Power Swap: Something has Changed(Odion)

[Lani Hunter]

What woke Lani was not the pain, but the strangeness of it. It was like an itch at first but it grew very quickly into pain. He sat up his hand going to his head where the usual pain was but for once it was blessed silence. It was so still in his head that it scared him, and it was pain free. That brought Lani from his bed and he groaned. No the pain was not in his head today, but in his back. What the hell? He hobbled into the bathroom in time to look at himself in the mirror before the pain exploded and he fell. It felt like someone was growing rapidly and painfully from his back. The marrow of his bones felt like it was dissolving right from the bones. It wasn’t long until he completely lost it and the world went dark again.

Wings. It had taken him a full hour to come to terms with it and the fact that his telekinesis wasn’t working or worse was gone. They weren’t just wings, they were huge. Standing in the middle of his room he could barely spread them all the way and the tips were pressed against the wall. They were a light gray and speckled with black. His whole body felt strange and light and he more than once lifted his hand too fast from underestimating the weight. They were heavy and the weight unfamiliar and he kept knocking things over. When folded they rose a little over his head and still drug on the ground. How did anyone walk with these things? But his heart was rising with every second. What a blessing! All of his life he had dreamed of flight and here he was with wings protruding from his back and he had yet to test them. He raised them a little letting them unfurl a little and felt the strength they held. Someone had to know what was going on.

So Lani was in jeans and after a moment of struggling and trying to figure things out, he ended up wearing a black tank top since it was the only thing that left room for the wings. His wings. With that figured out, kind of, he went down the hall to the closest person he knew, both in distance and relationship. He was a little worried, what if something happened to Caroline? But the fact that she hadn’t already come to him led him to believe tentatively that things were alright on her end. Lani intended to drag the redhead out today and he wanted to test his wings more than anything else. He knocked a rhythm on Odion’s door. “I’ve got wings.” He said fulfilling his usual role of stating the obvious as the door opened. His voice was filled with excitement but with a twinge of panic. For what if he was stuck like this? What if his telekinesis never came back? Oh well, a calm head was kind of growing on him.

[Odion Martins]

Strange things had been happening to everyone at school lately. Odion was hoping not to be a part of it, but that wasn’t to come to fruition. And why would it? Life would never give him a break, he was used to that. What he was not used to however, was whistling while taking a shower and having a few birds try to get in on the action. Totally freaked out, he decided it was best to refrain from whistling for a while. He hadn’t tried it since. While he hadn’t been able to travel through time for a couple days, he assumed that he was still recovering from all the drama that was going on. He had no idea that his power had completely changed. In fact, he was starting to think everything was alright when he heard a knock at the door.

“Whoa...” Was all Odion could manage to say as he stared at the enormous wings on Lani’s back. The ginger reached out over Lani’s shoulder to touch them. They were so pretty, so... Lani. “I thought I was the only one... Wait, can you feel that?” He asked, smirking as he tugged on one of Lani’s feathers. “Are these bird wings?” It was too funny, Odion wasn’t scared over this new reality. And never before had he been so full of questions. But wait... Those birds from before... A sinister grin formed on his lips. If Lani was part bird, would he respond that same way as those other birds? Try to maul him? And how was that any different from any other day? Maybe they weren’t trying to maul him. Maybe the school was playing a prank on them or something...

“Well, you get to live your dream of flying,” Odi stated, crossing his arms in front of him. He was hardly dressed for going outside, but knowing Lani, the question would be asked soon enough. His sweats and t-shirt would have to do. “What’s happened to your telekinesis?” He asked, wondering if he was the only one with a power subtracted and replaced. But if Lani had telekinesis and winged flight, he was going to be very power hungry. It also dawned on Odi that he hadn’t been able to whistle before a couple days ago. His eyebrows raised in wonder. What the hell was going on?

[Lani Hunter]

Strange things indeed. Lani wasn’t sure what was going on but he was too high on the potential of his power change. He hadn’t had telekinesis for very long but he was already starting to feel a strange sense of missing in his mind. His power had been ever present and he could always feel it and it was getting really annoying when he kept looking at things and wondering why they were where they were and not where he wanted them. But now these wings, they were ever present in a different much more physical way. “I know right!” Lani exclaimed to Odion’s shock. Lani wasn’t sure whether he should laugh at the situation or be panicked beyond belief but hey he was going to take this as it came. Well, Lani was apparently not out of the hands of the universe quite yet, but hey, for once they had dealt a hand he could really enjoy, at least for a while.

“Yes, I can feel that,” Lani batted at the offending hands his feathers puffing a little. Oh god he wasn’t just growing wings he was turning into a bird! The tugging was irritating at worst and ticklish at best. It was so strange to have nerve endings in places where he shouldn’t even have appendages. “Wait, is your power gone too?” Lani asked his brow creasing in worry. This could be bad, what if everyone at Hammel had gone through a change? What if they never went back? Lani grinned and fanned one out a little for Odion to see better. “I think so, I don’t know what happened they were just kind of there.” He said, not completely true, but he was not going to let Odion know that he had blacked out.

