hit so hard you see the stars

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle carefully went through her pre-boxing ritual. She changed into her clothes, pulled her hair back and sat down to carefully wrap her hands the way she'd been taught when she first started training. In front of her the punching bag hung still, it was heavy. Heavy enough that Axelle could hit it as hard as she wanted and it would only swing a little. The trainers wouldn't tell her how heavy it really was, probably because they didn't want her to try and surpass it as a goal.

Because she would.

After she finished her methodical wrapping for both her hands she pulled on her gloves, one of the most expensive things she owned and stood up. She was alone today because all she had wanted to do was hit something. She was restless, she was getting antsy and angry, she wanted to let go and use that strength she had to keep under control almost twenty-four seven. She knew why...she'd broken yet another glass. Her grandfather had helped her clean it up and even though she KNEW he wasn't angry there had been that look on his face as if wondering why she couldn't control herself. He KNEW it was an accident, but one accident too many and it starts looking like something on purpose.

She hated it.

Taking a deep breath, she did a set of several warm up punches and then approached the bag. This was safe, this was okay...shaking herself out she began to hit the bag, grunting with the effort it was taking to even more it that small fraction. Usually it made her feel good, like she was safe, this was her stopping point, she could go has hard as she wanted and she wouldn't hurt anyone.

Today it just made her angry. She kept hitting, grunting with the effort, soft puffs of breath turning into ragged pants as she kept hitting, even though her arms were screaming. She was still angry, still upset, still frustrated...having hit a wall, almost literally, Axelle did the only thing she could think of that was in her power left to do.

She SCREAMED.

[Deleted]

Marcus walked through the hallways of the training halls, mostly just wandering around as he avoided going to meet his trainer. They were supposed to go over resistance training today or something, something to help him learn how to maintain his form even during times of high stress…which ultimately relied on controlling his ability to say calm…which for Marcus was like asking him to breath underwater.

Marcus was a pretty flighty guy, excitable, and easily caught by surprise. Besides that, there were just some things he couldn’t help. Like if someone punched him, he couldn’t help his heart starting to pound as his fight or flight response was stimulated! Marcus was anything but a fighter, he didn’t know how to do much more than yell and run away. A punch from him would likely be no better than that of a small child’s. Heck, his punch as a girl was stronger than his punch as a boy if just that it didn’t actually lose any power, as what might be expected from the change from male to female.

Either way, Marcus was still attempting this avoidance routine, and wandering seemed to be the best option at the moment. There were a bunch of training rooms were no doubt other students were practicing a variety of things from martial arts to their powers to dancing, as he had often watched other people do. Though this time, as he passed by a doorway, he heard a bloodcurdling scream!

It was enough to startle him and make the blonde boy jump back a few inches in his surprise. He put a hand to his chest to grip his beating heart, thankful that it was still flat and hadn’t spontaneously inflated into two squishy mounds that he quite detested. Hesitantly, Marcus stepped forward, not sure if that was a cry he ought to be responding to. The door creaked as it opened a couple of inches and he peeked inside, his blonde hair falling to the side of a tilted head. “H-hello?” he started tentatively. “Are you okay in there? I mean, do you need any help or anything?” He wondered if the person was hurt, but all he saw was the back of a fuming red-head. “Should I get a teacher?”

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle was taking deep breaths after her scream and trying not to sob loudly. The tears already running down her face couldn't be helped as she flopped down onto the ground just moments before the door opened. Fantastic, now she was going to have to explain to some adult that she felt like shit and she didn't really have a reason but that she was just so angry about all the stupid things in her life and that sometimes she WANTED to break something on purpose.

She had paused long enough to realize that whoever had stumbled upon her wasn't actually an adult and took a deep breath to answer. She really, really, REALLY didn't want to talk to an adult and she didn't want a teacher coming in. "No, I'm fine, sorry for disturbing you," she answered in her tense, tear-soaked voice. "Please don't get a teacher," she asked pleadingly, not willing to turn around and face whoever had found her.

[Deleted]

Okay, so she was fine, that was good, right? Right? Well, it was a particularly heart-stopping scream, so Marcus had an inkling that it might not be as alright as she said it was and well, if he could help, he’d like to, but he didn’t actually know this person, this girl, so maybe he should just accept it and be on his way, but then what if she really wasn’t fine and was just trying to be polite, then what kind of person would that make Marcus? He should probably stay until he was absolutely sure that this girl was all right, after all, she hadn’t even looked at him yet, even though she was talking to him, which probably meant that she didn’t want to show him her face because it would give away her status of not-all-right, right?

