom's spaghetti. It takes him a second to realize that Tate might not understand the Hogwarts reference, so he could pretty easily back out of the witch talk, if he wanted to, but.
Being the Alpha is inherently impressive. Maybe it's the coke clouding his judgment, maybe it's the lack of Miss Mead's guidance, but he latches onto that. He wants Tate to like him. ]
We... learn magic. How to cast spells, how to - change the world. I've been here for months, but I still keep waking up thinking I'm late for class.
[Tate's not going to press the question - mostly because he's not sure what he expected the answer to be. Was he... slightly hopeful he'd met someone else who potentially had interest in the same sex? He still remembers what it was like to be oddly relieved to know Derek was bisexual, and how that helped Tate cope with his own sexuality in turn. But he'll leave grilling Michael any further to - fixate on the magic.
His eyes are attentive to Michael, watching his facial features most notably.]
Like, witchcraft and shit? That's real, or... are you talking like those white kids with dreadlocks calling themselves Wiccans kinda magic.
More... Gucci and wingtips than dirty sandals and too much weed.
[ Michael looks at Tate for a second or two, like he's still on the edge of trying to figure out if this is a good idea or not, but - he's all energetic and happy and full of coke. Everything sounds like a good idea. Impulsively, he steps up, kicking the spraypaint out of the structure with a little skip and a laugh, then holds his hand out to Tate.
He's not going to say the word witchcraft. He's just going to give Tate a... demonstration. ]
[Tate trails off, watching Michael climb to his feet before reaching out to take his hand. He's leaving his shit on the floor for the time being, something he needs to remember to collect up later, and puts his legs under him with a soft, pleasant head rush. Now he wants to do another fucking bump. He'll follow Michael wherever he takes him.]
[ Michael gives Tate a small, reassuring smile, squeezing his hand and helping him up. He steps right to the edge of the platform they're standing on, not jumping down, but - guiding Tate to look out, to see the park. All its broken equipment, the dirty bark, the rocks and the sparse brown patches of dead grass. He nods upwards, towards the unyielding ceiling beneath the Up. The cage that keeps the Down so dull and humid and horrible.
Hawthorne hasn't really taught Michael anything new. It opened the floodgates, told him that everything he can do is possible - but that's all they did. Every spell, every impulse, every quiet thought made tangible and real, that all came from him; they just broke down the dam of ignorance and disbelief that stopped him from realizing his true potential.
They don't have a sky, but they have a big expanse above them and a ton of moisture in the air. That's all he needs.
He reaches one hand out, pointing towards where the sun should be. He closes his eyes, feels for listless, stagnating molecules with nowhere to go, and he changes them. Hawthorne hasn't taught him anything new, no, but it has honed what he can do, sharpened it. Michael doesn't lose himself the way he did the last time he tried this. He just - moves his hand, and...
He makes it snow. It's subtle, at first. Little white flakes that flow down like feather-light clumps of cocaine. He makes it snow more, and more, and more, and when he opens his eyes again with the tiniest drip of blood trailing from his nose down to his upper lip, there's a thin blanket of white slowly dropping to the ground, there's a cloud formed of nothing sticking to the ceiling of the Down. Michael grins a little, hopping off the platform, letting go of Tate's hand when he does.
He doesn't say anything. He just walks backwards into the gently falling snow, then holds his arms out with a smug little half-grin, all look at this, silently asking Tate if he's impressed. ]
[Tate's enamored - at first he sees the smallest flecks of white floating down, growing and growing in intensity until it clicks for that that this is snow. He doesn't pick up on Michael's nose at first, instead tips back his head to watch the flurry of white - back in LA he'd never seen snow, and here he's just had cold in the Up and miserable humidity in the Down.
He follows Michael down a step, looking at him only after raising his hand to catch a few snowflakes and feel the cold of them melting against his palm. He's - interested, awed and suddenly more interested in this stranger than ever before. It's then he notices the blood, snapping from the daze.]
You're - hey, you're bleeding.
