SUE: Ghost of You (Milan)

[Jesse Adams]

After the miserable night he’d spent in his dorm upchucking, Jesse hadn’t been in any mood to go to his classes. If he’d thought he had a choice, he would have buried himself under his duvet and not moved, save for emergency bathroom trips. He didn’t even care that he’d probably woken up half the dorm. He’d definitely woken up Clement, which he still felt sort of bad about. Just... not as bad as he felt himself.

The problem was, he was fairly certain missed classes came under his probation as something bad. Besides, if he didn’t go, he’d fall behind and he would never graduate. He could fake it through his classes, and if he needed an emergency bathroom trip, well, he’d deal with it.

Unfortunately for Jesse, his confidence was misguided. Just moving from the dorms to the classrooms has resulted in two trips to the bathroom. At this point he had nothing left to actually bring up, but his body kept telling him otherwise. Perhaps going to class had been a terrible idea. Teachers understood when students were sick, right? Even the ones on probation?

After thoroughly rinsing out his mouth at the sinks, Jesse slunk out of the bathroom and sank to the floor just outside the door. For someone used to sleeping inhumanly little at night, right now all he wanted was to curl into a ball and sleep for a full day. Maybe if he just stayed put, no one would notice him.

[Deleted]

While the flu had put its claws in at least half of Hammel, Milan counted himself lucky to have not fallen a victim to the illness. Inwardly he thanked his immune system, mainly given he had already been in contact with students and fellow staff members who were not feeling too well, and all he had done during that period was sneeze once. Either way, that didn’t necessarily mean that it led to quiet days at the job. The flu didn’t influence any of his tasks, and he had actually just returned from recruiting a new student.

With a file of paperwork tucked under his arm, after having made sure that the kid had made it safe to his room, the recruiter found himself walking down the hallway. He could easily have taken a shortcut through the shadows, but this recruitment had involved an airplane, so it was nice to stretch his legs after being cramped into the plane.

It was while strolling through the hallway, that eyes landed on a student slumped against the wall. Had most students not been at class, like they were supposed to, Milan would not have found this suspicious. Right now, however, he did frown and stepped over to the boy in order to question the reason for his lack of attending class.

A foot was used to nudge against Jesse’s, to draw his attention. “I think it might be less suspicious if you were sleeping in class instead of the middle of the hallway.” Milan decided with no malice to his voice. Nevertheless, a subtle hint was hidden within, wanting to give the student the benefit of doubt until he proved the recruiter wrong.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse seemed to have the worst luck so far this year with illness. Earlier he’d had to do battle with strep throat, and now this. If he’d had a choice in the matter, he’d rather have dealt with strep throat again. Sure, it was miserable, but at least he wasn’t throwing up every hour or so, regardless of anything actually in there too bring up. It was exhausting, and his body was starting to ache all over from the effort of it.

He would have been content to sit in the hall and not move far from the bathroom for the rest of the period, but as luck had it, it wasn’t to be. Just as he felt like he was able to drift off, there was an uninvited nudge to his foot. Scowling before he even opened his eyes, the blond student shifted slightly. He didn’t recognize the voice, but when he actually expended the effort to crack open his eyes...

Well. He wasn’t expecting that. Perhaps it was attributed to his blurry vision from a combination of illness and exhaustion, but...

Jacob Lawrence was standing over him. He might have altered his voice slightly (probably to blend in... somehow), but it was him. Which spurred a lot of questions in the blond. Namely, why in the hell Hammel would hire him of all people. He’d been deeply involved in M.S.A.D. and everyone know it.

Still. If it was Jake, that just meant that he could ignore him. “Go ‘way, Jake,” he grumbled, twisting away gingerly to keep his stomach relatively stable. “’s none of your goddamn business.” He wasn’t going to play a pity card, because it was Jake, and Jake was a royal jerkface. ... Okay, so he was looking after Jesse’s dog while he finished at Hammel, but the fact remained. Jake was a jerk, and he wasn’t going to garner any respect from the blond, regardless of his supposed position at Hamel. “Th’ fuck you even doing here?” Because that was going to help things.

