Alex looked tired again. He always looked tired these days, probably because he worked so freaking hard. He was wasting his youth and spending his years before they came due! It was Leo's self-sworn duty to make sure his friends did not dig themselves an early grave, and in Alex's case, that was especially difficult since the one most responsible or his condition was himself.

Step 1. Get Alex to call in sick and play hooky. After a week or so of nagging, Leo found this was not going to happen so he adjusted step 1 to step 1b. Get Alex's teachers a distraction.

A little digging had proved that Mr. Wong was... nobody. If Mr. Wong was a real person, he was the most boring and unplugged individual Leo'd ever cyberstalked. So Leo put out some feelers and came at it from a little bit different angle. He dangled a little bait for Mr. Wong. Something a proud martial artist who was fond of taking on students might respond to. And he maybe tipped the police that Mr. Wong was quite possibly a Decepticon. So, whether he was answering questions from the Popo or investigating a potential student who did not exist, either way, hopefully Mr. Wong would cancel lessons. Even if it was just for one day.

That day soon came and, lucky for Leo, the stars aligned that Sam was also preoccupied.

Step 2 involved the remarkable transformation of the history classroom.

Leo'd stuffed all the chairs and tables and learning junk in the back and then he'd gotten help to drag in some overstuffed chairs from the living room. From there they tied sheets above the projector screen and found clever places to tuck and pin until the classroom was gone and only a cocoon of soft, pillowy cotton remained.

It was like the outside world wasn't even a thing.

They hooked up an ancient N64 projected onto the big screen and proceeded to hunt each other down in Goldeneye, laughing at the low-poly count. Once Goldeneye got stale, they moved through a few options until the king of games was up on the big screen.

Mario Kart.

Step 3 was now well on its way: distract and amuse.

Leo, of course, chose Luigi who was the best for his hidden stats. And he knew where like 75% of the shortcuts were since even his sisters had deigned to play Mario Kart with him. Even so, the competition was closer than Leo had suspected.

"Okay. You only won that last one because Bowser got me with the blue shell. You're going down, boiii! The ice level is my hands-down favorite!"

Alex had admittedly been training a lot lately, that and studying not just for school but for his powers too. He was getting stronger, he knew it, he just had to push a little harder. Though in the past few weeks Leo has been begging him to play hookie, call in sick so they could hang out. But he couldn't do it, he had so much to do, so much to catch up on, and he couldn't afford to waste time. He didn't know why but it always felt like he was racing against something, it felt like something was coming, and he had to be ready.

But then Sam, his dad, went on mission and disappeared, then Mr. Wong, Hades, disappeared too. With both of them gone, it was on him to continue training on his own. He would keep it up, because that's what was expected of him. Unexpectedly though, Leo invited him to one of the class rooms and the guy had set up his whole thing just so they could have some fun, hang out, relax.

One night of goofing off wouldn't be too bad, it wouldn't ruin everything he was working on. So video games were played and snacks were eaten and they were having a good time. In fact he may have eaten too many of the snacks, it's been a while since he felt so full and content with the world.

"Okay. You only won that last one because Bowser got me with the blue shell. You're going down, boiii! The ice level is my hands-down favorite!"

He laughed and shook his head, "Not my fault you got cocky towards the end. You should have held on to those red shells to cover you. Maybe you'll win this one though, who knows." He smirked at Leo, no matter what he said, Alex was simply a better tactician and these games came surprisingly easy to him. He didn't play a lot as a kid, bible-thumper fosters that he had only let them have a few select, non-violent ones. So most of his childhood was spent outside. Yet, here he was, beating Leo's nerdy but with ease.

Cocky? COCKY! Grrr. Leo stopped slouching in his chair and put his metaphorical serious pants on. "Oh. I will show you cocky! It is on."

He bit his lip with the jump. He leaned with the curves. He hit the trick with the sparks! And the ramp! And the secret upper track!

Aaaaand then he hit a penguin which caused a precious time-wasting spin out. The guy on the cloud came to fish his cart out of the water.

"Maaan!" Leo tossed his controller as Alex and all the bot players easily whizzed past. He hadn't done that in years. Of course, he hadn't played console in years either.

"For someone who said they were inexperienced, you sure are kicking my ass." A good-natured suspicion radiated from narrowed eyes. It was pretty impossible to be mad at Alex. He was earnest and put in all that effort. He really put Leo and his freeloading human ways to shame.

Too bad Jiri had passed out in the hall. Leo was betting that he could have at least beat a narcoleptic.

Also, it seemed they were out of drinks. He stood and stretched so that his fingers just barely brushed the top of the cocoon of comfort. "I could use a break, actually. You wanna go on a supply run?"

