will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“I ran into someone.” Jack said, “I’ve met him once before but… but when I told him about my situation, that I don’t want to be so scared of things anymore he offered. I see no reason to say no to him so… yeah. I’m going to be learning how to do that. Not that I’d use it against people, or villains, but it’ll help me. Won’t it?”

She was still surprised, staring at him through the mirror so she didn’t have to turn her head and groan.

“Lo— Jack,” she corrected because she thought she didn’t deserve to use her pet name for him, “Are you.. Just doing this because of the anon magic..?”

“…no. I’ve wanted to be strong all my life. I’ve wanted to be able to stand in a crowd of people and not feel as if everyone’s wanting to hurt me. I want to walk out there and not worry over things like that. I need confidence, and you give me some already, but I just need a little more.” Jack admitted as he bandaged a burn on her back carefully. “Then… then I won’t be afraid and weak anymore…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“No, no not too short. Just the ends, but I’ll have to even it out or it’ll be choppy and… yeah…” Jack sighed as he picked up the first clump of burned ends and worked the scissors through the hair.

He worked onto the other burned pieces, focusing on cleaning those up, before he realized she’d loose at least three inches of her hair at the ends because she’d lost so much to the flames and if he left them as is, it would be too noticeable.

“It’s all right Katelynn.” he whispered as he carefully snipped at the ends, trimming her hair gently. “It’s still long, it’s still lovely, just not as burned anymore…”

She remained quiet, allowing him to work and watching the pieces fall away around her to slowly tumble to the floor. Her head felt lighter without the weight of her long hair but had much preferred that weight.

She watched him work through the mirror, her eyes filled with sadness though her face wasn’t as tear streaked thanks to the slight shower. She had gotten used to the cold of her powers that now weakened as she was, her body temperature rose slightly and she shivered. The water on her body was getting cold, her tattered clothing sticking to her like a second skin.

“Okay, okay…” he set the scissors down and ran his fingers through her hair which, now, came to the base of her back rather then spreading all the way down to her knees like it had been. “It’s not so bad,” Jack said. “It’s still long, and now you can tie it up easier.” he hoped he was saying the right thing, or done a good job.

He opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out some cream for burns, and some bandages. “Let’s get you cleaned up… the burns don’t look too bad but you should see a doctor about them. This will, this will help until you see them.” he said gently as he began to rub the soothing creme on the burns along her arms and back.

“…I’m going to be taking some lessons, soon.” he told her, since he didn’t want to keep things from her. “Self defense. Ways to help me become stronger, and more confident in myself.”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“I’d like to go out and hold hands with you… to see your real face… but I understand… I do.” Jack said gently as he lifted himself up out of the bath, carrying her with him, before easing her onto the stool he kept to place things on in the bathroom in front of the cabinet with a mirror on the doors. He moved around her and retrieved some scissors from a drawer, and returned to her side.

“I’ve .. I’ve never cut hair before but I’m just snipping off the burned ends, okay? If you want to go to a salon to get it properly done after I understand but I don’t think you want these black pieces there…”

She let her head fall gently to her chest, her heart squeezing in her chest from the loss of her hair. She was never one for vanity but her hair had been the only thing she liked about herself. And the fact that she loved it when Jack ran his fingers through it..

“I don’t.. I can’t really go to a salon though..” she admitted, because she knew it meant exposing herself. Her disguise had good hair and the salon people couldn’t really touch it. She didn’t want to expose herself outside no matter what anyway. She didn’t want to be found by villains anymore.

“Please.. Don’t cut it too short..?” she asked heart breakingly.

“No, no not too short. Just the ends, but I’ll have to even it out or it’ll be choppy and… yeah…” Jack sighed as he picked up the first clump of burned ends and worked the scissors through the hair.

He worked onto the other burned pieces, focusing on cleaning those up, before he realized she’d loose at least three inches of her hair at the ends because she’d lost so much to the flames and if he left them as is, it would be too noticeable.

“It’s all right Katelynn.” he whispered as he carefully snipped at the ends, trimming her hair gently. “It’s still long, it’s still lovely, just not as burned anymore…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“I’ve been hiding in my apartment all my life, I don’t… really see how different it can be while wearing a watch of a disguise.” he admitted on a weak smile, heart still broken over this. Hadn’t he told her to be careful? To not draw attention from them?

But she’d gone out after Hot Flash. A woman who could hold grudges so powerfully…

“We can start looking soon as you’re all fixed up.” he said as he reached for the taps and turned the water off, reaching for a towel which hung next to the bath and wrapped it around her snugly, rubbing her back through the material. “I’m going to have to fix your hair a bit.. cut off the dead ends…”

Her hair.. Yes that’s right. She looked down at it sadly, seeing how much shorter it was and burned at the edges. The shorter pieces seemed to reach to her breasts only. How short would she need to cut it? And Jack had loved her hair…

She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. “Hiding.. It’s not really.. Hiding.. In an apartment, is it?” she whispered, not looking at him. “We can.. Still go out.. Just need the watches.. That’s it..”

