You Busy? [James]

[Chase Campbell]

I love my job I love my job I love my job...

Most days, anyway.

The second the bell had rung, Chase had reminded his students that he wanted them to practice what they’d learned, and then he’d booked it out of the room. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans as he walked. He could do this blindfolded, if he really wanted to. The path was so familiar. And it was nice to know that, except in special cases, he could head down this hallway and know James would be in his office. That had been tough, when he’d first come to Pilot Ridge. James going away for recruitment trips. Of course, Chase had understood. James was one of the best they had. It was no wonder they’d promoted him to the head of the department last year.

The blonde slid one hand out of his pocket to rub at his temple. It had been a rough class. The kids had been rowdy, so he’d had to bring out the big guns to make them shut the hell up. Mind control was a blessing, sometimes. And it had worked. For a while, anyway. But he’d had problems with their photosynthesist, because they’d felt the need to snap at their classmates because it was raining. And then the time manipulator had tried to speed up the class without Chase noticing. Needless to say, he’d failed. And now Chase needed James. Or a drink. Or possibly both. He’d had to use mind control a lot already, and that was only the morning’s classes. He still had the afternoon to go. At this rate, he was probably going to die from a migraine tonight.

At least he had James. And he knew that he’d understand instantly what his mood was like, and could probably guess why. He could always count on his husband to make it better. “Jamie?” The blonde poked his head into the office. “You busy?” He could be mean, and make James drop his work. But he couldn’t do that. To the kids, yes. To James? Absolutely not. There was only one place he’d even try to control his mind, and it was never fully. It was just a little... kinky.

Notes: Mads got lazy with the coding. And finally made a Poly. Click for the pretty.

[Dr. James Campbell]

It was a light day for James Campbell. All of his recruiters were out, doing their thing and talking to the families of potential (and mostly eventual) students. There was no one in his department to bother him by not turning in paperwork on time, and he didn't have to deal with any terrified young meta-humans today. All he had to do was look over the evaluation forms of the most recent batch of graduates, and make sure nothing exploded in his office.

And for someone like James Campbell, days like this were hell.

He needed activity, something interesting, or else he feared he'd set his desk on fire out of shear boredom. He would never, ever tell his husband about that though, as he knew Chase had a more interesting job, and liked the more boring days better. They were funny, that way. Though James liked kids, and doted on his daughter Ginny, he knew he could never do what Chase did every day, training teenagers to control their powers.

So when the blond man poked his head in the door, James smiled and closed the folder he had open. "Busy? Never," he smiled up at his husband, then waved him inside. He saw--knew, really--that Chase's day had been hard, harder than his own. "Come in, Love, and tell me what the brats did to you this time." Though Chase called him Jamie everywhere, James usually limited his pet names to when they were at home. But this was an exceptional day. Unless Chase managed to relax in time for his afternoon classes, and the kids decided they weren't going to be awful to him today, then it would be a migraine night at their house. "Sit down." He stood, letting the younger man take his cushy office chair. James rummaged through the mini-fridge in the corner and pulled out a water bottle, which he handed to Chase. "Drink it. The headache stuff is in the top drawer. As always." No, this wasn't exactly an unusual occurrence, though it was still a nice novelty that James had a proper office now, instead of the retrofitted broom closet he'd been in before his promotion.

James perched himself on the edge of his desk, idly studying his husband's face. Sometimes he wondered what other people saw when they looked at things. When he looked at Chase, well, he saw so much, he wasn't sure where his eyesight ended and his perception ability began. "Is now a bad time to say that I don't think I was trained very well while I was here?"

[Chase Campbell]

If Chase had a hectic, draining day, it never bode well for him. He was so much happier when the kids behaved, and listened, and nothing unexpected happened. Nothing was set on fire, class didn’t mysteriously go by two hours quicker than normal, and no one got stuck as a desk chair for the rest of the day. Uneventful days were good. But, as they say, opposites attract, and Chase knew that if James was having a boring day, he was probably contemplating doing something to make up for the lack of interest. Chase remembered James once telling him that he could have so many more interesting things. It wasn’t a lie. Not by a long shot. In fact, if something unexpected didn’t happen in the course of his day, something was very, very wrong in Hammel.

