Terry and Otabek

[ax_tacet]

Terry and Otabek have a run in with their powers. After initial unpleasantness they make amends and chat music.



Terry was in a good mood that day, for no particular reason. She was coming back from class and singing the song that was currently stuck in her mind, Lauv's 'I like me better'. "I like me better when I'm with you, I like me better when I'm with you, I knew from the first time, I'd stay for a long time, 'Cause I like me better when - I like me better when I'm with you!"

It wasn't a particular tough song to sing, although she was giving it a personal twist, of course. It was half about getting the song out of her head, half about just being in a good enough mood to sing in the hallways. Warren would be happy; any student could hear her now!

Any student could hear her, and it verged on too chipper for Otabek to process right now. He didn't intentionally turn his powers on, but as he walked down the hall approaching the ballad ahead the whole hallway went dead silent. Not a note, not a footfall, trembled through the space. Otabek was so used to tuning out unwanted noise, he hoped for a minute the vocalist had stopped of their own accord.

"I don't know what it is but I got that -" Terry's lips kept moving for a few seconds, but there was no sound anymore. She didn't even notice that the rest of the hallway had gone silent; she simply panicked. She tried to talk, louder and louder, distress obvious on her face. And then, with nothing else to try, she screamed, pushing her voice higher and higher, because this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

Otabek' head jerked up when he felt a pressure resisting his power. He saw the girl screaming, and knew this was his fault. This didn't feel like anything he'd ever experienced before. He was afraid to drop the silence, because what the hell was she doing? Otabek rushed closer, waving his hands to get her attention, and trying to gesture for her to stop.

Terry started when an Asian guy was suddenly in her face, waving his hands. She stepped backwards in a hurry, her scream halted for now. Then she scowled, looking as fierce as an Irish girl could. Did you do this? she tried to say, but only mouthed at him, overpronouncing every syllable so that he might get it. Adrenaline was still flooding her system, and she had half a mind to keep pushing until she could scream, just because. Who did that to other people?

Otabek sagged once the pressure stopped. He still felt like he was going to be sick. He carefully tried to stop the silence. "I'm sorry," he said, and this time it was audible.

"Bloody right you should be!" Terry let out, still riding out her anger, her accent all the stronger for it. "What right do you have to go and steal people's voices like that?" Then only did she seem to realise the way he looked, and she paused, before her scowl turned into more of a concerned frown. "Are you all right?"

"Uh." He put a hand against the wall. "Will be." Probably. Without retching, because he'd already made a great first impression.

"Oh, Jaysus," she breathed out, coming closer but wary of touching him. "D'you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

Otabek grimaced. “Rather not. But probably should.” Seeing as he had no idea what had just happened, he didn't want to risk walking it off.

"Come on," Terry offered gently, stepping a little closer and holding an arm out - to put around his waist if he needed it. She wasn't sure how unsteady he was.

He was pretty green but he could handle walking. He took the first step and braced himself to hold it together until they reached the infirmary--or passed the first washroom. “Thank you,” Otabek said carefully. “Never happened like that before.”

"That was probably my fault," Terry admitted, walking by his side and keeping a worried eye on him. "Don't try and silence a siren?" she offered weakly, thinking of the comparison Warren had once made. It had stuck with her.

“Duly noted. I don't always know when it's happening,” he acknowledged. “It's kind of new.”

"I'm sorry for freaking out and pushing back," she told him as they reached the elevator, and she pushed the button.

"Don't blame you. Logical reaction." Otabek took a breath as they paused.

"I should've thought," Terry stated. The elevator doors opened and she pressed another button after they stepped on. "How wretched are you feeling?"

"Mostly queasy?" He admitted. "Think if I dropped it sooner it wouldn't be too bad, but it felt... like a bad idea? Like the pressure would have been worse."

Terry took a moment to remember. "I think I'd reached 'making people dizzy and nauseated' stage when you managed to catch my attention. So it was probably best to make me stop screaming first."

"What exactly do you do, if you don't mind me asking?"

"A range of sonic powers," Terry answered, and stepped out when the doors opened. "Some's just my voice, but there's also some sound manipulation."

"We're a fine match then," he observed.

"Possibly," she answered with a smile, then opened another door. "Here you go. I'll wait out here while they check you out." Of course she felt bad.

He gave her a small salute. "I'm Otabek, by the way."

"Terry," she told him with a small smile, which faded as she watched him go into the infirmary. She hoped it was nothing much, and he'd be all right in no time.

By the time the nurse finished checking him out Otabek felt bad for not suggesting Terry head off. If she was still waiting, she had patience. Good news, the vertigo was mostly a side effect to using his power in a new way, and as it faded the nausea did as well. No real damage, nothing to worry about.

Otabek popped back out of the infirmary and glanced around to see if the girl had waited. He offered Terry a wry smile when he spotted her. "Thank you for waiting. It's nothing to worry about. Fun to look forward to if we do power training together."

Terry slid her phone back in her pocket as Otabek reappeared, and she smiled at relief at the news. "Well, I won't push this hard against you again, if that's the result. I'm glad you're all right."

"Yeah, let me figure out how to control what I'm doing first. Then maybe you can push." He slid his hands into his pockets. "Though if you push any harder, I'm going to end up on the floor. Don't let anyone accuse you of being a damsel in distress."