Odion had a point and Lani was so excited he almost started jumping with energy. He really wanted to try out his wings, he really wasn’t sure how well this would actually go. More likely than not it would not be the easiest thing he had ever done. “I haven’t tried yet,” Lani admitted, “Would you come with me?” He asked with a laugh then added for good measure, “its better someone know if I land on my head rather than find me that way.” He scratched his head his elbow bumping the wing startling him a little. He shrugged an action that made the wings rise and fall. “Gone,” now his tone was less enthusiastic, “I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s gone. Is you power still working?” What if Odion's power had changed too? What if his time turning days were over? What then was it replaced with, if anything?

[Odion Martins]

Odion hadn’t felt like himself to begin with, so, this was just icing on the proverbial cake. Perhaps this was fate paying him back for stealing so many things, and so much time. Maybe he had simply used up his powers and now it was time to be normal. He could live with that, he didn’t really need to go backwards and forwards in time, as useful as it was. Maybe he didn’t have to be father time’s remote control anymore. Still, he would miss it, but this wasn’t something he couldn’t get used to. He was a leech after all, a street kid, and he could habituate to anything given enough time, ironically. This was just another puzzle to be solved or waited out.

Smirking still, Odion let his hand fall back to his side. “Always so sensitive,” he chastised his friend. Of course Odi had to make fun of Lani, it didn’t really matter what the situation was, or how delicate it may be. Odion gave Lani a good look. “They suit you,” he said, a hand to his chin as he studied the speckles on the grey wings, “they came in your favorite shade and everything.” Maybe he was finding this a little too amusing. Hopefully Lani wouldn’t use Odi to sharpen his talons.

“My power’s gone and hasn’t been working for a while,” Odi said, giving Lani another once over. No, this was not something he could get used to. His pathetic little whistling he could handle, his lack of time control sure he could stomach that, but Lani, demanding so much presence and attention, this wouldn’t do. “You better hope this doesn’t last, otherwise I’ll be the best crook around here.” Odion smiled to himself. That didn’t have such a bad ring to it. He waved his hand in the air as an afterthought. “Though, I could always use a, wing man.” He clapped Lani’s arm. “Yeah sure, I’ll come with you mate,” he said, still grinning, “have to give these babies a test flight.” Truth was, Odion was pretty excited about this as well. He’d test out his new power later.

[Lani Hunter]

Well maybe fate was paying them both back. Lani hadn’t even thought about how these big bulky things would affect his ability to steal. They really were large and awkward to move with. No right now he was not thinking about the future he was loving the fact that his head wasn’t screaming at him and that he had to potential to fly. Really fly, feel the wind in his hair and the freedom. Another puzzle, hopefully this one had a solution that wasn’t permanent. If Odion couldn’t turn time then things might be worse off than he thought. It was supposed to be Lani the telekinetic and Odion the time turner, not Odion potentially powerless and Lani with wings. How strange this all was, but Lani was too busy being excited to see any of that. For once in a long time the problems seemed so far away. But it still begged the question why when he had discovered this had he gone to Odion and not Adrianna?

“Hey,” Lani protested crossing his arms, “How about you grow the wings and I’ll pull your feathers.” It wasn’t his fault that they were so sensitive. Really Lani was just glad that he had done well keeping his ticklishness a secret. Lani looked from Odion to the wings again then back at Odion giving him a mix of an amused and annoyed look. Oh no… Odion was enjoying this. Lani groaned inwardly and shook his head a little. He couldn’t help preening a little when Odion complimented them. This was a strange thing to be proud of but he really couldn’t help not being proud of them. Even if they were canary yellow he would have been proud of them. At least after the initial shock that he would be stuck with yellow wings for a while wore off.

Now Lani frowned wings forgotten. “For a while? You mean since…” Since that night when they had hashed out things very crudely. Lani hummed as he thought looking at Odion what was passing through his mind was far different from what was going through Odion’s. What was going on with Odion’s power had started before even all of this craziness had started. Lani had known something was dreadfully wrong since Odion had lost those couple of days but he hadn’t know that it was going on longer than that. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment true sympathy seeping through. If he could have his telekinesis back and give Odion his new wings he would be fine with that. Admittedly a little jealous but that was beside the point. “What? Oh…” he looked back at the wings as if surprised. No these would never do for stealing. Lani sighed his head dropping as he gave Odion a light glare. Oh no, Odion was enjoying this way too much! Lani shook his head though unable to stop himself from chuckling, “Thanks, man,” he started walking, “And you’re sure that’s it? Like it’s gone and nothing came in its place?”