[Deleted]

Milan didn’t appreciate the scowl, but he attributed that to teenagers and their displeasure with being woken up. It wasn’t exactly time to sleep however, so technically Jesse had no excuse to react like that. And then the student grumbled in a very disrespectful manner. “Jake?” The recruiter asked. “Who’s Jake? Also, I do believe it is my business when you are supposed to be in class instead of half asleep in the hallway.” So when Jesse twisted away, Milan used his foot again to nudge against one of the younger boy.

A frown remained on his face as he kept a close eye on the student. At the moment the recruiter just stayed his polite self, even though his voice did turn a tad bit sterner when Jake lacked to show any respect towards him. “I am here to make sure you don’t get into even worse trouble. The way this is going, however, I’m not sure if that is going to be a success.” Milan scanned the boy, attempting to put a name to the face. He did look familiar, but he couldn’t connect any dots at that point. What he did know was that Jesse was not one of his recruiter students.

“What are you doing here though?” the man spoke again as he moved some to offer Jesse a hand to pull him back to his feet. “Come on. I’ll happily help you find your class.” He was still optimistic on the matter, hoping that a gentle approach would make the young buy more willing to work along. Milan was certain Jesse knew where he had to be, but stating it like that might have come across as less hostile.

[Jesse Adams]

There was much more behind the scowl than a simple distaste for being woken from his near-comatose state. Long buried feelings for his former comrade, as well as the still lingering irritation from the simple state of being sick. Denying it didn’t do him any favors, either. Sure, of course he wasn’t Jake, former MSAD operative and giant pain in the ass. Not here. “Don’t touch me, jackass,” he grumbled, pulling his foot closer to his body. He wasn’t in the mood for this. “And stop with the act. Why do you care, anyway?” Last they talked (which wasn’t often), it was just to check up on his dog that Jake was still sitting for him.

At no point in time did he even bother to look up again, closer, and see that, while similar, this was not Jacob Lawrence in front of him.

“’m not in trouble,” he shot back, less fight in his voice than he would have liked. “So just mind your damn business.” If push came to shove, like it had so often done in the past between him and Jake, he didn’t really think he could fight him off at the moment. Hopefully, biting words would do the trick and send him on his merry way, far far away from him.

“’m havin’ a tea party. What’s it look like, stupid?” Sassing a staff member, even one he perceived to be an old comrade was never a good idea, but he couldn’t help it. Being sick made him curl into defense mode, and not much was going to get him out of it. He gave the guy’s hand a wary look out of the corner of his eye before visibly flinching away from it. Unlike most of his reactions, which were born more of a fear reflex, this time it was legitimate. Jake had hit him enough at the compound for it to be completely justified. “Doesn’t matter what class I was going to. I’ll end up throwing up in the middle of the lesson.” It was a little self-pitying, but he didn’t expect the older man to care. He never had, so why start now?

Right. Maybe because he wasn’t who he thought he was.

[Deleted]

Milan was quite a relaxed person. As a recruiter, he often dealt with stressful situations and by now was pretty immune to the tension it could bring along. This situation, on the other hand, was rare to him. While attempting to be helpful, the student was everything but grateful. For a moment he felt at loss, having no freaking clue how to react to the guy’s reactions nor able to understand where those came from. All he could do at that moment was simply reply to the questions asked, even though they were most likely meant to be rhetorical. Like the one why Milan cared. Technically that should be a given. “Why shouldn’t I care?” Perhaps that would explain some things?

Either way, Jesse was going to be in trouble soon. Milan couldn’t state it like that however. Surely that would get him even more protest. And the attitude that began to pick up wasn’t going to make the outcome any better. Offering the hand was the recruiter’s way of giving Jesse the benefit of doubt again, but the reaction to that was the complete opposite of what would have been expected. It brought a frown to the man’s face and he ever so slowly withdrew it. He even cast a glance at it, almost as if inspecting what was wrong with the extremity. In addition, it also stirred some extra questions.

