Maddie || i want your love

[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam followed Maddie to her home with his large backpack. It would be nice to stay somewhere and for once not feel like you were intruding for once. He'd had his share of funny families who would offer him a night but stay up to make sure he didn't rob them while he slept soundly with no intention of taking a thing. Maddie knew him, and he knew her, and he was--in effect--living with her. Though the romantic connotation was inaccurate.

Her home was simple, and just like her really. Or at least, it felt right. It wasn't unlike her. Warm, small, comfortable. Adam couldn't help but smile as he dropped his pack by the couch, which was to be his bed for as long as she let him stay. Maybe he should throw his clothes in the washer, or maybe she didn't mind the hobo smell. He'd done his laundry a while ago, but not that recently, unfortunately.

This seemed like a good new life for her somehow, a next step, living on her own and all and he couldn't help but realize how much he liked the idea of being in this future with her. "Nice place." He said with a little smile. But what he was really thinking about was how much they really did have to catch up on. He had some funny stories from his journey... his journey.... he'd have to call home, tell them all that Maddie was alive. He didn't have to blow where she was, or why she left. He could just say that he found her, so her family didn't have to mourn so much anymore. His smile faltered at the thought. She would let him call.... right?

ooc- does she have her own house? or does she have like an apartment over a store?

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

The awkward concept of bringing a guy home was not lost on Maddie. But she knew Adam, and she knew him well. Better than she knew just about anyone. Maybe better than she even knew herself. She still planned to make him sleep on the couch, though. She had a queen sized bed, which was plenty big enough for her and another person. Actually sharing a bed with him would mean too much, though. It would make her feel too much, and she wasn’t sure she was quite ready to accept that possibility. So the couch would have to do. At least it was a comfortable couch. She’d made sure of that because the couch had come into her possession before the bed. Maddie had slept on it quite a lot.

The apartment smelled overwhelmingly like Chinese food, which was awkward considering she actually lived above a Mexican restaurant. Even so, though, it was cozy and comfortable. She’d made sure of that. Actually, Maddie was the comfortable type. There was no other way to describe her. Well, there was no other way that she knew of. She had a rather eclectic assortment of furniture, and a great deal of it was antique, though nothing matched. The wooden table in her eat-in kitchen was dark oak, and the end table near her couch was mahogany. The lamps were mismatched, but they lent the room a warm glow. Her couch, though, was the best part of the room. It was a deep, wine red color with cream colored plush pillows scattered upon it.

Ordinarily, when she came into the apartment, she dropped her things on a small table beside the door. Today, though, she took the time to walk into her bedroom. She had to get her emotions under control before she went back out to face her past. Maddie dropped her purse and coat on the floor beside her bed, and she didn’t bother to pick them up. Instead, she tangled both of her hands into her hair and closed her eyes. Breathing slowly took a great deal of effort, and she was trying to manage it when Adam announced that he liked her place. She managed a small smile and poked her head around the corner. “Thanks! I’m glad you like it.”

A moment later, she’d tucked herself into her room again. She heaved a huge sigh and grumbled under her breath. This was going to be miserable. As much as she loved Adam, it would be torture to have him this close and not have him. Frustrated and completely unsure of what she ought to be doing, Maddie squeezed her hands into tight fists and let out a yell. It was only afterward that she remembered she wasn’t alone and Adam would probably think she’d gone crazy.

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[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

His eyes had focused on her door, the door to her room. She was so close, and yet he couldn't admit anything to her, couldn't tell her the truth. His fingers itched to reach, his feet shifted as he tried to decide if he should knock on her door and just tell her what was on his mind, or not. Adamn knew it was weird, Maddie had powers. And maybe he just wasn't enough, he had no power. Maybe she would feel that only another mutant could truly understand her. Maybe he should stay a few days and go as planned.

And do what? Go home? No way. He couldn't.... and the moment he heard her yell he was at the door, knocking lightly on the frame. It took all he had not to burst into her room, but that felt like it might say too much somehow. "Maddie? Are you okay? What happened?" His voice wasn't as calm as he would have liked. He was legitimately frightened for her, could she do all those things to her own mind? or was someone in there hurting her.... His mind had never thought up her being a mutant, so he hadn't considered any possibilities that had to do with that.