[Odion Martins]

If Lani was planning on stealing things from very wealthy hot air balloon owners, perhaps this was the perfect power. As it was, Odion was better off now, even with his pathetic bird calling, or whatever it was that he was blessed with currently. He could only hope this prank would stop eventually, and life would return to it’s somewhat normal state of confusion and agony. Yes, that seemed preferable to this horseshit. In the end though, these two were still the same. Perhaps a little more carefree, but the same on the inside. Seeing Lani pop up at his door was normal for Odion, and in the midst of this, he was glad to feel that normalcy. Not even Lani’s glove-like power could replace that which Lani brought with him everywhere already.

Odion raised his eyebrows at Lani, clearly the ginger was nothing but amused. “Sensitive, just like you,” he said, nodding his head in approval of his own observation. Sensitive Lani with sensitive wings, it seemed to fit just fine. If Odi could chose between growing wings and not, he would pick the latter, probably less pain in the end. Though he was getting punched in the face a lot lately... He had the remains of a shiner surrounding his eye. One day, Odi would find out Lani was ticklish, but not today. And one day, Lani would find out how not ticklish Odion was in attempted payback. Also, not today. “You think the color would stick if I spray painted them?” He mused, only trying to get under Lani’s skin.

Odion’s lips became a fine line. “Yeah, since then.” No more words needed to be spouted regarding that little night. He was trying not to make a big deal over it, but really, it was so much bigger than he wanted it to be, and only because Lani couldn’t deal with it. Oh well. Odion shrugged, as if to emphasize how little of a big deal it was, because Lani was going to have to make those moves on his own time and Odi was done playing around. This crazy power mix up thing was just another kick to the gut, and Odion probably wouldn’t have noticed at all if Lani hadn’t shown up with his massive wings. At least Lani had gotten something he wanted. Odion hid a smirk. In a way, if his birdsong could work on Lani, didn’t he get what he wanted too?

Shrugging, Odion was only too happy to leave his room and make for the outdoors. “There is something a little out of the ordinary, not sure if it’s a power or not though,” Odion said, lying through his teeth. Lani had to remember how good Odion was at not so good things. Stepping outside, Odion stretched, as though he were the one about to try taking off. “But you first, I’ve got to see this,” he said, pulling at one of Lani’s feathers again. This time he pulled it out. A small grin passed his face before he laughed. “Sorry,” he said, flicking the feather away like it was nothing. “So you think you’ll need some height? Or do you want to leave from the ground up?” Ground up was probably safest, but jumping off of something would have the best results. Personally, Odi would’ve gone for the roof. He jumped from them all the time, in all reality flying would probably be easier.

[Lani Hunter]

Lani frowned a little as he considered his thieving ways might be over. It would be impossible to steal anything in a state like this. He would miss that, but perhaps the flight would be just worth it. But it just didn’t seem right without telekinesis and time turning. It was just strange and put that along with everything else that was going on and Lani was more likely to just start laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Lani looked at the redhead and into the blue eyes. He was so glad that Odion hadn’t left him. Forgiveness, well that wasn’t something Lani expected, but he was more than relieved that he hadn’t lost Odion. But after what had happened a few nights ago it was so very strange that they both expressed their feelings in strange convoluted ways but the truth was out and it was a terrifying thing.

Lani huffed his wings rising a little bit. “I am not sensitive,” he protested the observation though the way his eyes darted away told a different story. As his eyes moved something caught his eyes and they turned back immediately to Odion. “Is that a bruise?” He asked the question filled with so much curiosity as well as concern. The question was who, and what had happened that had made said person believe that Odion needed to be bruised. But that was new to Lani, but the bruise itself looked old. Lani rolled his eyes at Odion. “You’re not spray painting them.” He said decisively and unless Odion wanted a face full of feathers he had better heed that. The wings moved a little back as if to protect themselves from the possibility of paint. No unless that color was black or something that would not fly very well.

A little nod was all Lani gave and he took the hint and the subject of that night dropped from the conversation like a stone in water. But that didn’t make Lani any less worried. If something had been happening to Odion’s power before all of this happened then what would happen when, if, it came back? Lani’s power hadn’t been on the fritz, in fact after that little show in the training room he had been reading that paper Willow had sent him and his power was actually getting closer to him the closer he got to understanding the emotions. Granted he was no closer to controlling it, but that was nothing new. What was new was that he was starting to understand it and how it related to him. Really he should have listened to Odion the first time. “Well, this is very strange,” Lani said with a nod, “I wonder if everyone is having these problems?”

Lani hummed as he thought about it. “Like what?” Lani pressed not wanting to let Odion get away with that kind of explanation. It really wasn’t fair, Lani couldn’t hide this new power, he didn’t even have clothing that would fit over the wings. He hated going out in just a tank top. Lani felt the tug than a flash of, not pain, but discomfort as Odion tugged to hard. Lani’s wings jerked out for a moment as if to shake the feeling before folding close again. Did Odion have to pull his feathers? Well, he supposed Odion had always enjoyed making Lani’s metaphorical feathers get ruffled. Lani mimed a swat at Odion. “I don’t know, I think it might be easier from the roof, but it might be safer from the ground.” Lani said he had no problem with jumping from heights but really without his telekinesis to catch him he was a little nervous about that. “The roof.” He finally decided and turned for the door that led to the roof. He touched the handle for a moment and then tugged. It didn’t budge. He shook the handle a little bit his face flushing as he realized he had just tried to use a power he no longer had.