"I don't think anyone would," Terry answered before she thought better of it, an answer that said more about her vision of herself than anyone else's. "But I swear I don't welcome every new student that way."

Otabek's lips quirked. "Good to know."

The ridiculousness of having to specify that only just struck her, and she smiled, then chuckled quietly, shaking her head. "Sorry. I'm just a little..." Shaken? That was ridiculous, too, given what she had thrown at him.

"I'm going to make some tea. Want some?" Otabek offered.

What she really wanted was a shot, but she nodded anyway. "That would be great." They fell in step, heading back towards the elevator. "When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday."

Terry winced. "Welcome to Xavier's?"

He snorted softly. "Thank you."

She could apologise, again. Or she could move on, even as they reached the lift. "Where are you from?"

Otabek was all for moving on. It was a rough beginning, but he was rolling with it. "Almaty. I've been traveling for a few years. Yourself?"

"Ireland, a small town on the west coast," Terry answered, pressing the button to call it. "I'm sorry, but - where's Almaty?"

"Kazakhstan," he explained.

"Oh," she let out. "Sorry, I'm clearly not as good at geography as I should be. That's underneath Russia, right?"

"Yes. Central Asia, under Russia. Long way from Ireland." He offered her a smile.

Terry chuckled even as she winced. "It is. I'm sorry. We learned every country and their capital when I was younger, but it's all slipped from my mind since." The lift doors opened, and she stepped inside.

"Can't blame you. The world big, and even if you travel all the time it's hard to keep track of."

"Do you travel a lot?" she asked curiously, even as the lift took them back up.

"Frequently," he confirmed. "I've been training away from home for a while."

"Training?" Terry echoed curiously.

He gave a small nod. "I skate. I've been training and competing abroad."

"What kind of skating?" she asked curiously. Was he like Yuri? "There's an ice figure skater here already."

Another small nod. "The same. We've known each other before here."

"Really?" she asked with raised eyebrows, and a small smile. Yuri was a bit... abrupt, but he was all right when he wanted to be. "Do you compete against each other?" That had to make Otabek really good, too.

"We will soon. He should be making his senior debut this season." That chased a smile from Otabek. "I've got some work to do."

"Do you mind if I Google you?" Terry asked, because she could think any better of it. The lift doors opened, and she stepped out into the foyer, leading the way towards the kitchen. "I've looked Yuri up, it was... he's breathtaking."

All figure skaters were, but to know one personally - and now two - it was different from when they were simply athletes, strangers on a screen. Yuri was someone she knew, someone she attended school with! And the artistic aspect of their sport, the use of music, appealed to her in a way other sports could not. She did not feel the same amazement over what Jean-Paul did, for all that it was also impressive.

"He is," Otabek had to agree. There was no doubt that what Yuri did was ethereal. Otabek couldn't compete with his grace, but he had his own talent to showcase. "And sure. If I was too shy to be watched, I've picked the wrong career."

"Good point," Terry agreed, feeling stupid for asking. "What is it like? All these people watching you."

He gave her a small smile. "Sometimes, it's too much. Their expectations, trying not to make mistakes. But when it's right, you don't notice how many people watch. It's the music and the motion. The crowd is part of you. You are the moment, the strength of everything coming together."

Terry gave him a smile, and walked into the kitchen. "It doesn't sound like you picked the wrong career at all at all."

Otabek huffed a soft sound of amusement and then headed for the kettle to put it on. "How about you? What do you like to do?"

"Sing," she answered with a quick smile. "And run." She located the teas and held it out to him for him to choose. "I was part of my old high school athletics team."

"Suspect we'll bump into each other if you're an early runner." He went to find some mugs. "Favorite kind of music?"

"Have I got to choose one?" she asked, and made a face. "Anything that's fun to sing, really. Rock and pop rock, I guess? But..." She shrugged. "I like a lot of music. What about you?"

"Rock mostly. Are you good for keeping secrets?" He asked, a wicked smirk curving his lips.

It would have been hard to resist the smile the expression on his face brought on, and Terry did not even try. She leaned in a little, eyes twinkling, intrigued. "I am." She fully expected a guilty musical pleasure kind of secret.

"When I'm not skating, I moonlight as a DJ. Now you know my alter ego." It wasn't really much of a secret, there were indications on instagram, but it wasn't a fun fact that everyone knew.

Terry bit down on her bottom lip, then chuckled. "Only if you give me your DJ name."

"Maybe if I actually find a night around here I'll let you know."

"Maybe?" Terry hesitated, teeth worrying her bottom lip for a moment, and then told him, "One of the students, Shinobi, is having a party at the end of the month. He - I handled the music for the last party, so he's asked me to do this one, too. I've asked someone else, Tommy, to help out, but if you want a set..."

He shook his head. "I prefer knowing less of the crowd," he admitted. "I don't think I'm up for making that introduction right now."

Terry nodded immediately; she understood that feeling well. "Thank you for telling me, then," she told him with a soft smile.

Otabek apparently was more likely to bond after unfortunate encounters. He still felt apologetic for freaking Terry out earlier. And yeah, she seemed like a good person. "Yeah. Well, now I can look forward to judging your friend Tommy. Good time to arrive I guess."

"Please don't judge him too hard. Or me," she added with a small, hopeful smile, half taking the mick, half actually earnest.

He chuckled softly. "I'll try to behave."