“I will bring you to the school nurse then,” Milan decided as his hand slowly got held out again. In the meanwhile blue eyes observed Jesse, just to check if he would flinch once more. He kind of doubted the student would take it though, so soon both hands were tucked in the pockets of his jeans. Perhaps a different approach might be more efficient though? Direct questions could help? Because Milan was starting to form assumptions.

“Or some water?” He couldn’t help but to squat down where he stood, allowing himself to be more at Jesse’s eye level. “Have you been drinking?” His voice hinted at concern, but at the same time also at some disapproval. No alcoholic smell reached Milan’s nose, but the student was sick and eager to snap and had no brake when it came to saying what was on his mind… It was a rather safe conclusion.

[Jesse Adams]

Even had he realized that the person above him wasn’t actually his former comrade, Jesse wouldn’t have been relaxed. A little less antagonistic, perhaps, but certainly not relaxed. He was actually in a rather vulnerable position on the ground, but he didn’t have the energy to correct that. If worst came to worst (and it usually did with Jake), he’d just have to defend himself as best he could. That was usually easier said than done, though. After all, one of the last times he’d physically dealt with Jake, the asshole had dislocated his shoulder in the scuffle.

The blond student snorted at the question. Why shouldn’t he care? Oh, let him count the ways. “In case you forgot, or you stupid cover made you dumber than a brick, you hate my guts.” No amount of acting could change that, right? Something was bound to give, and the more he pushed buttons, the better his chances would be of busting Jake.

If only he was actually talking to Jake.

He didn’t want to be close to him any longer than he had to, but the suggestion of the nurse he blanched and shifted ever so slightly away from him, biting down on his tongue as he went. “Don’t,” he snapped. “The last time you got me anywhere near a doctor it was ‘cause you broke my damn arm.” It was a bit of a stretch of the truth, but hey, if he could guilt Jake, he would.

As the recruiter crouched down, Jesse tossed him a dirty look, his green eyes narrowed slightly as he brought the older man into focus. Something wasn’t... wait.

This was not Jacob Lawrence.

He didn’t know if that made this situation better, or worse. Either way, the sudden accusation made him back up a little more. If he didn’t know this guy, it was probably much worse than Jake simply trying to make his life a little more miserable. “No! I ain’t been drinking.” Way to sound convincing there, Jess. “Just... go ‘way. Whoever you are.” Without actually knowing who was in front of him, a lot of his bravado had just gone out the window. Hopefully, the guy would just take the hint and leave like he asked him to.

[Deleted]

Milan was growing rather worried. Hate his guts? Broke his arm? It slowly damned upon him that Jesse messed him up with another person. Then again, how big was the chance that he had a ‘twin’ walking around? Therefore the simplest conclusion had to be that he took some drugs or alcohol which made the student rather paranoia. Or maybe just honest (when it came to addressing things which happened to him in the past). It now made Milan wonder who the boy was, just to be able to check with other staff if they knew something about physical abuse.

It didn’t contribute positively to Jesse’s oh so friendly request for the recruiter to go away. “Okay. You know what: I don’t care what you have been doing. What I do know is that you are not supposed to be seating here.” Sending him to class had proven to not be the best suggestion, but the one that had been made after remained. “Now, here’s what we can do: we can go to the nurse’s office, a staff office or you’ll let me guide you back to your room.” The latter would made it easy to gain the boy’s identity.

His own, however, was still a mystery to the boy. Perhaps smoothly moving through some introductions would make Jesse less tense and hostile. So, while still hunched, Milan offered a hand at Jesse. “I’m Milan, one of the recruiters here. I don’t hate your guts and haven’t broken your arm.” He paused for a brief second to let that down upon the student. “So, now that we have that clear: what’s your name?”

[Jesse Adams]

Sadly Milan would hit a fairly decent dead end if he went searching for evidence of physical abuse. Sure, Dr. Neville knew a good deal about his home life before Hammel, which included things like that, but anything involving the man Jesse currently had Milan confused with wasn't particularly well known. A lot of his discussions about MSAD dealt more with their activities than anything that had happened with most of the individual members. Save for one. Still, once he knew that Milan was not who he thought he was, it didn't matter. He promptly shut up about Jake's antagonism towards him.