[Odion Martins]

Regardless of how Lani flew, Odion wanted to be there. Powers or no powers in whatever form they may be in. A promise was a promise, and Odi wasn’t leaving Lani again. And who knew, maybe if this power stuck around, Lani could give him a lift. His wing span was certainly big enough. And this kind of power was bodily, not mind and body. But Odion wasn’t going to ask about that now. Probably later though. Odion didn’t want to touch the truth with a twenty foot pole, not if Lani wasn’t going to be on the receiving end. Maybe he didn’t need Lani to spell everything out for him, maybe it was crystal clear exactly what was going on and it made Odi blush at the thought. They were falling for one another, and not very gracefully.

Laughing a bit, and glad for the distraction, Odion stared at Lani’s wings. “I beg to disagree,” he said, thinking how adorable the wings made Lani. They were a greater hint towards Lani’s inner thoughts than his face color and eyes combined. All mirth ended as Lani noticed the obvious, finally. Odi raised a hand to said bruise, unsure whether he was trying to cover it up, or feel how bad it was still. It didn’t feel raised anymore at least. “Yes,” he said, watching Lani with suspicion, as though the blonde were being put on trial here and not him. Odi rolled his eyes right back at Lani. “You’re no fun,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him, an eyebrow raised. He shrugged as the topic flew to the swapped powers again. Odion wasn’t close enough to anyone else to ask if they were experiencing something similar, but the fact that even two students were was cause for alarm.

“Well obviously it’s not anything extravagant like this,” he said, gesturing up and down and around Lani’s bird wings. Odion smirked to himself and stifled a laugh. Oh Lani was going to love playing this guessing game, you know, as usual. Lani shouldn’t worry about his wings though, not yet. And chances were, Odi’s power wouldn’t affect the blonde anyways, but if it did, there wasn’t any fun in telling Lani what was going on. They’d find out soon enough. Odion’s eyes trailed over Lani for a moment. Funny, he was quite aware now of how much time he should linger, and what was awkward and inappropriate. Still, Lani didn’t look bad in what he was wearing, aside from the lack of color. But skin color... No, that was enough. “That’s what I was thinking,” Odion agreed, taking one more step towards the courtyard, only to spin on the spot and follow Lani the other way, making Odi roll his eyes. “This better be good,” he grumbled to himself, following after Lani, whom he nearly bumped into as he hesitated at the door.

Odion gazed around Lani, pushing his wings gently out of the way, trying not to rip out any more feathers. “What? Can’t open a door Lani?” He asked with a smirk. Did Lani really rely on his telekinesis that much? Come on! This was the oldest trick in the book. Ducking under Lani’s wings like a curtain, Odion took out a bobby pin and set to work. Just another staple he always carried around with him. Suddenly, he was very glad to know how to get around without using his powers. The door gave a pleasant tick and Odion turned the handle like a pro. “There we are,” he said, keeping the door open so Lani could pass through before him, “mind your wings on the way up.” Odion was smiling like an idiot. In other words, don’t bash me in the face with them.

[Lani Hunter]

That would certain have to wait. If anything the thought of Lani lifting Odion now was more terrifying than trying to lift him telekinetically. At least with telekinesis and Odion having time control the damage could be very well contained but Lani with only his wings if he got tired or god forbid dropped Odion there would be split seconds between them and the end. He would have to work to get these wings stronger if they were sticking around. He really was at least glad that control wouldn’t really be a problem. This wasn’t a mental thing. This was skill he could work with, not something that could be as powerful as a storm and as gentle as a breeze, this was something physical. Hopefully Lani’s flying would be more graceful than their falling.

“Disagree if you want,” Lani said his wings ruffling and he gave Odion a narrowed eyed look. Lani’s eyes were distracted though by the bruise. He waited, perhaps Odion would give him a little bit of an explanation. When none came Lani shifted. “What happened?” He asked meeting Odion’s gaze not backing down. He tried to make his tone merely curious but he knew that some of the concern was seeping through. He shook his head a little bit as the topic changed but Lani didn’t want to let the bruise go unquestioned. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. He didn’t like the thought of Odion walking around with a bruise on his face. He crossed his arms indicating he was not letting this go. “We’ve been over this, Odion,” Lani said a teasing grin flashing on his lips, “I’m so much fun.”

“Well…” Lani shrugged and peered at Odion. “But there is something,” he said reading between the lines. Then that smirk and Lani knew that there was something there. “What is it?” He asked knowing full well that the chances of him getting a straight answer were slim to none. Lani’s eyes watched the blue eyes for a moment curious about what the redhead was thinking. Lani shook his head a little and glanced over his shoulder unaccustomed to the large wing blocking most of his rear field of vision. He had better be careful when he was backing up and if he turned around too fast. He smiled a little and nodded, “Great minds.” He turned on his heel however and left Odion to catch up to him, perhaps it would be better for Odion to go on to the courtyard and have Lani follow after him but then again without pressure Lani wasn’t sure he’d make that jump. “What?” Lani asked looking back at Odion as he grumbled.