Alex ended up taking second place to Peach, the pink princess getting him with one last green shell. Wasn't all that bad given his lack of experience. Maybe he was just lucky, maybe Leo was just out of practice. In either case he really needed this, he'd have to find a way to thank Leo sometime, return the favor. He didn't know how it would do it but he'd figure it out eventually.

"For someone who said they were inexperienced, you sure are kicking my ass."

He shrugs his shoulders, "Eh, just good luck I guess." Better not rub it in or risk souring the mood with anything. He set his controller down and gave a stretch before relaxing in his seat a bit more. He was just about ready to join Jiri in slumber. Though for Jiri it might actually body hoping at the moment and they would never know.

"I could use a break, actually. You wanna go on a supply run?"

He gave a groan and tried to sink further into the plush nest of pillows and blankets, "Aw but I'm comfyyyy." He closed his eyes for a moment, blindly fishing for his keys. "Found my keys, alright, I guess we can go."he murmured. He had only gotten his license a few months ago and of course his friends wanted to take advantage of that often enough.

The truck his father gave him as an old hand-me-down, a little scratched and rusted but it ran just fine. Well enough to get them to the convenience store anyway.

Luck. Beginner's luck? Leo pulled one arm across his body and stretched first one shoulder and then the other. He really had to quit hunching.

"No. Totally. I mean, not bashing your skill or anything, but I seriously am starting to think that mutants have a kind of luck magnifying thing that happens around you guys. 'Cause when your luck is bad it's not just bad it is like bad, bad. So why shouldn't the flip side be true too, right? It could totally be a thing."

Aaand he'd lost Alex to the depths of comfort. Leo quirked his mouth. Well. That had kinda been the point so if he didn't want to go... He started to sit.

> "Found my keys, alright, I guess we can go."

One inch from the comforting embrace of his chair, Leo's butt hesitated. "Yesss!" He popped back up and had to do the ritual pat-down: phone, room key, wallet.

The Mansion had some good stuff on hand, but it was good for the soul to get out beyond these gates every now and then.

"Okay. So," Leo let Alex lead the way. It was Alex's car and Leo'd never actually made it to the garage without him. "There's a bodega on 12th where this chick works nights. I've been dying to get back there. I think I even figured out her birdwatcher name- 'cause she's got this streak of color in her hair, see?" He knew he was rambling, but couldn't seem to stop himself. He just got worked up sometimes and Alex was quiet sometimes. He didn't mean to railroad the conversation.

"-like you wouldn't believe the resolution of these photos. On TV they're all 'Enhance!', but I just kept zooming in on the reflection-"

Alex smiled a little as Leo began to ramble on about this girl he wanted to see again at the bodega. He had heard Leo talk about her before but he usually just kind of tuned it out. He wasn't all that interested. Romance just wasn't for him, it made his heart ache a little, he wanted it but it was a little more complicated than it should be. At least it felt more complicated, with the way the world worked and the way his life worked.

Mutant, with a public record in that he killed a man in self-defense and a public life in that he spouted a good portion of his life and views online. There was very little about him he felt was appealing in a romantic sense, that and he was...gay. He had been doing research, looking into it, trying to understand himself and why he didn't feel that way about girls. He had plenty of interactions with women, older and girls his own age, and always felt nothing. There was nothing there for him. But with guys it was different and the internet seemed to confirm that, yes, indeed one can be gay without displaying any of the classic stereotypes.

The internet had been helpful...kind of. There was a lot of misinformation and hate when it came to the LGBT, nearly as much as there was for mutants, but for entirely different reasons. It was disheartening and with the way things went with him...He didn't want to potentially bring someone who was already in danger, into further danger. It just wouldn't be fair.

They made it to his truck before they knew it and he pushed all those thoughts and feelings down. He could sort them out later. Now was not the time for it. "So, 12th street, to the bodega. You think she's gonna be there this time of night?"he asked, as casual as can be whilst starting up the truck. It took a second for the engine to catch up but soon enough they were off.

Would she be there? Leo sighed. "I sure hope so. Her posts are usually all made around now." The dashboard clock said it was pretty late. "And she sometimes complains about the night security guard." Okay. It was a little embarrassing how much Leo payed attention when her username popped.

"Apparently the guard is a bit racist and wants to talk about less government and yay guns and stuff. I wonder if she told him that she went to the pussyhat march. He woulda had a coronary."

Actually, did Leo know Alex's stance on gun control? The Race issue was probably pretty settled for their generation. LGBTQ, too, in Leo's mind was a done deal.