[Tate doesn't think, he just tugs his sleeve down over his hand and reaches out tentatively to wipe the little droplet of red off of Michael's face. It's a vast improvement from licking the blood off of Violet's wrist, so clearly - he's learning how to properly interact with people. Bit by bit.]
[ Again, maybe it's just the coke, but Michael's heart is racing so hard he feels like it might pop, coating the insides of his ribs with warm feelings and too much viscera. Tate steps close and starts cleaning away the blood on his face and Michael's-- stunned, staring at him too closely. Tate never, ever, ever would have treated him with this much kindness at home. This much care.
He laughs, and the only reason his voice isn't quiet is because he's too amped up to manage the volume. ]
Not afraid of a little blood, are you?
[ He lingers until Tate pulls away, then takes a few steps back to get a better look at the snow. He could pick this up, make it a blizzard. Freeze Tate the way he nearly froze the others. Show him how strong he can be. He doesn't, but - he thinks about it. ]
C'mon, give me a challenge. Ask me to do something. I can probably do it.
[Tate snorts at the comment, because saying 'no I like it' is also a social faux-pas. He just shakes his sleeve a little as he drops his hand back down to his side, and gets distracted again with the snow. He still feels so fucking happily buzzed, caught up in this literally magical whirlwind. Go fucking figure.]
Uh... pull a rabbit out of a hat? I don't fucking know.
[ Michael's feeling more and more confident, willing to rib Tate back. He's not really great at telling jokes or having fun or interacting with people his own age, and Tate's... already a special kind of problem, but the coke's making him feel talkative and relaxed and easy. Still sorta wants to get hit in the face, too, but he can leave that.
He can change how he looks, but he's back to walking that fine line between wanting to scare Tate and wanting to impress him. He tilts his head, deciding. ]
Okay. [ He steps closer, a bounce in his step. ] Close your eyes. Count to three. Open them again.
[Tate snorts, taking a moment before he does as he's asked - still staring at the snowfall with a sense of muted wonder. He catches a few more snowflakes against his palm before he seems to remember he was given instruction, and looks more directly at Michael before closing his eyes. Takes a blink before they stick shut, and he's starting to feel the coolness from the snow.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He takes a moment, rolling his shoulder before throwing the rock - mimicking Michael in aiming for the swing, the clang of his rock hitting the post making him smile just slightly. Okay, it's cool to throw rocks at shit. He's kinda into this. He then gestures to the package.]
Why go hard, then? Should've started with easy shit - do you want me to show you what's what?
no subject
[ Not that harder shit's going to calm him down either, but - seems like an easy angle to spin, right? Innocent sixteen year old kid in over his head, trying to go hard and fuck himself up so he doesn't have to think about the situation he's in. If Tate finds out about the party - finds out that Michael wants to see people hurt and burn out, finds out that he asked Kavinsky to help him with that - well, he's got plausible deniability. He's just a dumb kid. Kav's the one providing everything.
Tate smiles a little and Michael smiles, genuinely just - light, and soft, and happy. For all his complicated feelings about him, it's fucking wonderful, seeing Tate smile. Even if it's not for his sake. ]
I don't want you to feel like you have to stick around. I was just gonna... take a handful of whatever and see what happens.
no subject
[Said with a sharpness to the chastising but then a hint of amusement, not so much condescending as it is the kind of ribbing you'd give a friend. He nods his head to the side, toward a play structure that's seen far better days. He starts moving toward it, because it looks like a good enough place to crawl into - he hoists himself up under the roof of the structure and looks back to make sure Michael's following.]
I'm Tate, by the way. Okay, let's get this sorted.
no subject
He passes over a few cases to Tate and fishes around in his bag for a couple cans of spraypaint - red, obviously, to practice his fucking pentagrams without slicing open his arms every time he has to do it. He rattles the can and lifts up his shirt to cover his nose and mouth, quietly nodding at Tate to do the same.