He pushed the half own door, open all the way, and saw her clutched her head and bit his lip. Adam wanted to touch her, hold her, soothe her. Kiss her forehead and her lips and tell her that she would be fine. But maybe he was just a burden, a problem, maybe he was the one making this hard. He hated the thought of that.

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

She really ought to have realized that if he was in the apartment, he'd hear her. She sighed and closed her eyes. He probably thought she was dying or something. Maddie chewed her lower lip and stared at her feet. What was she supposed to say? I'd be better if you were holding me? As much as she might mean that, it wasn't logical or safe at this point. She'd only just gotten Adam back, and the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward, so Maddie just let out a sigh and turned to face him. She forced a smile to her face and shrugged. "I'm alright," she told him. "Just a little frustrated lately, I guess. But don't worry about me. I'm fine." Her halfhearted smile probably wouldn't convince him, but maybe it would get Adam to stop asking questions that Maddie wanted so badly to answer.

Shaking her head so that her blonde curls bounced around, Maddie headed slowly back toward Adam. "C'mon. We've got catching up to do." She grinned and grabbed his hand, dragging him to her couch. She curled up on one end of it and gestured toward the rest of the couch. She sort of hoped he'd take the seat beside her, but that might make her want to cuddle with him. As friends, snuggling close to one another had been acceptable from time to time. But that was before Maddie had realized she wanted more. Before she'd realized that it meant more to her than it did to him. If he sat at the other end, at least she'd be able to resist that much temptation.

Twirling a strand of hair around her finger, she cocked her head and blinked at him. Conversations had always been easy with Adam. But she didn't know what to say. "I... uh.... I'm sorry I left," she said at last. It was the only thing she could think of, and it took an unbelievable amount of will power not to add I've missed you more than you could ever know... or My heart was with you even when I wasn't.

[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam took a seat beside her. It had been so long and the idea of being farther away from her, even if simply the other side of the couch, made him feel sick. It was all he could do not to reach other for her, a hand on her foot, leg.... anything. But he resisted, and merely turned himself toward her as much as he could while leaving his feet on the floor. Her apology meant a lot to him. It really did. "I forgive you." Her taking him in now was better than he figured.

"We all missed you.... I missed you." He said looking down at his lap for a moment before looking back up at Maddie. She had the most beautiful eyes, her lips were just the perfect shape (oh, how many times he'd imagined what they would be like to kiss....). Mentioning missing her made him thinking of her family back home, he really had to tell them that she was alive. Maybe he would wait? But she had a right to know he was telling them.... "Am I allowed to tell your family that you're alive? I won't tell them where you are."

He figured she didn't want to be found, but her family deserved the truth at least, he couldn't pretend he had never found her. And what would happen now, would he move out here too? And help Maddie until she was good enough to come home?

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

When he first took his seat, Maddie managed to keep her composure. She listened to him, unable to keep from smiling when Adam admitted to missing her. It sounded softer and a little different than she'd expected. Almost like he'd missed her more than a friend ought to. Maddie half-smiled at him and fought the urge to pounce on him in a much needed embrace. Instead, she settled for her index finger drawing tiny circles along the back of his hand. That was until he mentioned her parents, anyway.

Maddie withdrew her hand quickly and frowned at him. "I'm not really sure that's the best idea... I mean... I... Well.... Adam, I can't go back. Ever. It's not like this is just gonna go away..." A hot tear escaped from her eye, and Maddie did the only thing she knew how to do at the moment. She half-collapsed in Adam's arms. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but it was what she wanted, and it was what she always did when she'd felt this messed up in the past.

The moment his scent registered in her brain, Maddie realized this was a bad idea. She was too close to him, and she'd almost gotten comfortable enough to let her guard down. Letting her guard down could mean hurting him, and she couldn't let that happen. Without warning, Maddie stood up and wandered around the side of the couch, putting the armrest and a cushion safely between herself and her best friend. She couldn't ruin things like this.

[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam watched her move and bit his lip. "Maddie.... they've started to lose hope, can't they at least know that you're alive? Even if you won't go back?" He said. Had he hurt her feelings? Had he said that she wasn't enough because she wasn't "normal"? He didn't mean that, he just wanted to save her family from the hurt. And now that he had found her, he would go home again. And how could he not say that he had found her? How could she expect Adam too keep that a secret? He wasn't going to lie to them all and say he didn't find her or something. He wouldn't have given up. "Someday you might have this under control, and you could at least let me tell them you're not dead, even if you can't go back..."