Marcus stared blankly for a moment as all of this ran through his head over the course of about five seconds before he finally opened his mouth to speak. “Are you sure? I mean, that was some…uh…noise! That scream was. It sounded like someone dying in here!” Marcus slowly invited himself in through the door, sidling through the narrow space and closing it behind him and keeping his back up against the wall. “I mean, I just wanna make sure you’re okay, you know?” Marcus held up his hands in a slight defense, should she decide to go off on him for his intrusion. “Um…I’m Marc. You are?” He smiled with a very friendly raise of his eyebrows.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle didn't turn around to see him, but it seemed that his curiosity in the form of help was rather forced and she'd rather someone like that just be on their way. But...she also didn't want to be alone alone, not anymore. She threw her arms around the bag and squeezed it because she literally couldn't hug anyone else this hard and sobbed. "It's not fair, I can't do anything. All the teachers are like "do your best" and "give 100%" and all that USELESS SHIT, I can't DO that because I will literally KILL someone. I can't hug my daddy or my grandpa and every time I try to do something I break everything!" she cried as she fumbled with her gloves so that she could wipe her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt anyone but I hate that I have to hold back all the time. It's not fair!" she hiccupped as she allowed herself to hold tight to that self-pity for a moment. She KNEW that there were people who had it worse than she did but that did not take away from her very real frustration and anger at herself and her inability to stay in control all the time. She shouldn't want to let that go because that usually meant that she would hurt someone, most likely herself, if not physically than emotionally. But she felt so impotent about even showing affection to those she loved that frankly all there was to do some days was to scream and vent and beat against the wall...or in this case hug her sandbag like it was her only link to the world.

[Deleted]

His concern was genuine, but she’d be right in that Marcus was pushing himself towards something that he’d rather leave alone, lest there be an unforeseen danger. As if one girl could be dangerous! But he knew well enough that in a school of metas, all it took was one angry girl to land yourself in trouble. And gathering from her passionate rant, Marcus’ concern was well justified. “Ah…geeze, man, that…that sounds pretty horrible. I can’t really…” Actually, Marcus could imagine it…not having to be careful for fear of breaking something, but he understood the need for human connection. He didn’t always get that from his loved ones when he wanted. Especially not his mother, who’s presence in his life was nowhere near as frequent as he would have liked…then again, her presence always seemed to stress him out too, so it was a double-edged sword in that respect.

But the other thing he could understand was the nonsense that the teachers always spouted about their goddamn powers training. “But you’re right, though, the teachers are pretty damn useless, all they do is chant the same stupid shit over and over again as if saying it again is going to make a difference. I mean, isn’t that the definition of insanity or something? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?” Marcus sighed out a nervous chuckle, completely unsure if his words were having any effect on the girl, or whether they were even welcome. He probably should just leave, but now that he’d engaged, he couldn’t. Engaging was a finer trap than anything else in this world for Marcus.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle hadn't meant to make the teachers sound horrible, she normally didn't mind all those speeches because it usually reminded Axelle that she was more than her power, more than her ability. She could be super strong but that didn't mean she could coast through her school work. Today however she was more likely to agree with Marcus and sniffled loudly to indicate this. "It's not just that I mean...I just wanna pick something up without worrying about breaking it and I hate being treated like a kid! I wanna cook in the kitchen and stuff! I WANNA HUG SOMEONE!" she shouted without any real heat or anger as she just continued to hold tightly to the sand bag in front of her.

Finally Axelle heaved a great big sigh and let the bag go, leaning against it wearily before she turned to see who had stumbled upon her when she was being a big ball of teenage angst. She put it at her back and leaned against it since it was heavy enough to support her weight and frowned. "Hey, don't I know you from a class or something?" What was that kid's name? Like Max or something right? "I'm Axelle," she introduced herself because at this point it would have been super awkward not to.

[Deleted]

The girl didn’t have to try hard to make the teachers sound bad, Marcus was perfectly capable of thinking they were jerks to begin with. From personal experience. Well, he knew, seriously, that they were only looking out for him and had good intentions and blah-de-blah-blah, but they certainly liked to go out of their way to point out what you weren’t doing, and what you can’t do, instead of letting you explore what you can do. Marcus got tired of it, though he knew that his own lack of ability with his powers and schooling was mostly his own fault, because he didn’t bother to put in the effort to improve. Marcus was frustrated with his power too, especially with the fact that it liked to activate at the most inconvenient times.

