Blaine turned around to soak his back while demonstrating his wisdom through proper precautionary measure. It would be important for anyone to get regular checkups but even more so for him. How else would you figure out you had injured yourself other than maybe your foot was bending in weird and unusual ways. Did he feel infections? What if he got a serious splinter? Gangrene? Infected cuts? How long would it be before the swelling or irreparable harm?

Sure he could charge right in, take the pain, keep to mission but there was real danger there. Devon wondered too what a life absent of warm sunshine, cool rain, a mother’s touch would feel like. Suddenly his reticence of a romantic partner for kissing or sexual activity seemed an insult. Did Blaine get to enjoy any of it? Had he only memories before his power had developed or had it always been so?

It did sound like Blaine had a past with a fight club, less than legal as he said. But how well regulated was that? The radiating heat or cold thing sounded familiar though. Did he know Calcifer? Devon smirked back as he regarded Blaine closer, warm memories filling him as the water continued to do so. A sudden light blush touched his cheeks as he averted his gaze, closing his eyes to wash the soap from his hair. He licked at his still swollen lip but at least the throb of his eye and back had subsided.

>> "Knocked his ass out in less than a minute."

Devon laughed glancing through wet hair, “I bet! Had he ever gone up against anyone who wasn’t vulnerable to such? I know the feeling there. I’ll have to tell you about the hot guy I had to fight but we’re cool now.” Hm, that didn’t sound quite right. Ah well. It did occur to him however he needed to continue practicing more without his abilities. Blaine gave that option as did some martial training with Ranger, but you never knew when your abilities wouldn’t help.

It was great that Blaine took all in stride as their shower was ending. All Devon’s blabbering didn’t turn him off. Maybe Blaine was immune to that too. He cared about passion and that was good; Haven had a lot of passion and needed focus for it, especially the younger volunteers. Zealotry could get troublesome after all.

>> "You've sold me,"

“I’m very glad to hear it. We can talk some of the logistics over a burger or something,” Devon said, flipping a hand back through his hair to get the water out of his eyes. He took Blaine’s hand in a solid shake. “My treat. I’d really like to talk more with you about your ability and its ramifications. I could even help you test your limits or teach you to recognize other signs of external influence.”

His blue eyes raked over Blaine once more, an obvious look down as that faint color came back to Devon’s cheeks, “Like maybe being able to recognize how excited you are even when you can’t feel it extending out from you.” Devon laughed as he went for his locker, “It happens to everyone. I’ll catch you back outside.”

"In their defense....I don't think anybody's gone up against a guy like me before. The way I've had it explained to me, pain can be a good thing. It's like a safety switch that lets you know when it's time to stop. When they made me, they didn't give me a safety," he said with a shrug, chuckling at the 'hot' guy comment and wondering how much of a pun it was meant to be. Hey, who was he to judge?

Blaine nodded with a smile. "Burger sounds good. And another outside opinion on my limits and external influences would always be welcome."

Then, he heard Devon's final comment as the other man walked off to the lockers, and Blaine looked down. He and Lee were still figuring out how to "make it work" and now, in the shower with a complete stranger...

"God dammit...."