When James looked up, Chase managed a grin. He couldn’t help it. As James tended to phrase it, they were ‘madly in love.’ Though the blonde might not word it quite like that, he couldn’t deny it. “Thank fucking God.” He came in at the wave, half closing the door behind him. At the prompt, he grimaced slightly and looked up at his husband. “Is it that obvious?” Sometimes it was just easier to pretend they were normal human beings than let James’ perception bother him. It made things so much easier. As James offered up his seat, Chase took the opportunity to flop down on the chair, letting his head fall backwards, leaving him staring at the ceiling. He didn’t really move until James handed him the water bottle. Like a well trained puppy, the blonde set up and dug in the drawer of his husband’s desk, pulling out the medication and took it, chasing it with the water before he gave up why he was here. “They were all over the place today, James. Seriously. They wouldn’t settle, so I had to, y’know, control them. And then the little photosythesist, the really sweet one? Yeah. Was snapping at the others. And then somehow the time was just flying by… so that one’s in detention later. Remind me why I like teaching, again?” He rubbed at his temple, willing the medication to work. Soon. He still had an afternoon to face.

Sometimes, when James watched him in a certain way, Chase could just tell he was reading him. It had freaked him out, when they’d first met. When he’d been convinced James worked for the government, and was more intent on capturing him than sleeping with him. But that was all long gone now, the insecurity, the fear. Now he was just content, and entirely used to the fact that there were things James would just know. He glanced up at him, giving a little smirk. “Why’s that? Because you didn’t have me to teach you?” James always made him feel better in record time. With or without headache pills.

[Dr. James Campbell]

"Exactly."He cocked his head to the side, studying the other man's face carefully. "I'm just happy I'm not an empath." He'd rather that neither of them had a migraine, but if they both did, James wouldn't be able to take care of Chase. "I'm sorry, Love. Here, try to relax." He gently spun the office chair around, so Chase was facing the window, away from him. Then James carefully began to massage his neck, hoping to let out some of the tension.

James leaned over and planted a kiss on top of Chase's head. "It's because it's raining, isn't it?" That's how it worked, for photosynthasists. "You like teaching because, despite what you sometimes think, you're great with kids. You're thankful that you're doing something worth doing with your power. And you're a good teacher." He dug his thumbs into the nape of Chase's neck, working out a knot. "Maybe I could use a lesson, tonight."

He didn't really remember how he used to see the world, other than through his power. James had always wondered what it was like, to be like Chase, and have a power that could be turned on and off. His was just there, affecting how he saw his husband, his home, everything. And because he'd known about his side-effect for longer than the power, it was different for him; James didn't see them as a cause and effect. It was just how he saw the world.

And at least he didn't have migraines.

"I think that's a good idea. Maybe you can give me some training, at home tonight. If you're not too tired." Yes, James knew how to say that to get Chase to perk up a bit. Really, he'd be happy if his husband made it the rest of the way through the day without a headache. James could take care of him at home.

[Chase Campbell]

At the empath comment, Chase arched an eyebrow. If either of them were empaths, they’d both be in trouble. The blonde saw what it was like for James. A lot of the time his ability was a good thing. But the OCD, not so much. Chase could handle being a spectator, but he didn’t think he’d want to feel that compulsion. On the flip side, he knew James wouldn’t want his headaches. And he wouldn’t wish them on anybody. At least they were better now than they were when he was first learning. “Yeah, me too.” He closed his eyes as James spun the chair, and slumped forward slightly when he felt his hands on him. “I’m relaxing...” If anyone could make him relax, it was James. ...Or an empath.

As James kissed him, Chase had to smile. “Bingo. She was making the whole class miserable. Including me.” But that wasn’t empathy, that was just cause and effect. Put one miserable teenager in a class, soon enough, everyone was miserable. “... Okay. You win. I love my job.” Just not every day. As James worked the knot, Chase let his chin drop to his chest, pushing back against his hands. Though the suggestion made him smirk. “Is that a fact, Jamie?” That was enough to perk him up part of the way. If he could focus on that until the end of the day, he could probably escape the day unscathed.