He could sorta imagine what this girl was going through, though. But he couldn’t imagine having a power that prevented one from having a physical relationship with someone. “That…shit, that really sucks. Yeah, I don’t know what the adults are thinking, you know. I mean, they’re always telling us what to do and what not to and stuff, but don’t really give us a chance to figure stuff out for ourselves. I mean…we’re not stupid, right.” He offered a half smile. “You don’t seem stupid. I just…yeah, I can’t figure out what you’d do about that hugging situation, though.” He was rambling again.

Marcus shrugged. “Uh, I guess?” Marcus gave the girl another good look, trying to remember if she was in one of his classes. “Maybe. Sorry, I’m not all that good at remembering people. Ha ha.” Marcus laughed nervously, scratching the side of his head. He took a couple steps forward, taking her introduction as a signal for them to be more friendly. “I’m Marcus. People call me Marc. Or Marcus. Or Marquet…” That last one was said with a grumble and sour face. He nervously played with the chain hanging from his pants.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle shrugged. She didn't mind listening to the teachers, but at the same time there wasn't a lot of variation or subtly to her power, she knew what she was capable of the day she manifested. She'd only gotten stronger from there and while her strength seemed to have capped itself her training most days was skill based how to control herself to keep from snapping everything and everyone into two pieces. Today just happened to be one of her (many) stress relief days, thus the boxing and no supervision. Axelle didn't really need anyone looking over her shoulder telling her how to box, not since she'd gotten the basics down when she was fourteen.

She watched as the boy came closer and looked him up and down. "Marcus, got it," she tilted her head curiously. "Why would I call you Marquet? You don't seem to like that name," she asked with an amused smile. She wasn't going to call him something he didn't like, even if he said it was okay. “You can call me Axe if you’d like, or Axie, or Elle, or you know…whatever. People get creative,” she shrugged as she pointed with her glove at a place just in front of where she was sitting. “Sit down, relax, take a load off,” she invited as she peeled off her gloves and (very) easily ripped the cloth bindings from her hands, stretching her fingers out.

[Deleted]

Marcus, too, didn’t feel there was much to learn about his power. Either he’s a boy or a girl. Simple as that. And they kept telling him it wasn’t enough to just know that. So…Marcus could…probably understand the tedious kinds of training that Axelle’s trainers must be putting her through. What they put everyone through.

Ugh…their stupidity made Marcus want to vomit.

Marcus chuckled, tossing a hand up dismissively. “Uh…never mind, it’s nothing. My friends are just idiots sometimes.” They really were. And it irritated the shit out of Marcus. Why was he still friends with those guys again? “Axe? Axie. Elle. Damn, you give me so many options, I think that actually makes it harder to figure it out, con’t just pick one, you know?” But he’ll probably just go with the first one. Marcus smiled and took the offered seat. “Well, don’t mind if I do, I mean, it looks hella comfortable down there, you’re so generous being willing to share such 5-star luxury.” He laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

“So…your power is…being superman, right? I mean woman! Definitely woman, sorry, not meaning to sound sexist or anything, just a joke taking a wrong turn, ha ha..” Yup, that was Marcus, the psycho.

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle was back to laughing as Marcus came to join her by her punching bag. "Like I said, people get creative when it comes to giving me nicknames, someone called me "Xellie" the other day," she giggled. As Marcus sat down and commented about her being Superman she smiled. "Well, more or less I suppose. I can't fly though....aaand I don't have laser vision, or ice breath, or you know all of those other Superman powers beyond strength and durability," she answered after making a variety of faces as she listed off the additional powers she didn't possess.

"It's not as great as it seems, I have to control everything I do. Doing this," she bumped her head back against the sand bag, "…is the only thing I can do where I don't have to hold back," she explained as she propped her wrists up on her knees and tilted her head to the side, eyeing Marcus curiously. “What about you? What sort of power do you have? Well, if it’s not embarrassing or anything too complicated, the last guy I asked had a difficult time explaining his,” she snickered as she remembered Benji’s explanation about his powers. But she didn’t hold it against him obviously…she had made out with him after all.