Feeling Odion push at his wings Lani stepped aside a little but realize he was still taking up too much space. “I haven’t had to carry around anything for a while,” Lani said trying to justify his unpreparedness. Well lesson learned, he would keep a lock pick handy and not just for heists. He watched Odion work impressed by the way his hands moved and admiring their nimble quick qualities. “Thanks,” Lani said sheepishly running a hand through his hair. He nodded not really listening anymore. Lani was being careful not to step on his wings holding them up and a little out brushing Odion a little bit. A shiver rushed Lani’s spine and he was glad his wings created such a shield around him obscuring him from Odion’s gaze. Lani emerged in the sunlight and he looked up at the sky the puffy cumulus not looking too far away but the sky otherwise blue. He looked back at Odion his wings half spread as he felt the wind and stepped up to the edge. He took a few experimental beats and it felt good. “Well, here goes nothing.” He said and jumped.

For what felt like forever he was falling. Panic was starting to set in until he figured he should probably open his wings. They snapped open and the sound was audible as they caught the wind. He flapped and it was messy. It wasn’t as glorious as he had initially imagined and he more or less had a relatively controlled fall. He twisted and his wings got pushed around by the wind. It was harder than he expected. He beat them and for a moment was steady and then took another beat and the falling slowed. Somehow it became instinct and as Lani hit the ground he kicked off and drove his wings hard downward. After a few desperate flaps he realized he was not getting very far off the ground. It was hard and he was breaking into a sweat but with every beat his wings felt stronger and were catching more air. Something clicked as he beat his wings more slowly and added more power. Really it was a rather pathetic first flight, and a few more strong beats and he caught the top of the roof with his hands. He had to admit that he hadn’t expected it to work on the first try but he was a little disappointed. “That was awesome,” he managed to get past harsh breaths. He hauled himself up the rest of the way and looked out at the sky determination in his eyes. Something had clicked when he was in the air and he was ready to try again. After he caught his breath that is.

[Odion Martins]

Death after having flown with Lani didn’t seem like such a bad way to go out.

“I will thanks,” Odi said with stubborn determination, so that Lani would know he wasn’t asking for permission. Lani was giving new meaning to ruffling his feathers, and the fact that he was positively steaming right now didn’t go unnoticed to Odi. He may have lost his ability to change time, but his people skills were intact. Odion sighed, giving Lani a hard gaze. Lani knew how to play this runaround game, and he would keep asking questions until he was satisfied. But they both had agreed to be more honest with each other, right? Did that include absolutely everything? “This girl I used to know found me in the library, and she punched me in the face.” There, the obvious for Captain Obvious. He didn’t bother mentioning that he had provoked her severely, but hey, he was minding his own damn business. “She sort of loves me,” he said with a shrug. His blue eyes travelled over to Lani once more. Oh, and he spat in her face. Who was fun now?

“Can’t a man have his tricks?” Odi asked, a sort of pout overcoming his face. He waved his hand, still grinning. “It’s none of your concern.” Seriously, Lani would find out soon enough, and maybe, just maybe, Odion liked teasing Lani. Lani had a lot of charms, but they wouldn’t work on Odion, not for something so small. And if Lani was smart, he would try figuring out what Odi’s powers were now. “Nothing,” Odion said, shaking his head. Lani Lani Lani, some things would never change, wings or not.

Fiddling with the lock, Odion knew that if the school really wanted to keep students off the roof, they would’ve done a better job than this. “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t anyways,” he said, looking up at Lani from his crouched position with a half-smile, “I thought you were good at planning things out.” Yes, Odion was Lani’s biggest critic. Odion closed his eyes as Lani passed, a flash of a memory of someone punching him in the face overcame him. But it was only Lani’s wing and Odi didn’t need to worry. He touched his jawline – those things were as heavy as they were large. It took him a moment, but he followed Lani up the stairs, a wave of excitement passing over him. Lani was really going to do this. “Good luck,” was all he said, and Lani took off.

Odion quickly stepped to the edge and thought for a moment that Lani was just falling. He clenched his teeth and held his breath. Whoosh. That was the sound of Lani’s newfound freedom, and Odion stuck his arms in the air in triumph. Yes it was messy, but that didn’t really matter. “It was awesome,” Odi agreed as Lani landed, “what did it feel like?”