Adam moved a little closer to where she was now, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Maddie, I'm going to have to go back, I can't lie forever, you know me." There was no way he could lie to everyone else who he loved for her. Even if he did love her. Right?

And what if she did love him back, would he stay here? She wouldn't leave, he'd have to explain why.... didn't Maddison understand this? Adam had dropped his whole life for her, went all over looking for her, he couldn't disappear without word home. he called them fairly often. he didn't want to cause them any pain.

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

Her family had started to lose hope? Maddie's brow furrowed at this news. On the one hand, she hated the thought that they actually entertained the idea that she'd died. On the other, though, it was probably better that way. She could never go back, and what she'd become was dangerous. "Maybe it's better that way..." She hadn't really meant for the thought to slip out, but there it was hanging in the air between them. Her deep blue eyes focused on Adam's for just long enough to betray her own hurt at the idea before she forced them to sweep downward and focus on her feet.

She would have been content to leave the subject of home and families alone. It was easier not to think about it. Adam, on the other hand, seemed to be quite incapable of letting the subject drop. Maddie's stomach churned and she felt an unexpected onset of tears when he mentioned going back. A pout distorted her pretty features and Maddie slowly raised her eyes to meet his. "What if I don't want you to go back? What if I begged you to stay? I've missed you! I can't let you go back yet!"

[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam watched her with sad eyes and took her hand softly. He never wanted to leave, not at all, he loved being by her side. But could he really leave his family behind forever without another word? He didn't think so, his family meant too much to him. But he couldn't leave her either... not now that he found her. "Maddie..." He trailed off, looking off to the side before he looked back into her beautiful(and now sad) face.

Adam shifted so he was facing her more fully and took both of her hands. "You know how important my family is to me... I don't know if I can just never speak to them again..." He trailed off. Maybe this was a fight for another day. He found his mind traveling to weddings and children and being all alone, no grandparents, no big ceremonies.... Adam wanted a life with her, one that was part of something bigger, he didn't want to be lost from his family forever....

He sighed softly. "Maddie... I want to stay with you, and I want to just say that I could never leave... and I never want to leave you, that's why I've been so insistent on finding you..." Adam paused, not sure what he was saying anymore. He wasn't sure he could pick between family and love, both were so important to him, and if she loved him, she wouldn't make him drop off the face of the earth too.

"Maddie, I love you, I have for a while, and I don't think I will be able to leave someday, unless you're coming with me."

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

The feel of his fingers grazing her hand just about stopped Maddie’s heart. She felt the warmth of hope creep into her eyes and fought against the fear that he’d tear it down. Her mental guard wobbled and she closed her eyes and sighed, forcing it back into place. Emotions really didn’t work well with this power. They were terribly distracting, and being distracted could be dangerous. When she was sure she’d gotten her power back under control, Maddie slowly opened her eyes and let her gaze focus on Adam. His voice held a tone she wasn’t used to. Actually, it sounded a lot like she’d begun to feel lately. Hopelessly dedicated to something that would never work. But if he sounded like that, did he feel that way too?

She’d only begun to entertain the thought when he reminded her of how much he cared about his family. Maddie cared about them, too, of course, and she could see where he was coming from. ”I haven’t asked you not to speak to your family,” she retorted, her confusion and the fear of dashed hopes making her tone far more irritable than she would have liked. It was true, though, she hadn’t asked him to abandon his family, and she wasn’t going to. Besides that, he had yet to give her reason to believe that there was anything keeping him here. Yes, he’d admitted to the fact that he’d been searching for her, but did finding his best friend mean so much to him that he’d stay with her forever? And even if he did, was he to be nothing more than her friend?