Eyeing Milan, he silently disregarded almost all of the options being laid out for him. If he had the energy, he would have just gotten up and tried to walk away. Sadly, he didn't have the energy. At least one option stood out as the lesser of all the possible evils. "Fine. I'll go t' my room." He refrained from tacking on words like 'asshole' behind it. Clearly he was in enough trouble as it was.

Again, the offered hand was given a look like it might bite. The guy in front of him might not be Jacob Lawrence, but he was still the right gender and age to be a possible threat. Hugging his arms around himself, Jesse just stared at Milan from under his bangs. "Obviously," he all but snapped. "You're not who I thought you were, okay?" Now that was out in the open, he sighed and stared up at the ceiling. "Jesse." That was all he was willing to give him at the moment, and even that seemed too much. He was used to his name being a sort of trigger for staff to tread carefully. Funny what joining a meta-supremacy group did to your reputation.

[Deleted]

The second the student spoke his name, a small frown settled on Milan’s face. That name did ring a bell, and the attitude also fitted the assumption he began to made, but it didn’t seem to be the right timing to dig further. “Okay then, Jesse,” the man said while hands got tucked in the front pockets of his jeans. “Will you be able to walk to your room?” Even if he was, the recruiter would still accompany him. Responsibility and all that. And perhaps he was also still somewhat suspicious and not too certain that Jesse would indeed head over to his room if Milan didn’t supervise.

When Jesse finally rose, the Irish man tried to keep to himself. There was the urge to reach out and help him get on his feet again, but at the same time he could predict that leading to a snap and unpleasant reaction. “You sure you don’t want some water?” Might as well ask again given the student appeared to be at least a tad bit less hostile. He might be more willing to accept some help now… Maybe.

“What class were you supposed to attend? I will notify the teacher.” You know, to make sure Jesse didn’t get in trouble. If this boy were the student he had in mind, Milan figured it would only work in his advantage if the recruiter were to explain the situation instead of him, simply because his liability might be somewhat limited.

[Jesse Adams]

Jesse knew that look. It had been all too common since he'd come back to Hammel from those that had known him before. Generally he chose to ignore it, and at the moment it wasn't hard not to care. He was too warm and too tired to honestly give a rat's ass about what this creep... Milan thought about him. He knew he was supposed to be behaving in a manner more suited to an adult at this point, especially with the Hammel staff. News traveled fast within the school, and anything he did to put his chances of ever getting off probation was never a good thing. He didn't have to like the man trying to help, but he didn't have to be so... him, either.

"I'm not a baby," he grumbled as he got to his feet, using the wall for support. No, he didn't need help. It might be slower going than normal, so as not to send his stomach into another tailspin requiring a bathroom to upchuck in, but he'd do it without help, thank you. "Water'll probably make me puke again, so unless you want to deal with that, don't." At least he was honest.

Ugh, class. It took a moment to think about where he was supposed to be. "Uh." Shit, he was actually going to miss class, wasn't he? ... And this guy was actually wiling to help? The blond blinked before looking back down at the ground. "Math," he finally admitted. "Mr Deulane's class." He couldn't see his teacher being thrilled, but now that he thought about it, he'd probably be in trouble either way. Adam didn't strike him as particularly compassionate, so being late on account of being sick... maybe it was better that Milan was willing to help him out. "... Thanks." He didn't say it enough, and perhaps it was just him feeling awful, but he really did appreciate the guy's help. Even if he still didn't trust him. Or like him.

[Deleted]

Milan rose his hands in surrender, even though he had absolutely no intention of backing off. He was going to stick to this student’s side until he was certain if he was alright. His suggestions, however, were growing limited with Jesse constantly shooting them down. “Okay then, no water. Just lead the way.” In the meanwhile the recruiter did wonder about another idea, but he just wasn’t going to run it by Jesse. Once the guy was back at his dorm, Milan would just step into the shadows for a second to go and get some medication against the sickness in the staff room.