Time like this, away from the students and the chaos of the classroom, Chase loved. Oh, there was no greater feeling than seeing a student finally begin to harness their power, but he still liked the quiet downtime, usually spent with his husband. It was the much needed reprieve he needed one days like this.

“Mn. That sounds like a good idea, actually.” It didn’t matter what kind of ‘training’ James had in mind. It was guaranteed to bring the blonde right out of his little funk. He stretched his neck, feeling a lot better. “You’re a miracle worker, Jamie, you know that?”

[Dr. James Campbell]

James dug his fingers in a bit harder, mirroring Chase's smirk. (He didn't have to see it to know it was there. They'd been together long enough for him to just know when things like that went through his husband's mind. "Absolute fact. I need a teacher as brilliant as you." In any other context, his words would have been mocking, but they were surprisingly tender instead. James let his hands drop at Chase's compliment, because, well, he could tell that the little massage had worked.

With a playful nudge of his foot, James spun the chair back around so Chase was again facing him. Though he could still see the sharp traces of what could eventually become a headache on his face, he looked much more comfortable than he had when he had first come in. He looked to the clock on the wall and grinned, "Your next class doesn't start for a half-hour, and no one's supposed to come bug me until four. Want to just hang out here?" It seemed like they spent a lot of time at work, but they worked together, so neither really minded. That night they could just walk back into town, after kind of spending the whole day together. Ah, the benefits of Hammel.

(They were lucky that they didn't work in the same department. With James' recent promotion, there could have been some problems. As it was, some of the other officials at Hammel thought their relationship was a little inappropriate, particularly when they learned just how James and Chase had met. Despite their best efforts, it was becoming common knowledge around the Institute that James had begged Chase to move to Vermont, after they'd spent a week in bed on one of James' recruiting trips.)

Of course, impending migraine doom wasn't the only thing readable on Chase's face. "So what's on your mind, Love?" There was something working back there. With a gentle smile, he reached over and ran his hand through blond hair.

[Chase Campbell]

In all fairness, between them, James has the dirtier mind. But he had a habit of saying things that were just so easy for the blonde to interpret as downright dirty. He was trying to fight back a little grin at the praise, and leaned his head back to look up at James. He knew him well enough to know that he could have made that sound sarcastic. As it was, it was just sort of sweet. “Brilliant? Well, maybe a little... though I’m not sure exactly what you think I can teach you.” The smirk was back. Was he trying to get at what James had in mind? Absolutely.

As Chase was faced with James again, he smiled up at him. He was feeling so much better. Though any doctor (okay, any meta-human doctor) would chalk that up to the medication kicking in, the blonde wouldn’t be so quick to give it the credit. James had a habit of making him feel better. It didn’t matter what was wrong. He followed his gaze to the clock, and flashed a little grin. “Let’s see... sit in my classroom and get harassed by obnoxious teenagers, or spend half an hour with you.” Like it was really a choice. “I like your kind of harassment better.” He leaned back in the chair, tucking his arms behind his head. He liked being in James’ office. In particular, the company. And the view.

Despite what the other staff thought, Chase wasn’t about to give up the one good, exciting element in his life. He didn’t often care what other people thought. So what if they’d met up during a recruitment trip? So what if they’d ‘accidently’ fallen in love? They were happy, and they did their jobs well. That was as far as anyone else really needed to know.

Really, Chase shouldn’t have been surprised James could tell there was something on his mind, however small or distant. He smiled and reached up, catching James’ hand mid-stroke and wrapped his fingers around it. “I don’t know. I was just kind of thinking earlier. About this whole adoption thing we talked about. And before you jump to insane conclusions, no, I’m not backing out or anything.” He shrugged. “I was just thinking about it, is all.” In particular, ways not to screw the kid up. Ways to be a good dad.

[Dr. James Campbell]

He couldn't help but leer at his husband after that comment. His trademark smirk plastered across his face, James leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss onto his husband's mouth before murmuring, "As much as I love harassing you that way--and trust me, Love, I do--if I do it at work, it's against the Institute's policy. Plus, I'd be in even more trouble since I technically outrank you. Or maybe someone will think that I got you this job here because you're sleeping with me." Again, his voice was light and teasing.