[Lani Hunter]

Not a bad way, but Lani was not quite ready to call it quits on this life yet. Lani did a double take at Odion a little shocked that they were really having this argument. He huffed a little and shook his head at Odion. He would never admit to being sensitive. Hard gaze or not Lani wasn’t going to be intimidated off of the question. Lani crossed his arms as Odion started his explanation. He shifted and his eyes locked on Odion searching for the holes in the story that Odion was feeding him. Lani didn’t think that a woman giving Odion a black eye was funny or in any way a question of Odion’s strength. Lani had met his fair share of strong women and he wasn’t one of those guys that would make fun of another for being beaten up by a girl. Lani nearly choked on his tongue at the last bit of the choppy story. “So she punched you?” He asked a brow rising. “So… um… What did you do?” He asked carefully.

“You already have your card tricks,” Lani complained. He matched Odion’s pout when he was effectively shut out of that information. He glared at Odion, Odion knew how much the curiosity was killing Lani. He watched Odion carefully hoping that he would make a mistake and give off a hint of a power but there was nothing, nothing that spelled that Odion was anything more than a human. But then again if Lani hadn’t known that Odion could traverse time then he never would have thought that Odion was powered, well besides the fact that he was at Hammel, but say meeting on the street. Oh well, he was getting off topic. He made a face at Odion wrinkling his nose. He hated it so much when Odion withheld information, it only fed Lani’s curiosity. And curiosity had gotten Lani in more trouble than his stealing habits ever had.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he huffed his wings drooping a little, “Lesson learned. I just never thought that…” He looked at his hand and found himself missing his power. Lani shook his head and rolled his eyes at Odion. “Oh yes because I planned to wake up with wings.” He said dryly. But he moved not wanting to dwell on his unpreparedness. “Sorry,” he said glancing back as his wings felt something. Well, Odion had warned him, hadn’t he? Lani was just too much of a fool to listen. He moved the wings on his shoulder, it was still too strange to think of them as his wings. With the wishes of good luck Lani had his first flight. It felt like it took only moments but Lani felt like he had been running for miles and miles.

“A lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” he admitted leaning over a bit to try to catch his breath. “but Odion, it was great!” He shook his head a little. “I think I figured it out, it’s weird though, I mean I feel like I shouldn’t even know what to do with them but after that… I don’t know I just feel like I know.” It was a strange thing to explain. How was it that he felt like he had the experience of years behind him? Sure the first time had triggered it but he felt like he knew what to do now. How very strange. Oh well, he wasn’t complaining he was always complaining about how telekinesis didn’t come with a manual, well maybe flight always did. Really it was the only explanation he had.

[Odion Martins]

Lani was just going to have to forgive Odion for not being able to articulate his story well. And it wasn’t because Odi didn’t have a way with words, he just wasn’t willing to share everything. How could he tell Lani this whole story without coming off as an asshole? Something he knew he was and wanted to prove to be true to everyone else. But Lani, Lani was the only one who knew better. He was the only one that had seen beyond the prickly exterior and given Odion another chance. But this, it was just another fucking dumb thing Odion had done to keep himself distanced from the rest of the school populace. How many things could Lani hear about Odion before he left him?

“That’s what I said,” he gulped. Why would he lie about someone punching him. Yes he may have spat in her face, but he didn’t punch back. He didn’t hit girls, not unless it was totally necessary, and that occasion hadn’t come up yet. “I didn’t do anything. She came over to say hello, I told her to sit, we talked about summer, I pissed her off, and she hit me.” It wasn’t lying, but he may as well be. “I’m not looking for attention you know,” he added for Lani’s benefit. Really, Odion didn’t know why Lani was so curious, beyond the fact that maybe he cared. Maybe.

“Oh, so I’m only allowed card tricks? That’s a load,” he said, shaking his head, before laughing a bit. They were truly birds of a feather. “I’ll show you later,” he said, leaving bread crumbs for Lani to follow. Oh, Odion knew the blonde wouldn’t forget any time soon. Not when Odi was making it out to be way more interesting than it probably was. But if Odi’s theory was correct, it could be very interesting. And then it would all make sense to Lani. Good things came to those who waited.

Odion was smiling slightly as Lani caught up with breathing. “I bet,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him. Odi, would rather not fly if he could help it, he never felt safe up in the air. No, he’d rather have the ground, good and solid under his feet. Nodding as he listened to Lani, Odi didn’t blame his friend for the rocky start. Those wings were damn heavy, but they were also very powerful. “They look really...” his eyes searched the sky for the right word, “awesome, fanned out the way they were.” Now he sort of felt bad for plucking at Lani’s feathers. It wouldn’t happen again unless the blonde was asking for it. “It’s going to be weird trying to fall asleep with those things,” or anything else for that matter, though why Lani trying to fall asleep came to mind, Odi wasn’t sure.

Maybe Lani had forgotten about Odi’s new power. “So we can get off the roof now?” He asked, looking Lani up and down. “Unless you want to show off again.”

