Power Swap: We'll Figure It Out Tomorrow (Phoenix)

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Oriel woke up this morning, September 5th, just like normal. Well, however normal waking on the hard stage of the auditorium after having completed a morning practice that was far too early for the early bird. He crashed somewhere around 4 O'clock right there on the stage only to roll himself awake about an hour before class started. He woke feeling.... uncomfortable... disturbed.... anxious.... as if he were missing an important part of himself.

Which he completely dismissed because Oriel always felt like he was missing something of himself and had for about ten or so years.

Consequently, the rest of the day was pretty normal as well. Oriel went to class, slept in class, didn't pay attention, paid attention during the few minutes that he wasn't asleep...

In between classes, when he could, Oriel hung over the shoulders of his dear Princess, giving glares at those who might try to get close to her highness. At lunchtime, Oriel searched the cafetorium for that signature crater surrounding a particular snake-boy, a person to which he again sat across from. No words were exchanged between the two, but Oriel was thinking that maybe Erik was actually becoming friendlier? ....maybe.

The rest of the day consisted of more sleeping, more hanging off the Princess, and by the time classes ended, Oriel pretty much felt like passing out until nightfall. Therefore, the grumpy, sleepy boy made way to his favorite tree next to the pond per his normal routine, climbed it, and passed out as best he could while draping his arms and legs over his favorite branch like a napping kitty.

If there was something particularly different about the day, Oriel certainly didn't notice. Or he just didn't care. One of those.

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Phoenix's day went quite a bit rougher than Oriel's.

Upon waking up, the boy yawned, stretched, and slowly got dressed, in no hurry to get to the few classes he was still taking at Hammel. He should have graduated the past year, but Phen being Phen, there were several reasons he had to stick around for at least another year. But whatever - he just slumped around most of the time anyway, not really paying attention to anyone or anything, especially when he was in a dust-created daze.

This morning, though, as he prepared to let his wings out and give himself his normal morning boost, he found that as hard as he tried, he couldn't get them to come out. Which had never. happened. before. And totally, completely freaked him out to the point of nearly having a full-on panic attack. He didn't know how to get by without his precious hallucinations. They'd been his lifeline to this hell of a world for too long.

Not to mention, he also had a strange tickle in the back of his head that something was missing, that he should be looking for something or someone. Who or what, he had no idea, but something felt empty and off, and he nearly fell back into bed to let himself slip into unconsciousness again to avoid all of this shit that was happening to him.

Instead, he convinced himself that something was just a bit off, that given time his wings would come back and everything would be back to normal. Yeah. And so he went about his usual business, keeping mostly to himself, saying little, spacing out (without hallucinations, which was weird and wrong) during his few classes. He spent some time with Kam, trying to act like everything was normal and fine, but he couldn't rid the feeling that something was missing.

And so by the time normal class hours were over and students were buzzing about Hammel's campus doing their own thing, Phen needed to escape. His wings still hadn't come back, and he was really starting to panic. Not knowing where else to go, he found his way to his spot by the pond where he had realized a little while back was often occupied by someone else. A certain someone that he quite liked to see most of the time now, but in his current state of mind, he was hoping it would be vacant.

No such luck. As soon as Phoenix reached the tree, he looked up and saw Oriel's napping form draped out along a branch. But the sight of the boy suddenly filled that space in his head that he felt had been empty all day, like... Like Phoenix was suddenly whole when he had been only half before. He yawned, suddenly feeling like he was the one that should be passing out. The fucking hell was going on?

"Hey, you," he called up, smacking his palm against the trunk and yelping when he hit with much more force than he meant to. Apparently he didn't know his own strength...? Whatever. "Oriel. Wake up, lazy ass. I need a distraction." Maybe this would be a good thing - Phen could get his mind off of the strange, scary things happening to him, right?

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Oriel easily fell asleep in his tree. So much easier than he ever did in his room, though not quite as well as when he had someone to cling on to. And considering he got lots of practice in learning how to sleep with a commotion, it wasn't all that easy to rouse him.

However, Oriel had already woken up by the time Phoenix had arrived and punched the tree. With eyes still closed, Oriel smiled, suddenly feeling very much like a content kitty….no…a content kitty with a little bit of anxiety. Which was strange.

Oriel opened his eyes and looked down at the grumpy looking image of the person whose body he owned, reaching his hand down to grab Phen's…because of course Phen was going reach up to him as well, right?

Which didn't seem strange at all….which was strange.

Oriel's brow furrowed as he continued looking at Phen. "What's wrong?" He wasn't doped up like normal which was because, "You're wings won't come out." Which was the right answer, he knew, but…how did he know that? Oriel shifted his eyes to the side, pondering.