Okay, so maybe a few people actually did think that. And in a way, it's true. James had convinced Chase to come to Vermont because he couldn't stop thinking about the job, but he'd been hired as a teacher there because he'd proven what he was capable of. They didn't have tenure at the Institute, but if they had, Chase would be getting it this year, and there was no way even a little impropriety was going to make the administration fire either of them. (After all, they were married. It wasn't as if the attention was unwanted.)

"Oh, like I ever jump to conclusions." Most of his judgments were based on his power, so he was right a lot of the time. But whenever he had to think about something when his perception didn't aid him, he was usually screwed. James could typically tell someone's mood, but not their actual thoughts. That was the job of a telepath.

James squeezed Chase's hand, smiling broadly. He'd been a father for eighteen years now, almost nineteen. His baby was going to be graduating from high school in a few months, and was actually pretty excited about the thought of another half-brother or sister. "You're going to be an amazing father. Ginny adores you, do you know that?"

[Chase Campbell]

At the leer, Chase honestly couldn’t tell for a moment if he was in trouble or not. It was the smirk that changed that. And the kiss, which he returned easily. But what James said made him roll his eyes. Right. Because, wanted or not, sexual harassment was such a good idea in the office. ... Not. “You’re such a dork, Jamie. You think I don’t know that?” Because he was a teacher, he was overly familiar with the rules. He did, however, smirk. “I think it was written somewhere in the marriage paperwork – ‘must sleep with husband.’ I’m not arguing with it.” Yes, he was being stupid. He had to be, because if he didn’t have fun here, he wasn’t going to for the rest of the day.

Technically, it was true. They’d hooked up on one of James’ business trips, and a few weeks later, Chase had been training as a teacher. They’d been interested because he had a way of gaining the attention he needed, by simple use of his gift, and he could, if needed, put someone in complete mind lockdown, if he perceived a danger from them, or if their power was out of control. Much as days like this drained him, he honestly loved his job. Getting to work with James, indirectly, anyway, was a perk of that job. He wasn’t about to trade it for anything.

No, James rarely jumped to conclusions, mostly because of his ability. But if he was flying blind, for whatever reason, he came up with some interesting ideas. “Sure you don’t, Jamie.” ... Actually, he was right. If the blonde was starting to stray on the idea of adoption, James would know. He knew he would know. He’d be feeling all kinds of guilt. But he wasn’t. He was feeling a little anxious, but a little excited, too.

Chase squeezed back, stroking his thumb over James’ skin. He’d never been a father. Not even close. (Well, unless he had some illegitimate child running around from a one night stand, but if he did, the mother had never told him.) He blushed a little at James’ confidence. “I don’t know about amazing... but I kinda knew Ginny likes me.” He shrugged and looked up, meeting his husband’s eyes. “Have you heard about any new kids, lately?” More often than not, his excitement over this whole thing outweighed any of his fears.

[Dr. James Campbell]

The smirk didn't waver, even when Chase called him a dork. The term was used around their house quite often to describe James' habits, and it had nearly come to be a term of affection. "Yes, Love, but I'm your dork, and I drive a hard bargain. And I didn't see you arguing about the paperwork at the time. In fact, you seemed rather fond of it." They'd both been happy to actually do the paperwork, since there had been a point where they hadn't believed they would ever be able to marry. (James had sent a thank you note to the Vermont State legislature after the wedding.)

James ruffled Chase's hair, gently shaking his hand off. "I know about amazing. And I should. Gin gave me a mug that says '#1 Dad' on it for Christmas." And before Chase could ask when he received this questionable mug--the same one he often used with his breakfast coffee--he added, "When she was seven. But you don't forget things like that. It's just...you don't forget."

There was a part of him that was questioning why he wanted to adopt another child so badly. He loved Ginny, but he felt like he hadn't been there for her, particularly when she was younger. It wasn't until three years after he started his training that he was able to convince Lucy to bring her up to Vermont. He didn't want to replace Gin, but there was years he wanted to make up for, all those spelling tests and geography bees and elementary school choir concerts. He wanted to be the parent that was able to do that, instead of being the one who called a few times a week from a thousand miles away.