“I’d like to go out and hold hands with you… to see your real face… but I understand… I do.” Jack said gently as he lifted himself up out of the bath, carrying her with him, before easing her onto the stool he kept to place things on in the bathroom in front of the cabinet with a mirror on the doors. He moved around her and retrieved some scissors from a drawer, and returned to her side.

“I’ve .. I’ve never cut hair before but I’m just snipping off the burned ends, okay? If you want to go to a salon to get it properly done after I understand but I don’t think you want these black peices there…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“What will happen when this wears off?” Jack asked quietly. “What, what if she comes after you again when, when you can’t defend yourself? What will it take, Katelynn?” his voice was shaking as badly as his hands were. “Do, do… do they have to kill one of us to finally leave the other alone?” he asked.

“I can’t loose you, Katelynn, I can’t. I’d… I don’t know.” he shook his head. “But this has to stop.”

She closed her eyes and willed the guilt to leave her alone, to stop choking her as it was. She felt so guilty for causing him this pain, now that it was all over. She had rushed into something dangerous without thinking it through.

Again!

“I.. The watches.. I have the watches to hide with..” she admitted weakly, trying to think of a solution. “I’ll just wear the watches all the time.. And we’re moving, we’re finding another apartment discreetly so they can’t find us..?”

There was a bit of hesitation in her voice mostly because she wondered of they really could move without anyone noticing them.

“I’ve been hiding in my apartment all my life, I don’t… really see how different it can be while wearing a watch of a disguise.” he admitted on a weak smile, heart still broken over this. Hadn’t he told her to be careful? To not draw attention from them?

But she’d gone out after Hot Flash. A woman who could hold grudges so powerfully…

“We can start looking soon as you’re all fixed up.” he said as he reached for the taps and turned the water off, reaching for a towel which hung next to the bath and wrapped it around her snugly, rubbing her back through the material. “I’m going to have to fix your hair a bit.. cut off the dead ends…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

“Marcus? Who’s Marcus?” Jack asked. Another man she knew? Another friend. Another person he knew nothing of. Another one who had given her advice she’d listened to and now look at her. “Katelynn why… oh Jesus…” he pressed a kiss to her temple, shutting his eyes as he did.

“We’re trying to get away from them…”

She lifted a trembling hand up to grab the wet material of his shirt, her face scrunched up in pain.

“I-I know! And I’m sorry Jack! I’m so sorry! I just.. I thought I could get the confession, I thought I could! But she only laughed and wanted to know why I wanted to know why she had done it. She wouldn’t say it.”

Hot Flash had kept dodging the question and it had frustrated her. “And then.. And then she began making fun of you and laughing at your pain.. I couldn’t stand it.. I couldn’t..”

“What will happen when this wears off?” Jack asked quietly. “What, what if she comes after you again when, when you can’t defend yourself? What will it take, Katelynn?” his voice was shaking as badly as his hands were. “Do, do… do they have to kill one of us to finally leave the other alone?” he asked.

“I can’t loose you, Katelynn, I can’t. I’d… I don’t know.” he shook his head. “But this has to stop.”

will-never-be-a-swan:

wrapped-in-shadows:

And then he lifts an arm under her legs, lifting Katelynn completely off of the floor as he carries her through to the bathroom, mindful of her head as he supported her back with his other arm.

“Thought you could do what?” he asked as he approached the shower and turned it on. Her burns needed to be cooled down, now, before any permanent damage could be done. The water was warm, not cold, or too hot, and he climbed in with her and sat on the rim of the bath, holding her in his lap as the water rushed down over the two of them. “Katelynn, oh god… your hair, your face…” Jack whispered as he pushed the water through her hair gently with his hand.

The water soothed her muscles slightly but she hissed in pain when they touched her burns, closing her eyes against it.

“I wanted.. I wanted to get a confession from Hot Flash over burning the gallery, she explained, keeping her head on his chest. “Marcus told me if I could record her saying she did it.. Then I could present the evidence to the police and put her in jail. So I went looking for her..”

“Marcus? Who’s Marcus?” Jack asked. Another man she knew? Another friend. Another person he knew nothing of. Another one who had given her advice she’d listened to and now look at her. “Katelynn why… oh Jesus…” he pressed a kiss to her temple, shutting his eyes as he did.

“We’re trying to get away from them…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

She gave a groan, allowing herself to lean into him, head lolling onto his shoulder. She felt too weak to stand on her own two feet as her legs wobbled under her, trying to walk as best she could, her arms wrapped around his middle.