[Lani Hunter]

Lani couldn’t say he was surprised, he was however surprised that Odion had been punched in the face by a girl he claimed was in love with him. That just sounded strange. Odion was unsatisfactory at quelling the questions, rather more and more were being born exponentially. Really Lani would merely be disappointed in Odion knowing what he had done, but Lani was blissfully ignorant and against better judgment his curiosity sent him sniffing around more. Well, one thing was for sure, if Odion wanted Lani to leave he was going to have to do a little better than that. He crossed his arms and raised a brow at Odion. He bit his tongue a little bit to keep himself from blurting out more questions. At least until Odion answered his current ones.

Lani raised a brow and cocked his head at Odion trying to read into his eyes. The blue ones weren’t giving anything away though. He didn’t believe however that Odion hadn’t done anything. Lani shook his head a little bit and for some reason he found it a little funny. Odion had an usual skill at pissing people off. He hid his smile behind his hand and shook his head. “So you did do something,” he said looking Odion over trying to figure the redhead out. “But why didn’t you stop her?” He wondered the thought popping into his head, sure Odion’s power was on the fritz but that didn’t mean he wasn’t physically able to fend of someone. Lani nodded, “I know, I know.” He couldn’t even imagine Odion wanted any sort of attention, well at least not the kind that fighting would get him. “Does it hurt?” He asked his hand reaching out a little bit before he realized what he was doing and stopped it.

A laugh grew out of Lani and he sighed exaggeratedly his wings dropping a little and then rising in anticipation. “Why don’t you show me now?” He pressed his eyes shining. The curiosity was killing him because now he knew there was something. There was something and Odion was purposely withholding information. Lani’s mind sharpened and he realized he had missed these little games they had. The honesty was great and all, but mystery was something that fed the desire. Lani was terribly curious now and he was working on keeping an eye on Odion just in case he gave something away. Lani was impatient and he really wanted to know now. Especially now that there was something and Lani knew Odion was keeping it from him.

Lani couldn’t understand how anyone wouldn’t want fly even just for a few moments Lani loved it. Also if Odion didn’t want to fly why did he volunteer to be Lani’s guinea pig? Heavy was an understatement the unfamiliar weight was starting to make him get a little off balanced even now. Lani looked up at the redhead and his smile grew. Awesome indeed. They were tired but that didn’t stop Lani from opening them a little. The breeze felt good running through the feathers. It gave him chills to think about. “I wonder if it’s permanent,” Lani thought aloud wistfully. Lani blinked and looked at Odion surprised by the statement. A laugh bubbled up out of him and he nodded. For someone who tended to toss in their sleep it was going to rather interesting. “I suppose I’d have to sleep on my stomach,” he said looking at the wings, “Can’t say I’m excited for that.” He sighed a little who knew what his wings would do if he tossed.

Not a chance. “I suppose,” he looked off of the edge again and smiled, “Meet you down stairs?” He asked and gave Odion a wink, “And then you can tell me all about this new power of yours.” And yes, Lani wanted to show off again. Now that he knew what these things could do he wanted to see how high he could go and how far.

[Odion Martins]

Maybe, just maybe Lani would believe him. Odion was fond of telling flat out lies, but he never made up stories, especially not such farfetched ones. Why Odi would ever tell something so ridiculous to Lani, he wasn’t sure, but it was still the truth. Well, half truths. Odi is trying to be better to certain people, but not everyone. He just couldn’t admit he was sorry to Live. He hung onto the evil things he did for sheer lack of courage to right his wrongs. This school year he hoped to graduate, and start new wherever he may go. And by that, he would like nothing more than to never meet another person again. Yes, watching them and learning about human interaction was fascinating, but he didn’t need any more friends. It had nothing to do with hurting people’s feelings, he just, didn’t feel sorry. If someone was dumb enough to fall for someone that didn’t exist, that was their problem. Odion could tell Lani wasn’t happy with his answer, but life wasn’t about making sure everyone around you is happy. Lani could seek that from Adrianna.

Odion shrugged, “Must’ve been something I said.” But of course that’s what it was. He just wasn’t telling how he had used her own words against her as ammunition. He had taken a piece of her life and put it before her eyes in a way she wasn’t willing to see. Perhaps he had flirted a little, and maybe he wanted to see if she would fall, but once she didn’t he had no idea how to undo it. Other than the obvious. And as stated before, he didn’t tinker with the past if he didn’t have to. Odion watched Lani carefully, and after a moment he decided to delve Lani into his thinking process. “I could say it’s because of power loss or some rubbish like that, but maybe I deserved it,” his true nature was showing, “and maybe it was satisfying to see the look on her face after she did it. Because, it didn’t fix anything. She still hates me and now that that’s out of her system maybe she can move on.” Odion struggled with wanting Lani to care for him. That wasn’t something he deserved. Lani could’ve been like everyone else, punch Odi in the face and move on. So why didn’t he? “It did, it’s alright now,” he said, trying to get rid of the train his thoughts were on.

“Because I like having fun,” he said with a wink. Lani was the best person to rile up. “Be thankful that you even know I have some other power.” Odion could’ve flat out lied and said he hadn’t been affected by the weird phenomenon, but he hadn’t. So obviously he wanted to tell Lani, the blonde just liked ruining things.