He paints something pretty fucking edgy, just to really ravel in that pathetic teen angst shit he's going through under all the transient highs he gets from Tate's attention, then drops on his ass and tucks his spraypaint away. He nudges Tate's shin, telling him to join him. ]
Ready.
no subject
Alright, so... Kav usually deals the same shit. MDMA comes in a few forms, powder's usually called molly and the pills ecstasy. Up to you how you wanna take it, but Kavinsky's shit's usually always pure from what I know. Not cut with other shit.
[At least from what he knows, at any rate. Easier to come down off of, too.]
Coke and E both make you more energized, but they've got different vibes. Coke doesn't make you feel all that social, just ready to do whatever. I like it over E but I do both whenever I need to. What do you want to try? Lines and pills are the easiest way to get into it. Don't go for needles, they make you look desperate.
no subject
Anything. I don't care. If coke's your favorite, then... coke.
[ - he's trying to acclimate to this place, trying to figure out his purpose, and if a part of him still wants to be like Tate, well. A part of him still wants to be like Tate. He leans over Tate's shoulder, peering down at the Hobbit. ]
I didn't really peg you as a reader.
no subject
[Tate's - not angry, just minorly put off for a second at the comment because he's not sure how to take it. But he resumes what he's doing, taking a razorblade out of his wallet's leather pocket and using it to start making a set of lines. They're not really set up in any way that lends to more than a hit each, and he doesn't know what this kid's like on a high. So this'll do.]
Here, pull out a bill. Roll it.
[He offers Michael his wallet while he cuts the lines, gesturing to the few bills inside. Minor denominations, but he figures this is a step he can at least let the kid get a little hands on with. He nods, gesturing again until Michael's doing as instructed.]
Like a straw. It's an easier way to do this.
no subject
[ He shouldn't have said anything. It was a kneejerk reaction, more than anything else - the Tate in his head is all black rubber suits, harsh, cutting words and love for Violet. He didn't see his dad as someone who... read. Michael scratches his nose and shrugs his shoulder. You're dealing drugs, drug dealers don't read - he figures that's an appropriately middle class explanation, even if it's one he doesn't mean.
Doesn't matter. He rolls his bill the wrong way, at first, going horizontal instead of vertical, and he quickly adjusts when Tate instructs him to do better. He presses his tongue to his bottom lip in concentration, then moves forward on his knees when he's done. ]
Okay. [ Okay. ] And I just - breathe it in? Am I supposed to do it fast or slow?
no subject
[He's not going to go into a tirade about it but he does give Michael one last little arch of his brow, before they're focusing more on rolled bills. He shakes his head and reaches to take the bill from him, gesturing with a twitch of his fingers.]
I'll show you.
[And lo and behold, Tate'll lean down after pinching the bill a bit to make sure it's not kinked in the middle and do a line. He's more practiced, almost goes too quick by deliberately slows down. He sits back, sniffing a few times and pinching his nostrils together before offering the bill back.]
Just copy what I did, ok?
no subject
[ Tate doesn't seem angry, so. Michael doesn't push. He smiles, pushing himself to look half reassured, half shy. He tilts his head, keeping his hands on his knees, watching Tate take a line, and when it's his turn, he doesn't... really want to do this. But.
He started it. Gonna see it through. He takes his note, makes it smooth and straight, and he ignores the twist in his gut when he snorts his line. It-- fucking sucks, honestly, making his eyes water and his nose feel all weirdly blocked when it isn't, and he coughs when he's done, sniffling and blowing his nose on his hand like he's trying to dislodge any unsettled powder. All he gets is a knuckle full of mucus, which he wipes off on his shirt, shaking his head. He does his best to look like he's handling this, but - ]
Ugh. Jesus Christ.
[ - he ain't. ]
no subject
Yeah, that feeling sucks. You get used to it - I mean, the high makes it worth it?
[And it should start kicking in within a minute or two, like Tate's euphoria settles in like a heady mist. He smiles easier, acts more loosely and slaps his hand lightly against Michael's shoulder. Playful, it makes him playful too.]
You ok?
no subject
Yeah.