"What about you? Isn't there somebody you want to go see somewhere?" Leo would happily sit in the car and wait. He couldn't do much to make things easier in the day-to-day and Leo was already working the socio-political progressive angle online for the long game. But now? Right now in this moment? He couldn't do much else but offer up his time for his friend.

"She sometimes complains about the night security guard. Apparently the guard is a bit racist and wants to talk about less government and yay guns and stuff. I wonder if she told him that she went to the pussyhat march. He woulda had a coronary."

He chuckled and nodded his head, "Way too many folks care about their guns more than people. I mean, I get it you wanna be safe, especially in places where the cops don't arrive all that fast. But the response time in the city is really fast. Hopefully this guy doesn't act on his opinions." Some people had the idea that a gun gave them the authority to dole out justice as they saw fit. Those were some scary people.

"What about you? Isn't there somebody you want to go see somewhere?"

He blinked, giving Leo a quick glance before pulling his eyes back to the road. "What? No, nobody I'm invested in at the moment. Life has been too...busy for that."he shrugged. Yup, definitely too busy and having nothing to do with his lack of confidence or fear of failure. And certainly having nothing to do with the fear that his preference may loose him his only friends and may even push away his adopted parent.

The roads were quiet, not that busy this time of night. There were cars of course, but not nearly as many as there may have been during the day. It made the drive easier, faster, and the faster they got there, the faster they could drop the topic of his non-existent love life.

"I think I can see the appeal of a gun. Hypothetically." Mother nature had a twisted sense of humor and mutants were people deep down under all that power. "It's just not for me, man. I don't want that kind of responsibility." If he had training that might be a different story. In theory he didn't have a problem with guns. It was just that practice always turned out so different from theory.

And it was just sad that Alex didn't have anybody in his life. He was starting to let people in, like his step dad, but everyone deserved to be loved. Everybody. So Leo wasn't like pity sad. He was on board for fixing Alex's little 'problem.'

"We should fix that, man. I mean, trolling the park at this time of night is not gonna get you the kind of girl you'd want to introduce to you new dad so maybe that's out. There's gotta be somewhere..." Maybe there'd be more than one nice chick at the bodega. Leo sat on his hands to keep from pulling his phone out and checking for posts.

Alex nodded along quietly, not minding the peace between them. Despite how scary New York at night could seem when you were on the streets, from the inside of a car it wasn't too bad. There were a few scattered people here and there, those who worked late and those who had no options. It felt weird being on the other side of the glass. Even after so long, it wasn't something he could just simply forget, the fear, the anxiety. He moved on but he still worried that he may end up there again.

"We should fix that, man. I mean, trolling the park at this time of night is not gonna get you the kind of girl you'd want to introduce to you new dad so maybe that's out. There's gotta be somewhere..."

Alex grinned nervously and didn't answer right away, instead giving a soft laugh at the suggestion. But he could feel the color drain a little from his face. Hopefully not too noticeable in the dark of the car. Hopefully Leo would just write it off a romance novice being nervous at the prospect of even trying. Not that he wasn't, he has never been a relationship after all, but there were other concerns on his mind when it came to these things.

"Oh look, there's the bodega!" Thank god, he didn't know if could have held up the conversation any longer. All they had to do was get in and get the snack, maybe let Leo flirt a little, before going home and playing some more games before passing out. He didn't want to be dragged into any of the flirting, so he prayed that it was just the one girl and Leo wouldn't be tempted to hook him up with some poor girl he had no interest in.

"Oh God. We're here already?"

For the moment, Alex's girl problems were subverted by his own. He had practically stalked his way into finding out where she worked. He knew her username, IP address, and cell phone provider, but not her real name.

"This was a bad idea wasn't it?" But they were already parking now. It was too late to turn back, wasn't it?

He'd already stopped by once. Leo bought a newspaper and his heart nearly beat out of his mouth when she made a quip to him about the cheeto in office that was running their country. He had tried to say something back. He'd wanted to sound smart. The best he'd managed was the word 'yeah' and then he kicked himself the entire ride back to the Mansion.

Oh. But there was one major difference this time... Alex.

"Drinks and snacks, right?" That is what they had originally come for. Leo unbuckled and got out. He had a wingman. Someone to help him not be one big walking butt. They could be cool and relaxed and natural. "What's your poison?"

He opened the door and hesitated at the threshold because angels started singing in his head. There she was. Purple hair. Earbuds in. Phone in hand.

She was perfect.

And she looked right at him because the door chimed.

"This was a bad idea wasn't it?"