Deeefinitely strange.

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Phen's hand automatically reached up to grab Oriel's, without him really even thinking about it. The touch seemed to send a jolt of electricity through Phoenix's veins, filling him with renewed energy and alertness that he never, never had. He held his grip for a moment, meeting Oriel's eyes with his own, not having to wonder if Oriel was feeling the same way he did. He just knew. Which was so. fucking. weird.

But at the same time, it felt normal, natural. Oriel had filled that hole in his core he had felt this morning, and Phoenix felt fulfilled at the simple touch.

He was about to answer Oriel's question before he realized the boy already knew the answer, even before he spoke it. Phoenix frowned, using some of that newfound energy to clamber up beside Oriel on the branch, linking their fingers together again once he had settled. "And you haven't seen if your power is still working," he stated. Phen knew it was true; the information was just there.

Phoenix shook his head, as though trying to rid himself of an irritating fly buzzing around him. Questions kept popping into his mind about the boy, but each time he opened his mouth to ask him, the answer fell off his lips instead. "You know what I'm thinking, and I know what you're thinking. Something is obviously going on. The fuck happened?" Did they suddenly develop dual telepathy? But no, it was deeper than that... They specifically were connected, because Phoenix hadn't felt this around anyone else today.

He sighed, letting his forehead come to rest on Oriel's shoulder. "As though life at this school wasn't strange enough as it was..." he mumbled. "Is this gonna be permanent?" He didn't miss the wings, but the dust, oh the effects of going so long without his hallucinations was starting to drive him mad. His body shivered. "I can't deal with this," he growled. The only thing keeping him currently sane was the relief he felt being close to Oriel.

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Feeling fulfilled so much, like he'd finally found that person he'd been waiting for all his life, was much more of a shock to Oriel than it was for Phen….maybe…because that was a hole that Oriel had felt ever since his own twin sister had been taken away from him. Oriel didn't think the two of them were gestalts(he'd gone out of his way to confirm that before), but it still felt like there was always someone missing in his life. Like he always was searching for someone to fill that hole, a hole that he had unconsciously tried to fill with his bed-mates and friends and even the Princess….

Oriel had never felt this complete before.

And it was honestly a little off-putting.

And creepy.

Before Phoenix had even begun to climb, Oriel started lifting himself up off the branch to sit himself upon it, rather than laying across it, to give Phen some room. It was synchronized in that by the time Oriel had situated himself, Phen had already seated himself too, and their fingers interlocked in complete unison. "No…" Oriel hadn't had a reason to check his own power. He rarely had a reason to use it. With a disgruntled sigh, Oriel closed his eyes, "Alright, I need a pen…." pause, and then an annoyed glare at Phoenix as he pointed at him with his free hand, "you don't have a pen. Fuck."

Phoenix was right, their thoughts were connected somehow…only it was more than that. It wasn't just that they knew what the other person was thinking, it was more like the thoughts of the other person were their own too.

Oriel wasn't sure he liked it, because whatever withdrawals Phen was going through from the lack of his pixie dust was making Oriel anxious too, which was dumb because Oriel sure as hell didn't approve of that shit. "Oh, you'll be fine," he grunted, giving Phen a reluctant squeeze of comfort/anxiety between their hands.

Oriel wore a scowl as they sat there a few moments before he rose his free hand to touch the tattoo on his back. Nothing. He couldn't feel it in his fingertips which meant… "Fuck…" Not that he had any particular love or attachment to his power, he actually thought it was pretty lame, but Phen's bad mood was making him more upset about it than he should have been. "Oh, will you quit moping already!" he spoke unnecessarily. Phoenix already knew how Oriel felt about his bitching.

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The only hole Phoenix had really felt in his life before was when Rue left, but that was a different sort of pain. It hurt all the same, but he didn't think he would ever lose that longing, or find someone that could replace what he had had with the man he thought was the love of his life. That was still there - gestalt or no, there was only one person that could fill that rift. He felt better than he had in... A very, very long time, though. As long as he could remember.

It was sort of a relief, and sort of terrifying.

Phoenix mentally tried to recall if he had any ink device on him before realizing that of course he didn't, he wasn't a nerd. Still, he shook his head at Oriel's words. "Don't look at me, I'm not the one with your ability," he grumbled. Or rather, what had been his ability. "Fuck," he agreed with a huff.