"A few new kids are going to be coming in the next couple of weeks. An alchemist from Albany, an animal manipulator from Sacramento, and a young weather manipulator is coming in tomorrow. Really young. Younger than ten." The Curtis kid's file wasn't all the complete yet, because the kid was so young, and there was something up with some issues about a family history. The assigned recruiter was going to call him back in a few hours.

[Chase Campbell]

There were a lot of pet names thrown around their house. Dork was one of Chase’s favourites for James. He used it so often that it really had become an affectionate nickname. “Damn right you’re my dork. And why the hell would I argue the paperwork? You weren’t the only one that was happy when they passed that law.” Even through headaches not brought on by mind control had ensured, Chase had never been happier after they’d actually gotten married.

Chase dropped his hand as James shook his off, but he had to smirk, and try to refrain from laughing. He was just about to ask about her age when James told him. But it was still funny. “You are amazing. According to you, anyway.” He flashed a teasing grin. “You are a good dad, though.” And that was just it. James knew he was a good dad. He had the experience. Chase... didn’t.

And that was his main concern. Even in his twenties, when his mother had been hounding him to find a nice girl and get married, do the family thing, he’d never been sure he wanted to. He’d never been entirely sold on the idea of kids. Especially small kids. Teenagers, he was okay with. But he was often teased about being a big kid himself. But little ones, he had no idea how to deal with them. He didn’t know how to talk to them, or how to deal with him. Hell, even listening to a baby cry made him twitch a little. But since he’d talk to James about adoption, he’d gotten a little more comfortable with the idea of having a young child around. James would be beside him. It would be okay.

The usual mix of kids sounded like it would be coming in. An alchemist would be interesting – they hadn’t had one for a while, now. An animal manipulator... that could be fun. But what caught his attention, and made him do a double take, was the weather manipulator. “Wait, what? Younger than ten? What the hell? Are you serious?” That never happened. Well, almost never. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Wow.”

[Dr. James Campbell]

He mock-scowled at Chase, "And Ginny. And my mug. I kept that thing even once the words were all worn off. I think it's in the dishwasher." He knew it was in the dishwasher. It wasn't intentional, but James just kept track of that kind of stuff. "And that's all who really needs to know, besides you and, well, our kid."

Okay, that was still a little weird for him. Chase never referred to Ginny as his step-daughter, and though she'd started addressing Fathers' Day cards to 'Dad and Chase', he wasn't really a parent, in that way. This was different, and though he knew Chase would be a good dad, it was just a little weird. "You'll be one too. Trust me. It's one of those things that I just know."

Of course, in his head, James was having all the same doubts about his ability to really be a father as well. With the exception of the first seven months of her life, Ginny had always lived in a different state from him, and before his promotion, he'd been away from home at the very least one week a month. There just wasn't enough time for him to be a good dad, one who was there to solve problems and help study for tests.

He wanted to be that dad, and he knew Chase did as well.

James smiled at Chase's reaction to the bombshell about the young weather manipulator. "Really. There are a handful of powers that work like that, and a handful of people who get their powers that young. It isn't really all that weird." Okay, maybe it was. "I might not be able to name any off-hand, but they've certainly existed."

[Chase Campbell]

The mock scowl was met with a playful, innocent grin. “What else does the mug tell you, Jamie?” His tone was teasing, and sounded like Chase was on the verge of cracking up. “And you think, nothing. I’m sure if I went home right now, it’d be in there.” James was good at keeping track of stuff like that. And sometimes it was useful, like when Chase was tearing around the house looking for something. If he slowed down long enough to actually ask, James could probably tell him where he’d last seen whatever he was looking for.

‘Our kid.’ That made Chase smile. Yes, he was still nervous about this endeavor, but he was excited, too. Even his mom had been excited, when he’d called her about it. She was thrilled with the idea of a grandchild. “… Yeah.” Being a so-called ‘stepfather’ to Ginny still weirded him out, possibly more than the idea of having a kid of his own, but he was dealing with it. Slowly. He blushed and looked away. “I’d like to know how you know. Because I’d feel a lot better if I knew it was true.”