Alex smiled, genuine this time, "There's only one way to find out." He felt a little excited for Leo, if his nervousness was anything to go by, he must really like this girl. Something about her photography skills and her well written posts. Apparently she was something of an artist, like a real artists, analytical skills included. That was good, Leo was a motor mouth but he was a smart motor mouth, he needed someone who could keep up, even challenge him.

The inside of the little bodega was one that Alex expected, not spotless and with a security camera, but with plenty of variety. And there she was, purple hair, that must be the girl Leo was talking about. He couldn't tell right away, but this could work out.

"Drinks and snacks, right? What's your poison?"

He tilted his head in thought, "Mmm, probably something sweet, bbq chips and Sprite? Dunno, I'll know it when I see it." He gave the girl at the counter a polite little wave and headed over to the snack aisle. He tried to keep things normal as could be, ignoring the fact that her gaze followed him and Leo from the store entrance to where the chips were. If she was on the bird watcher forum, then she probably knew who he was, even if it was only through a few pictures. He hadn't considered that, he hoped she wasn't uncomfortable, he just wanted to get his snacks and leave.

Alex breezed right in. No big deal. Yeah. Leo could do this. He could.

Be cool. Be cool. Be cool.

Leo moved with robotic inefficiency that came from him over analyzing every movement. He could feel her eyes on the pair of them, but was entirely too self-conscious to look right at her to see what kind of look she had on her face.

Was he walking too fast? Too slow? Did she think he was here to steal stuff? Leo took his hands out of his pockets. How had his hands gotten in his pockets? No one walked with their hands in their pockets. That was WEIRD. He needed his hands to find chips.

"Hey."

Leo tried to inhale and answer out loud at the same time and he ended up gagging on absolutely nothing. He heard the hinged countertop bang back into place and footsteps. Footsteps did not make his tongue any smaller.

"I know you don't I?"

His excitement prompted several inaudible exclamation points to come out of his mouth. His jaw obliged them by hanging open wide enough for them to escape. She stopped just a couple paces down the chip aisle.

"Yeah. You're that guy... You know the ice X, Cold Steel, don't you? He went to your trial and all of that? Wow. I mean, I guess I knew objectively that you lived around here. I never thought I'd actually meet you."

At first he felt a bit crushed at her enthusiasm, but no... it actually made more sense that way. Leo was careful not to be on camera since he knew his mother would drive the two hours just to come whap him with a flip-flop when she inevitably found out. Alex was somebody who was actually news-worthy.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm probably bothering you guys. Didn't mean to ambush. I'm Libby." She tapped her name tag which said the same, but was mostly covered in stickers of glib sayings or glittery cats.

Alex had been hoping she wouldn't recognize him, that he could just get his chips and that Leo could do all the flirting. But it didn't seem to matter where he went, people wouldn't let him forget and they wouldn't let up. At least the girl was nice about it, talking about Cold Steel being at the trial instead of talking about why there had been a trial in the first place. He was grateful for that at least.

He could see Leo out of the corner of his eye while she talked, nervous and basically gagging on his own tongue. Poor guy, he had to do something.

"Oh. Sorry. I'm probably bothering you guys. Didn't mean to ambush. I'm Libby."

He smiled, a little awkwardly, "Nah, it's no big deal, Libby. Actually Leo is more of an expert on the X's than I am and I bet he'd love to talk to you about it. You're part of that Audubon X site, right Leo? The one with all the photography of mutants?" He gave Leo a pat on the shoulder before taking a step back, "Don't worry about the snacks, I'll handle it." Another step back before turning around to browse the snacks and leaving Leo to talk to the girl on his own.

He hadn't done something like that in years. Not the wing-man for a friend bit but rather the, distract the store clerk with someone else bit. He had been a child living in the backwoods of Idaho, stealing bags of chips from gas station clerks. Those were weird times. But those days were over, he was here to legitimately buy some snacks with money he got from his dad. Adopted dad, but still now a dad.

"You gotta be kidding me. You're an AX-man too?"

Friend. Brother. Wingman. Leo had all the love for Alex right now. He nearly shed a metaphorical tear. Nearly.

"Here." Leo passed his wallet to Alex. The man had more than earned his trust. Libby and Leo were moseying back up to the register with talk of forums and their favorite posters and powers. She was everything he'd hoped she'd be in person and she didn't even get too mad when he explained that he was LionOfTruth.

He certainly hadn't abused his moderator powers to get there. He'd just abused the metadata tags and zoomed in on her high definition photos. So. Explaining that to her should have gotten him brownie points, really. 'Cause now she knew that she should scrub them. And what could be done with them. And... well, he didn't really understand why the conversation was tanking, but she was mad now.