Phen could still feel some of the lethargy in his limbs from Oriel's dozing, but the spark that had ignited in his chest at their hands touching was doing a good job of making him ignore it. He sensed Oriel's irritation at his anxiety as if it were his own, and it was so weird, because now he was irritated at himself for being anxious and that just made him more frustrated and... Argh!!

"You try going through withdrawals like this," he mumbled darkly, before blinking and adding. "Wait. You are." Didn't Oriel feel the buzzing in his head, the nervous twitches that Phoenix was giving because he kept expecting hallucinations to pop up in his vision? Yeah, Phen knew he was. "Now you know why I use that stuff," he grumbled. Life like this was just... Mehh. He couldn't deal.

Phoenix glanced over as Oriel reached for the tattoo on his back, understanding what he was doing as he did it. "Shut it," he growled. But he did know, and that made him irritated at his complaining, which made Phen stop. Goddamn this... Whatever it was.

He let out a harsh sigh. "Well, whatever this is, think we can do anythin' fun with it?" That was better than sitting up here feeling mopey and irritated and bitchy with each other. Of course, the first thing that came to Phen's mind were some not-so-clean ideas of what they could do together, but he didn't know if that was his own thinking or Oriel's thinking or both.

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Damn, this was the absolute shits! Again, Oriel didn't care about losing his power, but whatever the hell had happened to link Phen and Oriel like this was annoying, especially when he was aware of personal information about Phen that Oriel would rather have not known ever. And that meant that Phen knew all the secrets that Oriel kept locked up inside him too.

He was not happy about this junkie knowing so much about Oriel's childhood, his family(or rather lack of), his former relationships with his roommates, his insecurities about everything he couldn't do(like reading, fuck that shit!), even his feelings for Lux, which he still wasn't sure what they were. But at the same time, he couldn't really be mad about it because it wasn't like Phen was invading on purpose and he could at least trust the guy to keep those secrets. After all, Oriel wasn't about to say anything about the shit he suddenly knew about Phoenix.

It was just…unnerving having someone else be so close to him like this. Unnerving because it felt so right when it should have felt wrong.

And that made it hella confusing.

"You wouldn't be going through withdrawals, and you wouldn't be needing it so much if you just quit it altogether." Of course Oriel was feeling the symptoms too. Oriel was just a lot better at putting on a poker face than Phoenix was. Even if that poker face was his usual indignant scowl. "Suck it up, this'll be good for you."

The thought of what fun to do was already circulating in Oriel's mind(?) before Phoenix even opened his mouth. At this point, it didn't really matter whose idea it was, even if they weren't connected in this weird, creepy, Stephen King's The Shinning way, they probably would have ended up in exactly the same place anyway. Phen's bed.

Without another word, Oriel flipped backwards off the branch and landed on the ground, complete with the intention of following through with their idea.

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Yep, there were no secrets between the two now, but Phoenix tried not to linger on them, because the more he focused on them, the more he started to forget which were his problems and which were Oriel's problems until they started to just kind of blend together into one. That really scared him; it was like he was suddenly losing himself, and having different memories forced onto him. He couldn't be sure what he remembered was his anymore. But at the same time, it did feel... Right, in a way. So he pushed the thoughts out of his head and tried to think of something else.

"Fuck you," he hissed, hands clenching against the bark of the branch. There was a reason Phen had started abusing his ability, and he was still very, very touchy about it. He sighed, tugging a rough hand through his ruffled black hair. "Suppose it could be worse. 'Least I didn't get mind-melded with someone else." Oriel, at least, was someone he knew and, admittedly, liked to spend time with. Most of that time was spent doing certain things, yes, but it was time well-spent in Phoenix's opinion.

A small smirk tugged the corner of Phen's mouth as he knew Oriel's thoughts, and the boy flipped back off the branch. Phoenix simply hopped down, landing lightly on his feet with a spring in his step he didn't remember ever feeling before. His arm wrapped around Oriel's waist, giving the boy a quick tap on the rear as they both started to head right to their usual place.

"Y'won't have t' worry about the dust this time, at least," he mumbled gruffly, opening the door to the dorms as they reached the building. He scuttled in after Oriel, pushing the boy's shoulder so Oriel was facing him before grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him close. Phoenix brought his lips a mere millimeter from Oriel's own, taking in his hot breath before closing the distance and kissing him softly, tenderly. He didn't care if there were other students nearby - he just wanted to know what this felt like.

It was weird... Like kissing himself, but not really. Whatever reaction Oriel had, Phen felt it too, and he broke them apart with a small gasp a few moments later, shaking his head and smiling faintly before finding Oriel's hand and tugging him back towards the direction of his room.