Really, Chase had no experience with kids. Well, kids younger than, say, twelve. He didn’t know how old he was expecting this kid to be, but he assumed it would be younger. Now he was settled, in a stable relationship (okay, married, same thing), he’d started thinking about kids. He’d brought it up one night more or less out of the blue. It was just how he and James operated. Things just came up. Like their cat, Milo. Spur of the moment thing. It was the same when they’d decided to get married. Of course, this had taken a little more forethought, but it was worth it. And as long as he had James by his side, he wasn’t as frightened of this parenting thing.

Bombshell was an understatement. Chase shook his head. “I know that. It’s just… y’know. I didn’t think I’d see one that little.” His hands brushed over his hair again. “You said tomorrow? Who’s on board to train the little guy? … Girl? Whatever.” He hadn’t gotten any memos, but that wasn’t usual. Last minute seemed to be the norm for Hammel. And he was okay with that.

[Dr. James Campbell]

"It's in the dishwasher right now." James confirmed, and shrugging slightly, as if to say 'Well, what did you expect from me anyway?' It wasn't as if Chase didn't know that he had to know where things were at all times. "I used it for my morning coffee yesterday morning." He didn't add that he also knew which mug Chase had used, and which ones were left in the cabinet. He was particular that way.

Despite very much wanting to laugh when Chase had called up his mother to tell her about their plans to adopt, he hadn't, because calling his mother had been next. Though Ginny had been the first grandchild, Maeve Campbell's reaction to her son's news was a happy, exasperated "Finally!" as if she had been expecting this for a while. (Which, for all he know, she might have been.)

But "our kid" was definitely a trigger for James to start smiling like a madman. "I know because I know things. Just like I knew I'd be able to get your attention and how I know when you need a hug. You're going to be a good Dad." And there were other ways he knew it--having experienced firsthand how protective Chase could be when James was sick with the flu last year, he knew that his husband was capable of taking care of someone. "Trust me, Chase."

James rummaged through the folders on his desk. The file on the new kid wasn't complete, but he had some bare-bones information. "Nikolai Curtis, nine-year-old male. Weather control. No one's been assigned to work with him yet, but that was supposed to change in the upper staff meeting later today. And you know what, I'm recommending you." He picked up a pencil and made a note on the outside of the folder. "And you should probably get going, your lunch break is almost over. Headache any better?"

[Chase Campbell]

“Of course it is,” Chase replied with a little smile. James keeping track of this kind of stuff didn’t bother him anymore. It did, a bit, in the early days. Back when he’d had to learn how to live with the OCD personality that James was. Now it was more a source of amusement than irritation. Most of the time, anyway.

James had been busted for nearly laughing. Chase had a difficult enough time talking to his mother as is. She’d never fully given into the meta-human business, though she had little choice. Of course, the first thing she’d done after her son had been recruited was to berate him for using his abilities on her over the period he had been ‘undiscovered.’ She’d been thrilled, however, that they were planning to adopt, telling him firmly that ‘she always knew he’d be a good father.’ Sadly, coming from her, it hadn’t made him feel any better.

Okay, James knew things. Sometimes Chase wanted to go find one of the kids who could see the future, and ask them what they saw. And then he realized how much that idea freaked him out, and he stopped thinking about it. He sighed softly and rubbed the heel of his hand against his cheek. “All right, all right. I give up. I’ll be a good dad. I’m holding you to that.” Yes, he was protective. He was protective of James (as in, mess with his husband, you will be signing a death wish), and he was protective over Milo. “I trust you.” Maybe he didn’t always trust himself, but he trusted James.

As James pulled out the file, Chase leaned over to sneak a peek at it, listening to what his husband was saying. Nine was young, but it didn’t surprise him that the ability was something more or less involuntary, like weather control. If anything manifested early, it was those kinds of skills. But at James’ little announcement, he blinked. “Me?” Okay, so maybe he liked that idea of working with a young one. A little. “Cool.” He nodded, and then glanced at the clock. Time flew when he was with James. He pulled a little face, but he stood up. “Yeah, I know... more teenagers to contend with. And it’s a lot better, actually. Thanks, Jamie. I think I’ll be okay tonight.” He leaned forward to give James a gentle kiss before heading back to his classroom.

[ooc- sounded like you wanted it to die off... ha ha. If not, let me know. <3]