“And I’ll notify Mr. Deulane. No worry about that.” Perhaps Jesse couldn’t care any less to begin with, but Milan at least wanted to give the student a reason to somewhat like him. The fact that some gratitude was being expressed felt like a big step in the right direction. It actually create a genuine yet soft smile on Milan’s lips. “You’re welcome.” A brief glance being cast over his shoulder to make sure the young man was tagging along and still on both legs.

“Do you have any other classes today? Since it kind of looks doubtful that you’ll be capable of attending any of them.” While not voicing it out loud, he figured Jesse would know he only asked to inform the other teachers as well. His colleagues were pretty aware of the fact that Milan was rather good at judging students. In this case he genuinely believed that the student wasn’t feeling well.

Perhaps it was best to not speak for a moment though. He figured it might demand quite some energy and effort from Jesse while he was trying to stumble back to his room. Some silence might be in place.

[Jesse Adams]

Regardless of the hands being up, Jesse still wasn’t inclined to fully trust Milan. Now he knew he wasn’t actually talking to Jake Lawrence, but rather to a recruiter that looked a little like him when your eyes weren’t focused properly, his defenses were down a little, but not completely. He was the same with almost any adult male, though. Milan seemed to be harmless enough, but he couldn’t ever be too careful. The entire way to the dorms, he kept a wary eye on the recruiter.

“... Thanks.” Oddly, he meant it. It wasn’t often that people were willing to go out of their way for him, and he didn’t expect them to, either. If he’d been desperate, he could have made his way to one of Clement’s classes and asked him for assistance, but it probably sounded better from a staff member that he was sick.

Ugh, other classes. “Uhhh yeah. Physics, English, and...” Hell, his brain hurt. “... History.” He gave up his teachers names as well before sighing heavily. Today wasn’t going to be a fun day, not by a long shot.

Once they finally reached the dorms, Jesse leaned against the main door to his dorm pod and fished in his pockets for the lanyard he carried his keys on. “If I promise not to die, you gonna leave me alone?” Zeb was bad enough for hovering. He didn’t need Milan on his ass too.

[Deleted]

Milan was one to give second chances, unless a person had messed it up royally the first time. Having no experience when it came to Jesse, it wouldn’t have been fair to base himself on the opinion of others. The recruiter had learnt that opinions often varied, and all that it usually took was a moment to give the other person an opportunity to prove the crowd wrong. Of course Milan couldn’t deny that Jesse had first come off as hostile, but at this point he just came across as someone with uncertainty issues, someone who tried too hard to maintain his image.

Upon reaching the dorm, blue eyes stated at the door for a second while the student struggled to find his keys. Only when he spoke did Milan gaze down, allowing a small smirk to creep upon his lips. “Kind of an impossible thing to promise, don’t you think?” He shook his head. “No. First I am going to make sure you have everything that you need.”

With the door unlocked, a hand lightly pushed it open. It felt irresponsible to walk away at this point. For all he knew, Jesse could collapse the second he put a foot inside. “Also,” he began. “I’m a shadow traveler, so I do advise against everything that is not you resting.” In other words, Milan would be checking on him.

“You need an aspirin?”

[Jesse Adams]

Despite being on the biggest second chance of his lifetime back at Hammel, Jesse was of the belief that he still didn't really deserve it. Even with Milan, now he'd stopped accusing him of being a former commrade, he was technically on a second chance with him now, too. He just didn't want to be. It was easier when the staff handled him from a distance, and didn't try to coddle him, even if it looked like he needed it. What he liked was to be left alone, and so far Milan wasn't letting him have even that.

"Yeah, well, if I wind up dead, you can tell me that you told me so," the blond muttered, mostly to himself as he unlocked the door and crept inside. His bed was calling him, but there was a problem. Namely, Milan, who clearly had nothing better to do than follow him around. "I'm not a baby," he tried to snap, though it ended up sounding more weary than intimidating. "I don't need anything from you."

He was about to storm off, but the mention of shadow travelling made a shiver tingle up his back. Jake could manipulate shadows, and now this kind-of-sort-of look-alike could travel in them? Could they be any more similar and creepy? "'m not doing anything except sleeping." Or perhaps lay with Ty on his chest, because his rabbit usually made him feel less like a freak. "Just go away."