There were a lot of questions that would never be answered. And wanting to help Lani was a choice he made, no matter what his fear, because he wanted to grow, and he wanted to spend more time with Lani. Odion could pick at Mr. Hunter’s brain all day and never get tired of doing so. Odion would do it for Lani, just like everything else. Odion just watched Lani as he wondered aloud. Honestly, Odion hoped it wasn’t. This power was shit compared to time turning, no matter how unstable time had become. Still, maybe this was the break he needed to recover. “Might be cozy,” he added with a shrug and tilt of his head. They could become a sort of hammock. Oh well, Lani would figure that out tonight.

“You asked for it,” Odion said with a small chuckle, heading towards the stairs. I wonder... He thought to himself, descending and readying his lips. There was something oddly familiar about whistling like this. It had a whimsical melody, almost hypnotizing. Obviously it wasn’t a regular whistle, even he could tell that, and he certainly wasn’t being drawn to it like a couple of birds that had waited for him as he stepped outside once more. Well here you go Lani, Odion’s telling you all about his new powers right now. Odion smirked as he whistled, because two birds had collided with one another rushing to get to him, and soon his whistling turned into laughter. And even that sounded different, like some kind of birdsong. Great, how was he supposed to turn this off? And more importantly, where was Lani in all this?

[Lani Hunter]

It was quite a story and Lani could say he was a little worried about Odion. If Odion had any intentions of sticking around with Lani the redhead might just have to learn how to deal with meeting new people. It was strange for the thief to be an expert at hiding in plain sight since good old Lani couldn’t be capable of anything people accused him of. Oh well, at least that was how it had been, but his masks were down and people were starting to see the real Lani and he wasn’t sure he liked it so how could he expect anyone else to? They were odd, neither was acting like they should. Odion could have been like he was to anyone else and annoy Lani to the ends of his wits, then Lani could be like everyone else who got peeved enough and hit him and moved on. But then they had both seen behind the masks and seen something they liked, and it was something that neither party understood of the other.

“Hmmm,” Lani hummed in thought. For someone who chose their words with the utmost care Lani knew that for Odion to say something like that was to say that he had been intentionally pushing buttons. Lani shifted, these wings were really hard to get comfortable on his back and standing as he normally did he was finding himself tipping backward a little bit. These things would be wonderful if they appeared when needed and vanished when not needed. But that would be convenient and this was Hammel. Lani leaned forward as he listened trying to catch every word. It was honest and it was straightforward. Lani stared into Odion eyes. “Violence rarely does,” he agreed, though he had to admit punching Rhett felt rather good, but that was beside the point. Lani frowned at Odion and shook his head a little but he didn’t say anything against Odion, Odion already knew what he was thinking. Lani’s small smile returned and he peered at the dimming bruise. “Good, but it’s too bad she still hates you,” he shrugged.

Lani wrinkled his nose at Odion and let out a groan. He delivered a glare in Odion’s direction. Why did he have to tease him like this? “This is not fun,” he protested but finally ended up sighing and his wings drooped a little bit as he gave up. He was never going to win the argument but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about. “I would have figured it out one way or another.” Lani said with a decisive nod but decided not to divulge how he would find out. He might be a good sleuth but he hardly thought that Hammel had this strange new power thing anywhere in their records, chances were that the staff was freaking out just as much as the students were. Well, Lani’s new power was a dream come true so he wasn’t complaining but say that someone out there was suddenly blasted with telekinesis, his telekinesis, while he was having fun flying they were probably trying to figure out how to work his.

Wings were great but he was starting to see where the bad points would come in. And telekinesis, he missed it. It all started with that lock and he realized how much he relied on his power, and suddenly things that he took for granted like being able to turn off the light without having to get out of bed were gone. Lani matched Odion’s shrug but he didn’t think it would be very cozy, not until he figured it out anyways. It could end up where one wing was comfortable but the other was just splayed out uncomfortably. He was willing to bet that sleeping on his side was going to be a no go. Lani stepped up on the edge and glanced back at Odion. He took a huge beat of his wings and took to the air, the fall wasn’t so terrifying this time considering he understood the uplift this time and he climbed high. He laughed with joy as he watched the world fall away. But damn it was cold up here! Though probably not as cold as it should have been, he reflected. Interesting.

Lani swooped toward the ground identifying the small person on the ground as Odion. A tune floated to his ears and Lani found himself humming along to the unfamiliar tune. It was interesting and enticing. He started toward the ground his shadow on the ground was impressively huge. It only got bigger as he found himself coming in to fast toward Odion. He spotted the birds collide and his brow raised but soon his shadow passed over them and they flew off, well he wasn’t surprised, he was the bigger thing in the sky right now. Lani came in to land and realized his miscalculation too late. He landed only a few feet away from Odion and his feet backpedaled as he tried to slow himself but not fast enough and he tumbled into Odion and for a few moments they were a tumbled mess of limbs and feathers. “Sorry!”