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Yes, Oriel didn't have to be psychic to know that Phen had problems, not if he lost himself in his stupid addiction. Oriel had seen that kind of thing before over and over, and while Phen's pixie dust probably wasn't as dangerous as the shit he'd seen/heard that people OD'd on back in NYC, he still didn't like how it took away one's senses like it did. Oriel only hoped that his own opinions about drugs affected Phen more than Phen's need for them affected Oriel.

Sooooo confusing.

"Yah, you could've gotten stuck with someone you hate, or someone really awkward, like the dear old doc," which would have been really amusing. Hell, this whole mind-meld would have been funny to, if it happened to someone else.

Upon entering the dorm, Oriel wholly expected Phen to tackle him the way he did right there in the doorway, in plain view of the other students. And he didn't care. Which was probably Phen's fault, despite how shameless Oriel could be. He moved with Phen's touch, knowing exactly where he was going next, and moving his own hands exactly where he knew Phen would enjoy it best, clutching his rear in both hands and pulling their bodies close as Phoenix joined their lips into a sweet kiss.

If just kissing was this satisfying, then sex was bound to be amazing. And an experience that neither of them had the patience to wait for, though it was probably Oriel again who insisted they continue in private…maybe.

As they walked, hand in hand, Oriel spoke again, "Tomorrow, we go see the twins." Naomi and Orion. He was pretty sure they had the answer as to what the fuck was happening. At least, they hoped they did.

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Phen was definitely more doubtful about the whole dust-using thing now, thanks to Oriel, but that didn't mean he didn't still want them. Dammit all, it was like his head was splitting in two. How was he supposed to know which way to think? It was going to drive him madder than he already was if he dwelled on it too long.

"Oh for Christ's sake, if I'd've ended up with that psych..." Phoenix groaned. It definitely could've been worse. Granted, it might be nice to get a good look into some of that so-called wisdom the older guy had, but Phen didn't want to think about how else he might have been affected. No, Oriel was good, he was safe. And hot. Damn hot.

"Nn," Phoenix hummed contentedly as he knew where Oriel was going to touch him just before he did, wondering if he had ever felt so satisfied by just a little smooch. It was like the pleasure was twofold, and Phen could feel all of it; it was a little overwhelming at first, but he would get used to it. Some student snickered nearby, and Phen gave whoever it was a blind finger as Oriel or whoever decided it would be best to continue this upstairs.

He looked over at Oriel as the boy spoke. "The creepy twins?" he asked, although he obviously knew who Oriel was talking about. The gestalts, right. Was that what this was? And if so, how did it happen? Whatever the case, Phen was quickly getting distracted as they got closer to his room, and he tugged his door open impatiently before pulling both of them inside. Once there, he turned to his partner again, eyelids going heavy as he took both of the boy's hands in his own. "You're so fucking hot," he stated lowly. As if that even needed being said. He reached up and curled a strand of Oriel's hair behind his ear, much like the other boy had done to him the first time they had met, before leaning in and tracing his mouth lightly against Oriel's jawline, a gentle brush that turned into a light tug on the boy's earlobe as his teeth met the soft bit of skin.

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Ok, Ok…no more thinking about the weirdness. It was screwing with Oriel's head just about as much as it was with Phoenix's and nope, the questions it kept bringing up, the thoughts it kept bringing up….it was best just to ignore them for the time being. Of that, Oriel was sure that Phen and he agreed on, even if they hadn't been joined.

Oriel laughed, thoroughly amused at the thought of Phen being synced up with Dr. Neville, despite how annoyed Phen seemed. It was pretty funny, but Oriel was in agreement with Phen. If he had to, then it was good that it was someone he could stand being around instead of a complete stranger. Especially someone he was already comfortable with sharing his more "intimate" side with.

Double the pleasure, double the fun. Yep, that's what was going through Oriel's mind, anticipating what awaited them in the bed room. The two of them moved upstairs, but not before Oriel stuck a sneering tongue out at the person who snickered at them.

Oriel wasn't particularly concerned with how this connection thing happened, just how they were supposed to deal with it. A few months earlier, Oriel had practically interrogated the twins for more information on gestalts and it was a conversation that, while relieved him of some of his worries, still was held clear in his memory…just in case.

But now wasn't the time to be worrying about all that, not with this distraction standing right in front of him. Oriel closed his eyes as he let Phoenix trail his lips over his jawline, concentrating not on the fact that he already knew what Phen was going to do, but on the fact that he could feel the sensations of such intimate touches from both perspectives. It made his body chill and shiver in response while at the same time, his head felt dizzy and floaty, he felt twice as hot….it was pure madness.