“I’m so sorry Jack,” she repeated against him, trembling slightly. “I thought I could do it. I thought I could and it backfired on me!”

All she had wanted was a confession, that was it, but Hot Flash had belittled Jack, had laughed in her face and Katelynn couldn’t contain her anger, trying to scare the woman off.

She shuddered to know what Jack would think of the news but she knew she had to tell him.

And then he lifts an arm under her legs, lifting Katelynn completely off of the floor as he carries her through to the bathroom, mindful of her head as he supported her back with his other arm.

“Thought you could do what?” he asked as he approached the shower and turned it on. Her burns needed to be cooled down, now, before any permanent damage could be done. The water was warm, not cold, or too hot, and he climbed in with her and sat on the rim of the bath, holding her in his lap as the water rushed down over the two of them. “Katelynn, oh god… your hair, your face…” Jack whispered as he pushed the water through her hair gently with his hand.

will-never-be-a-swan:

She turned her head slightly at the sound of his voice, fear and pain in her warm brown eyes as she regarded him.

“Hot Flash,” she began, to answer his question, not moving any part of her body because she didn’t want to groan in front of him in pain. The tears continued down her face unrelenting.

“Oh god I’m so sorry,” she continued, wishing to curl up into herself but not daring to.

“Hot Flash.” he echoed the name quietly, hands trembling, as he continued to touch her where he dare. “What.. how did she find you? I thought… I thought we’d be free of them for a little while…”
 
He couldn’t understand it. It wasn’t fair. What had Katelynn done to deserve this kind of treatment? Belittled and spoken down to by her mother, now Hot Flash and Psycho Delic seemed to take great joy in causing her pain. What was it going to take to get them to leave her alone?
 
“C-come on… Stella, down, come on…” he eased the puppy from Katelynn, setting her down before beginning to ease Katelynn to her feet. “We need to see to, to your injuries…”

will-never-be-a-swan:

She tried to fly as far up as up she could to avoid people looking at her, having noticed her state of dress. She tried flying as fast as her body could stand, trying to reach Jack’s apartment so she could just collapse and rest a bit, her body slightly sore.

She felt so tired not only from using her powers, something she hadn’t known would happen, but also the emotional pain and guilt, having cried up quite a bit and feeling like there were no more tears left.

Hot Flash had definitely scared her, had instilled fear in her heart over her threat and guessing about the magic anon she was under. Thankfully she had the watches or else she would have been too scared to even go outside.

She looked up, finally seeing the apartment complex in the distance, and sped up a bit more as she finally reached Jack’s window, opening it and sitting in the windowsill a moment. But her legs gave out in the end and she crumpled to the floor.

She lay there, hair singed off in different lengths, the ends burned and hair a matted mess. Her clothes were in tatters along her body as if she were wearing only strips of cloth, her panties and bra showing. On her skin along her arms were slight burn marks here and there but luckily not too serious.

Laying on the floor like this, Katelynn just wanted to sleep, closing her eyes against the pain running along her skin. She was a bit sore in the areas where Hot Flash had punched her.

She heard a bit of a whine near her and looked up into Stella’s eyes, her puppy sniffing her. Katelynn had used too much power without realizing it so they were slightly weakened down, giving her skin a slightly warmer look and feel so she didn’t fear hurting her right now.

“Hi girl,” she whispered, reaching up to pet her. “Stella.. I feel really scared.. Daddy is going to see mommy like this and she knows he’s going to be worried and feel weak like this is his fault but the truth is that it’s mine and when I tell him that he’s going to be do angry with me. What am I going to do?” She had thought the tears were all dried out, tear stains marking her face, but a few more fell as worry overtook her body.

She took Stella into her arms and wept in fear.

Jack’s mind was a bee hive when he came home. He’d run into Steve, a guy he hadn’t seen since before Christmas, and they had exchanged a lot of information. For one he was going to make him a weapon that worked like Megamind’s De-Gun, he’d be paid for it, and he was going to learn how to be braver. He was going to learn how to fight! Well, not fight fight, but certainly feel a bit better about himself.
 
He was a fool if he would even begin to believe he could take on the true villains of the city but it would help him, in its own special way.
 
“Katelynn?” he called, pulling his jacket off. “Katelynn, never guess what! I ran into–”
 
Then his voice hit a brick wall and he dropped his jacket on the floor.
 
“Katelynn!” Jack rushed to her, kneeling on the floor, her hair a mess and parts of it burned, her skin was partly exposed, revealing scratches, bruises, even slight burn marks. Stella whimpered in her arms as Jack fell besides her, putting his hands to her shoulders first. “Katelynn what happened?” he asked, voice rushed, panic stricken, as he brought a hand up and pushed her hair out of her face. “W-what, who did this…? Who did this to you…?”
 
God. No.