[Deleted]

“Ha ha, I guess I can get that. I mean, I can get creative myself sometimes, just not too much with words, you know?” Marcus shrugged. “I mean, what’s it they say? A picture is worth a thousand words? So I tend to get creative that way instead.” Yeah, Marcus would probably just go with Axe, until he came up with something better.

“Well…that’s what I was getting at, I think. Though it’s be super awesome if you could fly, right? Being all up there in the sky, see something up, they bust in like some heroine…you could be a real superhero.” Well, a lot of them could. But unfortunately, last he checked vigilantism was illegal. Like how they’re always trying to arrest the Batman and Spiderman because they’re doing a better job than the coppers are at catching the baddies. Marcus had a few rants to go along with those comic-verses, by the way.

“Yeah….that really kind of sucks.” That made sense considering how frustrated she was about not being able to just give someone a simple hug. “My power?” His face flushed pink as he turned his head sharply, his shoulder length hair dropping down his shoulder. “It’s um….pretty easy to explain, actually. I’m a shifter.” Nothing too special about that right? Though no doubt she was going to ask what he shifted into. Anticipating the question, he took a breath and looked away, covering his mouth to vaguely muffle his words. “Human shifting…i-into a girl…” It wasn’t something he could hide easily, so Marcus just liked to get it over with most times when it came up.

[Axelle Flint]

“Oh? Do you like to draw? That’s really cool, I can’t draw very well, just little doodles and stuff. The occasional stick figure," she shrugged. "Not so sure about flying though. I like swimming a lot, but I won't lie, it would fun to just sort of takeoff and play tag or something in the clouds, I could get behind that for sure!" she laughed. "I know it sounds cool, being so strong but it's hard, and yeah, it would be nice to be like Superman but, I have a hard enough time managing one power I'd probably go crazy trying to balance all of those other things. I mean could you imagine the inside of Clark's head? "OH GOD DON'T TOUCH JIMMY TOO HARD OR I'LL CRUSH HIS SKULL! Must. Resist. X-ray. Vision." Axelle was laughing too much to continue, losing it somewhere as she just imagined Clark Kent desperately closing his eyes as he walked by the restrooms.

Axelle stopped laughing and leaned forward intently to hear Marcus's story, her eyes going a little bit wide as she digested the implications of what Marcus was telling her. "Oh..., well...damn...that sounds..." she tilted her head and leaned back a bit, mouth twisted into a confused pout. "That sounds like it would be mega difficult to live with. Can you change at will or is it spontaneous?" she asked, suddenly fascinated.

[Deleted]

Marcus laughed as he listened to her little mini rant. Yeah, that’s what he heard the most from others, that they couldn’t draw much more than a stick figure. But Marcus didn’t know what the big deal was, you just put down on paper what you saw in front of you, most of the time. “I know! I always wondered what it’d be like to fly like that! So cool!!” There were so many better powers for people to have, why’d he have to get stuck with a lame on like he did? Even super strength was a step up in his opinion.

“Ha ha ha!!” he laughed at Axe’s little superman tirade. She was funny! Marcus liked this girl, omg her brain was fantastic!

When the topic switched back to Marcus and his power, things quieted down a bit again. He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a bit buggy sometimes.” Or rather, often. “I can change at will, but sometimes it’s weird and likes to jump me from behind or something.” He laughed. “Like, I’ll just be walking down the halls or something and something’ll happen, like a dude pushes me into the locker as he barrels down the hall, and then BAM! Boobs.” Marcus held his hands cupped out in front of him as if to demonstrate their sudden growth. “It’s….weird, I dunno.”

[Axelle Flint]

Axelle couldn't help the snicker that escaped during Marcus' explanation. "Sorry, that's probably not funny, but like...it's kinda like your own personal airbags...unless they deploy after you hit the lockers in which case that's useless...though truth be told I remember when mine were growing, just before I manifested, I ran straight into a wall...don't remember why but I hit my chest and OH MY GOD...soooo much pain from two tiny little mosquito bites," Axelle looked down in disgust at her breasts. "Really, two puffy little pillows and they're pretty much useless at taking hits," she complained.

"So...since you can change into a girl are your proportions set? Like...can you make your breasts bigger or smaller every time you change?" she asked curiously. "Have you ever snuck into the girls locker room as a girl and then changed back? Well wait, I guess if you had everyone would know about it...so that means you must not have been caught yet. You haven't seen me naked have you?" she demanded with a shrewd, narrowed gaze that utterly failed at being intimidating and really just ended up being curious.