Room 222, Saturday Night

[bitten_notshy]

Jack had meant to take Emma on a nice, wholesome, head-clearing walk. Just co-TAs taking a break from the overcrowded common room; nothing more.

... strange how the path lead straight to his room, and how he was grateful to find it empty.

"Acceptable company?"

Comments

[bitten_notshy]

Something cracked through Jack's happy haze -- Emma's voice, in his head. He would have stopped from the surprise of that even if she hadn't been thinking he should stop.

He leaned back, unable to pull his body away from hers. Surprise was in his eyes as they sought hers out. "You couldn't hurt me, Emma, not with this," he said first, because pride demanded that even if he was wrong. "And what was that?"

[icecoldfrost]

She winced, still getting a buzz from their contact. "I don't know," she said miserably, rubbing at her head with one hand. Still, she didn't push him away, letting Jack and the door hold her upright as her head kept spinning.

"I, ah, created a sensory loop, I think. I mean, I know the theory, sort of," she'd poured over the few biology books she'd 'liberated' from bookstores and libraries for Hank, reading everything she could about the brain and how it worked, "but I didn't know I could do that, or how I did that, and oh my god, I didn't cause any neurological damage, did I? Can you feel your fingers?"

[bitten_notshy]

Jack understood about a tenth of that -- look, neuroscience wasn't exactly a major field of study in 1899 -- but he pulled away stepped back to a more polite distance and obediently held his hands up. Wiggled his fingers, even.

"I'm fine," he said, some chill creeping into his voice even though he knew she hadn't done it on purpose. "Are you?"

The question was all polite concern as the lust drained out of him. He didn't like people in his head, thank you.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma didn't need to be a mind reader to know she'd ruined everything, and her face crumpled. "I'm sorry," she whispered, inching away so she could open the door and go hide somewhere far away from anyone else. "I didn't mean... it was an accident..."

Despite how fascinating the floor was right now, Emma forced herself to look him in the eyes and produced a weak smile. "I think this is where I am supposed to make a joke about your lips sending people out of their mind, especially girls who haven't previously been kissed, but I can't think of anything especially witty," she said quietly. "I should probably go."

[bitten_notshy]

Jack could see she was hurting; he just wasn't sure he cared. He stepped back, folding his arms and willing his heart rate to go down.

"I never would have known I was your first kiss," he said. It was only that he liked Emma at all and knew his temper would pass that kept him from following that with something cruel about how she could pass for a professional.

"I think you should probably take yourself elsewhere, yes. I'll see you in class."

[icecoldfrost]

Something about his tone caused Emma to straighten her posture, chin lifting slightly as she wrapped her usual cool exterior around herself like a blanket. Safe.

She had never dealt well with being dismissed by other people.

"I'll take that in the spirit in which it was meant," she said sweetly, anger flashing in her eyes. "I will see you in class, Mr. Priest."

With that, she turned around, hand reaching for the doorknob so she could leave. Part of her wanted to stay, make him understand that she hadn't done it on purpose, but she wasn't going to grovel when he had just thrown her vulnerability back in her face.

She would not make that mistake again.

[bitten_notshy]

Jack could have stopped her. He wouldn't. Instead, he ostentatiously took up his place on the bed and found his copy of Demosthenes. He wasn't reading so much as looking at the words, but his point was still made.

Stupid stupid stupid girls.

"Goodbye, Miss Frost."