His voiced thoughts slowly began to answer that question, and Maddie felt a light blush crawl into her cheeks. ”I don’t want you to go…” She’d barely managed to whisper the words before his next confession stole her breath. He loved her? And somehow, she’d been blind enough not to realize that her own feelings were reciprocated. But it seemed that he was as nervous as she, and Maddie assumed he’d been blind to her love, as well. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips and tears stung her eyes. Without taking the time to think about it, she all but flung herself over the arm of the couch. Her lips connected with Adam’s and Maddie let her fingers tangle into his messy hair. Years of pent up yearning leaked from Maddie in the moments of that kiss, and she sighed a little, completely failing to notice the fact that all of her concentration was now on Adam. There was no hope of controlling the blast that was already raging within her.

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[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam didn't have time to react to protest. No she hadn't asked him not to speak to them, she had asked him to lie to them, asked him to pretend to them that he had never found Maddison. And that was like living a lie to the people he cared about most, he couldn't do it. And as for anything else, his mind didn't have time to register a thing as she shot towards him.

Her lips were even softer than they looked, their perfect shape lined against his mouth, her sweetness on his tongue. He said nothing, and made no motion to make this a short kiss, quite the contrary. Adam wrapped his arm around her, cupping her face with his free hand. His tongue slipped between her unresisting lips as he tried to disappear into her being forever.

But it wasn't meant to last.

A blast of energy shot out from her, he felt it rippling through her body, but did not realize what it was until it hit him. Adam let go of her almost at once, for all intents and purposes, flipping off the couch to curl up on the floor, holding his head. Adam had felt the blast pass over himself, but he was still in pain. So much so that he couldn't open his eyes, tears streaming from them quietly as he bit his lip to keep from screaming. He kept hoping it would pass, hoping that this wouldn't leave a mark on his brain.

Love was not for the faint of heart.

After what felt like a long time, he stood up and sat down again, eyes open but lip still bitten. He wanted to love her, wanted to be with her, wanted to kiss her.... he almost didn't care how his head hurt, but he was afraid if he opened his mouth a scream would come out instead of those sentiments.

But he gave it a try anyway, "Maddie," He turned to look at her. "I don't care about your powers, I still want you. And you have to promise me that you won't send me away, and I promise to help you harness and control this thing you can do, so that you don't have to live like this."

[MADDISON NOELLE RUSH]

By the time she realized she’d lost control, it was too late to stop herself from hurting him, and Maddie just stood and stared. He’d ended up curled up on the floor, and he looked so vulnerable that she wanted to cry. Scratch that. She was crying. Of course she was. This was exactly why things with them could never work. As he stood and moved back to the couch, Maddie took a step away from him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be close to him. She couldn’t be that close to him. She’d already proven that it wasn’t safe.

She’d been intent on dealing with this in a calm, mature manner. Her parents had brought her up that way. But her parents had never prepared her for this. As far as she was concerned, she had a right to be angry about the way things had turned out. Life had dealt her an unfair hand, and she had done nothing to deserve it. It was clear from the look on his face that Maddie had caused Adam extreme pain, and she clenched her jaw, angry at the thought. When he turned to look at her, she looked away. He had to be joking. He didn’t care about her powers? ”That’s such a load of bullshit!” It was completely unlike her to blow up like this, but she was having a much harder time controlling her motions than she usually did. Maybe it came with the power…. ”You don’t have this… monstrosity inside of you. How in God’s name could you possibly think you can help me control it?! I could have killed you, Adam! You know I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I won’t promise not to send you away. Not if it’s what’s best for you.”

[ADAM CHRISTOPHER PERSELL]

Adam sighed. She was right, obviously he wished that she didn't have it, and he knew that she would never agree to promise him anything, but she'd never been so angry before. But he was angry too, he just couldn't show it the same way. Adam stood up quickly, which made him dizzy, but he didn't let on.

"Okay, so things would a hell of a lot better if you didn't have this power, but you do." Adam said quietly, that sort of mad quiet, tense and certain. "I probably can't help, but I can't just go home and give up on you. Would you like me to do that? Go away and never come back, and marry someone who looks like you and live out the rest of my life knowing you're alone here suffering with this?" He asked her, his tone a little louder. How could she ask him to abandon her? That would only make them both miserable forever. They at least had to give this a shot.

"What's the harm in trying to make this better and easier? I'm not asking you to try and stop being who you are, I just know that this isn't how its intended to continue, you can control this Maddie, you just haven't figured out how yet." Adam wasn't terribly religious, but he went to church and believed in God and he figured that God wouldn't have done this to her to make her life miserable. There was a reason.