Definitely no more thinking about the weirdness. Oriel pulled himself in closer to Phen, twisting the boy's chin back up to engage in a long, slow kiss. And he let himself go completely, forgetting who he was, from whom the sensations were coming, just focusing only on the pleasure of their two bodies smothering each other as one.

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Again, Phoenix felt like it was himself that he was touching so intimately, being able to feel what Oriel was as his lips traced the boy's skin. He supposed that should be weird and a turn off, but on the contrary, it just made everything... A hell of a lot more intense. Oriel's thought processes (that were now Phoenix's) were similar to his own, but also strangely different, and it was a whole new experience seeing this from someone else's perspective... In a way.

Phoenix let himself get pulled in closer, eyes creasing happily as they kissed again, this time longer, lingering, and leading to something much more intimate. They slowly situated themselves on Phoenix's bed, and Phen let his thoughts go, not caring anymore who was thinking what and which one of them was touching who, because it was all the same and all way more of an experience than Phen had ever felt before in his life.

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Phen swore he had been drugged. He could never remember feeling so completely content and satisfied in his entire life, and his mind was buzzing and fuzzy from what had just happened. Sex with anyone else would never feel the same, would never be this good.

The boy was sprawled out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes as he tried to catch his breath and his thoughts, which were bleary and confusing and mingling deliciously with Oriel's own. He was still partially tangled up with Oriel, his arm settled underneath the boy's form and his hand linked with Oriel's opposite.

And the beauty was, he knew that Oriel had enjoyed it just as much as he had. A wide smile slowly crossed Phen's face, and he tilted his head and tucked it into the crook of Oriel's neck, breathing in his scent. "Best. Fucking. Sex. Ever," he mumbled, closing his eyes and basking in the moment.

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That was stupidly amazing. So amazing it should be a sin(well, he guessed some people saw it that way). So amazing it should be illegal(well….). Basically, sex should not be that amazing.

Oriel kept his breathing steady, simply enjoying the afterglow, and getting lost in the memories of the past…hour? Half-hour? Who cared! Not Oriel, especially not when his body was still shivering in the memory of Phen's touch which knew exactly where Oriel was most sensitive(he even "found" Oriel's tickle spot). And everything was magnified, circulating in this never-ending positive feedback loop, with each cycle becoming more intense than the last….

He curled over Phoenix, holding the boy close in his arms, as Phoenix put his head into Oriel's neck. "No shit…" he said, still a little breathless. "We're definitely doing that again." And Phoenix's roommates would continue to hate them for making their activities so well known.

"Feeling better?" Of course he was. Phoenix was about as addicted to sex as he was to that dust of his. Luckily, so was Oriel. But he knew it was only a temporary fix, a temporary solution to their anxiety and withdrawal symptoms. But it'd probably work well enough until Phoenix got over it. But then again, that'd mean they'd have to spend most of their days in either of their bedrooms, most likely Phen's because honestly, Oriel wasn't sure they were ready to experiment with Oriel's slowly growing collection of toys….

Oriel kissed Phoenix's forehead. "So now what…?"

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Phen let out a happy hum as Oriel wrapped himself around him, smiling as their emotions overlapped and made him all that more content. He chuckled as the boy spoke, nodding into his neck. "I don't think I'll ever be able t' fuck anyone else," he mumbled. "Nothin' will ever be that good." And as long as he knew Oriel was still interested (which he was, and would be for a very long time, Phoenix knew), then that wouldn't be a problem.

"Mmmm, yes," he sighed, and it was true, for the moment. His and Oriel's contentment combined was definitely enough to get his mind off of the dust for the moment; this was a high all on its own. Of course, it wouldn't last forever, but Phen didn't want to think about it. He figured they'd just have at it again whenever he started getting twitchy and irritated. Shouldn't be a problem, right? Nahh. And he had to admit, he was ever so curious about Oriel's toys, they might just have to take a little trip down to his room so Phen could sate his curiosity...

But for now, cuddling was good. He grinned as Oriel kissed his forehead, pulling back slightly so he could meet the boy's eyes as he gently brushed a finger across Oriel's cheek. "Can we just lay here for a while?" he mumbled. "I... I don't really want to leave..." He knew they should find the twins and get some answers, but right now he was feeling very needy and very in... What, lust? Not love, that was dumb. It must have been another weird effect of them being mind-linked or whatever. He dipped his head forward and sweetly pressed their lips together, kissing Oriel softly for a few moments before pulling away again. "I'm really glad I didn't get this weird connection with anyone else," he smirked faintly.