[ He sniffs against his hand a few times, shaking his head and scrunching his eyes shut tight. He's smiling, though, all shy and pleased with himself, that kind of boyish, self-congratulatory happiness that comes after doing something big when you're an insecure teenager still figuring out what you're good at. He thinks he can feel his high building, this rush of disorienting endorphins that's almost sickening in how fast it's coming, and... he sort of wants more already. Coke is very more-ish. ]
I kinda wanna get in a fight. Is that normal?
no subject
[Excited, a little agitated sometimes - usually horny, but at least right now he's just riding the smooth buzz as it settles in. He doesn't wanna overwhelm the kid and that's the only reason he's not dumping out another set of lines, even if he wants to. Maybe he'll go get another hit at home after this. He nods his head to Michael, watching him - trying to see how he's doing while simultaneously getting distracted with his own uplift.]
It's easy to do a lot of this shit, so pace it. Otherwise you'll be broke and desperate way faster than you'd think.
no subject
I'm already broke and desperate. I'm a sub without a contract. That's how they want me.
[ He'll care more when he can think clearer. Michael's smiling, but he's impatient and kind of sharp when he speaks. Tate's telling him not to do more, and now he wants to do more just to be combative. ]
C'mon. More. I'm paying for this. You can't hold out on me.
no subject
Give it like, at least twenty minutes man. Otherwise you're just burning through it. Just... enjoy the feeling?
[He figures he needs a method of distraction.]
In the meanwhile, tell me something about yourself.
no subject
But his mind, always so active and attentive to dozens of things at once, is feeling a little unchained under the influence of the coke. Tate offers him a distraction and Michael latches onto it, because it's something solid he can think about without drifting further and further into a sea of itchy teeth and excited nerves. He rubs at his nose again, long after it's stopped itching, making it sore and red. ]
I don't know what to tell you. Most of my life is defined by my family problems.
[ He doesn't know what he can tell him. Michael folds his arms over his stomach, bouncing his knee. ]
I'm Michael. I attend a boarding academy called Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men. [ His nose is fucking bothering him, and Michael rubs at it again with his palm before grunting and holding his stomach a little tighter. Kind of worried he'll break it if he doesn't leave it alone. ]
It's - I don't know - basically just Hogwarts for wayward homosexuals. Your turn.
no subject
[That is what Tate picks up from that exchange, expression an odd mix of - questioningly curious and a bit drug-high and stupid. He can relate to the idea of family problems, and he has no idea how intricately his and Michael's intertwine. He raises his brows and really has no problem grilling Michael about his sexuality right now. At least he doesn't sound openly disgusted - it's been a long six months of learning to adjust to his own bullshit, piece by piece. And here they are. A potential coming out to a parent and only one of them knows it.
Tate blinks a few too many times, looking up to the ceiling of the shitty little structure.]
Can't say my life's as fucking exceptional as that. Gay Hogwarts... whatever that means?
no subject
Well, he's not sure how he feels about that. He's not even sure why he cares about Tate's approval in the first place. He threw him the fuck out. Called him evil and monstrous. Michael scratches at his cheek and just... dodges confirmation, even though he probably doesn't need to. ]
Everyone on the council is, at least. You can kind of tell.
[ The capes, the attitude. John Henry calling Behold a bitch every three seconds. Michael wants more coke. His hands are getting kinda sweaty. Mom's spaghetti. It takes him a second to realize that Tate might not understand the Hogwarts reference, so he could pretty easily back out of the witch talk, if he wanted to, but.
Being the Alpha is inherently impressive. Maybe it's the coke clouding his judgment, maybe it's the lack of Miss Mead's guidance, but he latches onto that. He wants Tate to like him. ]
We... learn magic. How to cast spells, how to - change the world. I've been here for months, but I still keep waking up thinking I'm late for class.
no subject
[Tate's not going to press the question - mostly because he's not sure what he expected the answer to be. Was he... slightly hopeful he'd met someone else who potentially had interest in the same sex? He still remembers what it was like to be oddly relieved to know Derek was bisexual, and how that helped Tate cope with his own sexuality in turn. But he'll leave grilling Michael any further to - fixate on the magic.
His eyes are attentive to Michael, watching his facial features most notably.]
Like, witchcraft and shit? That's real, or... are you talking like those white kids with dreadlocks calling themselves Wiccans kinda magic.
no subject
[ Michael looks at Tate for a second or two, like he's still on the edge of trying to figure out if this is a good idea or not, but - he's all energetic and happy and full of coke. Everything sounds like a good idea. Impulsively, he steps up, kicking the spraypaint out of the structure with a little skip and a laugh, then holds his hand out to Tate.
He's not going to say the word witchcraft. He's just going to give Tate a... demonstration. ]
I'll show you. Come here.
no subject
[Tate trails off, watching Michael climb to his feet before reaching out to take his hand. He's leaving his shit on the floor for the time being, something he needs to remember to collect up later, and puts his legs under him with a soft, pleasant head rush. Now he wants to do another fucking bump. He'll follow Michael wherever he takes him.]
Show me.
no subject
Hawthorne hasn't really taught Michael anything new. It opened the floodgates, told him that everything he can do is possible - but that's all they did. Every spell, every impulse, every quiet thought made tangible and real, that all came from him; they just broke down the dam of ignorance and disbelief that stopped him from realizing his true potential.
They don't have a sky, but they have a big expanse above them and a ton of moisture in the air. That's all he needs.
He reaches one hand out, pointing towards where the sun should be. He closes his eyes, feels for listless, stagnating molecules with nowhere to go, and he changes them. Hawthorne hasn't taught him anything new, no, but it has honed what he can do, sharpened it. Michael doesn't lose himself the way he did the last time he tried this. He just - moves his hand, and...
He makes it snow. It's subtle, at first. Little white flakes that flow down like feather-light clumps of cocaine. He makes it snow more, and more, and more, and when he opens his eyes again with the tiniest drip of blood trailing from his nose down to his upper lip, there's a thin blanket of white slowly dropping to the ground, there's a cloud formed of nothing sticking to the ceiling of the Down. Michael grins a little, hopping off the platform, letting go of Tate's hand when he does.
He doesn't say anything. He just walks backwards into the gently falling snow, then holds his arms out with a smug little half-grin, all look at this, silently asking Tate if he's impressed. ]
no subject
He follows Michael down a step, looking at him only after raising his hand to catch a few snowflakes and feel the cold of them melting against his palm. He's - interested, awed and suddenly more interested in this stranger than ever before. It's then he notices the blood, snapping from the daze.]
You're - hey, you're bleeding.
[Tate doesn't think, he just tugs his sleeve down over his hand and reaches out tentatively to wipe the little droplet of red off of Michael's face. It's a vast improvement from licking the blood off of Violet's wrist, so clearly - he's learning how to properly interact with people. Bit by bit.]
no subject
He laughs, and the only reason his voice isn't quiet is because he's too amped up to manage the volume. ]
Not afraid of a little blood, are you?
[ He lingers until Tate pulls away, then takes a few steps back to get a better look at the snow. He could pick this up, make it a blizzard. Freeze Tate the way he nearly froze the others. Show him how strong he can be. He doesn't, but - he thinks about it. ]
C'mon, give me a challenge. Ask me to do something. I can probably do it.
no subject
Uh... pull a rabbit out of a hat? I don't fucking know.
[A challenge? Tate scowls, trying to think.]
Can you change how you look?
no subject
[ Michael's feeling more and more confident, willing to rib Tate back. He's not really great at telling jokes or having fun or interacting with people his own age, and Tate's... already a special kind of problem, but the coke's making him feel talkative and relaxed and easy. Still sorta wants to get hit in the face, too, but he can leave that.
He can change how he looks, but he's back to walking that fine line between wanting to scare Tate and wanting to impress him. He tilts his head, deciding. ]
Okay. [ He steps closer, a bounce in his step. ] Close your eyes. Count to three. Open them again.
no subject
One, two... three?
[And he'll open them.]